Philip K. Dick Books

This is some hard core science fiction! The details were extremely technical, but obviously well understood by the author because he did a very good job of making it easy and fun to read. I loved the idea of this world that has evolved in the story and was unable to set it aside until I found out how it all ended. Very well done, and for all science fiction fans, a must read!

Reviewed by Leslie Granier for Reader Views (1/07)

"Cybernetica" is a futuristic novel that depicts a city unlike anything that exists today. It begins with two men, Jake Radigan and Billy Hawkins, attempting to steal a man's vehicle by deceiving him. However, it turns out this man knew their intentions and had a huge surprise in store for them. He knew of Jake's past experience as a stringer and coerced him into helping him with an assignment. Jake and Billy have a condition known as blindsight and are therefore basically considered outcasts in their society. In this society, everyone is monitored through sublimation, which is a computer network that tracks their thoughts and their movements. There is imminent war and one faction known as the drifters is suspected of having interfered with the network that controls sublimation.

Those in power are obviously not pleased since their ability to monitor their citizens is no longer as effective. So Jake and Billy agree to find out what is going on and to try to end it. Along the way, they face many exciting and dangerous adventures in their quest to learn the truth. There are also many surprises about who is really behind what is happening in "Cybernetica." This book really got me thinking about both the wonders and the dangers of technology. In this instance, people lost all of their freedoms when the technologies available were used for the wrong reasons. Just because technology is at our disposal doesn't mean it is right to use it. It is also important to never let one group or individual get too much power or there may be no turning back without a major incident occurring.

One suggestion for the author is to have this book proofread again. There were far too many misspelled words as well as extra words that should not have been there at all. I did find this to be somewhat distracting.

"Cybernetica" is a book that gives readers a clear warning about maintaining a balance of power. In many ways society is better off with less technology. It is pretty scary to think that in the future our thoughts and actions will be able to be controlled and that by the time we realize it, it may be too late.

"Cybernetica" is a fast paced science fiction novel. The author Michael J. Cavallaro incorporated all of the elements of a good story into one action packed adventure. He incorporates science fiction, suspense, technology, espionage, and of course his character development is excellent. I was able to jump right into the story. His descriptions of the places and events happening are very well written. I could "see"
what he was writing.

The story takes place in the future when the government has managed to sneak its way into our minds through a technological process referred to as "Sublimation." People who are unable to be affected by this technology are said to have "Blindsight." They live on the fringe because the government cannot touch their minds.

I loved how the science fiction technology gets incorporated into the thriller/espionage aspects of the story taking the plot to a higher level. The characters have extra abilities. The corporate and
government corruption are also all taken to a higher level because of the additional capabilities brought about by the technology that is included in the story. I highly recommend this novel to science fiction fans
and to espionage fans who are looking for something "a little more" in their stories.

Five out of Five spaceships

Reviewer: Paige Lovitt for Multiverse Reviews

I just finished Michael Cavallaro's first novel, Cybernetica. It is a fast-moving, thoroughly engaging novel. The story was enticing and interesting, creating both an "inner" and an "outer" landscape into which the reader is enveloped as the story progresses. In this way, it reminded me of a kind of mixture of a 21st century Blade Runner (an outer landscape with interesting appeals to all the senses) and the Matrix (an inner landscape involving cyber realities and machinations leading to moments of surprise and revelation).

It really was an enjoyable novel, the kind that takes you away for the time you are amongst the pages; and the kind which you find yourself re-visiting as daydreams in the time before re-opening the pages. I would recommend to anyone, not just sci-fi fans. I'm looking forward to his next work.

Cybernetica by writer and editor Michael J. Cavallaro, is an original science fiction novel depicting the possibilities, if not probabilities, of a futuristic concept of technological mind control. Providing the read with an intricate and enthralling plot, Cybernetica tells of the intertwining stories of the assassination of a famous actresses, a couple of con-artist paired together for an important investigation, an "in-book" of modern technology which enables neurotransmissons to communicate with computer interfaces, and the ethical issues of a biologically enhanced bodyguard. Engaging its readers from the very beginning with an ever-intriguing plot, Cybernetica is very highly recommended to all readers with an interest in science-fiction for a remarkably gripping, vivid, and intimate depiction of future people's lives and conspiracies.

In May of 1987 Underwood-Miller published a five volume set titled "The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick", with the first volume being subtitled "Beyond Lies the Wub". In April of 1990 the Carroll Group began republishing the series and changed the subtitle to "The Shot Happy Life of The Brown Oxford". This was the only change made to the first volume, as they kept the Forword by Steven Owen Godersky and the Introduction by Roger Zelazny. They also kept the same 25 stories in the same order as the previous edition, something which would not be true for the later volumes.

This is a splendid collection of Philip K. Dick's early short fiction, presented in the order in which they were believed to have been written, which is not the same as the order in which they were published. The original collection was ranked 3rd on the Locus poll for collections in 1988. There are too many stories here to go through them all in detail, but there are several ones of note:

The first story is titled "Stability", and was written in 1947 or earlier. It was never published prior to the first edition of this collection. As with a number of stories in this collection it involves time travel, and in this case the disrupting effect it has on a stable society.

"Roog" was the first story that he sold, although it was not published until after several others. It involves differences in perception, in particular between man and his best friend. There are some interesting comments from Philip K. Dick about this story in the notes section at the back of the book.

"Beyond Lies the Wub" was his first story to actually be published. It is a clever story about man's preconception of the forms which life takes, and perhaps a little about man's violent nature. There is a humorous twist at the end as well.

Also included are the two Doc Labyrinth stories, "The Preserving Machine" and "The Short Happy Life of the brown Oxford". Both stories deal with creating life, the former is about preserving man's great musical works as life forms and the latter with animating non-living items. Both of these stories are light and humorous.

The story which is likely to be familiar to many people new to Philip K. Dick, is "Paycheck", for which there was a movie of the same name which came out in 2003. In this story a man finds that he agreed to have his memory wiped out after completing a work assignment, and that apparently he agreed to give up his paycheck in lieu of some seemingly inconsequential items.

As I mentioned above, several of the stories have to do with time travel, and in particular Dick makes use of a machine that he calls a time scoop, which can reach backward or forward in time to pick up things. If you like stories based on time travel, then you will undoubtedly enjoy Dick's twist on the idea. If you don't like those kinds of stories, there are still many stories here which deal with space travel, future societies, etc., which you are likely to enjoy.

This first volume of THE COMPLETE STORIES OF PHILIPK. DICK is probably more important as an historical artifact than as literature. I found it fascinating. These stories were written in the 1950s during the time of The Korean War, The Cold War, McCarthy and Stalinism. There had been unconfirmed sightings of flying saucers and EarthMen's' own creation of nuclear weapons heightened the paranoia. Of course there are lots of quaint and now-laughable elements in these stories, like people smoking cigarettes two hundred years from now and a woman being embarrassed about having to strip naked in order to make sure no alien life forms were attached to her. Many of the ideas in these stories have since been usurped by TV science fiction shows, so most of the ideas are not all that novel today. But there were several stories that I found surprising and provocative. My favorite was "The Great C," in which a supercomputer rules the earth after a nuclear holocaust and demands a yearly human sacrifice. A close second was "Colony," in which explorers on a pleasant asteroid are menaced by a life form that can assume the forms of mundane objects before devouring the earthlings. The later stories in the book are more concerned with the rise of consumerism and the "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality that took over America after World War II. These stories are very amusing. Within this particular genre, there's a lot of variety in the point of view. Most often it's paranoid, but at other times it's amused. I liked these stories and look forward to eventually reading the entire collection.

The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford collects some of Dick's earliest writing, including much of his output from 1952-1955. Even writers who don't appreciate his prose style would have to admire his fecundity: some of these stories were written within days of each other, yet each has something unique about it.

Fans of Dick will see early brushstrokes that were later transformed into masterpieces. There are a few post-apocalyptic stories here; this is a genre that Dick would revisit throughout the 1950s, as mounting hysteria, foreign and domestic, seemed to make war inevitable. There are also scheming insects (and even a murderous bath towel), vengeful teddy bears, sentient shoes, and world-weary computers. One of Dick's best qualities is that he can make the reader feel empathy for just about anyone-a dog barking for what seems to his owners like no reason, a teary-eyed Martian swine, or a hyper-evolved hamster. So reading this collection might, for some, be a bit of a workout. Unlike a novel, where the reader sees through the eyes of one or maybe two characters for 200+ pages, here you're walking in someone-or something-else's shoes every few pages. At times, it's almost intoxicating.

On to the stories: I'll just mention a few of my favorites, though they've all got positive qualities.

Stability, which is the first story Dick wrote, would be of interest just because of its priority, but it's worth a read strictly on its own merits. Dick creates a world where innovation is frozen, a la Rand's Anthem, inviting the reader to root for a young man with an invention. But, there is a very unexpected twist...

Roog, the first story Dick saw published, is a dog's eye view of the world that deserves a second read after reading Dick's note on the story in the appendix.

Beyond Lies the Wub is an incredible piece of short fiction that really makes you think. I read the story three times, and each time took something different away. Not to give anything away, but you'll definitely think twice before you eat your next steak.

The Infinites is a story that everyone who hated the infamous Star Trek: Voyager episode "Threshold" should read. Not to give anything away, but "Threshold" is one of several Trek stories based upon the erroneous idea that evolution is a teleological process, with an endpoint already mapped out in our genes. Here, Dick takes this idea, turns it on its head, and does something with it.

Variable Man combines a few Dickian favorites: omniscient computers, a constant war terror, and a wily, inarticulate everyman protagonist. Some elements of the plot are visible miles off, but the ending isn't.

Paycheck is a longish story with a typical Dickian hero and several elements that would later make it into We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, which was in turn the basis for Paul Verhoeven's excellent Total Recall. I think that it deserves a movie treatment of its own.

Colony takes paranoia to an absurdly high level. As Dick says in his note, it's one thing to think that your boss is plotting against you, and quite another to think that your boss's phone is plotting against you.

Nanny is a biting indictment of planned obsolescence. It was a true story in 1952, and an even truer one now.

All told, this is a great introduction to the writing of one of the acknowledged masters, and certainly belongs in the library of every PKD fan.

In this first book in a five-volume set collecting all the short stories of Philip K. Dick, we get a chance to see the first stories he wrote and published and can learn that from the very start, Dick was a great writer.

This is one of those rare story collections where there absolutely NO bad stories. Each one is a well-written and interesting piece; some have a dark humor, others are utterly horrifying, but each one is good or great in its own way.

Written in the 1950s, these stories are a refreshing change of pace from some of the more banal sci-fi pieces to come out of that era. The emphasis here is not on the science (which is often unexplained) but on the fiction: the characters, the mood and the plot. Adept at the plot twist, Dick often resolves his stories in logical but unanticipated ways.

From evil toys and malicious butterflies to trolls and lethal towels, Dick puts us in a number of worlds not far removed from our own and entertains us from first page to last. I look forward to reading the other four volumes in this set; some of the stories I have read before and others I haven't, but I'm sure I'll have a blast with all of them.

The problem with slapping the "genius" label on a writer is that people tend to overlook that writer's flaws. All the glowing reviews make this collection sound better then it really is. PKD certainly was a genius, but he wasn't perfect. His best stories are absolutely amazing, but it took him time to get there and he wrote several clunkers along the way.

This book collects 25 of PKD's short stories from the early 1950s. Like most of his early work it's inconsistent. To those who are familiar with his writing, the brilliance that would later come is sometimes apparent. However, the young PKD was still growing as a writer and hadn't quite found his voice yet. The best stories in this collection are great reads. Unfortunately, there are several stories here that are just filler and are significant only because PKD wrote them. If you are not familiar with PKD's work some of these stories will be a great introduction. But most of them are far from perfect.

Here are a few high and low points:

Roog:
This is a fun little story. The men who come to collect your garbage are not what they seem, and only your dog knows why.

The Gun:
This is one of those filler stories, cause it has not point to it. I guess PKD needed a quick buck.

Beyond Lies the Wub:
More filler.

The Skull:
Some of these stories could have been made into episodes of the Twilight Zone, like this one. An interesting take on the story of Christ. The premise is not very original by today's standards, but still a good story.

The Preserving Machine:
Probably the worst story in the collection.

Expendable:
One of the best stories in the collection is also the shortest; only 5 pages. It is also one of the funniest. Next time you see an ant, beware.

The Variable Man:
Another really good story. A man from the past comes into the future when the earth is at war with an alien empire. PKD in full control here.

The Indefatigable Frog:
PKD's comical side is pretty unique and fun.

The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford:
The title story is kinda cute, but nothing special.

Meddler:
Another of the "Twilight Zone" type stories. Many writers have speculated about the end of the world. But only PKD would think that the end would be caused by butterflies.

Paycheck:
The recent John Woo film is based on this story. A fascinating premise is marred by poor execution. All the later PKD trademarks are here: evil all controling government, paranoia, and normal people trapped by circumstances beyond their control. Had PKD written this story 10 years later it would probably come out much better.

Colony:
More paranoia, but this time PKD uses it to comic effect. The colonists try to evacuate while naked. One of the best in the collection.

Prize Ship:
Time travel stories usually have a twist; so does this one. I laughed when I finished it.

Nanny:
A not so subtle take on the cold war arms race. Interesting, but could have been edited down some more.

Reading this book is like sitting down to a one-on-one conversation with Philip K. Dick. His unique and surprisingly upbeat personality shines though more here than in any biography. Despite personal trials and delusions Philip K. Dick retained a sense of humor and it's fascinating to hear that come through in his own words. I appreciate the fragmented sentences and "and um's" left intact because they truly convey the atmosphere of being in a room listing to Philip K. Dick. One of the most interesting things about reading this book is seeing Philip K. Dick's momentum and thought progression as he plots out a story idea (tragically one that he never had time to finish.) His interpretation of the well-known interferences in his life from either extraterrestrial or divine sources is fascinating but somewhat brief, it seems not to overshadow his existence, but merely become another accepted aspect of it. This book brings this sci-fi legend into human terms. For those interested in Philip K. Dick's personality this book is probably the most authentic and enlightening available.

Two things were always true with Philip K. Dick: first, that whenever you looked in the direction in which he waves his wand, nothing was as it seems. And second, that whenever you looked at the magician himself, what you saw was what you got.

In this collection of transcripts of taped interviews, made with Dick during what turned out to be his last weeks on earth, we are treated to the unedited, off-the-cuff ramblings of the master. Are they worth it? They are, on at least four counts.

The first pleasure is just hearing his voice again. The second is learning various little bits that we didn't know before: about his reactions to seeing the first rushes of _Blade Runner_, which was just going into editing (he was pleased and enthusiastic, and not at all put out that the whole Mercerism theme was excised.) And about the book he was planning to begin next, The Owl in Daylight. The third pleasure is watching his creative process unfold as he massages the material for _The Owl_, plotting it and composing it right before our eyes. And the fourth is the confirmation that he is as quirky, as compassionate, as obsessed, as unpredictable, as brilliant, when speaking ad libitum as he was in his written work. What we saw in his novels turns out to be what his friends always got.

Other major themes include his 1974 "pink light" experience, and his relationship with the characters in his last novel, The Transmigration of Timothy Archer.

For the completist fan, this short book is a delightful find, and one worth snapping up quick since there's no telling how long it'll be in print. But for those with only a few PKD novels under their belts, and a curiosity about what made him tick, there's a far more indispensable volume to check out first, namely the extracts from his diaries which were published in 1991 as "In Pursuit of Valis: Selections from the Exegesis".

Was it chance or fate that led Gwen Lee to record these last words of PKD?
Whatever, this book is a must read for anyone who wants to probe the depths of the PKD spirit. Here Dick laid out the plotline and central character, Ed Firmley, for his next great novel, THE OWL IN DAYLIGHT. Who needs more of it actually written? Any reader can fill in the blanks. Dick was taking the next giant step to solving the puzzle of man's existence here on earth. By positing the existence of this Nanoman race from a planet without music or sound, Dick set up the premise for another brilliant novel.

The very notion that an other world Nanoman, could implant himself via biochip into Ed Firmley's brain is ground breaking. That this would transform this hack musician into a Beethoven like composer is a light year ahead of man's current understanding of himself. What a gas that Firmley would then make the choice to allow himself to implanted into the brain of this celestial Entity. Yes, Firmley did have to exchange this puny earthly existence for a world constructed from rainbow colors. But to him it was like dying and going to heaven.

PKD is fascinating as always, but at $17 I expect a lot more than 20 pages worth of content clumsily spread across 200 pages via narrow paper, wide margins, huge type, blank pages and double-spacing. This is a magazine article pretending to be a book! For your best bang-for-buck PKD insights, save your pennies for Sutin's excellent Divine Invasions.

...And,if you read this book you'll realize just what a crying shame it truly is...The world was cheated out of "The Owl in daylight",a book that just might have ended up being his greatest. This book,(What if our world is their Heaven?)is simply a transcription of some tape interviews PKD made shortly before his untimely death in 1982.Of course this could be seen by the cynical as an attempt by those in the late PKD's circle of friends to somehow cash in on the mystique that surrounds this enigmatic science fiction legend,Its a quick read...not terribly lengthy...but the true genius of this book is the glimpse a hardcore PKD fan can get of two things...One,"The Owl in Daylight",still in the conceptual phase at the time of his death(Oh,why oh,why'd ya have die Phil?) Two,just how quickly this man's mind worked,especially as to regards the way he wrote a novel(ABSOLUTELY mind boggling).I will say that If you haven't read the Sutin Bio,parts of PKD's exegesis and I'd say,at least 10 or so of his key works you may not get a whole lot of enjoyment out of this book,But a real delight for the hardcore fan as well as a heartbreaking reminder of all the great books we could of had in the last 20 years if Phil was still around.

Pretty slow, but full of utterly believable characters that I really cared about (even though they're pretty messed up people).

I have a soft spot for this bleakly realistic novel about California life in the 1950's. The main characters are little people, anti-heroes, average Joes, but Dick's psychological insights are superb and singular. I remember one character's description of being popular in elementary school for two days because of making ears from breadcrusts and causing everyone to laugh; and a brilliantly believable internal monologue about getting caught in the act of adultery. Dick's evocations are haunting. He truly was capable of finding the unique and the universal in the quotidian realities of modern life, even when disguised by a wacky SF alternative-realm framework (not here, though). PUTTERING is straight slice-of-life.

I wish someone would make this one into a movie. It's bittersweet, evocative--filled with character like an aged burgundy. Read it.

The title of this realist novel, written in 1957 but not published until 1985, refers to the "small land" of Roger Lindahl's TV repair shop. His wife, Virginia is ambitious, and ends up taking control of the business and expanding it into a large appliance store; but she, as much as Roger or any of the other characters, exists in the small land of her own mind. California, the land of opportunity which had lured the Lindahls from the East coast, is small in its own way: the deadening conventionality of 1950s manners and morals contract the range of human happiness there as elsewhere. Into this wasteland a fertilizing influence appears in the person of Liz Bonner. Roger finds her refreshingly uninhibited and sensual. In its concentration on the triangle of Roger, Liz, and Virginia, Dick fully develops the psychological dynamics of marital and extramarital relations. His sometimes fantastic descriptions of the wasteland of the "small land" of this novel anticipate the entropic landscapes of his later science-fiction novels such as Martian Time-Slip and Ubik.

This book, a story about a TV repairman and his family in 1950's California, contains many of the elements contained in Dick's science fiction novels: bleak emotional landscapes; the aggressive wife; the everyman character stuggling to get by in the world. But it's missing the inventiveness, the creepiness, and also the humor of his SF work. This one dragged for me, a bit, though it does contain some memorable characters.

This is one of several non-science fiction novels Dick wrote in the 1950s in an attempt to gain recognition as a serious writer. It didn't work (while he was still living), and he went back to solid SF at some point. This one is worth reading for sure if you like PKD, but it's not up there with his very best science fiction.

I loved this novel. The reactions the adulterers experience after their one 'affair' are so atypical of drama, film, TV but I suspect so accurate of human life. We can all learn many things from reading Dick's novels - both SF and otherwise. Somehow - even in extreme environments (which this novel does not show) - he shows everyday reality of the human mind.

I've been a HUGE fan of PKD for many years now. (And not just because I weigh close to 300 pounds!) I own nearly every book/story that he's ever written and this collection is just as good and not one bit worse than any of his other collected series of short stories on the market. As a professional sci-fi writer myself it is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I recommend any PKD body of work to the literary neophyte as well as the old hand. If you're a sci-fi enthusiast you can't go wrong with PKD. Intelligent Sci-Fi? You bet!

The Minority Report is volume four of the collected shorts of the late, and very great, Phillip K. Dick. This collection spans his writing period between 1954 and 1964, but you may be surprised at how up to date the feel of Dick's fiction is. In spite of their age, these stories have maintained a freshness that can only be found with excellent human characterizations nestled inside technical sci-fi.

Along with the short, The Minority Report, which the 2002 Spielberg movie starring Tom Cruise was based upon, there are many other strange treats in store for your science fiction palate. Here are a few of my favorites:

Autofac, where a post-war network insists on running the world for the good of the citizens. The Mold Of Yancy, a lovely yarn about a seemingly harmless autocrat on an outer colony. The Unreconstructed M, where murder comes in small, shifty boxes. Explorers We, a never-ending cycle of hopes dashed. War Game, the harmless, or not so harmless, tactics of market domination. What The Dead Men Say, exploring a world where half-life after death is expected. Oh, To Be A Blobel digests the aftereffects of infiltrating the enemy's forces by changing appearances. And my favorite, The Days Of Perky Pat, where survivors of the last great war fight their battles with dollhouses.

I believe that this is one of Dick's better collections, so if you are hankering for some good, old-fashioned sci-fi that will let you kick back into the future, pick up The Minority report, and Enjoy!

TOC:
AutoFac
Service Call
Captive Market
The Mold Of Yancy
The Minority Report
Recall Mechanism
The Unreconstructed M
Explorers We
War Game
If There Were No Benny Cemoli
Novelty Act
WaterSpider
What The Dead Men Say
Orpheus With Clay Feet
The Days Of Perky Pat
Stand-By
What'll We Do With Ragland Park?
Oh, To Be A Blobel

Enjoy the book!

The minority report is a great book if you like short science fiction. Phillip Dick is one of the masters of the genre. Dick also wrote the stories for Blade Runner and Total Recall in case you didn't know. The title story [made into the Tom Cruise movie] is only a small part of this collection. Frankly, the story has a slightly different ending, and in my opinion, more conceptually pleasing. What I enjoyed about this book is that there are lots of stories. Some are hits, and some are misses, but all of them illustrate Dick's ability to create worlds and characters that are flawed and believable. There are no clear-cut heroes in the stories - they often have ulterior motives. The one common thread running through all of his works is that they are strange. It is almost as if his mind worked differently than the rest of the human races. He sees things, and has ideas that are so complex and innovative that it baffles the mind that people like Dan Brown gain fame for the Da Vinci Code, and Phillip Dick died Poor, and largely unrecognized outside a small group of science fiction fans. If you want the challenge yourself, and expand your mind, buy this book and give his writings a chance.

Relic113

This was my first introduction to PKD, and although all the stories aren't the best they do entertain. My biggest complaint is many of the stories overlap in odd ways, and in turn make them feel a tad repetative. An example is the pre-cog (used for full effect in 'Minority Report') is brought up in numerous other stories although these stories take place in alternate futures. Dick seems almost obsessed with a nuclear fallout future, and although some of these stories are interesting, many are just dull.

I enjoyed the stories as a whole, and recommend them to anyone who enjoys looking into the art of the short story and the mind of PKD.

A decade ago, Philip K. Dick's complete short stories were published as a five volume series. Prospective buyers should note that this is simply a reissue of the fourth of those five volumes. It isn't a "best of" short story collection; you get the brilliant along with stories tossed off to keep bread on the table. It's still worth four stars. (The fifth volume is also particularly worth owning, and all five are still in print on backorder.)

You can't compare Philip K. Dick to any other science fiction writer. About the only other author he can be fairly compared to at all is Franz Kafka - but a workingman's Kafka, shorn of all pretension or artiness. All his heros are the same besieged everyman as K., wrestling with elusive metaphysics, impossible transformations, a cosmic bureaucracy, and a dysfunctional society - but also with overdue rent bills, insistent advertising, and messy divorces.

Precogs show up in many of Philip K. Dick's works, but Dick himself was not particularly in the prediction business. Nearly every world he created, large (in his novels) or small (in stories like these) was a future dystopia. But whereas the dystopias of other sf writers make you shudder and think, "Yes, it could be like that... If Things Go On," Dick's have a different flavor, a different kind of immediacy.

And the reason for that is, that Philip K. Dick was not so much a science fiction writer as a prophet. He showed us a future that mirrored the present so faithfully that he could convince us of what he always felt - that dystopia is already here; apocalypse is already here. All you have to do (the original meaning of apocalypse) is tear away the veils.

Many people are going to take a fresh interest in Mr. Dick's writings because of the movie Minority Report. For them, I give this advice: go first to his novels (some of the best ones are "Ubik", "A Scanner Darkly", "Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch", "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"). You have to immerse yourself in his world to grasp where he's coming from, and short stories don't give you room to do that. The novels do.

For those who already know his stuff, this book is a treat. Besides the great title story, you'll see the seeds of several of his novels here ("Palmer Eldritch" prefigured in "Days of Perky Pat", "Simulacrum" in "The Mold of Yancy", and "Ubik" in "What the Dead Men Say").

If you are looking for info about the making of BLADE RUNNER you'd best look elsewhere, but if like me you want to read intelligent analysis of this amazing film then this book is one of the finest you'll find. The range of the essays is wide, looking at every facet of the film; the script, music, symbolism and much more. I've read many books on the subject of BLADE RUNNER and this one was one of the most enlightening and informative. There is more to BLADE RUNNER than you might think - and this book will show you in considerable detail. Highly recommended for fans of the film.

A must have for any die hard BR fan. Well crafted essays and opinions covering every angle a fan could ever hope for. Reads similar to a textbook. If only Scott could release a DVD version of BR this detailed.

For the ignorant fools who didn't know what they were watching the first 168 times around, this book has essays with subtexts and subconcious imagary that will blow your mind.

A box office failure shined to gold by looking-back critics and an army of fans, Blade Runner is now the requisite sci-fi inspiration film. It's still a stylish but bleak, cold film and has rightfully earned its supercult status. A lot of people responded to it in their own way.

The book has plenty of food for thought, but it gets to be much after a while. Authors compare the various themes in Blade Runner and use this as a springboard for ruminations on Frankenstein, feminism, film noir, you name it, Blade Runner has it. Slave narrative, horror film, it's in there. And there's room for an updated version as plenty of published material has appeared since this book did in the early 90s. Recommended for the obsessed Blade Runner fan--and there is no other kind.

This book is a must-have for Blade Runner fans. Wonderfully written essays. Desser's article comparing the film to John Milton's poem/novel Paradise Lost and Frankenstein is a writing at its mind-bending best.

I thought my 10 year career as Blade Runner appreciator would have overturned all the 'stones' of interest - and yet this book yields countless articles many of which containing subtleties and revelations totally new to me. Of course, if you're not a major blade runner fan you'll want to become one first.

This novel is a precursor to Dick's sci-fi masterpieces. Mary, a quirky, twenty year old suffering from a borderline personality disorder and dysphoria, takes center stage. Her mood swings, frigidity, diffused guilt, unstable identity and inability to decide who to mate with dominate the plot. Dick creates the character Mary living in an alien world- "sometime in a hundred years her world might exist." The womanizer, Schilling's attempt to bring her up to the surface and provide Mary with a retreat, a place to hide, fails miserably. Later, in his sci-fi, when Dick provides his misfit characters with alien worlds to inhabit his writing takes off. But trying to describe this sort of neurotic within the 1950's milieu barely works. The happy ending for Mary was a pleasant, though barely credible, surprise

Completed in 1955, but not published until 1987, Mary and the Giant revolves around a subject close to Dick's heart, music. Almost everybody in the novel is related somehow to the music business; music is the constant topic of conversation and is usually playing in the background. Joe Schilling, the "giant" of the title, is a record-shop proprietor who represents a taste for the classical, while Mary Ann Reynolds, a young woman whom he hires as a sales clerk, gravitates to jazz. A very strong example of Dick's mainstream writing, Mary and the Giant is a tight, well-constructed narrative. The character of Mary is convincing and compelling. Although cold on the surface, she is a multilayered creation with whom the author empathizes strongly. Her refreshing honesty and directness are seductive. The scenes in the jazz club, the wild party, the sordid and claustrophobic atmosphere of Mary's family home, and the well-drawn subsidiary characters make this novel memorable.

This is my favorite book of Dick's. The everyday struggle of the characters tears at the heart. I actually prefer Dick's "regular" novels to his science fiction. Few saw clearer the reality around them than this master of the imagination.

I loved this. It's one of Dick's better books. Story of strange young woman and how she finds her place in the world. Very interesting characters.

While no longer in print 'The Preserving Machine and Other Stories' by Philip K. Dick is worth seeking out. Originally printed around 1970, it contains about a dozen of the author's better short stories from early in his career (early 1950s to mid-1960s). The author has pumped out many dozens of short stories and novels, ranging from very good to truly incomprehensible, and modern short story collections of his work are very uneven. However since this collection was compiled during the author's prime I suspect its quality was assured by the author himself.

It is hard to choose which story is best. But they all take place on Earth in the near or distant future. Of course there is a smattering of time travel and alien occupation. Yet for myself, not a loyal fan of science fiction, I found them to be intriguing rather than too far fetched. One particular story involving people being thrust into the mind's of others, thus exposing hidden prejudices and distorted views of reality, is simply brilliant.

Bottom line: a must for all Philip K. Dick collections. Excellent.

Although mostly known for his novels, Philip K. Dick also had a pretty impressive pile of short stories. This collection contains 15 of them: The Preserving Machine, War Game, Upon the Dull Earth, Roog, War Veteran, Top Stand-By Job, Beyond Lies the Wub, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, Captive Market, If There Were No Benny Cemoli, Retreat Syndrome, The Crawlers, Oh To Be a Blobel!, What the Dead Men Say, and Pay for the Printer.

For those of you who don't know, the story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" is the story that the movie Total Recall is based on. Personally, I think it is much better than the story the book is named after. But another very interesting story in here is the possibly prophetic "What the Dead Men Say". It is an eerie mix of Ubik and VALIS. A cryogenically frozen man is believed to be sending messages from space, tying up all forms of communication. That particular story was written in 1964, several years before PKD's strange experiences with forces beyond earth.

There are at least five other stories in here that I particularly enjoyed. Needless to say, every PKD fan owes it to themselves to read this collection at least once.

This contains a handful of early short stories. Though most people are probably familiar with PKD's longer works, PKD is really into his own in the short story field. I find that he is much more able to hold my attention in a short story. In addition, I believe that the 'literary' style of writing that many critics claim is lacking in PKD's novels is indeed present in his short stories. Contains 'We Can Remember It For You Wholesale,' and 'The Preserving Machine,' two exceptional short stories in the science fiction genre--indeed, in any genre.

If you've never read anything by Philip K Dick before, start here. With 19 different short stories, and the longest clocking in around 40 pages, it's easily the best way for you get acquainted with his style of science-fiction and methods of story-telling. I think the short story format suits Dick's writing particularly well, and enjoyed some of the stories herein much more than the few of his novels I've read. This is primarily because of the short length here, allowing you a quick exit if you find yourself in the middle of a story you don't enjoy. Some common ideas here are time travel, artificial intelligence, alien life forms, the destruction of civilization, the nature of reality, and hypothetical imaginings of the Cold War. If any of this remotely interests you, you owe it to yourself to track down a copy of this book. Now on a story by story basis...

Beyond Lies the Wub: 2 Stars
The ending redeemed this one somewhat, but I felt it was just adequate, and at times even silly. The alien life form here was fairly amusing though.

Roog: 1 Star
At this point, I was a bit worried about the next 400 pages. This is my least favorite of all 19, which I found neither enjoyable nor insightful. I just couldn't get into a story told from a dog's point of view.

Second Variety: 4 Stars
Things absolutely picked up here. A great story, one of the first of the longer ones. It deals with both a futuristic Cold War and questions about humanity and artificial intelligence. Great surprises made this one exciting.

Paycheck: 5 Stars
Really a fun one. The ending can be telegraphed somewhat, but the ideas of having one's memory erased and being able to look into the future were fascinating. The concept that a few seemingly random objects could have a much greater purpose is handled excellently.

Impostor: 5 Stars
My personal favorite. Short and sweet, but with some excellent twists and turns. Great ideas about the nature of being human.

Colony: 4 Stars
Another great story. I saw the ending coming a little, but I still enjoyed it. A curious little story about an unexplored planet.

Expendable: 1 Star
I'd say this is a fairly apt title for this story, and I'm not sure why it was included. Interestingly suggests a constant war behind species of insects, but not really worth reading.

The Days of Perky Pat: 2 Stars
This deals with post-nuclear holocaust life, but doesn't create anything noteworthy. Adults spend nearly all their time playing a Barbie-like game, which doesn't make for a very intriguing plot.

Breakfast at Twilight: 3 Stars
A cool little story about traveling forward in time. A surprisingly hopeful story from the somewhat pessimistic Philip K Dick, but it didn't do anything too spectacular. The family element was also refreshing.

Foster, You're Dead: 2 Stars
One of the most depressing stories here, I felt. It discusses the idea of families paying for personal fallout shelters, and brutally criticizes the military-industrial complex.

The Father-Thing: 2 Stars
A somewhat unsettling tale about a father's frightening change told from a young boy's point of view. Somewhat unremarkable, but it explores what it is to be human.

Service Call: 3 Stars
A story that combines traveling backward in time with criticism of the military-industrial complex. Very fun at the outset, but it becomes somewhat preachy toward the end.

Autofac: 3 Stars
This deals with the automation of industry and how it has left humans in a post-nuclear war world without jobs. The artificial intelligence is frighteningly plausible, but there was nothing too memorable here.

Human Is: 5 Stars
A real gem. This one revisits that ever-present theme of how to define humanity. I loved the ending here, and I thought the relationships between characters were handled very well.

If There Were No Benny Cemoli: 5 Stars
A great one that surprised me at the end. It details the historic rise of a prominent political figure and the ramifications for the present. I loved the deviousness of the government officials here.

Oh, To Be a Blobel!: 2 Stars
Also very depressing. It's depiction of a man caught between human and alien forms and his relationships really made me sad. I didn't like the ending here either.

Faith of Our Fathers: 1 Star
This one really came out of left field. Nearly nonsensical and extremely abstract, it's similar to the bizarre incident of the LSD-Dart in "Lies Inc."

The Electric Ant: 5 Stars
A fun one with an awesome ending. To me, this sums up Dick's writing better than any of the other stories here. It deals with the meaning of reality, the definition of humanity, construction of human-like robots with artificial intelligence. If you like it, you'll probably be a fan of the rest of his work.

A Little Something for Us Tempunauts: 5 Stars
Dick really plays it straight with this one. Other than the concept of time travel, which is handled very realistically, I would call this the least science-fiction of all these stories. It's also one of the best. A fun ending, a few well put-together scenes, and some complex, thought-provoking ideas make this one great.

So there you go. It's an average of 3.15 stars, but I'm inclined to round up, because there really is some great work here.

4 Stars. Just skip over some of the lesser ones, and you've got yourself a fine collection of sci-fi short stories. And the best ones here are really fantastic.

If you've never read Philip K Dick, this collection of short stories is a great place to start. The first two stories in the collection (his first 2 published stories) aren't the greatest, but from the third story on it's one brilliant gem after the other. I read this book 3 months ago and it's still with me. "Electric Ant" is perhaps the best SF short story I've ever read. I've read several of Dick's novels but these short stories are better!

The name Philip K Dick emerges quite frequently in any debate over the identity of the world's greatest science fiction author. Consider, then, the claim that Dick short stories are actually a more impressive achievement than his novels. Excessive, you say? I think it's true. Dick's one hundred-odd stories contain at least one mention of most of the ideas that shaped modern imaginative fiction. As such, the five-volume collection of his stories, of which "Beyond Lies the Wub" is the first volume, must be centerpiece of any serious scifi collection.

Dick's prose is never lavish, but always plain and workable. In a sense this merely disarms us, as we don't expect such wondrous invention from apparently normal writing. Aside from that limitation, however, these stories range over everything imaginable: from fantastic to prosaic, from the present time to far future settings, and from horror to tragedy to light-hearted wry humor. Two of the best comedy stories in this volume feature Dr. Labyrinth, a kooky inventor who sees problems and solutions quite differently from the rest of the human race. In "The Preservation Machine", he invents a method for converting musical works to animals, so as the great classical masterpieces can have better odds of survival in a Darwinian world. In "The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford", he discovers that inanimate objects will come to life if they are sufficiently irritated. "The Preservation Machine" ends with the discovery that the struggles of a dog-eat-dog world have transformed the works of Bach and Schubert into hideous bits of cacophany, a prime example of how even Dick's humorous tales are not without their bite.

On the horror end we have "Colony" and "Meddler". In "Colony", a exploration team on a new planet finds that murderous blobs of protoplasm are capable of imitating any inanimate object. As Dick himself says is the end notes: "The Ultimate in paranoia is not believing that everyone is out to get you, but rather that everything is out to get you. "Meddler" tells the tale of reckless engineers who build a mirror scoop for observing the future. Regrettably, their own observations guarantee that the future will be a worse place. How can this be? Dick explains the enigma in high style.

Among the more solid hard sf stories is "Mr. Spaceship". An elderly professor agrees to have his brain donated to a cause; it will be installed as the command unit for a spaceship, where its intelligence will allow it to navigate alien minefields. However, the titular vessel has plans of its own, and may prove capable of outwitting both the humans and the aliens. It's a fine example of Dick's faith in individual cleverness against the mass stupidity of government, bureaucracy and corporatism.

It's hard to pick a best story from such a volume; it's a classic case of 'they're all so good'. Top honors would have to go to "The Little Movement". A bizarre old man sells toy soldiers to unsuspecting children. But who's really in charge of the operation, and how can such a sinister scheme be stopped? In second place comes "Nanny", a triumph of wicked humor and shrewd observations of human nature. Mechanical nannies are sold to suburban families, but (as always) there's more going on than meets the eye. In this one, Dick correctly anticipated how parental obsession with child safety would come to overrule common sense.

These are the earliest stories PKD wrote, starting with the previously unpublished 1947 story "Stability" and ending with "Prize Ship", written in 1952. There are 25 of them in the lot, most with comments from the author. Some real gems are collected here (like "King of the Elves" and the pulpy "The Infinites"), but also some rather, ah, unpolished work.

But the thing is that this is not just interesting because of the actual stories but it gives a direct line to the developing talent of the man and that man at this point in his life was blossoming with ideas. He just hadn't yet gotten to the point where he knew how to express them. But that really doesn't stop one who is willing to drop those preconceived notions as to what constitutes good science fiction; this is FICTION with a capital letter, imagined from the get-go and heading towards uncharted waters. Reading this stuff made me long for such stuff today - most of what you get these days is pale and boring, closer to science fact and lacking in any true originality.