1950s Bester is simply essential for fans of SF. His short stories and novels ooze an energy and vitality of ideas that few others have matched. One of the joys of coming back into reading SF was reading Bester for the first time. Near the top of my list for authors to reread. Thanks for this excellent overview and commentary.
I read The Dark Side of Earth following one of your earlier videos and thought it was very good. The experimental aspects of his writing work well and you can feel his influence throughout the genre. Love these career overview videos!
Thank you so much for that. I find your presentation of Bester more informative than what is available about him online. I'm half way through 'The Stars My Destination', and love Bester's explosive, effortless style. I've also got 'Redemolished' and 'Psychoshop' (haven't read them yet). I have a primary interest in Fin-de-siècle decadence and so what got me into Bester was 'Hell Is Forever'. Some people say it's not one of his mature works, but I absolutely love it! I'm very much intrigued by what you said about 'Golem100'; I'm wondering if it's in the same mold as 'Hell Is Forever'.
After watching last night I ordered starburst as its one of the few bester books I haven’t read . I picked up dark side on your recommendation and loved it. Love these author overviews very informative can’t go wrong with this format really ! thanks Steve I did comment last night but it vanished into the ether ?? It appeared then did a disappearing act !!
My first Bester was Demolished Man, one of the first science fiction books I read in fact, always had a soft spot for it and prefer it to Tiger! Tiger! I picked up a copy of Golem 100 the other day, funnily enough, and I have the Pan short story collections (I think, certainly Starburst) but am yet to read those. Nice overview, thanks Steve. 👍
There is a bizzare mistake in Redemolished. It concernes Gregory Benford's piece about Bester. "...The Stars My Destination, a vivid space age recension of VICTOR HUGO's The Count of Monte Cristo..." I don't get how nobody noticed it. Aside from that, it's a terrific book. Talking about Golem 100, the part about collective unconciousness, I wonder if that book was, at least in part, inspiration for John F. D. Taff excellent series of novellas called The Fearing. Great video, as always.
You’ve made me look forward to reading Bester. I’ve got Demolished and Tiger, as well as the Starlight omnibus. I’m getting a lot of 40’s and 50’s authors out of the way first, because I get the feeling Bester will punch me in the face...
Alfred Bester was a writer for radio his wife was a radio actress. Bester wrote episodes of "The Shadow" among others. In the mid 70s during the brief American revival of radio drama, he wrote a couple of the best episodes of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater.
I was inspired by Mad Men to make a board game reproducing the Jet Set RetroFuturistic Mid Century Modern Googie Bachelorpad etc etc etc zeitgeist similar to Rat Race. It seems that JG Ballard taps into this with his High Rise and Vermillion Sands - the poolside lounge culture. I was inspired by an artist Shag (Josh Agles) who creates this aesthetic in his cartooning. A lot of the Sci Fi writers of the mid 50s to mid 60s really tap into this. It had a resurgence in the 90s in film (swingers) and music (squirrel nut zippers) - it does represent the biggest period of American affluence. Its fun to check out the british TV of the time such as Adam Adamant and the Avengers - it's funny to see the smaller cars such as the MiniCoopers in England compared to the big old American luxury cars. You have to love the commercial consumerism of the time. Ballard shows the dark side of this. I grew up in the shadow of it growing up in Los Angeles in the 70s - seeing the contrast of the Brutalist architecture and the Frank Lloyd Wright of the era. You should look up Shag online - you would get a kick at of it.
@@outlawbookselleroriginal no kidding! Wow - when it comes to coolness all roads start from Wales. Someday I must visit when I get the funds and the free time (which is probably never but who knows).
good to hear someone else likes the short work. I can't really take 'meh' to seriously as a criticism of 'Demolished', it's a little too dismissive and lacking in nuance for me, sorry. As for Foyle as villain, yeah, that's why he's so significant in Genre SF - of course its the Corporation that leaves him to die that is the real villain, but Foyle fights fire with fire and along the way...well, you know the story. Thanks for yr comment!
Bester left SF largely because of Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard. They were trying to recruit him and were so pernicious it made him question the sanity of SF fans in general and for a long time he wanted no part of the movement. He only came back when he had run out of other options to make money.
yeah, that was a factor, he was on the record about this and his feelings that Campbell was a crank, but then in the 1950s, he was better served by 'Galaxy', where the ethos was different, despite H L Gold driving him nuts at times. The 'Holiday' job was the main thing, though.
Apologies for the lack of subtitles on this video, will aim to fix this when I can.
I enjoyed it very much!!
1950s Bester is simply essential for fans of SF. His short stories and novels ooze an energy and vitality of ideas that few others have matched. One of the joys of coming back into reading SF was reading Bester for the first time. Near the top of my list for authors to reread. Thanks for this excellent overview and commentary.
I read The Dark Side of Earth following one of your earlier videos and thought it was very good. The experimental aspects of his writing work well and you can feel his influence throughout the genre. Love these career overview videos!
Fantastic video thank you!
Brilliant.
Really great!
Thank you so much for that. I find your presentation of Bester more informative than what is available about him online. I'm half way through 'The Stars My Destination', and love Bester's explosive, effortless style. I've also got 'Redemolished' and 'Psychoshop' (haven't read them yet). I have a primary interest in Fin-de-siècle decadence and so what got me into Bester was 'Hell Is Forever'. Some people say it's not one of his mature works, but I absolutely love it! I'm very much intrigued by what you said about 'Golem100'; I'm wondering if it's in the same mold as 'Hell Is Forever'.
After watching last night I ordered starburst as its one of the few bester books I haven’t read . I picked up dark side on your recommendation and loved it. Love these author overviews very informative can’t go wrong with this format really ! thanks Steve I did comment last night but it vanished into the ether ?? It appeared then did a disappearing act !!
Thanks for the channel Andrew, you have taught me so about the book industry.
My first Bester was Demolished Man, one of the first science fiction books I read in fact, always had a soft spot for it and prefer it to Tiger! Tiger! I picked up a copy of Golem 100 the other day, funnily enough, and I have the Pan short story collections (I think, certainly Starburst) but am yet to read those. Nice overview, thanks Steve. 👍
I actually think 'Demolished' is better structurally in a classical sense, though I love both.
thanks, as always, steve. you've piqued my interest in golem 100 so will keep an eye out for that next time i go a-hunting. cheers
There is a bizzare mistake in Redemolished. It concernes Gregory Benford's piece about Bester.
"...The Stars My Destination, a vivid space age recension of VICTOR HUGO's The Count of Monte Cristo..."
I don't get how nobody noticed it.
Aside from that, it's a terrific book.
Talking about Golem 100, the part about collective unconciousness, I wonder if that book was, at least in part, inspiration for John F. D. Taff excellent series of novellas called The Fearing.
Great video, as always.
Yeah, that was a goof and a half!
You’ve made me look forward to reading Bester. I’ve got Demolished and Tiger, as well as the Starlight omnibus. I’m getting a lot of 40’s and 50’s authors out of the way first, because I get the feeling Bester will punch me in the face...
Well, Bester's finest work is 1950s and he WILL punch you in the face!
More fantasticity from the Welsh Wizard 👌
Alfred Bester was a writer for radio his wife was a radio actress. Bester wrote episodes of "The Shadow" among others. In the mid 70s during the brief American revival of radio drama, he wrote a couple of the best episodes of the CBS Radio Mystery Theater.
Yep. She was the first person to play Lois Lane on radio I seem to recall.
I have the Signet of Dark Side.
I've only read his two great novels. I would have read more, but then I discovered Phil K Dick and just read him!
Happens to us all!
I was inspired by Mad Men to make a board game reproducing the Jet Set RetroFuturistic Mid Century Modern Googie Bachelorpad etc etc etc zeitgeist similar to Rat Race. It seems that JG Ballard taps into this with his High Rise and Vermillion Sands - the poolside lounge culture. I was inspired by an artist Shag (Josh Agles) who creates this aesthetic in his cartooning. A lot of the Sci Fi writers of the mid 50s to mid 60s really tap into this. It had a resurgence in the 90s in film (swingers) and music (squirrel nut zippers) - it does represent the biggest period of American affluence. Its fun to check out the british TV of the time such as Adam Adamant and the Avengers - it's funny to see the smaller cars such as the MiniCoopers in England compared to the big old American luxury cars. You have to love the commercial consumerism of the time. Ballard shows the dark side of this. I grew up in the shadow of it growing up in Los Angeles in the 70s - seeing the contrast of the Brutalist architecture and the Frank Lloyd Wright of the era. You should look up Shag online - you would get a kick at of it.
I'm sure. I love a bit of FLW myself- but then he was Welsh!
@@outlawbookselleroriginal no kidding! Wow - when it comes to coolness all roads start from Wales. Someday I must visit when I get the funds and the free time (which is probably never but who knows).
I agree his short fiction is his best work. I thought the Demolished man was meh....and gully foyle I'd say is more of a villain than anti hero
good to hear someone else likes the short work. I can't really take 'meh' to seriously as a criticism of 'Demolished', it's a little too dismissive and lacking in nuance for me, sorry. As for Foyle as villain, yeah, that's why he's so significant in Genre SF - of course its the Corporation that leaves him to die that is the real villain, but Foyle fights fire with fire and along the way...well, you know the story. Thanks for yr comment!
@outlawbookselleroriginal it didn't resonate with me. Is that a better way of describing my thoughts?
@@dc9277 I get that, yeah.
Bester left SF largely because of Scientology and L. Ron Hubbard. They were trying to recruit him and were so pernicious it made him question the sanity of SF fans in general and for a long time he wanted no part of the movement. He only came back when he had run out of other options to make money.
yeah, that was a factor, he was on the record about this and his feelings that Campbell was a crank, but then in the 1950s, he was better served by 'Galaxy', where the ethos was different, despite H L Gold driving him nuts at times. The 'Holiday' job was the main thing, though.