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The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick Volume 3
The definitive editions of Philip K. Dick's short stories, containing some of the most defining works in the Science Fiction genre.This stunning new edition of Philip K Dick's work includes the influential 'Minority Report' and 'Sales Pitch', as well as a litany of mind-expanding other works. Work your way through some of the most influential stories from the 20th century, which have had a massive impact on popular culture.
658 pages, Paperback
Published October 26, 2023
About the author
Philip K. Dick
1,934 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 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 13, 2024
This volume includes some of Philip K Dick’s best work in the short format. Most have one or more of the usual themes: post-apocalyptic America or philosophical and/or psychological responses to psychic, mutant, or alien life. I wonder if Phil was neurodiverse? There’s a bit of time travel too. A few stories don’t quite work once they get to the end but he did bang out quite a lot of them.
March 12, 2025
PKD loves his post nuclear societies with psychic abilities and time travel.
1. The Crawlers - 3/5
2. Sales Pitch - 5/5
3. Shell Game - 5/5. My favourite of this Volume.
4. Upon the Dull Earth - 4/5
5. Foster. You're Dead - 3/5
6. Pay for the Printer - 4/5
7. War Veteran - 4/5
8. The Chromium Fence - 4/5
9. Misadjustment - 3/5
10. A World of Talent - 3/5
11. Psi-Man Heal My Child - 2/5
12. Autofac - 4/5
13. Service Call - 4/5
14. Captive Market - 4/5
15. The Mold of Yancy - 4/5
16. The Minority Report - 4/5
17. Recall Mechanism - 4/5
18. The Unreconstructed M - 3/5
19. Explorers We - 3/5
20. War Game - 5/5
21. If There Were No Benny Cemoli - 4/5
22. Novelty Act - 5/5
23. Waterspider - 4/5
24. What the Dead Men Say - 3/5
1. The Crawlers - 3/5
2. Sales Pitch - 5/5
3. Shell Game - 5/5. My favourite of this Volume.
4. Upon the Dull Earth - 4/5
5. Foster. You're Dead - 3/5
6. Pay for the Printer - 4/5
7. War Veteran - 4/5
8. The Chromium Fence - 4/5
9. Misadjustment - 3/5
10. A World of Talent - 3/5
11. Psi-Man Heal My Child - 2/5
12. Autofac - 4/5
13. Service Call - 4/5
14. Captive Market - 4/5
15. The Mold of Yancy - 4/5
16. The Minority Report - 4/5
17. Recall Mechanism - 4/5
18. The Unreconstructed M - 3/5
19. Explorers We - 3/5
20. War Game - 5/5
21. If There Were No Benny Cemoli - 4/5
22. Novelty Act - 5/5
23. Waterspider - 4/5
24. What the Dead Men Say - 3/5
Want to Read
August 7, 2024813.54 Dic
June 26, 2026
From racism between "Earthmen," Martians and Venusians to factories that keep sucking up natural resources for survival with zero regard for human life (sound familiar? Cough - data centers - cough) - it's unbelievable that Philip K. Dick (PKD) wrote these 24 short stories between 1953-63! His writing is quite political and it's interesting to see how he infuses his futuristic sci-fi ideas of technology and alien races with his own thoughts about society and politics.
I loved that even though these are all separate short stories, many of them seem to exist in their own single universe/multiverse - you'll encounter coined terminology and concepts shared across various stories, and that's quite nice.
You might find that the starting of the stories leave you baffled, but this is often PKD's intention - with new info and even explanations to terms (used throughout the story) delivered to you by drip. The endings of the stories range from mostly negative to even anti-climactic (so don't expect too many positive endings here).
This omnibus arranges the stories in the chronological order of when PKD wrote them, so it's not surprising that I found myself loving more stories in the second half compared to the first half.
The Mold of Yancy is arguably the best story from the lot. It deals with a future where a certain technology is being used to spread propaganda and align the public to the fascist/ totalitarian government. This reminded me a lot of the current push of AI and how we often can't trust even genuine content online because of the prevalence of AI today.
Waterspider is funny and meta, a good tonal shift compared to the rest of the stories.
Besides these, the following were the other short stories that I loved:
* The Chromium Fence
* The Minority Report (yup, the same one on which the 2002 Tom Cruise movie is based. However, the original story is quite different. The movie only seems to have taken the base concepts and made an entirely different story with it.)
* War Game
* If There Were No Benny Cemoli
Overall, I'd rate this omnibus a 7/10. A lovely peek into PKD's mind.
I loved that even though these are all separate short stories, many of them seem to exist in their own single universe/multiverse - you'll encounter coined terminology and concepts shared across various stories, and that's quite nice.
You might find that the starting of the stories leave you baffled, but this is often PKD's intention - with new info and even explanations to terms (used throughout the story) delivered to you by drip. The endings of the stories range from mostly negative to even anti-climactic (so don't expect too many positive endings here).
This omnibus arranges the stories in the chronological order of when PKD wrote them, so it's not surprising that I found myself loving more stories in the second half compared to the first half.
The Mold of Yancy is arguably the best story from the lot. It deals with a future where a certain technology is being used to spread propaganda and align the public to the fascist/ totalitarian government. This reminded me a lot of the current push of AI and how we often can't trust even genuine content online because of the prevalence of AI today.
Waterspider is funny and meta, a good tonal shift compared to the rest of the stories.
Besides these, the following were the other short stories that I loved:
* The Chromium Fence
* The Minority Report (yup, the same one on which the 2002 Tom Cruise movie is based. However, the original story is quite different. The movie only seems to have taken the base concepts and made an entirely different story with it.)
* War Game
* If There Were No Benny Cemoli
Overall, I'd rate this omnibus a 7/10. A lovely peek into PKD's mind.
March 28, 2026
4.3 stars
The Crawlers - 4 stars
Sales Pitch - 5 stars
Shell Game - 4 stars
Upon the Dull Earth - 5 stars
Foster, You’re Dead - 5 stars
Pay For the Printer - 5 stars
War Veteran - 3 stars
The Chromium Fence - 5 stars
Misadjustment - 4 stars
A World of Talent - 3 stars
Psi-Man Heal My Child! - 3 stars
Autofac - 5 stars
Service Call - 5 stars
Captive Market - 5 stars
The Mold of Yancy - 5 stars
The Minority Report - 5 stars
Recall Mechanism - 5 stars
The Unreconstructed M - 4 stars
Explorers We - 5 stars
War Game - 4 stars
If There Were No Benny Cemoli - 3 stars
Novelty Act - 4 stars
Waterspider - 5 stars
What the Dead Men Say - 3 stars
The Crawlers - 4 stars
Sales Pitch - 5 stars
Shell Game - 4 stars
Upon the Dull Earth - 5 stars
Foster, You’re Dead - 5 stars
Pay For the Printer - 5 stars
War Veteran - 3 stars
The Chromium Fence - 5 stars
Misadjustment - 4 stars
A World of Talent - 3 stars
Psi-Man Heal My Child! - 3 stars
Autofac - 5 stars
Service Call - 5 stars
Captive Market - 5 stars
The Mold of Yancy - 5 stars
The Minority Report - 5 stars
Recall Mechanism - 5 stars
The Unreconstructed M - 4 stars
Explorers We - 5 stars
War Game - 4 stars
If There Were No Benny Cemoli - 3 stars
Novelty Act - 4 stars
Waterspider - 5 stars
What the Dead Men Say - 3 stars
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews