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The Skull: Short Story
Conger is given a chance to be released from prison on the condition that he completes one job�he must travel back in time and kill a man who, if allowed to live, will later change the world.
Philip K. Dick was an American science-fiction novelist, short-story writer and essayist. His first short story, “Beyond Lies the Wub,” was published shortly after his high school graduation. Some of his most famous short stories were adapted for film, including “The Minority Report,” “Paycheck,” “Second Variety” (adapted into the film Screamers) and “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” (adapted into the film Total Recall).
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37 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 1952
About the author
Philip K. Dick
1,936 books23.1k followersPhilip 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 wor
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 wor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 314 reviews
January 19, 2019
3.5 stars. A 1952 SF short story by the well-known classic SF author Philip K. Dick (Gutenberg freebie!).
In a distant future, a council of powerful men has lost patience with a pacifist movement (now embodied in a religion called the First Church), which they view as having led to the non-violent but - they say - stagnant society of their time. The Council decides that the way to solve their problem is to use their handy-dandy time travel machine and send someone back to assassinate the founder of this movement before he makes his world-changing speech in the 1960s.
They find a prisoner named Conger and offer him a Get Out of Jail Free card if he'll travel back in time and kill the Founder before he can make this speech. No one knows the Founder's name or prior history, but the Council is able to get hold of his skeleton. Conger carries the skull back in time with him to help him figure out who the right guy is, so he can kill him and bring back the new skull, and the Council can be satisfied that he got the right guy.
I saw where this story was going from the very start, so it's pretty predictable in that sense. But what was surprising, and rather interesting, is that it turned into kind of a modern-day recasting of the role and message of Jesus Christ. If you read this (it's free online here at Project Gutenberg), keep your eyes open for the connections.
In a distant future, a council of powerful men has lost patience with a pacifist movement (now embodied in a religion called the First Church), which they view as having led to the non-violent but - they say - stagnant society of their time. The Council decides that the way to solve their problem is to use their handy-dandy time travel machine and send someone back to assassinate the founder of this movement before he makes his world-changing speech in the 1960s.
They find a prisoner named Conger and offer him a Get Out of Jail Free card if he'll travel back in time and kill the Founder before he can make this speech. No one knows the Founder's name or prior history, but the Council is able to get hold of his skeleton. Conger carries the skull back in time with him to help him figure out who the right guy is, so he can kill him and bring back the new skull, and the Council can be satisfied that he got the right guy.
I saw where this story was going from the very start, so it's pretty predictable in that sense. But what was surprising, and rather interesting, is that it turned into kind of a modern-day recasting of the role and message of Jesus Christ. If you read this (it's free online here at Project Gutenberg), keep your eyes open for the connections.
February 14, 2020
"What action would not be futile, when a man could look upon his own aged, yellowed skull?”
In Philip K. Dick's "The Skull" (first published in 1952), a prison inmate is given a second chance...The man, Conger, must go back in time and kill a mysterious and controversial religious leader (the Founder) who gave just one speech before disappearing. The only clue to his identity is a yellowed 200 hundred year old skull. He travels back in time to a small town near Denver in 1960 and waits for his target. No huge surprises in this one, but an interesting tale. 3.25 stars
In Philip K. Dick's "The Skull" (first published in 1952), a prison inmate is given a second chance...The man, Conger, must go back in time and kill a mysterious and controversial religious leader (the Founder) who gave just one speech before disappearing. The only clue to his identity is a yellowed 200 hundred year old skull. He travels back in time to a small town near Denver in 1960 and waits for his target. No huge surprises in this one, but an interesting tale. 3.25 stars
March 8, 2019
One of the pleasures of early Dick is that, because of his unusual treatment of otherwise hackneyed plot devices, even the oldest stories seldom strike the reader as old. I have to admit, though, that “The Skull” (first published in the magazine If in 1952)—is the lamentable exception. After all, at least on the surface, it’s just another of those “let’s go jump in the time machine and kill Hitler” yarns, only this time it’s not Hitler or someone like him, but a cult leader whose pacifism and Luddite beliefs led to the stagnation of human progress two hundred years ago.
Even the big twist at the story’s end no longer surprises (I wonder if Michael Moorcock stole this idea from Dick for “Behold the Man”?)
Still, it is a well-written story, and I enjoyed it. It just didn’t thrill me, like almost everything else by Dick always did. And still does.
December 20, 2016
Coincidentally I read it two weeks before Christmas.
The title is rather misleading for me. I assumed a rather grim tale, but I was wrong. The conclusion of the story is heartwarming, and as other reviews had revealed, The Founder in the story is obviously based on Jesus Christ.
This review is my early Christmas Greetings. Merry Christmas!
The title is rather misleading for me. I assumed a rather grim tale, but I was wrong. The conclusion of the story is heartwarming, and as other reviews had revealed, The Founder in the story is obviously based on Jesus Christ.
This review is my early Christmas Greetings. Merry Christmas!
June 30, 2017
The Problem About Time Travel
Philip K. Dick’s short story The Skull (1952) is probably less original and surprising today than it was at the time it was written because unlike Dick, we had to go through a phase of “Back to the Future” movies, starting in the middle of the eighties, which explored any possible paradox connected with time travel, and then there was “12 Monkeys”, which also had the motif of a time traveller sent back into the past to set things right and create what his employers considered a better future. Last, but not least, there was Grampa Simpson, who, on Homer’s wedding day, advised his son that whenever he might find himself hurled back into time he should never ever change anything, not even kill a mosquito, lest he start a chain reaction with unforeseeable consequences for the future.
The problem about time travel, then, is, in terms of literature, that there is hardly anything that has not happened before. That’s why, on the first couple of pages, one already gets the drift of the story and knows how it’s going to end. Nevertheless, the story has its strengths, for example when Dick portrays a conformity-and-distrust-ridden U.S. in the early 60s where even wearing a beard might get you pigeon-holed as a Commie and where people seem to enjoy the prospect of anyone, let alone a non-conformist, being shot by the authorities. Writing this story in 1952, Dick here clearly refers to the repressive political climate McCarthyism.
The effect that musing on the skull has on the protagonist Conger, whose mission is to kill a man, also reminded me of the graveyard scene in Hamlet, although I found the moment when Conger realizes the truth rather contrived and unconvincing.
All in all, The Skull is maybe not one of the most fascinating stories by Dick but still better than the usual time travel fare you might get elsewhere.
Philip K. Dick’s short story The Skull (1952) is probably less original and surprising today than it was at the time it was written because unlike Dick, we had to go through a phase of “Back to the Future” movies, starting in the middle of the eighties, which explored any possible paradox connected with time travel, and then there was “12 Monkeys”, which also had the motif of a time traveller sent back into the past to set things right and create what his employers considered a better future. Last, but not least, there was Grampa Simpson, who, on Homer’s wedding day, advised his son that whenever he might find himself hurled back into time he should never ever change anything, not even kill a mosquito, lest he start a chain reaction with unforeseeable consequences for the future.
The problem about time travel, then, is, in terms of literature, that there is hardly anything that has not happened before. That’s why, on the first couple of pages, one already gets the drift of the story and knows how it’s going to end. Nevertheless, the story has its strengths, for example when Dick portrays a conformity-and-distrust-ridden U.S. in the early 60s where even wearing a beard might get you pigeon-holed as a Commie and where people seem to enjoy the prospect of anyone, let alone a non-conformist, being shot by the authorities. Writing this story in 1952, Dick here clearly refers to the repressive political climate McCarthyism.
The effect that musing on the skull has on the protagonist Conger, whose mission is to kill a man, also reminded me of the graveyard scene in Hamlet, although I found the moment when Conger realizes the truth rather contrived and unconvincing.
All in all, The Skull is maybe not one of the most fascinating stories by Dick but still better than the usual time travel fare you might get elsewhere.
June 4, 2012
Review subtitle: There is so much more than meets the eye...
One reads this short-story and tells himself/herself: "I guessed the ending after reading only seven pages." And "The Skull has a blunt anti-war message, but so have a thousand other short-stories."
True and true, but that's not the (ultimate) point of the story. Yes, there is strong criticism of ignorance, intolerance, sadism, and even macabre curiosity, which all encourage violence and ultimately war. Yes, the ending is obvious, but...
... I personally believe that the conclusion is so undisguised in order to point out to the main question of the story: What message would you have for the world should you know that very soon you will die?
One reads this short-story and tells himself/herself: "I guessed the ending after reading only seven pages." And "The Skull has a blunt anti-war message, but so have a thousand other short-stories."
True and true, but that's not the (ultimate) point of the story. Yes, there is strong criticism of ignorance, intolerance, sadism, and even macabre curiosity, which all encourage violence and ultimately war. Yes, the ending is obvious, but...
... I personally believe that the conclusion is so undisguised in order to point out to the main question of the story: What message would you have for the world should you know that very soon you will die?
What if he could see this, his own skull, yellow and eroded? Two centuries old. Would he still speak? [...] What would there be for him to say, to tell the people? What message could he bring? What action would not be futile, when a man could look upon his own aged, yellowed skull?This was so good that it simply made my day! Because in the end that's a question all of us (should) ask...
October 23, 2021
It could more deep. And IMHO the main character is a bit dumb. Lol! Scribd.com's English text, and translation for Portuguese + audio in English from Google Translate. Continuing the Project Learning English by myself.
Synopsis: "Conger is given a chance to be released from prison on the condition that he completes one job—he must travel back in time and kill a man who, if allowed to live, will later change the world."
Synopsis: "Conger is given a chance to be released from prison on the condition that he completes one job—he must travel back in time and kill a man who, if allowed to live, will later change the world."
August 9, 2026
Well, that escalated into a temporal clusterf**k rather quickly. 😂
The Skull is short, sharp, and utterly hilarious. I love a good time paradox, and Philip K. Dick absolutely nails the delicious absurdity of watching a plan unravel when time itself decides to join the conspiracy.
Turns out, the real enemy was causality. ⏳💀
The Skull is short, sharp, and utterly hilarious. I love a good time paradox, and Philip K. Dick absolutely nails the delicious absurdity of watching a plan unravel when time itself decides to join the conspiracy.
Turns out, the real enemy was causality. ⏳💀
December 28, 2019
“Live out your life quietly, tending your garden, staying out of public affairs; mind your own business. Be obscure, unknown, poor. Give away most of your possessions, leave the city.”
A cleverly delivered manifesto of non-violence.
A cleverly delivered manifesto of non-violence.
August 7, 2026
What a clever plot twist and a layered storyline. Although it’s a very short story, there’s so much beneath the surface. The message can be interpreted in many ways
Written in the 1950s, the story touches on themes that were especially relevant at the time. There’s a clear anti-war message, and it felt like the author was provoking that the history repeating itself. However, I would have preferred it to be a little clearer in the way of writing but this could be because of the use of language at the time as well.
Although it’s short story, it’s a profound but unsettling piece that stays with you.
Written in the 1950s, the story touches on themes that were especially relevant at the time. There’s a clear anti-war message, and it felt like the author was provoking that the history repeating itself. However, I would have preferred it to be a little clearer in the way of writing but this could be because of the use of language at the time as well.
Although it’s short story, it’s a profound but unsettling piece that stays with you.
January 28, 2021
For this week's short story, I dug into my stack of kindle freebies I picked up years ago and never got around to. I decided to read one by one of the forefathers of the science fiction genre whom I have been familiar with through TV and cinema for several years (the series Electric Dreams on Amazon is an TV anthology of adaptations of some of his stories and was a very popular show in my household during its run), but I only recently began reading his stories last year.
The Skull was first written in 1952 and at least for me, the age shows. However, I think showing a story's age is part of the fun part of reading classic science fiction. Seeing how these brilliant minds predicted technology in the now when some of that technology has actually come to fruition is an interesting part of the genre. This story deals with time travel and was very reminiscent of The Terminator film franchise, of which I am also a huge fan.
Our antihero, a man named Conger (a man who very distinctively spoke in the voice of Ahhnold the entire way through this) is recruited at the very beginning by some very powerful men to go back in time and assassinate a man known only as "The Founder," an outsider who influenced a movement which influenced a church which influenced an entire society of nonviolence. In the future, this society/religion is leading to a society of degeneration according to these powers that be and the only way to stop it is to stop the Founder before he can say the things that influence this movement. All they know of him was that he was taken into custody and died there, although certain followers have seen him afterward, claiming he was resurrected. Conger is given the man's skull which is his only clue to recognize him and goes back in time, to Colorado in 1960, at the time in which The Founder arrives.
As a "twist" type story, this one is not effective as it is pretty easy to guess how this story plays out early on. However, it does bring up a lot of interesting points and conundrums when it comes to time travel, and I actually found the whole thing very reminiscent of the story of Jesus Christ and the resurrection which I am not sure was intentional or not. I enjoyed this story for its themes and story, but found it more lackluster than most of Dick's stories I've read. It is not heavy on characterization either as I found most characters to be pretty flat. It does make you think though, and has some interesting things to say about people messing around with time.
3 stars.
The Skull was first written in 1952 and at least for me, the age shows. However, I think showing a story's age is part of the fun part of reading classic science fiction. Seeing how these brilliant minds predicted technology in the now when some of that technology has actually come to fruition is an interesting part of the genre. This story deals with time travel and was very reminiscent of The Terminator film franchise, of which I am also a huge fan.
Our antihero, a man named Conger (a man who very distinctively spoke in the voice of Ahhnold the entire way through this) is recruited at the very beginning by some very powerful men to go back in time and assassinate a man known only as "The Founder," an outsider who influenced a movement which influenced a church which influenced an entire society of nonviolence. In the future, this society/religion is leading to a society of degeneration according to these powers that be and the only way to stop it is to stop the Founder before he can say the things that influence this movement. All they know of him was that he was taken into custody and died there, although certain followers have seen him afterward, claiming he was resurrected. Conger is given the man's skull which is his only clue to recognize him and goes back in time, to Colorado in 1960, at the time in which The Founder arrives.
As a "twist" type story, this one is not effective as it is pretty easy to guess how this story plays out early on. However, it does bring up a lot of interesting points and conundrums when it comes to time travel, and I actually found the whole thing very reminiscent of the story of Jesus Christ and the resurrection which I am not sure was intentional or not. I enjoyed this story for its themes and story, but found it more lackluster than most of Dick's stories I've read. It is not heavy on characterization either as I found most characters to be pretty flat. It does make you think though, and has some interesting things to say about people messing around with time.
3 stars.
October 12, 2023
When I was researching this, I had my doubts when I read that this story's format would be iconic and endlessly copied and referenced by Hollywood and other authors.... then I finished it, I now know why. PKD is a genius.
June 2, 2015
Sci-fy/time travel short story from the 1950's. A little on the creepy side also.
November 17, 2020
A while back a friend of mine gifted me a small book containing two of Philip K. Dick’s short stories, The Skull and Beyond the Door. I have read a couple of Dick’s novels and while I do not consider myself a particularly dedicated fan, I enjoyed them and I wrote a paper on one of them in college.
The Skull is a story of a highly skilled felon in a dystopian future who goes back in time to kill a guy who founded a mysterious and inexcusably peace-oriented religion, with only the man’s skull for identification. You can see the twist coming from pretty early on in the story but it is still very entertaining getting there. I’m pretty sure Dick intended for the audience to be able to guess the twist because there is some Laying It On Real Thick in what then becomes the dramatic irony department.
Beyond the Door is an odd and charming little story about a cranky midcentury suburban man who buys his wife a cuckoo clock, which sounds nice, but it really isn’t, because the man isn’t very nice. The cuckoo clock can apparently tell that this guy is a jerk and never behaves properly around him. Things escalate in a claustrophobic midcentury suburban way until it all ends in hilarious wooden hand-carved Swiss tragedy.
These were both good short, darkly humorous bathtub reads and I could certainly have read them a lot earlier.
Originally posted at Show me your skulls.
The Skull is a story of a highly skilled felon in a dystopian future who goes back in time to kill a guy who founded a mysterious and inexcusably peace-oriented religion, with only the man’s skull for identification. You can see the twist coming from pretty early on in the story but it is still very entertaining getting there. I’m pretty sure Dick intended for the audience to be able to guess the twist because there is some Laying It On Real Thick in what then becomes the dramatic irony department.
Beyond the Door is an odd and charming little story about a cranky midcentury suburban man who buys his wife a cuckoo clock, which sounds nice, but it really isn’t, because the man isn’t very nice. The cuckoo clock can apparently tell that this guy is a jerk and never behaves properly around him. Things escalate in a claustrophobic midcentury suburban way until it all ends in hilarious wooden hand-carved Swiss tragedy.
These were both good short, darkly humorous bathtub reads and I could certainly have read them a lot earlier.
Originally posted at Show me your skulls.
June 26, 2015
Of course the twist is completely predictable, but I wonder if that would have been the case in 1952, or if it's predictable to modern readers because Dick was so successful that we now expect the Dickian twist and take pains to discover its foreshadowing?
Also, I wonder if Moorcock had read this when he wrote Behold The Man.
Also, I wonder if Moorcock had read this when he wrote Behold The Man.
May 24, 2023
الفكرة حلوة لكن كان ممكن تتخدم أكتر من كدة لولا أنها قصة قصيرة
July 22, 2023
"بمجرد أن تحدث هذه الأمور ، لا يمكن وقفها…"
عمتا النهاية هتكون واضحه فى بدايه النهايه 💙
عمتا النهاية هتكون واضحه فى بدايه النهايه 💙
November 29, 2015
It's a short story, so expect a short review.
I've read books by Philip K. Dick before and they've been pretty awesome. Of course I read his most famous work (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Minority Report), both classics which have found their way onto the big screen.
The Skull is a little different, but you find that edge that Dick delivers in his novels. I don't like to read short stories, I avoid the collections if I can and only make exceptions for a few authors I really like.
Why?
Because I like to be caught up in a novel, I like to feel around in their world and get a glimpse of how they live their short lives. Short stories never live up to that expectation. It's like getting to know someone hours before they leave forever. Mostly it is just time consuming and pointless and even if you hit a gold one (back to novels) once in a while it hurts the more because you have to leave it so soon.
But enough about my opinion on short stories. I'm setting myself up to be negative again and that's not how I want this review to be perceived, because actually The Skull wasn't bad at all.
I'm talking about a story of 25 pages (really!) and it delivered what you needed from it.
You get to know Conger, who's a mercenary and he's being hired for a job. We're in future day and age, where there's only one Church, The Church, the only religion known in this book and as far as I can tell, the only one in this novel's universe.
This religion sprouted in the early sixties and that's where our mercenary is sent.
And with what?
Not a description, nor a name. He's sent back to the past with the skull of the guy he needs to eliminate before he can cause the ripple that's responsible for their current situation, to happen.
The story feels a little jaunted, a little malfunctioning, but it only adds to this mercenary's means to blend in a past world.
And he's in for a surprise when he finds out whose skull he's looking for.
All in all, a very entertaining short story, with some strong views from Dick himself.
War acted to reduce their numbers; like storms and earthquakes and droughts, it was nature's way of eliminating the unfit.
Click here for more of my reviews..
I've read books by Philip K. Dick before and they've been pretty awesome. Of course I read his most famous work (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Minority Report), both classics which have found their way onto the big screen.
The Skull is a little different, but you find that edge that Dick delivers in his novels. I don't like to read short stories, I avoid the collections if I can and only make exceptions for a few authors I really like.
Why?
Because I like to be caught up in a novel, I like to feel around in their world and get a glimpse of how they live their short lives. Short stories never live up to that expectation. It's like getting to know someone hours before they leave forever. Mostly it is just time consuming and pointless and even if you hit a gold one (back to novels) once in a while it hurts the more because you have to leave it so soon.
But enough about my opinion on short stories. I'm setting myself up to be negative again and that's not how I want this review to be perceived, because actually The Skull wasn't bad at all.
I'm talking about a story of 25 pages (really!) and it delivered what you needed from it.
You get to know Conger, who's a mercenary and he's being hired for a job. We're in future day and age, where there's only one Church, The Church, the only religion known in this book and as far as I can tell, the only one in this novel's universe.
This religion sprouted in the early sixties and that's where our mercenary is sent.
And with what?
Not a description, nor a name. He's sent back to the past with the skull of the guy he needs to eliminate before he can cause the ripple that's responsible for their current situation, to happen.
The story feels a little jaunted, a little malfunctioning, but it only adds to this mercenary's means to blend in a past world.
And he's in for a surprise when he finds out whose skull he's looking for.
All in all, a very entertaining short story, with some strong views from Dick himself.
War acted to reduce their numbers; like storms and earthquakes and droughts, it was nature's way of eliminating the unfit.
Click here for more of my reviews..
July 6, 2015
This is a short story, not a novel, first published in 1952. What if Jesus was a modern day prophet, and someone in the future wanted to kill him in order to make the world a better place for the warmakers? Ok, the story doesn't call the prophet Jesus, but it's clear that's who this tale is modeled after. Being seen alive after death, the call to non-violence, beard, etc.
This isn't too cute by half, but it was obvious early on what the big denouement was going to be. OBVIOUS. I suppose it was original in its day, but the idea has been told to death so many times it's no longer original.
The writing is good, the protagonist is boring, and the Cold War/Commie references are dated, and not in a good way. And I think Dick was channeling Shirley Jackson's The Lottery when he wrote this also.
I'm a notorious slow reader, and I read this in about 30 minutes. Hey, it's free. There are worse ways to spend your day. Like reading 50 Shades of Grey.
This isn't too cute by half, but it was obvious early on what the big denouement was going to be. OBVIOUS. I suppose it was original in its day, but the idea has been told to death so many times it's no longer original.
The writing is good, the protagonist is boring, and the Cold War/Commie references are dated, and not in a good way. And I think Dick was channeling Shirley Jackson's The Lottery when he wrote this also.
I'm a notorious slow reader, and I read this in about 30 minutes. Hey, it's free. There are worse ways to spend your day. Like reading 50 Shades of Grey.
April 30, 2020
Phillip K Dick is one of the greatest speculative science fiction writers, although I haven't read all his books I have enjoyed everything that I have read by this author and this short story did not disappoint. You may be able to find the short story in one of the many published collections I found this great Youtube site "New Thinkable" filled with great short stories and novella all in audiobook format.
The story is about a continuous paradoxical event in time. Sorry but the story is too short to explain or I would have to provide spoilers.
"Conger, the protagonist, is given a chance to get out of jail if he agrees to travel back in time and kill a man. He has agreed to kill a stranger he has never seen. He isn't concerned about getting the wrong man. He knows what the man looked like. There was no way he could make a mistake about his target's identity -- he has the man's skull under his shoulder."
The story is about a continuous paradoxical event in time. Sorry but the story is too short to explain or I would have to provide spoilers.
"Conger, the protagonist, is given a chance to get out of jail if he agrees to travel back in time and kill a man. He has agreed to kill a stranger he has never seen. He isn't concerned about getting the wrong man. He knows what the man looked like. There was no way he could make a mistake about his target's identity -- he has the man's skull under his shoulder."
June 26, 2026
Une nouvelle de SF bien ficelée, mêlant espace-temps, chasse aux sorcières anticommuniste inspirée du maccarthysme ambiant de l'époque d'écriture et spiritualité pseudo christique. On la retrouve dans l'édition quarto Gallimard, premier tome des nouvelles complètes.
June 2, 2010
Way into the future the government wants to get rid of the First Church and the only way to accomplish that is by sending someone back in time to 1960 to assassinate its founder. Well, in steps this man called Conger, he does the time travel stuff, has a series of adventures, and stumbles upon a strange discovery...
December 15, 2025
✨ 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚍𝚍 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚡 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞," 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍. "𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕, 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚍𝚒𝚎. 𝙱𝚞𝚝 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗! ✨
✨ 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚞𝚙𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚍, 𝚢𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚔𝚞𝚕𝚕? 𝙱𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢.✨
✨ 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚊 𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚞𝚙𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚍, 𝚢𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚔𝚞𝚕𝚕? 𝙱𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚝𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜, 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢.✨
May 29, 2023
Of course no one reading this nowadays is surprised by the plot twist since it's been done over and over again, but that doesn't mean it's not great. Trying to put myself in the shoes of someone reading this in the 50s, I would have lost my shit
May 26, 2017
My first Philip K. Dick story. Nice one indeed. I should read few more of his story and before determining who is better, Asimov or Philip?
April 11, 2018
More 1950's religious time travel. These short stories honestly reenforce my belief that the 1950's are my favorite decade!
October 2, 2019
An interesting short read but quite predictable. Not sure if it was and inspiration but there are elements that are reminiscent of The Terminator.
October 26, 2021
All of the story was OK, but the ending is kind of cool.
June 22, 2022
This reminded me of the original Terminator--with good reason.
October 8, 2022
أكاد من فرط جمال اختيارات منشورات ويلز أذوب والله ❤️
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