Philip K. Dick Books

This is a great companion for PKD fans. It is fun to read especially if you have already read his books beforehand. The best way possible to enjoy good memories and how they tie in with other PKD novels, especially the ones you haven't read. Will make you want to pick up a PKD book and read it. I didn't agree with all the reviews, but how often does anyone agree on anything?

My review is brief to match this book. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. I have read all of PKD's novel and short stories and another person's views are always of interest to me. But I suspect that a reader who does not know PKD's work well may find this book more confusing than stimulating. I would also have liked more of the short stories to have been discussed - some of the great stories not yet made into movies, plays or operas.

And finally, in a critical analysis like this I would have liked some explanation of how Mr Butler determined his ratings, and I would also have liked some considered opinion as to why PKD has such a great following that far exceeds, apparently in number and reputation, such other SF stalwarts as Simak, van Vogt, Asimov and Heinlein. And does PKD have a reputation outside SF that these other authors do not?

I am what could be defined as a PKD scholar, and I think this small book is very useful as a reference. While writing my articles and essays I often use it. And I recommend it to those who have just read 1-2 novels by Phil Dick and wish to know more, and would like some advice about what should be read next by the same author. Andy's reviews are fair and the plot summaries won't spoil your reading. And there is a wealth of useful info to boot. Very high price/quality ration, in my humble opinion. Recommended.

An excellent introduction to the complex world of Philip K. Dick, filled with insight and synopsis galore, it gives a quick and in-depth look into each of the works of this Chicago born genius. Mr.Butler has given us the perfect introductory book to Philip K. Dick, with a quick to the point review of a truely facinating career. It points the way to further reading. The book is clear evidence that Philip K. is one of the most important authors in American SF. This book is a must have for any reader of Dick, novice or expert.

This was not one of Phil's greatest books. Virtually all of his Science Fiction and at least 1 "mundane" novel deserve more stars that this. (I use the term "mundane" in the usage of S.F. fandom to refer something without any S.F. elements. Nothing Phil did or thought was "mundane" in the more typical usage of the word.)

However, I gave it 4 stars because of the considerable importance of the DHG in one of the sub-texts that runs through almost all of Phil's work: Who is human and who is android and what does it mean to be human?

For part 2 of this review, please read my review under Open Your Eyes (Abre Los Ojos) DVD edition.

DHG is of biographical interest to us hardcore PKD fans, and I doubt it would mean much to those who are not familiar with his life. This book covers an interesting and gloomy period (circa. 1970) of PKD's life, and deals with people and events that are given little attention in that seminal biography, Sutin's Divine Invasions. As the above reviewer has noted, the material forms what would later be A Scanner Darkly. The book itself (esp. the cover art) is very tasteful, and the book is quite rare, so it is one for collectors. PKD one said that his poetry was terrible, and the poem in this book is living proof of that:-)

The two major essays in this book, "The Android and the Machine" and "Man, Android, and Machine" are also in the more complete "Shifting Realities of PKD" so I would recommend that book over this one for those reasons, but for those of us who have to have them all...

This collection of correspondence, along with some lectures by Phillip K Dick, published after his death, tell a very interesting and disturbing story of the man. A lot of ideas from his letters can be found in the novel "A Scanner Darkly" This is worthwhile reading both to learn about a world most of us barely knew existed, and because it will make us contemplate our own lives.

An average of 3.63, but this contains a brief recommended reading list, and a few pages of a yearly overview by Charles N. Brown that are worth enough of a small decimal to boost this high enough to round to 4.5, given the lack of ordinary stories in general. It is closer to 4.25, than 4.5.

Kingsbury the standout, with Leiber, Varley and Kelly to follow.

Terry Carr 08 : The Barbie Murders - John Varley
Terry Carr 08 : A Hiss of Dragon - Gregory Benford and Marc Laidlaw
Terry Carr 08 : Black Glass - Fritz Leiber
Terry Carr 08 : To Bring in the Steel - Donald Kingsbury
Terry Carr 08 : The Very Slow Time Machine - Ian Watson
Terry Carr 08 : Devil You Don't Know - Dean Ing
Terry Carr 08 : Count the Clock That Tells the Time - Harlan Ellison
Terry Carr 08 : View from a Height - Joan D. Vinge
Terry Carr 08 : The Morphology of the Kirkham Wreck - Hilbert Schenck
Terry Carr 08 : Vermeer's Window - Gordon Eklund
Terry Carr 08 : The Man Who Had No Idea - Thomas M. Disch
Terry Carr 08 : Death Therapy - James Patrick Kelly


Standard lookalikes hard to investigate.

4 out of 5


Crimelord recruiting is a sticky situation.

3.5 out of 5


Dreck and Guck future.

4 out of 5


Wh0re governess troubleshooter happiness hire finds out space can be interesting.

4.5 out of 5


Step back before forward.

4 out of 5


Patient retardation.

3 out of 5


Limbo leavetaking.

3.5 out of 5


Interstellar one-way trip journal.

3.5 out of 5


Chrononauts sea save.

3.5 out of 5


Painter template.

3.5 out of 5


Temporary license is right.

2.5 out of 5


Kill punishment problems.

4 out of 5




4.5 out of 5

A very solid and consistently interesting collection of stories, with no standouts among them. Good stuff.

Book Of Philip K Dick : NANNY - Philip K. Dick
Book Of Philip K Dick : THE TURNING WHEEL - Philip K. Dick
Book Of Philip K Dick : THE DEFENDERS - Philip K. Dick
Book Of Philip K Dick : ADJUSTMENT TEAM - Philip K. Dick
Book Of Philip K Dick : PSI-MAN - Philip K. Dick
Book Of Philip K Dick : THE COMMUTER - Philip K. Dick
Book Of Philip K Dick : A PRESENT FOR PAT - Philip K. Dick
Book Of Philip K Dick : BREAKFAST AT TWILIGHT - Philip K. Dick
Book Of Philip K Dick : SHELL GAME - Philip K. Dick

There are some really good short stories in this collection, including Paycheck. (That Ben Affleck movie from a few years ago was based on it.) Beyond Lies the Wub, Second Variety (which was the basis for the movie "Screamers"), The Days of Perky Pat and Foster, You're Dead are also quite good. Imposter's pretty good too. (It was turned into a film with Gary Sinise in the lead role back in 2001. I remember seeing it on cable and kept thinking while reading the story that it was familiar.) There are a few complete duds, but it's easy to skip them and go on to the next story.

Contents

Beyond Lies the Wub
Roog
Second Variety
Paycheck
Imposter
Colony
Expendable
The Days of Perky Pat
Breakfast at Twilight
Foster, You're Dead
The Father-thing
Service Call
Autofac
Human Is
If There Were No Benny Cemoli
Oh, To Be a Blobel!
Faith of Our Fathers
The Electric Ant
A Little Something for Us Tempunauts

There are a handfull of average stories (particularly early on)in this collection, but don't be discouraged. The majority are excellent, and make this an immensely satisfying read. Must reads are 'The Golden Man', 'Last of the Masters' and 'A world of Talent' (read Ubik if you liked this one). If you want to get a taste for Dick's other work 'Shell Game', 'Misadjustment' and 'Exhibit Piece' are representative and also thoroughly enjoyable. There is also a small notes section included with Dick's comments on selected stories. This is a great addition and for me really adds to the collection. It's great to get the context (as most of these stories were written 40 odd years ago) opinions and reaction straight from the source. Definitely worth a go.

First off, I haven't read too many books on films based upon the works of PKD. I bought this book because I'm a fan of Dick's works, and the films that are closely linked to it (A Scanner Darkly primarily, but before that film came out, Blade Runner - the rest, to me, are like Vanilla Sky, and the Matrix; movies `using' Dick's ideas).

Secondly, I found this to be a very good overview of not only the films that were based on PKD's works (Blade Runner, Total Recall, Screamers, Confessions d'un Barjo, Impostor, Minority Report, Paycheck, and A Scanner Darkly), but also his life (~32 pages), radio and TV adaptations, and upcoming/unmade projects (film and otherwise).

You should read this book if;

a) You're interested in reading about PKD's life,
b) You're interested in reading about how some of his films ended up being made (those listed above),
c) You're interested in reading about the influence that PKD's works had on the realm of film in general.

You shouldn't read this book if you want to find out more about the radio/tv programs based upon his works, since you won't get too much from this book on these (not that you necessarily should).

If you're just interested in finding out more about Blade Runner, you'd probably be safe purchasing this book for that reason alone.

There's lots of pictures, the type is rather normal (small-ish, in a good way), and there's some new content in this book - not just the author's perspectives, but also new interviews, albeit only snippets from these - so you'll certainly get your money's worth.

4 stars because I didn't `love it' - I thought it was very good, and I may end up looking at particular parts over again (and it got me to dust off my copy of Impostor for another viewing), but there's no real reason to re-read the book, in my opinion.

This is a book of stories chosen by a vote of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America association, in the mid-nineties. Apparently in a six month process they voted for their favorite stories, etc. Because writers are slow and can't think of their favorites it takes them six months? Bizarre. Anyway, doesn't really maker how long they took to do it. It was apparently produced had a Science Fiction Hall of fame volume, multiple, actually, as the novellas etc. go in other books of the series. These came out in the late sixties, but the fantasy name change inclusion for the SFWA was 1992 according to the book's intro.

Anyway, there is an earlier book with this title, and the same editors. I should quote the famous Tim of LibraryThing on the non-brightness of doing that.

The limitation they chose was the stories had to be post 1939, when Unknown Worlds, the fantasy magazine edited by John W. Campbell started, because it had logically worked out fantasy, or something. The other limitation is no longer stories, novellas, etc. 'May be a future volume with those' to paraphrase the intro. No sign of it 10 years later though, it seems, so you could probably make it one of those 1000/1 William Hill novelties if you wanted.

So, right from that you are pretty much likely to get a book that is inferior to the early volume. No Lovecraft, Howard, Smith, Poe, etc.

That certainly turns out to be the case, with a 3.60 average, compared to 3.66. It is still a good book, just not an excellent one, and no real Hall of Fame, with less standouts. You could call it The Modern Hall of Fame, perhaps, although calling the thirties or early forties modern doesn't sound too modern to me.

So if you have a choice and just want to get one of these Hall Of Fame books, get the earlier volume.

Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Trouble with Water - H. L. Gold
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Nothing in the Rules - L. Sprague de Camp
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Fruit of Knowledge - C. L. Moore
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Tlön Uqbar Orbis Tertius - Jorge Luís Borges
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : The Compleat Werewolf [Fergus O'Breen] - Anthony Boucher
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : The Small A55a55in - Ray Bradbury
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : The Lottery - Shirley Jackson
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Our Fair City - Robert A. Heinlein
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : There Shall Be No Darkness - James Blish
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : The Loom of Darkness [Liane the Wayfarer] - Jack Vance
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : The Man Who Sold Rope to the Gnoles - Margaret St.Clair
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : The Silken-Swift - Theodore Sturgeon
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : The Golem - Avram Davidson
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Operation Afreet - Poul Anderson
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : That H3ll-Bound Train - Robert Bloch
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Bazaar of the Bizarre - Fritz Leiber
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Come Lady Death - Peter S. Beagle
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : The Drowned Giant - J. G. Ballard
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Narrow Valley - R. A. Lafferty
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : F@ith of Our Fathers - Philip K. Dick
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : The Ghost of a Model T - Clifford D. Simak
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : The Demoness - Tanith Lee
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Jeffty Is Five - Harlan Ellison
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : The Detective of Dreams - Gene Wolfe
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Unicorn Variations - Roger Zelazny
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Basileus - Robert Silverberg
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : The Jaguar Hunter - Lucius Shepard
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Buffalo Gals Won't You Come Out Tonight - Ursula K. LeGuin
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Bears Discover Fire - Terry Bisson
Fantasy Hall of Fame SFWA : Tower of Babylon - Ted Chiang


Gnome sweetener.

4.5 out of 5


Mermaid ring-in doesn't quite make the seal of sobriety.

4 out of 5


"Why," he stammered, "you...you're the Queen of Air and Darkness."

3.5 out of 5


Vague geography tract.

2.5 out of 5


Count3respionage canine capers.

4 out of 5


Rugrat's gonna get me, maybe I should get it first?

4 out of 5


Stone loser.

3.5 out of 5


Whirlwind collection.

3 out of 5


Werewolf symphony.

4 out of 5


Witchy Lith.

3 out of 5


Eyes for greed, will consume you.

3 out of 5


Virgin deception test, unicorn required.

3 out of 5


"I am not a human being!"

3.5 out of 5


Witchwolf teamup success requires djinn psychology.

4 out of 5


Time-stop devil of a deal indecision.

4 out of 5


Wizard errands suck, so do commercial cr@psters.

4 out of 5


You like me? Great! Now you can be me!

4 out of 5


Shrinking from investigation.

3.5 out of 5


Ditch illusion psychic projection projectile fun.

3.5 out of 5


"Don't you see, Mr. Chien? You've learned something. The Leader is not the Leader; he is something else, but we can't tell what. Not yet. Mr. Chien, when all due respect, have you ever had your drinking water analyzed? I know it sounds paranoiac, but have you?"

3.5 out of 5


Dead drive ok with me if booze is good.

3 out of 5


Succubus. Sword. Swing. Simple. Ask her, stoopid.

4 out of 5


Parents eventual terminal lack of patience with kid with the brilliant new old stuff.

5 out of 5


Ex3cution not too well d___.

3 out of 5


Mythological species replacement with sasquatch chess master.

4 out of 5


Computing angel Cunningham countdown plan.

3.5 out of 5


Man decides sexy werejaguar is better than cr@ppy American cop show.

4 out of 5


Don't eat the salmon.

2.5 out of 5


Hibernatin's a big ol' waste of time.

4 out of 5


Built like a brick lighthouse tunnelway to heaven.

3.5 out of 5

A Science Fiction Story and A Horror Fiction Story

Alien larva copy shot.


4 out of 5

This was my first read of a Philip K. Dick book. Dick was a prolific writer of Science Fiction writing 30+ books over his life.

This book (Martian Time-Slip) reminded me of Bradbury's Martian Chronicles in the way human society on Mars carried on its same practices of bigotry, greed, betrayal and other human foibles. Another grand experiment seemingly doomed.

Where this book really shined was in Dick's description of a schizophrenic and what goes on in their mind. Dick used an interesting writing method in one place to show a particular scene from the perspective of two characters with normal minds, one autistic child, an aboriginal Martian, and a schizophrenic. The method, though originally a little annoying in the beginning was very effective in creating a window to understanding and experiencing how a schizophrenic feels.

The reader of this book does a good job of creating the speech rhythm and sound of someone from the 60's and handles the various voices quite well. I liked him very much and will seek other books he might have read.

The Golden Man is a short story that is interesting, amusing, and a little disturbing. It is about a time on earth after some type of horrific war where many human mutations have been born with the world policy to destroy all the mutations before they can reproduce. The story focus is about a boy/man of 18 who cannot speak but is tall, golden, muscular - basically a perfect physical specimen, but cannot communicate verbally and sees the world from a different time perspective than normal humans. Obviously, woman find him irresistible and men see him as the ultimate danger.