Alfred Bester Books in Order

22 books are credited to Alfred Bester, published between 1942 and 2014; 4 of them appeared after Alfred Bester's death in 1987. The first book is The Push of a Finger (1942) and the newest is The Roller Coaster (2014). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
22
Published
1942–2014
Pages on record
3,733 in 11 of 22 books
Reading time
62–93 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 3,733 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200300 words a minute, covering the 11 of 22 titles with a page count on record.

Alfred Bester (18 December 1913 to 30 September 1987) was an American science fiction author who also wrote for television, radio and comics and edited a magazine. The Demolished Man (1952) won the first Hugo Award, presented in 1953. The Science Fiction Writers of America named Bester its ninth Grand Master, an honour presented posthumously in 1988, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame inducted Bester in 2001. The Stars My Destination (1956), also listed as Tiger! Tiger!, and Fondly Fahrenheit are among the catalogued titles.

How many Alfred Bester books are there?

Alfred Bester has 22 books, released between 1942 and 2014. 4 of them were published after Alfred Bester's death in 1987.

Alfred Bester Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 22 Alfred Bester books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. 1
    The Push of a Finger1942 · confirmed 1/4
    1942
  2. 2
    The Demolished Man1952 · confirmed 1/4
    1952
  3. 3
    'Who He?'1953 · confirmed 1/4
    1953
  4. 4
    The Starcomber1954 · 42 pages · confirmed 1/4
    195442
  5. 5
    Fondly Fahrenheit1954 · confirmed 1/4
    1954
  6. 6
    The Stars My Destination / Tiger! Tiger!1956 · 236 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1956236
  7. 7
    Starburst1958 · confirmed 1/4
    1958
  8. 8
    The World Treasury of Science Fiction1958 · 1083 pages · confirmed 1/4
    19581083
  9. 9
    The Dark Side of the Earth1964 · confirmed 1/4
    1964
  10. 10
    The Flowered Thundermug1964 · 48 pages · confirmed 1/4
    196448
  11. 111966
  12. 12
    The Computer Connection / Extro1975 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1975272
  13. 13
    The Light Fantastic, Volume 11976 · 224 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976224
  14. 14
    Star Light, Star Bright1976 · 248 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976248
  15. 15
    Starlight1976 · confirmed 1/4
    1976
  16. 161979
  17. 17
    Golem 1001980 · 382 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1980382
  18. 18
    The Deceivers1981 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1981272
  19. 19
    Tender Loving Rage1991 · confirmed 1/4
    1991
  20. 20
    Virtual Unrealities1997 · 366 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1997366
  21. 21
    Redemolished2000 · 560 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2000560
  22. 22
    The Roller Coaster2014 · confirmed 1/4
    2014

Alfred Bester books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Standalone books

22 books

22 Alfred Bester titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Alfred Bester books in order?

No. No source lists any of the 22 Alfred Bester books here as part of a series. The numbered table above gives them by publication date.

Where to start with Alfred Bester

Start with The Push of a Finger (1942), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Alfred Bester book?

The Roller Coaster (2014) is the newest Alfred Bester book released so far.

Is there a new Alfred Bester book coming?

No next Alfred Bester book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Alfred Bester has won

Wikidata records 4 awards and 13 nominations for Alfred Bester. The most recent 12 are listed here. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame2001Won
  • Prometheus Award - Hall of Fame1988Wonfor The Stars My Destination
  • Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award1988Won
  • Hugo Award for Best Novel1953Wonfor The Demolished Man
  • Locus Award for Best Collection1998Shortlistedfor Virtual Unrealities
  • Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1981Shortlistedfor Golem100
  • Locus Award for Best Novelette1980Shortlistedfor Galatea Galante, the Perfect Popsy
  • Locus Award for Best Collection1977Shortlistedfor Star Light, Star Bright
  • Hugo Award for Best Novel1976Shortlistedfor The Computer Connection
  • Locus Award for Best Novel1976Shortlistedfor The Computer Connection
  • Nebula Award for Best Novel1976Shortlistedfor The Computer Connection
  • Hugo Award for Best Short Story1975Shortlistedfor The Four-Hour Fugue

Alfred Bester at a glance

Died
Alfred Bester died in 1987, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Alfred Bester are still being published after Alfred Bester's death in 1987; the newest appeared in 2014.
Release pace
Alfred Bester books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
Length
3,733 pages across the 11 of 22 books with a recorded length, a median of 272 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Alfred Bester books, 7 of 22, were published in the 1950s.

What the Alfred Bester books are about

14 of the 22 Alfred Bester books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: science fiction is tagged on 9 of 14. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.