In the twenty-fifth century, humanity has mastered "jaunting," the ability to teleport instantly via mental focus. This technology causes a total collapse of global economic and social borders. Against this backdrop, Gully Foyle, an uneducated and unmotivated sailor, is left to die aboard the wrecked spaceship Nomad. When a sister ship, the Vorga, ignores his distress signal and abandons him to the void, his lethargy vanishes. Foyle survives by pure hatred, embarking on a violent quest across the solar system to find and destroy the people who left him behind. He undergoes a forced evolution, tattooing his face with horrific patterns and mastering scientific disciplines to transform himself into a living weapon against the powerful Presteign industrial empire.
Science fiction readers interested in the intersection of class warfare and superhuman evolution will find this narrative mirrors the intensity of a futuristic Count of Monte Cristo. It appeals to those who prefer flawed, often sociopathic protagonists over traditional heroes. The book provides a look at how telemetric technology could fundamentally rewrite human privacy and civil law. Readers walk away with a cynical vision of corporate feudalism and a specific understanding of how extreme trauma can trigger latent biological potential. It is an examination of how raw vengeance serves as a more potent catalyst for self-improvement than any positive ambition.
Balanced in tone; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Curious Generalist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1956
- Language
- EN
