Second Variety - Philip K. Dick

Dicking Around With a Cosmic Prankster

Advantages: Fast paced. Clearly written. Fairly short novel.
Disadvantages: None other than Dick is dead.

Hi. This is Steve. I am currently taking the reigns from Lori for a day or so. She wanted me to write an opinion on Philip K. Dick, and so here I am. Master of the Dystopian future landscape, (ala the movies, "BLADERUNNER" and "TOTAL RECALL" which were both based on Philip K. Dick stories) THE MAN WHO JAPED sees Philip K. Dick at his dark humoured best. Amongst the crowded urbanized landscape of a distant planet, in a now stellar wide commercial earth empire, THE MAN WHO JAPED sees the main protagonist cast as an almost Quizotic character tilting at the "windmills" of a sterile society that has taken politics of contemporary "gated communities" and set their petty restrictions in legislation. In a universe where, literally, personal space is a luxury that few can afford, apartments are now computer controlled to remodel ...

Coxecal 15.04.2003 · Read full review
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Review of The Man Who Japed - Philip K. Dick

Ubik Will Melt Open Your Mind

Advantages: Brilliant
Disadvantages: Outrageously Surreal, Complex

This book is an outstanding piece of surrealist science fiction unlike mostly anything else, ever. The language is terribly clever, but not unwieldy and certainly accessible. The characters are not terribly filled out, but that's really appropriate for Philip K. Dick's everyman style of writing. This reads something like "Death of a Salesman" if it were written by Sartre. It's one of my favorite books by Philip K. Dick, even if it's a little less directly applicable to my psychology and life than some of his other books. Actually, its very difficult to absorb the ideas Philip K. Dick puts into his stories, but they're super-saturated with oblique commentaries on the state of mankind and the human condition. I loaned this book out to my friends and family, and was surprised at how well-received it was among folk who don't read much ...

Dysaniak 21.07.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Ubik - Philip K. Dick

Androids Still Dream

Advantages: Thought-provoking and entertaining
Disadvantages: None, unless you can't appreciate the time-shift

It's some five years now since the first dark trailers for Spielberg's film hit the screens. Although intrigued by the concept, I never did get to see Minority Report. What I did not know at the time (to my eternal shame) is that the film was based on a story by Philip K Dick. For those unfamiliar with the name, Dick was one of the most prolific science fiction writers of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. He gave us Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (better known to film-goers as Blade Runner) as well Total Recall (from one of the stories in this collection 'We Can Remember it for You Wholesale), Screamers, Impostor? the list goes on. I first came across both Dick and Sci-Fi generally as a child. 'Do Androids Dream?' was one of the first books I borrowed from the adult section on our local library. Seeing the words Minority Report ...

hiker 05.03.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Minority Report - Philip K. Dick