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Philip K. Dick: The Last Testament
An electric collection of interviews--including the first and the last--with one of the 20th century's most prolific, influential, and dazzlingly original writers of science fiction
Long before Ridley Scott transformed Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? into Blade Runner, Philip K. Dick was banging away at his typewriter in relative obscurity, ostracized by the literary establishment. Today he is widely considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. These interviews reveal a man plagued by bouts of manic paranoia and failed suicide attempts; a career fuelled by alcohol, amphetamines, and mystical inspiration; and, above all, a magnificent and generous imagination at work.
Long before Ridley Scott transformed Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? into Blade Runner, Philip K. Dick was banging away at his typewriter in relative obscurity, ostracized by the literary establishment. Today he is widely considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. These interviews reveal a man plagued by bouts of manic paranoia and failed suicide attempts; a career fuelled by alcohol, amphetamines, and mystical inspiration; and, above all, a magnificent and generous imagination at work.
- GenresNonfiction
241 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
Philip K. Dick
1,937 books22.8k 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 work continues to challenge and inspire, offering timeless insights into the human condition a
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
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 14, 2015
An interesting record of several interviews Gregg Rickman conducted with Philip K. Dick in late 1981 and early 1982. Roughly the second half of the book is a single long conversation from February '82, a few days before the first of the strokes that eventually took Dick's life.
In this period of time, Dick was obsessed with a number of outre religious and spiritual ideas, and the interviews in this book mainly focus on that. His writing is discussed to some degree, but mainly in the context of Dick's belief that he had been used by a higher being in the 1970's to promote a new spiritual agenda on earth. At the time, Dick was corresponding with one Benjamin Creme, a new-age guru type who predicted that a new universal teacher and messiah (the Maitreya) was about to appear on the world stage. Dick talks in detail about his so-called "Tagore Letter," (a sort of ecological manifesto) and the hope that a new, more compassionate, humane world could be created through a spiritual revolution led by the Maitreya.
What seems to have appealed to Dick about Creme's message was the hope that the world could be remade for the better. He sounds like someone tired of seeing poverty and suffering, who still hopes for a spiritual revolution that can do all the things that never get done, like feeding the starving, giving kids in the third world clean water, and so on. In general, I find Dick's wacky religious theorizing to be wildly inventive and entertaining, but of little practical value. However, in these conversations, he is also deeply concerned about the political problems of his time, including the suffering of poor nations, and the hoarding of wealth in the rich nations. He comes across as a deeply compassionate and caring person, wanting to do something good, despite the rather grandiose spiritual imagery he tended to indulge in at times.
In this period of time, Dick was obsessed with a number of outre religious and spiritual ideas, and the interviews in this book mainly focus on that. His writing is discussed to some degree, but mainly in the context of Dick's belief that he had been used by a higher being in the 1970's to promote a new spiritual agenda on earth. At the time, Dick was corresponding with one Benjamin Creme, a new-age guru type who predicted that a new universal teacher and messiah (the Maitreya) was about to appear on the world stage. Dick talks in detail about his so-called "Tagore Letter," (a sort of ecological manifesto) and the hope that a new, more compassionate, humane world could be created through a spiritual revolution led by the Maitreya.
What seems to have appealed to Dick about Creme's message was the hope that the world could be remade for the better. He sounds like someone tired of seeing poverty and suffering, who still hopes for a spiritual revolution that can do all the things that never get done, like feeding the starving, giving kids in the third world clean water, and so on. In general, I find Dick's wacky religious theorizing to be wildly inventive and entertaining, but of little practical value. However, in these conversations, he is also deeply concerned about the political problems of his time, including the suffering of poor nations, and the hoarding of wealth in the rich nations. He comes across as a deeply compassionate and caring person, wanting to do something good, despite the rather grandiose spiritual imagery he tended to indulge in at times.
Displaying 1 of 1 review