The Stars My Destination

"Tiger! Tiger! burning bright
In the forests of the night
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?"
      William Blake

Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination, has been touted to be the best science fiction novel ever. Whether it actually is or not needs to be determined by others more versed in science fiction.

Neil Gaiman, who wrote the introduction for the version I read, called this book a "perfect cyberpunk novel, including protocyber elements, such as multinational corporate intrigue, a dangerous and mysterious hyperscientific McGuffin (PyrE), an amoral hero, and a supercool Thief Woman."

Set in the year 2436, all across galaxies, Gully Foyle is a grunt pursuing revenge. Through his adventures and mis-adventures, he becomes moral. Bester crafts Foyle's transformation well.

While I'm sure I didn't fully appreciate all of the science in this science fiction novel, I did love seeing Bester's imaginings of the future, where tattoo-ing is a dead art (hard to imagine now, perhaps it was easier to imagine in the 1950's) and space travel is accomplished by "jaunting".

I loved how Bester used Gully's tattoo in the story. In the beginning Foyle has a horrific tattoo of a tiger on his face. The tattoo gets removed and how that affects Foyle's emotions is brilliant.

The book was originally titled "Tiger, Tiger", which seems a more apt title to me (and several others who have read the book).

Alfred Bester first worked for DC Comics in the 1940's and 50's, moving into short stories and then novels. This, his second novel, was published in 1956. According to the author's bio in the book, in his will he left his estate to his bartender, which I thought was great.

There is no link to a new copy of this book, as it is no longer in print. You may be able to find it at a good used bookstore (like Powell's in Portland, Oregon), or elsewhere online.

Note: You can email me, Bibliophile, at 2of3RsATgmailDOTcom. I'd love to hear from you!

A Bird In Hand by Christina Baker Kline

I perused what others had said about Christina Baker Kline's newest book, "Bird in Hand", and agreed with some, absolutely and steadfastly disagreed with others, and could go either way on some of the comments where I noticed that the reader came to know the characters in a different way than I envisioned them.
"Bird in Hand" focuses on the relationship of a quartet of two couples whose intentions and desires are not always in line with whom they are coupled with. I found it an honest expose of human nature in relationships: honestly told with no sugar coating.
People are not always who they seem nor do they always do the "right thing". What is behind their mask and who is touched by the decision to do what is "right for them" but wrong for others they may love makes a story that feels not only genuine but well told.
Beyond her writing style appealing to me, so does her human-ness as she goes back and reviews the cracks that were obviously in the foundation of each separate coupling to begin with.
As I read the book I kept telling my partner that I wasn't sure who I should be sad for. I think that is a strength of the book, not a weakness, that we know each of the characters so well that we don't want anyone to be left behind or without. We take turns getting mad at each well described foible that we are sure we would have noticed and not dismissed along the way.

Describing one of the quartet when he has finally made the break, Ms. Kline writes,

Charlie Feels as though he's been thawed out, freed from a block of ice. How bizarre to say you're leaving and then just...leave. He never imagined it would be so easy--that, like a wizard in a legend, speaking the words would make it so. Something this monumental should be more challenging; he should have had to walk through fire, outwit a dragon, hack through thorny brambles. Find his way through a maze before he was allowed to walk out the door.

This is not a novel for romantics. It is a novel for realists who believe that love can have happy beginnings and expected middles and still have room for an ending that has four different levels of satisfaction for people still trying to sort out if beginnings always come before endings.

Customers 11

A woman came to the register and asked for a book she'd had put on hold. "It's that new one, The Power." She looked to be in her 60's or 70's, had a bronze helmet of hair, heavy silver jewelry, a low-cut silver satin blouse with a silver fabric mesh jacket over it. "If you haven't read her first one (The Secret), you should", she told me. "It's absolutely wonderful. You should read this one too! You should read both of them!"

(Amazon)(Barnes and Noble)

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A thin, dark-haired man came up to the register with two books. Coping with Anxiety and The Emotional Brain. He signed his credit card slip with the tiniest signature I've ever seen.

(Amazon)(Barnes & Noble)


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We often find empty wrappers from the Men's Sophisticates (Penthouse, Playboy, etc.) magazines. And then we find the actual magazines. Later. In the men's bathroom. Behind the toilet seat cover holders. Or in the baby changing fixture. Or on the floore. Ick.

The Genie Lady, The Dallas Cowboys, and Red-Hot Sex

That was the second time he's been in. Both times he's worn a Dallas Cowboys jersey with the name Romo on the back and a Dallas Cowboys baseball cap, and shoes with colors that match. He looked like he was in his 40's. He came to make sure that the book he wanted is still on hold for him. What is the book? Sports Illustrated The Dallas Cowboys: 50 Years of Football. A nice hardcover book. He wanted to buy it but didn't have enough money. Each time he's been in he's asked me to hold it longer. "Until payday." So today was the last day of his second extended hold. Tomorrow I'll have to take it off the hold shelf. What do you want to bet that he comes in, in his Cowboys regalia, to put it on hold yet again?

(Amazon)      (Barnes and Noble)

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A man who looked to be in his mid-50's, graying hair, moustache, brought two of the same book up to the counter, Cosmo's Guide to Red-Hot Sex. "I'm getting two," he said. "His and hers, if you know what I mean", he said, leaning over the counter toward me. "This way we can read and ask each other questions. You know, how things are going", he said, leaning in further. His nudge-nudging and wink-winking' was more pronouncement than innuendo. "This'll be great", he said with a big smile. He started flipping through the book. I was glad he was pleased with his purchase, but I didn't need to know any more about how he was going to be using the books. "That'll be $17.96, please," I said.

(Amazon)      (Barnes & Noble)

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The Genie Lady came into the store today! Of course I didn't know who she was when she came up to the register. She told me her name, told me she'd had a book on order but it had been several weeks ago.

"It was the Encyclopedia of Spirits", she said. "I want to find out about genies."

"Ah, yes, I remember that order", I told her. If you'll remember, I pulled the book from the hold shelf because the order had expired. I checked the store inventory. The book was no longer in the store. I told her that the book wasn't there, and would she like to order it? Have me check another store?

"There isn't much about genies available", she said. "I'd like to see this book." She decided to have it sent to her home. She didn't seem disappointed or frustrated that the book was gone. It was a warm day, and she mentioned several times how warm she was. One eye seemed to look in a different direction than the other.

When it came in before, I looked at it, because I knew it was for her and I wanted to know, DID it talk about the "rules" about genies? There wasn't anything in there about genie rules. Not much at all about genies. It talked about djinn being kind of related to genies, but that was about it. I couldn't figure out how to tell her, or if I should tell her, that I'd looked at the book because I was trying to see what a book did say about genies because I'd heard about her (most interesting) request. After she left, I did do a search for any other books there might be about genies, but found nothing. I have a feeling she may be back after she's looked at the book she ordered to return it. How DOES one find out the rules about genies?

Note: You can email me, Bibliophile, at 2of3RsATgmailDOTcom
I can thank Therapist for the clever email address...if you read it out -
two of three R's, and the one I don't do is 'rithmetic. In case you were wondering.