The Stars My Destination: Difference between revisions

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{{quote| ''Gully Foyle is my name

And Terra is my nation

''And Terra is my nation

Deep space is my dwelling place

''Deep space is my dwelling place

And death's my destination'' }}

''And death's my destination'' }}

''The Stars My Destination'', aka ''Tiger! Tiger!'' <ref>there is some debate as to which is the original title</ref> is a science fiction novel by [[Alfred Bester]].

It is the twenty fifth century. An age when humanity can [[Teleporters and Transporters|jaunte]] across the world, where telepaths are, if not common, then not unheard of. An age where humanity has spread across the solar system-- a golden age that no one knows they are living in. An age when conflict between the Inner Planets and the Outer Satellites is about to end the age of the Global Wars by means of the outbreak of the first Solar War.

It is the twenty fifth century. An age when humanity can [[Teleporters and Transporters|jaunte]] across the world, where telepaths are, if not common, then not unheard of. An age where humanity has spread across the solar system -- a golden age that no one knows they are living in. An age when conflict between the Inner Planets and the Outer Satellites is about to end the age of the Global Wars by means of the outbreak of the first Solar War.

None of this matters to Gully Foyle--the quintessential everyman, if you are convinced [[Humans Are Bastards]]. No education, no skills, no ambition, just a Mechanic's Mate Third Class on the freighter ''Nomad'', which lies crippled in the void between the planets. And he does want to survive, and he has for six months when the spaceship ''Vorga'' sees the wreck of the ''Nomad'', sees the distress signals--and passes by, leaving him to rot.

None of this matters to Gully Foyle -- the quintessential everyman, if you are convinced [[Humans Are Bastards]]. No education, no skills, no ambition, just a Mechanic's Mate Third Class on the freighter ''Nomad'', which lies crippled in the void between the planets. And he does want to survive, and he has for six months when the spaceship ''Vorga'' sees the wreck of the ''Nomad'', sees the distress signals -- and passes by, leaving him to rot.

Now Gully Foyle has a pressing reason to do more than simply survive as he had done while surviving on the ''Nomad'', as he had done all his life before hand. Now, he's headed back to Terra, and he will have his revenge, no matter who stands in his way...

----

'''This book contains examples of:'''

* [[The Alcatraz]]

* [[Anti-Hero]]: Oh, is Foyle ever one.

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* [[Cold-Blooded Torture]]: Foyle inflicts this on the people connected to the ''Vorga'', and it's especially grisly when he realizes that they are implanted with an [[Involuntary Suicide Mechanism]]... {{spoiler|which Foyle gets around by cutting a man's heart out and keeping him on full life support (and in agony) while he interrogates him}}.

* [[Corporate Samurai]]: Dagenham is basically a proto-example of this [[Cyberpunk]] type.

* [[Cyberpunk]]: Although published in 1956, some three decades before Cyberpunk emerged, the book has many examples of the tropes common in cyberpunk--the antihero, the mysterious female thief, the intrigue of the [[Mega Corp|multinational companies]], the scientific [[McGuffin]] and cybernetically boosted reflexes most obvious amongst them. This is not entirely a coincidence: cyberpunk pioneer [[William Gibson]] has called ''The Stars My Destination'' his favourite novel.

* [[Cyberpunk]]: Although published in 1956, some three decades before Cyberpunk emerged, the book has many examples of the tropes common in cyberpunk -- the antihero, the mysterious female thief, the intrigue of the [[Mega Corp|multinational companies]], the scientific [[McGuffin]] and cybernetically boosted reflexes most obvious amongst them. This is not entirely a coincidence: cyberpunk pioneer [[William Gibson]] has called ''The Stars My Destination'' his favourite novel.

* [[Dark Messiah]]: Foyle is one of these at the end {{spoiler|he spreads all over the world the [[MacGuffin]], which is [[Made of Explodium]] and can be really easily set off. He gives people the chance not to mess up, but if [[Humans Are Bastards]], the world will go kaboom}}

* [[Determinator]]: Nothing will stop Gully Foyle from having his revenge. Nothing.

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* [[Have a Gay Old Time]]: The character Jisbella, or as she's more commonly called, "Jiz."

* [[Hulk Speak]]: Foyle (and it's implied lower class people in general) speak in a dialect that's a lot like this.

* [[I'll Kill You!]]: "You pass me by. You leave me rot like a dog. You leave me die, Vorga ... Vorga-T:1339. No. I get out of here, me. I follow you, Vorga. I find you, Vorga. I pay you back, me. I rot you. I kill you, Vorga. I kill you filthy,"

* [[I'll Kill You!]]: "You pass me by. You leave me rot like a dog. You leave me die, Vorga ... Vorga-T:1339. No. I get out of here, me. I follow you, Vorga. I find you, Vorga. I pay you back, me. I rot you. I kill you, Vorga. I kill you filthy."

* [[Inexplicably Identical Individuals]]: Mr. Presto. Not inexplicably, though, as the narration mentions they are corporate spokesmen all given extensive cosmetic surgery to look identical.

* [[Literary Allusion Title]]: The novel's alternate title, ''Tiger! Tiger!'', from the William Blake poem.

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* [[Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex]]: After Jisbella reveals to Foyle that she's in a relationship with Dagenham, he tries to ask how that could be possible, given that Dagenham is a [[Walking Wasteland]]. Soon afterward, the reader sees how things work. Dagenham and Jisbella can have sex during his "safe" periods, and after that, they go to different beds that are separated by a lead-lined two-way mirror allowing them to see each other but preventing Jisbella from being exposed to Dagenham's radioactivity.

* [[Marked Change]]: Gully Foyle's facial tattoos turn into this after he has them (painfully) removed. He is stunned to discover that they reemerge whenever he is in the grips of strong emotions.

** To elaborate: He has them removed by having the ink dissolved out of his skin; while this removes the ink, it leaves subdermal scars which fills with blood, ~~emulating~~ the tattoo, whenever he gets flushed.

** To elaborate: He has them removed by having the ink dissolved out of his skin; while this removes the ink, it leaves subdermal scars which fills with blood, recreating the tattoo in bright red, whenever he gets flushed.

* [[Master of Disguise]]: One of the secret police characters pursuing Foyle.

** It helps that they have technology in the future that allows him to artificially [[Dyeing for Your Art|add about 40 pounds]] to his weight.

* [[McGuffin]]: PyrE is one of the reasons that everyone with a bit of interest in what happens to the Inner Planets is chasing Gully Foyle across every corner of their territory.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: 'Gully' is short for [[Gulliver's Travels|Gulliver]]...and both characters follow similar development arcs right down to becoming reclusive misanthropes at the end of their respective stories.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: 'Gully' is short for [[Gulliver's Travels|Gulliver]]... and both characters follow similar development arcs right down to becoming reclusive misanthropes at the end of their respective stories.

* [[Mega Corp]]: One is involved quite directly in the plot.

* [[No Transhumanism Allowed]]: Averted-- Once he's rich, Foyle uses his money to have implants and circuitry put into his body that give him super-strength and amazing reflexes.

* [[No Transhumanism Allowed]]: Averted -- Once he's rich, Foyle uses his money to have implants and circuitry put into his body that give him super-strength and amazing reflexes.

* [[Outgrown Such Silly Superstitions]]: In fact, it's outright illegal leading to, somewhat unsurprisingly, underground religions. People who take part in such things are normally viewed as something akin to sexual deviants:

{{quote| ''"Filthy pictures, signore? Cellar Christians, kneeling, praying, singing psalms, kissing cross? Very naughty. Very smutty, signore. Entertain your friends ... Excite the ladies."''}}

* [[Phlebotinum]]: PyrE-- {{spoiler|a ''psychically'' activated nuclear explosive}}.

* [[Phlebotinum]]: PyrE -- {{spoiler|a ''psychically'' activated nuclear explosive}}.

* [[Rape Is Love]]: As close to love as anything in this book gets, anyway.

** Combined with a [[Masochism Tango]].

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* [[Rich Idiot With No Day Job]]: Foyle pretends to be an [[Upperclass Twit]] in his Fourmyle identity

* [[Secret Police]]: Central Intelligence is quite obviously this. They even have a secret language that is called...the Secret Speech.

* [[Sense Freak]]: Inverted-- and ''how!''-- with the Skoptsy.

* [[Sense Freak]]: Inverted -- and ''how!'' -- with the Skoptsy.

* [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes]]: Foyle dances between type IV and V with alarming frequency.

* [[Space Is an Ocean]]: Foyle is an astronaut but is described as a sailor; this is probably at least in part because of the [[Recycled in Space]] aspect.

* [[Tech Marches On]]: Presteign of Presteign is so rich he can afford to have his own telephone switchboard, complete with operator. Subverted somewhat, in that jaunting has made communications networks obsolete, and a private telephone switchboard is an unnecessary extravagance. In fact, social status is reflected by just how much obsolete and unnecessary technology one surrounds oneself with.

* [[Teleporters and Transporters]]

* [[Teleport Interdiction]]: Anti-teleport security measures include turning headquarters and homes into elaborate manipulable mazes. Jaunting only works if you know where you are and where the destination is. Attempting to teleport if you don't will just fail to work or lead to disappearance / death.

* [[Teleport Interdiction]]: Anti-teleport security measures include turning headquarters and homes into elaborate manipulable mazes. Jaunting only works if you know where you are and where the destination is. Attempting to teleport if you don't will just fail to work or lead to disappearance/death.

* [[This Loser Is You]]: As noted above, the book's idea of an "average man" is a real nasty piece of work.

* [[Time Stands Still]]