3Vote!
The Guardian Books Blog (Free subscription) | 11/19/2009
Speculative fiction has produced some of the most intriguing story titles ever. But which are the best of the best? You should never judge a book by its cover, but should you judge a story by its title? If the recent success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is anything to go by, then for many readers today the answer is yes. Seth Grahame-Smith's bestselling mash-up of Jane Austen and George A Romero...
3Vote!
Mile Zero (Free subscription) | 11/11/2009
It's been probably ten or fifteen years since I last read Isaac Asimov's I, Robot. That's often a recipe for disaster: the book that you enjoy as a kid may be filled with all kinds of glaring faults and dated prejudices when viewed through adult eyes. Asimov's stories hold up better than I expected, although according to his timeline we're a few years overdue for household robots, and I for one feel...
3Vote!
Alternative-Read.com (Free subscription) | 10/24/2009
I have to make the family some lunch (quick sandwiches -- LOL) so, I am to start by listening to I Am Legend (S.F. Masterworks) by Richard Matheson on my iPod as I busy myself in the kitchen. Hope that counts! (Check out the fantastic vampire cover!) After that, the family are going out, and I am going to be left to my own devices until they return later this evening. Which is nice! I've loaded up...
5Vote!
Mike Brotherton: SF Writer (Free subscription) | 10/22/2009
I was reading this article on IO9 about Alfred Bester’s Hugo-Winning novel The Demolished Man, and was reminded about a discussion/poll I wanted to do here. That in a moment. I really loved The Demolished Man, although it’s been 15+ years since I read it. The premise of the linked article above is that while the [...]
3Vote!
The Invisible Library (Free subscription) | 10/22/2009
I just finished reading The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester. I am disappointed. Bester’s The Stars My Destination, I love. I read it last year for the first time and it’s now on my top 10 sci-fi list, right next to Dune and Illuminatus!. The Demolished Man however, not so much. As Moff pointed out on [...]
3Vote!
Another Damned Blog (Free subscription) | 10/18/2009
More like Alfred Just OK-er.* Or so the first entry in my new column for io9, “Blogging the Hugos,” suggests. *I actually enjoyed Bester’s The Stars My Destination quite a bit.
11Vote!
io9 (Free subscription) | 10/18/2009
In "Blogging the Hugos," we'll explore the evolution of science fiction by looking at Hugo Award–winning novels in chronological order. Today: the very first Hugo winner, Alfred Bester's The... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
6Vote!
Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress (Free subscription) | 10/02/2009
Fringe 2.3 went in for some fine, classic science fiction again last night, with a current twist - people that explode, not because they are wired like suicide bombers, but because their body chemistry has been changed to make the body itself a deadly, explosive weapon. Alfred Bester had something like this in The Stars My Destination - or, at least, explosives activated by telepathy - and I had exploding...
3Vote!
Periscope Depth (Free subscription) | 10/02/2009
My latest post on Overthinking It compares The Demolished Man vs. Demolition Man – the 1951 Alfred Bester novel to the 1993 Sylvester Stallone action flick. They have more in common than a name, you know. (Serpico deserves some credit for inspiring the initial comparison: thanks Serp) # # # Imagine the following two different [...]
5Vote!
Bibliophile Stalker (Free subscription) | 09/27/2009
Every Monday, I'll be doing bite-sized book/magazine reviews. The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction Sixtieth Anniversary Anthology feels like a literature textbook in the sense that it features authors who are relevant to the genre, both old and new. From Alfred Bester to Ted Chiang, this book is comprehensive and could easily be a primer given to undergraduate students who are curious about...
4Vote!
Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Experience (Free subscription) | 09/17/2009
THE WONDER TIMELINE: SF&F RETROSPECTIVE Read other issues here ---------------------------------------------- Buy it from Amazon Alfred Bester "The Computer Connection" (nv) (also as "The Indian Giver" and "Extro") © Analog, Nov 1974 - Jan 1975 Berkley Putnam, 1975 --novel : 1975 Nebula --novel : 1976 Hugo --/ fourth place sf novel --/ wonder award --/ idea award...
4Vote!
Visions of Paradise (Free subscription) | 09/12/2009
While Galaxy was my favorite magazine as a teenager, it lost my loyalty after Frederik Pohl passed the editorial baton to the much-inferior Ejler Jakobsson. Soon thereafter I started reading Edward Ferman’s Fantasy & Science Fiction , and while it did not offer the same variety of future fiction, tending to lean more towards fantasy and contemporary sf, it was still a damned good magazine...
7Vote!
AMERICAN DIGEST (Free subscription) | 08/15/2009
One of my favorite passages from what many, rightly, call "the greatest science fiction book ever written:" Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination 'Life is so simple,' Foyle said. 'This decision is so simple, isn't it? Am I to respect Presteign's property rights? The welfare of the planets? Jisbella's ideals? Dagenham's realism? Robin's conscience? Press the button and watch the robot...
3Vote!
The 'Spill (Free subscription) | 08/06/2009
This is daft; the 'Spill week ends on a Wednesday, if not a Tuesday, and yet we're still twiddling our thumbs waiting for the questions. I hope these are better than nothing; only three of them, as I'm still trying to get some work done and haven't had time to think of any more; I just hope you appreciate the self-sacrifice, since it's nearly time for the new theme and so this post will rapidly disappear...
Videos