A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick > Reviews > A Scanner Darkly

Author's product rating:   

Would you listen to it again?	Maybe
Story	Good
Characters	Outstanding
Listenability	Pretty compelling but not addictive
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?	Excellent

Advantages:	Interesting depiction of future drug use and relationships
Disadvantages:	Slightly dated dialogue, introverted like all Phillip K .  Dick

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

'A Scanner Darkly' is sci-fi, to be sure, and it's good sci-fi, no doubt about it- it gels together fantastic concepts and well thought out ideas with the mores and values of modern society, creating a fairly seamless blend of present and future. But mostly, it's about drugs. And that is partly why I would recommend it.

The writing is classic Dick- snappy, looping dialogue, themes of paranoia, conspiracy and shifting interpersonal relationships. But the autobiographical element of the novel is what is most interesting, and that is largely centered around drug use. Despite a final epilogue where Dick laments the effects of drug abuse on himself and his circle, the writing is remarkably even handed during the novel itself. The side affects of 'Substance D' are the real driving force of the novel and its effects on the drug users themselves are the most interesting part of the book. The plot hangs together well and is easier to follow than many other of the author's works, and the characterization is in my opinion much stronger. Bob Arctor is a nuanced everyman, and that makes the books main subject- his mental degradation, all the more interesting and tragic.

One major sticking point for the modern reader is the slightly dated dialogue. It's very 'hip cat' 60's and 70's which stops the book being grounded where it belongs, in the near future from now. Other than that, like all the author's works, it is remarkably foresighted.

I think this is one of Dick's strongest works, because it blurs the boundary of 'hard' sci fi that most people associate with him. This is a book about the effects of drugs, and the future setting is only far away enough from our own society to make the differences interesting and the similarities creepy. Buy if you're looking for an interesting piece of exploratory fiction on both drug use and the future of society in which drug use exists. Also get it if you enjoyed the film, and perhaps even if you didn't, as the book's plot is far more consistent and engaging than the scattergun approach adopted by the film.