Paul Giamatti Books

I don't think I would have ever picked up A Scanner Darkly by Phillip K. Dick but as luck would have I enrolled in a Sci-fi class and it was a required reading. The story is about a man named Bob Arctor, aka "Fred," and his mind wrecked roommates who are strung out on a drug called Substance D. I found it to be a great trip, no pun intended, through the human mind on drugs, mental illness on drugs, and the severe paranoia in a way that was at times humorous, and quite entertaining. I enjoyed the book immensely and I would recommend it to everyone, even if you are not a Sci-fi fan.

Phillip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly, is an amazingly dystopic science fiction novel that everyone should read. His use language and descriptions of southern California are a real treat especially if you happen to have ever lived there. The story follows Bob Arctor, who loses himself to Substance D, a drug that is taking over the surrounding communities. The book questions reality, identity and the role substances play in our society and interactions with other people. By the end of the book you are asking yourself what your own identity is and whether or not you are doing what you truly desire. Imaginative, compelling and at times comical, A Scanner Darkly is a must read for science fiction lovers and anyone who likes to take a good look at themselves and society.

Paul Giamatti's reading of this book is brilliant. He captures the humor, the insanity, and the tragedy of this sad tale completely. His voice acting ability is remarkable and has spoiled the other CDs that I own of the PKDick books. It was never difficult to discern who was speaking, male or female. I highly recommend this CD for the original work and for this audio version. Mr. Giamatti please read more of PKD works for us. Please! I can also recommend the Keir Dullea readings of the short story collection, Minority Report, but Giamatti's skills are incomparable.

I did not see the movie, "A Scanner Darkly," but it appears to me (from a review on IMDB) that images from the movie were published more or less as is to form this product. As such, the book is faithful to the film. Perhaps too faithful, since the way of narritive development on the screen is not identical to that in book form.

ASD is fairly interesting and easy to read. The USA of "seven years in the future" is suffering a devastating drug plague fomented by terrorists. The government has reponded with heavy surveillance and police tactics. Still, many citizens (and even police!) are drug users, and a sort of addle-brained resistance to the tyranny of the crackdown is emerging. Or not.

The book is fairly innocuous but should be rated R for drug humor, for the occassional (and gratuitous) female topless nudity, for a panel or two of atop-the-sheets sex and for one gory scene. It may be all you need to know that the book does NOT make me long to see the film. Between Keanu Reeves playing his usual doltish character who repeats the last word of whatever is said to him, the long stretches where nothing much happens, and the "helpful" labels ("Back in so-and-so's house") that a true graphic novel would incorporate into the images, this "graphicization" of the movie falls far short of the satisfaction that comes from reading a quality book designed for the genre.

I feel there are certain books that are necessary for us to read (and I'm sure as I go on reading, I'll find others), and I've just added another to the list--Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly (I like this book so much that I actually consider it tied with Fitzgerald's Gatsby, Twain's Huck Finn, and Kerouac's On the Road as my favorite book). It's a twisted, surreal tale of paranoia and deception. That's the world of illegal drugs, and having done some of the same drugs, I recognize that world that Arctor inhabits (and that Dick once did). It's a touching story that, like Burrough's Junky, makes no judgements.

The art is great, and my Kearen, loves it, he is so in love with this book! Must buy if you have kids!

I think he should stick to making movies. It was very hard for a young child to understand.

I am a fan of M. Night and have greatly enjoyed his theatrical releases. I was especially interested in this book, learning he had written it for his daughters. Beautiful artwork and a real treasure to share with your children.

This a rare and beautiful nighttale in the form of an illustrations book, providing, in a very short tale, all the elements (magic, fear, hope...) of a real fairy tale. For those searching for a "book of the film" this is only an intro to the story, which remains untold in their details.

Since I'm not a child and our own child is in mid-30's, I'll have to stay middle on this rating. It is OK, I think, but if/when a parent attempts to read this story to a child, there is a need for "fill"... so the parent will need to be adequate story teller and not just a reader, depending upon the book to do the parental work. In that setting, I rate it 5 stars, but in the real world, where parents desire more help, it's a 3.