The Philip K. Dick Megapack: 15 Classic Science Fiction Stories

by Philip K. Dick

The Philip K. Dick Megapack assembles no less than 15 classic science fiction stories by Philip K. Dick. Included PHILIP K. DICK
EXHIBIT PIECE
BEYOND LIES THE WUB
THE DEFENDERS
THE CRYSTAL CRYPT
BEYOND THE DOOR
SECOND VARIETY
THE EYES HAVE IT
THE GUN
THE VARIABLE MAN
TONY AND THE BEETLES
THE HANGING STRANGER
THE SKULL
PIPER IN THE WOODS
MR. SPACESHIP
STRANGE EDEN
And don't forget to search this ebook store for "Wildside Megapack" (or just Megapack if Wildside Megapack doesn't work) to see all the entries in the Megapack series -- including volumes of science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, westerns, and much, much more!

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Anthologies, Amazon

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Philip Kindred Dick was a prolific American science fiction author whose work has had a lasting impact on literature, cinema, and popular culture. Known for his imaginative narratives and profound philosophical themes, Dick explored the nature of reality, the boundaries of human identity, and the impact of technology and authoritarianism on society. His stories often blurred the line between the real and the artificial, challenging readers to question their perceptions and beliefs.
Raised in California, Dick began writing professionally in the early 1950s, publishing short stories in various science fiction magazines. He quickly developed a distinctive voice within the genre, marked by a fusion of science fiction concepts with deep existential and psychological inquiry. Over his career, he authored 44 novels and more than 100 short stories, many of which have become classics in the field.
Recurring themes in Dick's work include alternate realities, simulations, corporate and government control, mental illness, and the nature of consciousness. His protagonists are frequently everyday individuals—often paranoid, uncertain, or troubled—caught in surreal and often dangerous circumstances that force them to question their environment and themselves. Works such as Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly reflect his fascination with perception and altered states of consciousness, often drawing from his own experiences with mental health struggles and drug use.
One of Dick’s most influential novels is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Ridley Scott’s iconic film Blade Runner. The novel deals with the distinction between humans and artificial beings and asks profound questions about empathy, identity, and what it means to be alive. Other adaptations of his work include Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle, each reflecting key elements of his storytelling—uncertain realities, oppressive systems, and the search for truth. These adaptations have introduced his complex ideas to audiences well beyond the traditional readership of science fiction.
In the 1970s, Dick underwent a series of visionary and mystical experiences that had a significant influence on his later writings. He described receiving profound knowledge from an external, possibly divine, source and documented these events extensively in what became known as The Exegesis, a massive and often fragmented journal. These experiences inspired his later novels, most notably the VALIS trilogy, which mixes autobiography, theology, and metaphysics in a narrative that defies conventional structure and genre boundaries.
Throughout his life, Dick faced financial instability, health issues, and periods of personal turmoil, yet he remained a dedicated and relentless writer. Despite limited commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation grew steadily, and he came to be regarded as one of the most original voices in speculative fiction. His work has been celebrated for its ability to fuse philosophical depth with gripping storytelling and has influenced not only science fiction writers but also philosophers, filmmakers, and futurists.
Dick’s legacy continues to thrive in both literary and cinematic spheres. The themes he explored remain urgently relevant in the modern world, particularly as technology increasingly intersects with human identity and governance. The Philip K. Dick Award, named in his honor, is presented annually to distinguished works of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. His writings have also inspired television series, academic studies, and countless homages across media.
Through his vivid imagination and unflinching inquiry into the nature of existence, Philip K. Dick redefined what science fiction could achieve. His work continues to challenge and inspire, offering timeless insights into the human condition a

Reviews

[Bar Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a chocolate box of science fiction

[Pavan Dharanipragada · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I enjoyed Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and Adjustment Bureau. Even Paycheck is not that bad. Plot-wise at least. These were all based on novels written by PKD. So I picked this collection of short stories. And I found that, among these, I liked the longer stories better.

Also, while these stories might be the first to present these kind of ideas they have been infinitely copied in the sci-fi movies since so the sense of wonder they would have given to someone not exposed to any modern sci-fi was lost in me.

1. Exhibit Piece: Man of future really wants to live in the 50s; makes it up. 4*
2. Beyond Lies the Wub: A giant pig that's sentient and talks. Quirky. 5*
3. The Defenders: Cold war with robots. This is one of those predictable stories I mentioned. 3*
4. The Crystal Crypt: Earth vs. Mars espionage thriller. Kinda gimmicky. 2*
5. Beyond the Door: A cuckoo clock that's actually cuckoo? This read more like horror. 2*
6. Second Variety: One of the longer stories. Cold war again; America builds super smart robots that start building themselves. 4*
7. The Eyes Have It: A guy does not get metaphors at all. Reads aliens in everything. They don't actually exist though. Or don't they? 3*
8. The Gun: A ship lands on a desolated planet that was destroyed by its own inhabitants. Starts great but fizzles out with a bit of moralising. 2*
9. The Variable Man: Sounds like something Arnold Schwazenegger could star in. An industrious man from the 20s is pulled into the futue in the middle of a long war between Sol system and Proxima Centauri system. Longest in the collection, I think. Follows a proper story arc and everything. Too Hollywood though. 3*
10. Tony and the Beetles: Deals with racism, xenophobia. Between humans and beetle-people. Humans are the bad guys here. Felt too simplistic. 3*
11. The Hanging Stranger: Aliens mind control some of us. Town after town. One of the predictable-due-to-modern-sci-fi stories. Great execution though. 4*
12. The Skull: Predestination. Assassin going back in time to kill someone important. Too convoluted. Predictable-due-to-modern-sci-fi. 2*
13. Piper in the Woods: I'm not sure what happens in this story. Marines start behaving like trees? Unsatisfactory. 2*
14. Mr. Spaceship: A moralising tale, bit with an intriguing idea. Transcendence style. A human brain is attached to a spaceship as its central computer to better adapt to space battles. 2*
15. Strange Eden: Circe from Homer's Odysseus. Instead of a witch, she's an immortal alien. 2*

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been a huge short story fan. But, Philip Dick is making me reconsider! There's always some bizarre possibility in his writing...something my mind would have never dreamed. For instance, capturing a city in a snow globe and then using it for ransom.

Reading these stories so many years after writing has been interesting. He's got everyone flying on spaceships, but they're still smoking! They're also visiting Mars, blowing up Mars and interacting with Martians. But Mars is hardly our focus nowadays. His vidphones were certainly an appropriate prediction. Other of his speculations may be yet to come. Will we ever "man" spaceships by removing and then plugging in the brain of an elderly professor?

I also enjoy how he uses his writing as a venue for his personal views on social issues, such as war. There's frequently some lesson on how we've run amok and will pay a dire price.

[Benjyklostermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are any number of these collections of early PKD shorts, with all nearly the same content. I think I most enjoyed The Variable Man, The Crystal Crypt, and The Skull. What are your favorites?

[Lostaccount · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ideas in this collection are a bit dated now (been done to death) but I appreciated PKD's ability to take me along for the ride.

Exhibit Piece was my favourite, about a guy who works for a “History Agency” in a dystopian future where individuality is discouraged, even criminal. Main character is obsessed with the past, the exhibit he’s working on in the history museum. His exhibit becomes a gateway to the past, a life as a 1950s suburbanite. Story develops with PKD’s typical twists and mindphucks.

You can see the seeds of Blade Runner (“Do androids...”) in Second Variety. Variable Man lost me – the writing turned into a bit of a confused mess. Tony and the Beetles has an obvious message about (reverse) racism, colonialism, racial resentment etc. The Hanging Stranger, my second favourite of the lot, is a great example of PKD’s paranoia. Piper in the Woods and Strange Eden are space opera silliness of the time. The others didn’t make much of an impression on me bu I enjoyed them.

I’ve seen lots of reviews and analyses of PKD’s stories over the years and I think even the most apolitical writer will get credited with clever political views once someone starts (anal)ysing their stories for messages and symbols. That’s not to say I don’t think they are present sometimes. I just think it’s a lot of shit most of the time. It has more to do with the reviewer projecting their political views than what the writer intended. I enjoyed these stories for what they are, escapism (something I need right now).

[Michael Hobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone in the future smokes in space.

[Ty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great short stories by PkD

You can feel the age coming off of some of these stories and his fear of war.

The shipbrain story reminded me of Herbert's Dosadi Experiment and the ship who sang etc. Second Variety became an old horror sf movie I saw a couple decades ago I think. The Wub story was predictable but still packed a punch.

Worth reading and enjoying especially for the price.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big fan of Philip K. Dick. This collection has a strong slant to time travel, space travel, space wars and the like. Amazing that a lot of these short stories were written 50+ years ago. For me, they hold up pretty well. Probably liked the Variable Man and the Hanging Stranger best.

[Anne Seebach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed Philip K Dick's short stories much more so than his novels - and this was no exception. Somehow PKD seems to pack a huge wallop into his shorts, that gets a little lost in his longer works for me. So I was pleased to re-discover a few old favourites in this anthology, and happily discover some new. A very interesting selection too. Even though the writing is a little dated, with a heavy space opera flavour which might be sneered at by some of today's readers, the unferlying themes are still very relevant and enjoyably readable. I think for my pick I'm going to select 'Beyond Lies the Wub' as one of my enduring favourites from this collection, which I think I first read at around 12 or 13 years of age. The question of whether to eat a sentient, talking animal has rarely been so horrifyingly, charmingly humerous! Of the stories I hadn't read before, I think 'The Variable Man' will endure longest, or perhaps 'The Skull' - interesting commentaries on some of our less attractive cultural habits of thought.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly entertaining and fun, comparable perhaps to the Sherlock Holmes stories - there are themes, subplots, morals, and always a twist. These stories seem entirely fit to be screen-adapted and turned into Twilight Zone episodes.... if we could just step back a few decades and hook up Mr. Dick and Mr. Serling.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little collection of stories and a much appreciated introduction to Philip K. Dick. Will definitely be on the look out for more by him!

[Darren Sant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories from a master of the genre. Like any collection some are stronger than others but this is a great value buy.

[Derek Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories from Dick's 1950s years were published mostly in the second-tier SF magazines of the time. They reflect an intense, vivid, wide-ranging imagination with much less of the shattered-reality that characterizes his later novels. Though some endings may seem predictable, they would not have felt that way at the time: This was the period that created that kind of "surprise" ending.
Dick, like so many '50s SF writers, saw the world as likely to end in nuclear cataclysm (rather than dying the slow death of strangulation that's happening today). He seems especially apocalyptic in outlook, his populations living underground or in exile while the surface of Earth has been reduced to ash. Sometimes there's an outside savior to bring optimism, as often, not. "The Second Variety" is one of the stories with a "predictable" ending but still extremely engaging; the Americans and Russians try to reach accommodation against a weapon that has gone rogue, threatening to annihilate both sides.
"The Variable Man" mixes time travel, individual intuitive genius, treachery and a panoply of horrifying weaponry to create a basis for galactic peace. "The Skull," another time-travel romp, also has an ending that would be easily guessed-at today, but it's how the hero gets there that matters most. "The Hanging Stranger" is closer to classic horror than SF; "Tony and the Beetles" is the most modern story in tone, dealing with prejudice and ethnic hatred on a far, far distant planet.
And lest we forget Dick's humorous side, there's the snickering "Beyond Lies the Wub," along with the shortest story in the collection, "The Eyes Have It," which may well be one of the funniest things ever written in the English language, a side-splitting howler based on a very simply premise carried to its ridiculously logical conclusion.

[Joao Nicolodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection should actually take 3.5 stars, with a bunch of 4-5 stars stories and a few 2s. As already stated, usually the longest the better for PKD's stories, as he can develop better the characters and plot.
This 15 pack mixes a nice variety of themes, even though they are mostly focused on war (either internal or interplanetary) and outer space colonization. Some misses of ancient futuristic predictions are constant and bothering, like the absence of internet and computers and the maintenance of XX century's traditions in habits (smoking, newspaper, women are the housekeepers) and food. Also the fact that all natures in planets everywhere are similar to earth (trees, rivers, "dog/pig/men-like creatures").
Those understandable points aside, he does bring up nice reflections on wars and technology, human relations and work/society organization, and even his takes on time travel (The Skull) are better than a few nowadays sci-fy.
All things considered, the book is easily and quickly read, cheap ($1,99 ebook) and well worth the while.

[James Staiti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Science Fiction and Fantasy

Have been a fan since reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep ages ago. There is a Gnostic quality to Dick's writing, and Gnosticism was an interest of his. He was a master of plot twists with surprising and yet inevitable endings. A bit of a libertarian, he was definitely a visionary, and it is no wonder that so many of his works have been adapted for the screen. There is not a single story in this collection that I don't like. A favorite perhaps is The Variable Man. It speaks to themes that were dear to PKD: individualism and courage. In his own way Duck was a philosopher.

[Tony Fitzpatrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of short stories by the US science fiction writer, who died in 1982. I have read two of his longer novels (Ubik and Do Andoids Dream of Electric Sheep) and were fairly ambivalent about them. This collection of fifteen tales of varying length all seem united by one common theme - war. They all have either human beings at war with alien races, or living with the consequences of nuclear fallout (and sometimes both). Lots of weird ideas as well - in the future everyone smokes, sexism is rife, and aggression in politics tolerated if not openly encouraged. This dystopian view of the future is depressing beyond belief. The only encouraging story was the common sense shown by a man of 1913 accidentally brought into the 23rd century by a time machine, and who manages to save the universe. Even he was nearly killed by a phosphorus bomb for doing so however!

[Robert Bagnall · Rating 3 out of 5]

If PKD is The Beatles and the likes of A Scanner Darkly, The Man in the High Castle, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep are akin to his Revolver, Rubber Soul and Sgt Pepper’s, then these stories are Please, Please me and With the Beatles: some great ideas, but set within a standard verse, chorus, verse, chorus, middle eight, verse, chorus structure. There’s a man in a rubber suit in a black and white 50s TV series vibe to the writing, people just stand and have explanatory conversations, as if PKD is warily working within the genre conventions of the time. This is him learning his craft. More than a curio, but less than what he’ll become.

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Dick knows how to tell stories! Through creative plot elements and twists, these stories take readers on journeys - some strange, some exhilarating, but always interesting. These 15 stories provide not only science fiction, but mystery, a little horror, and a little humor. By mixing in elements of philosophy, religion, and ethics, Mr. Dick has created insightful stories that can be thought provoking.

As a side note, the editors of this MEGAPACK chose and arranged stories judiciously to provide a balanced collection. If you are looking for interesting science fiction-type stories, this collection is highly recommended.

[Philhatch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took a while to get around to this...

I feel like it should maybe get a 3rd star because it's of its time, and the ideas would have been more original when it was written.

But the stories in this collection are 90% variations on a theme - the theme being "Allegories for the cold war, scientists searching for the key to the ultimate weapon, and how sexy the only female character in the story looks.

So, meh. Some of the stories were more creative than others, but overall an interesting exercise in learning about stories of the past, but I wouldn't necessarily bother.

[Mike Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Data Scientist I really enjoyed the story "THE VARIABLE MAN." Like a lot of PKD's writing he was ahead of his time with his predictions for the future. The theme of a lot of these stories was nuclear armageddon which I suppose is just a sign of the times these works were written in. However with Trump and Kim trading insults and threats of total annihilation they hit a little too close to home for me.

[Sabin · Rating 4 out of 5]

O colectie de 15 povestiri, din cele peste 120 pe care le-a scris. Atmosfera razboiului rece l-a influentat semnificativ, majoritatea povestilor au de-a face cu razboiul, planetar sau i nterplanetar. Cateva sunt despre natura violenta a omului, calatorii spatiale si temporale. Fanii PKD vor citi cu placere colectia pentru ca prezinta chintesenta ideilor sale, din care s-au nascut marile sale carti.

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

15 stories:

*** Exhibit Piece (1954)
*** Beyond Lies the Wub (1952)
**** The Defenders (1953)
*** The Crystal Crypt (1954)
** Beyond the Door (1954)
**** Second Variety (1953)
***** The Eyes Have It (1953)
*** The Gun (1952)
*** The Variable Man (1953)
*** Tony and the Beetles (1953)
***** The Hanging Stranger (1953)
*** The Skull (1952)
*** Piper in the Woods (1953)
*** Mr. Spaceship (1953)
**** Strange Eden (1954)

[Norman Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice variety of PKD's early short stories. As one would expect, the quality ranges all over the map, but overall, most of the stories are entertaining and many are thought provoking. Some of the gimmick stories are easy to figure out. These stories are generally not typical of the kind of stories PDK wrote later in life, but rather typical of the space operas of the 1950s.

[Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good, some bad. over all a good read. with, EXHIBIT PIECE, THE CRYSTAL CRYPT, SECOND VARIETY, THE VARIABLE MAN and THE HANGING STRANGER for me the best of the bunch. SECOND VARIETY is reportedly an inspiration for The Terminator film's
EXHIBIT PIECE also for me had shades of the Twilight Zone story 'Time Enough at Last'

[John Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do like a good short story. It takes a good author to write a good short story. Philip K Dick seemed to have poor opinion of us as a race. A war mongering race with no hope. That said some of the stories had a glint of hope for us in that we could choose to walk another path. Very good read with ideas way ahead of his time.

[Brett Chalupa]

A digital collection of short stories by PKD that fell into the public domain likely due to the magazines who held the copyright never renewing them. I read this collection over the course of four years, so I can’t remember the earlier stories, but I enjoyed them fine enough. Not every story is great, but it’s a great taste of older sci-fi and PKD—warts and all.

[Nicholas Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of his short stories written in the 1950's. They reflect his vision of the possible future and also the tensions created during the Cold War. War or space exploration tend to dominate but these were prevalent themes at the time the stories were written. Some really good stories with twists.

[Olly Colluphid · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always in short story collections a bit of a mix. Dick is amazingly imaginative and creative and that comes through, as does his concerns about war.

The collection is dated in many ways. Someone described it to me as Chrome plated 1960s: spacecraft, robots and tech but smoking, newspapers and (almost) no female characters.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 15 story collection of Dick's 1950's shorter tales. Funny how 60-odd years later, his material still has the power to make one look at the world from a wider, if not happier, perspective. Essential reading.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

😊

Jeez this man could write! A few of these stories I had read before but enjoyed 're reading them. My fave stories were the invariable man, beyond lies the wub and the hanging stranger. A must read for sci do fans.