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The Stars My Destination is classic proto-cyberpunk

The cover of The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester.
Gully Foyle is my name… | Image: Brick Tower Press

This might feel like a somewhat obvious recommendation to some, but it flew under my radar until now. Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination (originally published as Tiger! Tiger! in the UK) is a 1956 sci-fi novel that some have cited as a precursor to cyberpunk. It's a work I admit I have some conflicted feelings about, but one I think is well worth reading if you consider yourself a fan of sci-fi. It's also well worth seeking out a physical copy, something I wish I had known before I started reading it in the objectively inferior e-book form that can't capture the ergodic elements of the climax.

It's hard to explain the plot of The Star …

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