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Contents:
· 5,271,009 · nv F&SF Mar ’54
· Ms. Found in a Champagne Bottle · ss Status, 1968
· Fondly Fahrenheit · nv F&SF Aug ’54
· Comment on “Fondly Fahrenheit” · ar
· The Four-Hour Fugue · ss Analog Jun ’74
· The Men Who Murdered Mohammed · ss F&SF Oct ’58
· Disappearing Act · ss Star Science Fiction Stories #2, ed. Frederik Pohl, Ballantine, 1953
· Hell Is Forever · na Unknown Aug ’42
· Adam and No Eve · ss Astounding Sep ’41
· Time Is the Traitor · nv F&SF Sep ’53
· Oddy and Id [“The Devil’s Invention”] · ss Astounding Aug ’50
· Hobson’s Choice · ss F&SF Aug ’52
· Star Light, Star Bright · ss F&SF Jul ’53
· They Don’t Make Life Like They Used To · nv F&SF Oct ’63
· Of Time and Third Avenue · ss F&SF Oct ’51
· Isaac Asimov · iv Publishers Weekly Apr 17 ’72
· The Pi Man · ss Star Light, Star Bright, Berkley/Putnam, 1976; revised from F&SF Oct ’59.
· Something Up There Likes Me · nv Astounding, ed. Harry Harrison, Random, 1973
· My Affair with Science Fiction · ar Nova 4, ed. Harry Harrison, Walker, 1974
· 5,271,009 · nv F&SF Mar ’54
· Ms. Found in a Champagne Bottle · ss Status, 1968
· Fondly Fahrenheit · nv F&SF Aug ’54
· Comment on “Fondly Fahrenheit” · ar
· The Four-Hour Fugue · ss Analog Jun ’74
· The Men Who Murdered Mohammed · ss F&SF Oct ’58
· Disappearing Act · ss Star Science Fiction Stories #2, ed. Frederik Pohl, Ballantine, 1953
· Hell Is Forever · na Unknown Aug ’42
· Adam and No Eve · ss Astounding Sep ’41
· Time Is the Traitor · nv F&SF Sep ’53
· Oddy and Id [“The Devil’s Invention”] · ss Astounding Aug ’50
· Hobson’s Choice · ss F&SF Aug ’52
· Star Light, Star Bright · ss F&SF Jul ’53
· They Don’t Make Life Like They Used To · nv F&SF Oct ’63
· Of Time and Third Avenue · ss F&SF Oct ’51
· Isaac Asimov · iv Publishers Weekly Apr 17 ’72
· The Pi Man · ss Star Light, Star Bright, Berkley/Putnam, 1976; revised from F&SF Oct ’59.
· Something Up There Likes Me · nv Astounding, ed. Harry Harrison, Random, 1973
· My Affair with Science Fiction · ar Nova 4, ed. Harry Harrison, Walker, 1974
452 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1976
8 people are currently reading
440 people want to read
About the author
Alfred Bester
365 books944 followersAlfred Bester was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books.
Though successful in all these fields, he is best remembered for his science fiction, including The Demolished Man, winner of the inaugural Hugo Award in 1953, a story about murder in a future society where the police are telepathic, and The Stars My Destination, a 1956 SF classic about a man bent on revenge in a world where people can teleport, that inspired numerous authors in the genre and is considered an early precursor to the cyberpunk movement in the 1980s.
AKA:
Άλφρεντ Μπέστερ (Greek)
Though successful in all these fields, he is best remembered for his science fiction, including The Demolished Man, winner of the inaugural Hugo Award in 1953, a story about murder in a future society where the police are telepathic, and The Stars My Destination, a 1956 SF classic about a man bent on revenge in a world where people can teleport, that inspired numerous authors in the genre and is considered an early precursor to the cyberpunk movement in the 1980s.
AKA:
Άλφρεντ Μπέστερ (Greek)
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 21, 2018
This is a collection of some very good short stories, from 1941 through 1974. At least one of these has been included in other best of collections; I know I’ve read “Fondly Fahrenheit” before.
He likes embedding what he calls tricks into his stories; he started out as a mystery writer, and read voraciously collecting tricks that would make for good mystery clues, such as the years there was a moratorium on certain coins, or mysterious events, such as the disappearance of SYNCOM-1.
This sort of thing often doesn’t age well, and it helps to read these stories with an understanding of when they were written. And if you guess the trick, the story becomes very different than intended (such as the trick at the end of “Time is the Traitor”), as the story becomes, why is no one addressing this obvious flaw in their plan? In that case, the flaw is more obvious because it has been used many times since in other stories; it may well have been original in 1953.
A lot of his introductions don’t seem to match the story they’re paired with; but he covers that by saying he rarely remembers how or why he wrote something decades later. Which makes sense, though it does turn the introductions into odd attempts at fiction themselves.
They are also filled with reminiscences on people like John Campbell and Isaac Asimov. All are interesting, though of course not necessarily reliable given his other caveats. And he doesn’t just write about science fiction; he also wrote comic books, radio scripts, and television scripts; and interviewed for Holiday magazine.
One of the weird things is John Campbell’s objection to Bester using Freud heavily in his writing. Bester does, and expands on his use of Freudian theory in his essays. Campbell objected to this, telling Bester that Freud was a complete fraud and would soon be relegated to the proverbial dustbin of history. Campbell was absolutely right. But for the completely wrong reason. Campbell, writes Bester, thought Dianetics would soon solve all psychological problems in the world and take over from Freudian analysis.
I enjoyed these stories a lot more than The Stars My Destination; they were less reliant on old science fiction tropes and characters; I also tend to be more forgiving in short stories than in novel-length stories.
He likes embedding what he calls tricks into his stories; he started out as a mystery writer, and read voraciously collecting tricks that would make for good mystery clues, such as the years there was a moratorium on certain coins, or mysterious events, such as the disappearance of SYNCOM-1.
This sort of thing often doesn’t age well, and it helps to read these stories with an understanding of when they were written. And if you guess the trick, the story becomes very different than intended (such as the trick at the end of “Time is the Traitor”), as the story becomes, why is no one addressing this obvious flaw in their plan? In that case, the flaw is more obvious because it has been used many times since in other stories; it may well have been original in 1953.
A lot of his introductions don’t seem to match the story they’re paired with; but he covers that by saying he rarely remembers how or why he wrote something decades later. Which makes sense, though it does turn the introductions into odd attempts at fiction themselves.
They are also filled with reminiscences on people like John Campbell and Isaac Asimov. All are interesting, though of course not necessarily reliable given his other caveats. And he doesn’t just write about science fiction; he also wrote comic books, radio scripts, and television scripts; and interviewed for Holiday magazine.
One of the weird things is John Campbell’s objection to Bester using Freud heavily in his writing. Bester does, and expands on his use of Freudian theory in his essays. Campbell objected to this, telling Bester that Freud was a complete fraud and would soon be relegated to the proverbial dustbin of history. Campbell was absolutely right. But for the completely wrong reason. Campbell, writes Bester, thought Dianetics would soon solve all psychological problems in the world and take over from Freudian analysis.
I enjoyed these stories a lot more than The Stars My Destination; they were less reliant on old science fiction tropes and characters; I also tend to be more forgiving in short stories than in novel-length stories.
But writing isn’t logical and sensible. It’s an act of insane violence committed against yourself and the rest of the world.
February 9, 2017
I usually don't read short stories, but I just finished re-reading "The stars, my destination" and decided that another Bester book was needed. This is a most uneven selection of stories, some very short (and to me pretty pointless, such as "Manuscript found in a champagne bottle") others a bit more developped, but still puzzling.
I guess what makes it for such an unsettling reading is that Bester was not just a Sci-Fi writer. He wrote comic strips, TV scripts, collaborated with travel magazines, etc... I liked "The Four-Hour Fugue", but it is a story that could take place in a contemporary setting, with only minor twists (in fact, I think the main plot twist was used more than once in TV serials).
"Disappearing Act" and "5,271,009" introduce ideas that were fully developped in "The stars, my destinaton", while "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" develops an original idea about time travel and it is also quite funny.
So far, the weirdest tale is "They Don't Make Life Like They Used To". An unusual take of the last people left on heart, with a guy and a girl who act crazily, perhaps brain-damaged by the radiations.
I guess what makes it for such an unsettling reading is that Bester was not just a Sci-Fi writer. He wrote comic strips, TV scripts, collaborated with travel magazines, etc... I liked "The Four-Hour Fugue", but it is a story that could take place in a contemporary setting, with only minor twists (in fact, I think the main plot twist was used more than once in TV serials).
"Disappearing Act" and "5,271,009" introduce ideas that were fully developped in "The stars, my destinaton", while "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" develops an original idea about time travel and it is also quite funny.
So far, the weirdest tale is "They Don't Make Life Like They Used To". An unusual take of the last people left on heart, with a guy and a girl who act crazily, perhaps brain-damaged by the radiations.
April 28, 2013
The Demolished Man enthralled me so greatly that I obsessively grabbed every copy of Bester that came past. Due to a lack of organization this eventually resulted in having two copies of Golem100, one of The Computer Connection, and two of this. All unread.
I think I got partway through The Computer Connection before realizing that something was wrong. And Golem100--one copy of it, anyways--was similar.
With this collection I'm forced to confront the thought that maybe Alfred Bester isn't for me. While the stories are cleverly or even elegantly crafted, they really aren't about anything particularly compelling. And, unfortunately, the author introduces his stories, which results in a mishmash of background information, here in a jokey, informal style that I found rather grating.
Many of these stories seem focused on the internal state of the characters, either explicitly, as with "Fondly Fahrenheit" (a fever-dream where the story perspective is in perpetual nightmarish flux, as the unreliable narrator projects his identity and insanity) or "The Pi Man" (the inside of a truly weird mind), or implicitly, as with "They Don't Make Life Like They Used To".
"They Don't Make Life Like They Used To" was a standout for me. It's a "last people on Earth" story with the twist of the characters as Adam and Eve stand-ins, living in a strange detached state of grace. Despite being strangers, they think little of nudity. Despite being the last man and woman on Earth, the romantic / procreational / sexual aspect never seems to occur to either one. Despite the complete and total breakdown of society, they leave little IOUs in the stores they loot and worry about the mounting cost. There's something deeply not-right about both of them which is never adequately explained, followed by an event that changes everything, also not explained. It's a bewildering tale that leaves only about thirty percent of all information in the hands of the reader. Yet, I found it mesmerizing, more from what is not said than what is.
I think I got partway through The Computer Connection before realizing that something was wrong. And Golem100--one copy of it, anyways--was similar.
With this collection I'm forced to confront the thought that maybe Alfred Bester isn't for me. While the stories are cleverly or even elegantly crafted, they really aren't about anything particularly compelling. And, unfortunately, the author introduces his stories, which results in a mishmash of background information, here in a jokey, informal style that I found rather grating.
Many of these stories seem focused on the internal state of the characters, either explicitly, as with "Fondly Fahrenheit" (a fever-dream where the story perspective is in perpetual nightmarish flux, as the unreliable narrator projects his identity and insanity) or "The Pi Man" (the inside of a truly weird mind), or implicitly, as with "They Don't Make Life Like They Used To".
"They Don't Make Life Like They Used To" was a standout for me. It's a "last people on Earth" story with the twist of the characters as Adam and Eve stand-ins, living in a strange detached state of grace. Despite being strangers, they think little of nudity. Despite being the last man and woman on Earth, the romantic / procreational / sexual aspect never seems to occur to either one. Despite the complete and total breakdown of society, they leave little IOUs in the stores they loot and worry about the mounting cost. There's something deeply not-right about both of them which is never adequately explained, followed by an event that changes everything, also not explained. It's a bewildering tale that leaves only about thirty percent of all information in the hands of the reader. Yet, I found it mesmerizing, more from what is not said than what is.
November 29, 2019
Bester's SF novels are some of my favorites, so a venture into his shorter stories was overdue. Like his novels, these are terrific fun. Fantastic in ideas and execution, somewhere between his comic book and screenwriting past and his magazine writing future.
I gather that there are numerous compilations of his short SF floating around. This one is something of an omnibus that includes both the "The Light Fantastic" and "Star Light, Star Bright" collections, and about as thorough as one can find in a single volume. I'd recommend Bester's two famous SF novels first, then this one as a bonus, but probably any compilation you can find will do. It includes intros by the author to each, which are fascinating and hilarious glimpses of both his personality and process.
I gather that there are numerous compilations of his short SF floating around. This one is something of an omnibus that includes both the "The Light Fantastic" and "Star Light, Star Bright" collections, and about as thorough as one can find in a single volume. I'd recommend Bester's two famous SF novels first, then this one as a bonus, but probably any compilation you can find will do. It includes intros by the author to each, which are fascinating and hilarious glimpses of both his personality and process.
Want to read
October 5, 2023Contains the stories:
The Light Fantastic: The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester, Volume 1
5,271,009 (AKA The Starcomber) -
Ms. Found in a Champagne Bottle -
Fondly Fahrenheit - 4/5 - a murderous android and its owner
Comment on “Fondly Fahrenheit” -
The Four-Hour Fugue -
The Men Who Murdered Mohammed -
Disappearing Act -
Hell Is Forever -
Star Light, Star Bright: The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester Volume II
Adam And No Eve -
Time Is the Traitor -
Oddy and Id -
Hobson's Choice -
Star Light, Star Bright -
They Don't Make Life Like They Used To -
Of Time and Third Avenue -
Isaac Asimov -
The Pi Man -
Something Up There Likes Me -
My Affair with Science Fiction -
The Light Fantastic: The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester, Volume 1
5,271,009 (AKA The Starcomber) -
Ms. Found in a Champagne Bottle -
Fondly Fahrenheit - 4/5 - a murderous android and its owner
Comment on “Fondly Fahrenheit” -
The Four-Hour Fugue -
The Men Who Murdered Mohammed -
Disappearing Act -
Hell Is Forever -
Star Light, Star Bright: The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester Volume II
Adam And No Eve -
Time Is the Traitor -
Oddy and Id -
Hobson's Choice -
Star Light, Star Bright -
They Don't Make Life Like They Used To -
Of Time and Third Avenue -
Isaac Asimov -
The Pi Man -
Something Up There Likes Me -
My Affair with Science Fiction -
Read
April 12, 20181943 Retro Hugo Finalist for Best Novella
“Hell is Forever” by Alfred Bester (Unknown Worlds, August 1942) - 3.5-4 stars
“Hell is Forever” by Alfred Bester (Unknown Worlds, August 1942) - 3.5-4 stars
December 20, 2010
A good collection of Bester. One work, Adam and No Eve, had impressed me mightily years previously as an elementary student.
February 6, 2022
This is an omnibus that includes both the "The Light Fantastic" and "Star Light, Star Bright" collections. Being the first time I read Alfred Bester I did not know what to expect out of him. I was gladly surprised! Bester has a very particular style, like a mix of Azimov and Arthur C. Clarke, although he is not so "hard science" oriented, he is more borderline with Fantasy. I enjoyed a lot the introductions section prior to each of his stories, even though some reviewers here did not like that at all; to me, these introductions are a window back-in-time, these stories are from the fifties and sixties. It is like time travel.
Alfred Bester has a very particular tempo or rhythm. The things he describes as "the texture and colors of the stories". He also refers to the tempo of stories making an analogy to musical pieces. My favorite stories were "5,271,009", "The Four-Hour Fugue", "Disappearing Act", and "Of Time and Third Avenue". I could not understand the end of "The Pi Man".
As Alfred Bester states he likes to keep a part of the stories open to the imagination of the reader, meaning that not all the ends are clear and straightforward. He likes the reader to put some effort into finding his own conclusion. If that is an issue to you, you better start with one or two stories and see if you want to keep going. You also have to put things into a temporal perspective, the stories in this omnibus were written from 1941 to 1975, many concepts are not politically correct in our times. However, Bester was extraordinarily advanced for his time, with only a few depictions of women desperately needing the protection of men in the stories "Adam and No Eve" and "They Don't Make Life Like They Used To". Bester has no tolerance for religious doctrines, Creationism (people opposed to The Evolution of the Species concept), people denying Science (he would be ridiculizing anti-vaxxers right now), etc.
Definitively, will look for his other novels and short stories. This book is a keeper in my SciFi collection.
Alfred Bester has a very particular tempo or rhythm. The things he describes as "the texture and colors of the stories". He also refers to the tempo of stories making an analogy to musical pieces. My favorite stories were "5,271,009", "The Four-Hour Fugue", "Disappearing Act", and "Of Time and Third Avenue". I could not understand the end of "The Pi Man".
As Alfred Bester states he likes to keep a part of the stories open to the imagination of the reader, meaning that not all the ends are clear and straightforward. He likes the reader to put some effort into finding his own conclusion. If that is an issue to you, you better start with one or two stories and see if you want to keep going. You also have to put things into a temporal perspective, the stories in this omnibus were written from 1941 to 1975, many concepts are not politically correct in our times. However, Bester was extraordinarily advanced for his time, with only a few depictions of women desperately needing the protection of men in the stories "Adam and No Eve" and "They Don't Make Life Like They Used To". Bester has no tolerance for religious doctrines, Creationism (people opposed to The Evolution of the Species concept), people denying Science (he would be ridiculizing anti-vaxxers right now), etc.
Definitively, will look for his other novels and short stories. This book is a keeper in my SciFi collection.
September 2, 2022
Alfred Bester (1953-1987) fue un escritor de ciencia ficción estadounidense que tiene el honor de haber sido el primer galardonado con un premio Hugo en 1953, por su obra "El hombre demolido", que sentaría además las bases del futuro género ciberpunk, junto con su segundo gran éxito "Las estrellas, mi destino" (o "¡Tigre. Tigre!", según la edición). Tras un inicio prometedor en los cincuenta, pasó casi dos décadas sin publicar ciencia ficción y su retorno fue lamentablemente un fracaso. Pese a lo corto de su carrera, es considerado un gran maestro de la ciencia ficción por méritos propios y cuenta además con recopilaciones de relatos como este "La Fantástica Luz", que nos muestra textos de extensiones dispares, siendo alguno de los más cortos verdaderamente ingeniosos y con hilarantes guiños de humor al lector. Viajes en el tiempo, teletransportación, androides asesinos según la temperatura, máquinas que se revelan contra los humanos y particulares infiernos personales, son los temas que aparecen recogidos en este libro y que dan lugar a interesantes reflexiones éticas y filosóficas.
July 3, 2019
Me gustan mucho los argumentos de Bester pero siempre me desconcierta un poco la forma atropellada en que se suceden los acontecimientos. Siempre como si el único camino posible fuese cuesta abajo, y acelerando todo el tiempo. Es algo confuso, pero no cabe duda de que en esta antología de cuentos hay excelente material. Me gustó sobre todo Afectuosos Farenheit, aunque El infierno es eterno no está nada mal. En Los hombres que asesinaron a Mahoma las cosas se ponen bastante confusas y Bester llega a conclusiones que me parecen un poco sacadas de la manga, pero hay que recordar que se trata de ciencia ficción escrita en su mayor parte durante los 50's. Algo se ha avanzado desde entonces (hablo de la parte científica, por supuesto).
June 11, 2023
Buenísima antología, la mejor condensación de relatos del autor en una edición hermosa.
Mis favoritos: "Afectuosos Fahrenheit", tour de force al más puro estilo besteriano; "Número de desaparición" simpático relato más sentimental y pausado; "La fuga de cuatro horas", donde nos presenta a Gretchen Nunn y la Patraña, futura protagonista y escenario del "Golem^100"; "Los hombres que asesinaron a Mahoma" clásico relato de viajes en el tiempo; y sobre todo "El infierno es eterno" novela corta más cercana al horror cósmico, con una diversidad de condenaciones eternas hasta una singular aparición del Maligno. (21.12.2006)
Mis favoritos: "Afectuosos Fahrenheit", tour de force al más puro estilo besteriano; "Número de desaparición" simpático relato más sentimental y pausado; "La fuga de cuatro horas", donde nos presenta a Gretchen Nunn y la Patraña, futura protagonista y escenario del "Golem^100"; "Los hombres que asesinaron a Mahoma" clásico relato de viajes en el tiempo; y sobre todo "El infierno es eterno" novela corta más cercana al horror cósmico, con una diversidad de condenaciones eternas hasta una singular aparición del Maligno. (21.12.2006)
February 23, 2025
Most of these stories appear in other Bester collections but the lengthy, early "Hell is Forever" is a brilliant surprise, the introductions are great, the autobiographical piece enlightening. Bester was one of the best. Not a single bad story here.
June 17, 2022
A raucous collection of stories from the polymath who won the first Hugo.
May 15, 2024
So slay
November 1, 2025
I read this years ago and I still remember it. I used to have a copy but over the years have lost it. I do miss it. Nothing in it was as good as Bester's novel The Stars My Destination, but still a good read for those who love not only science fiction but the short story. I was disappointed that the cover had nothing to do with the stories inside, though.
EDIT 11/2025: I found a copy up on the Internet Archive! I had forgotten that ghis book combines two of Bester's books of short stories, The Light Fantastic and Star Light, Star Bright.
Selections:
The Light Fantastic
* 5,271,009
* Ms. Found in a Champagne Bottle
* Fondly Fahrenheit
* Comment on Fondly Fahrenheit
* The Four-Hour Fugue
* The Men Who Murdered Mohammed
* Disappearing Act
* Hell is Forever
Star Light, Star Bright
* Adam and No Eve
* Time is the Traitor
* Oddy and I'd
* Hobson's Choice
* Star Light, Star Bright
* They Don't Make Life Like They Used To
* Of Time and Third Avenue
* Isaac Asimov
* The Pi Man
* Something Up There Likes Us -- This supposedly humorous story about satellites is one of the worst things Bester wrote ... still, better than anything R. A. Lafferty did.
* My Affair With Science Fiction
EDIT 11/2025: I found a copy up on the Internet Archive! I had forgotten that ghis book combines two of Bester's books of short stories, The Light Fantastic and Star Light, Star Bright.
Selections:
The Light Fantastic
* 5,271,009
* Ms. Found in a Champagne Bottle
* Fondly Fahrenheit
* Comment on Fondly Fahrenheit
* The Four-Hour Fugue
* The Men Who Murdered Mohammed
* Disappearing Act
* Hell is Forever
Star Light, Star Bright
* Adam and No Eve
* Time is the Traitor
* Oddy and I'd
* Hobson's Choice
* Star Light, Star Bright
* They Don't Make Life Like They Used To
* Of Time and Third Avenue
* Isaac Asimov
* The Pi Man
* Something Up There Likes Us -- This supposedly humorous story about satellites is one of the worst things Bester wrote ... still, better than anything R. A. Lafferty did.
* My Affair With Science Fiction
January 3, 2024
16 stories:
The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester, Vol. 1: Star Light, Star Bright
5,271,009 (1954)
Ms. Found in a Champagne Bottle (1968)
Fondly Fahrenheit (1954)
The Four-Hour Fugue (1974)
The Men Who Murdered Mohammed (1958)
Disappearing Act (1953)
Hell Is Forever (1942)
The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester, Vol. 2: The Light Fantastic
Adam and No Eve (1941)
Time Is the Traitor (1953)
Oddy and Id (1950)
Hobson's Choice (1952)
Star Light, Star Bright (1953)
They Don't Make Life Like They Used to (1963)
Of Time and Third Avenue (1951)
The Pi Man (1959)
Something Up There Likes Me (1973)
The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester, Vol. 1: Star Light, Star Bright
5,271,009 (1954)
Ms. Found in a Champagne Bottle (1968)
Fondly Fahrenheit (1954)
The Four-Hour Fugue (1974)
The Men Who Murdered Mohammed (1958)
Disappearing Act (1953)
Hell Is Forever (1942)
The Great Short Fiction of Alfred Bester, Vol. 2: The Light Fantastic
Adam and No Eve (1941)
Time Is the Traitor (1953)
Oddy and Id (1950)
Hobson's Choice (1952)
Star Light, Star Bright (1953)
They Don't Make Life Like They Used to (1963)
Of Time and Third Avenue (1951)
The Pi Man (1959)
Something Up There Likes Me (1973)
August 16, 2017
alcuni racconti sono in comune con "tutti i racconti 1950 - 1980 / l'uomo disintegrato" della mondadori, ma qui ci sono gustosissime introduzioni dello stesso bester, altri racconti (occhio al lungo e inquietante "l'inferno è eterno"), un'intervista a asimov e soprattutto un breve autobiografia che mostra quello che il lettore ha già intuito tra le righe dele sue opere: un uomo curioso, spiritoso, intelligente e capace di adattarsi ai lavori più incredibili. grande bester, un antitodo a tanta, troppa fantascienza che oggi si prende troppo sul serio...
April 12, 2022
Some authors can transition seamlessly between novels and short stories and write excellent examples of both. Bester was not one of those. As good as his novels are, his short stories don't have nearly the same appeal. While many of the characters do have some life and personality, the plots are dull and I found myself "skimming" in many cases and had to go back several pages and read it again.
March 26, 2011
I don't think Goodreads has proper bibliographic info on this one. The book's called "The Light Fantastic", and like any Alfred Bester book, it rocks. Not as much as the novels though.
"A genius is someone who travels to the truth by an unexpected path." - from "The Men who Murdered Mohammed"
"A genius is someone who travels to the truth by an unexpected path." - from "The Men who Murdered Mohammed"
November 19, 2007
For my taste, Bester shines more in his novels than his short stories, but still, there are some very clever and entertaining stories included in this collection.
November 26, 2009
Excellent collection of most of Alfred Bester's best short stories.
December 22, 2010
Since I didn't finish the book my two stars might not be fair, but the first two or three stories didn't grab me so I returned it to the library when it was due.
August 31, 2011
I read this one a long time ago (pre-1980)
Read
October 5, 20121/10/12: "Of Time and Third Avenue" (1951)
8/23/12: "They Don't Make Life Like They Used To" (1963)
8/23/12: "They Don't Make Life Like They Used To" (1963)
May 17, 2016
1- Adam çok iyi.
2- Adam net deli.
2- Adam net deli.
August 29, 2022
I am not really a fan of short stories, but gave this one a shot. And after taking about 2 weeks to finish this, none of the stories stand out.
October 26, 2011
listening to Tool and watching syndicated reruns of NewsRadio
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews