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Ο χρυσαφένιος άντρας
"Ο Φίλιπ Ντικ είναι ο μεγαλύτερος Αμερικανός μυθιστοριογράφος του δεύτερου μισού του 20ού αιώνα"
Είναι τα λόγια του Νόρμαν Σπίνραντ, ένας μικρός φόρος τιμής στον Φίλιπ Κ. Ντικ, τον εξαιρετικό και ιδιοφυή συγγραφέα που αφιέρωσε κατ' εξοχήν στην επιστημονική φαντασία το αστείρευτο ταλέντο του.
Είναι τα λόγια του Νόρμαν Σπίνραντ, ένας μικρός φόρος τιμής στον Φίλιπ Κ. Ντικ, τον εξαιρετικό και ιδιοφυή συγγραφέα που αφιέρωσε κατ' εξοχήν στην επιστημονική φαντασία το αστείρευτο ταλέντο του.
238 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 1980
53 people are currently reading
1271 people want to read
About the author
Philip K. Dick
2,006 books22.4k 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 - 30 of 88 reviews
April 21, 2019
This short action-filled novella, first published in If (April 1954), is set in a post-apocalyptic world where government agents like Baines hunt down all mutants, killing the most dangerous and neutering the rest. Baines, though, had his hands full with his latest quarry: a beautiful young golden-skinned man named Chris who lives just one step into the future, but can see the consequences of that one step so clearly that he always chooses the prudent thing to do.
He has another “superpower” too . . . but you’ll have to read “The Golden Man” yourself to find out what it is. (I think I can say this much, though, without spoiling it for you: it has something to do with the way evolution chooses the most effective mutations.)
Philip Dick himself, in a 1978 interview, told us something about his reasons for writing this story. Apparently he was weary at the ‘50’s fantasy of the benign mutant leader or mentor ( a view favored by John W. Campbell, the editor of Astounding:
Here I am also saying that mutants are dangerous to us ordinaries, a view which John W. Campbell, Jr. deplored. We were supposed to view them as our leaders. But I always felt uneasy as to how they would view us. I mean, maybe they wouldn't want to lead us. Maybe from their superevolved lofty level we wouldn't seem worth leading. Anyhow, even if they agreed to lead us, I felt uneasy as to where we would wind up going. It might have something to do with buildings marked SHOWERS but which really weren't.
February 3, 2023
No soy muy "de relatos" pero este me ha parecido perfecto. Mutaciones. El lugar de la inteligencia en nuestra supervivencia y qué podría destronarla en ese cometido. No se puede decir más con menos, y encima entreteniendo.
May 1, 2019
This is the story the movie Next with Nicolas Cage was based on. As is usually the case with PKD, I know the movie but didn't know the story (didn't even know it was based on a story). We're changing that this year though.
We are in a post-apocalyptic world where atomic radiation has produced mutated human beings. They are simultaneously considered god-like and a danger to us mundane homo sapiens. Thus, there are people employed by the government to hunt down the mutants and either neuter or even kill them (depending on the strength of their abilities).
One mutant still at large is the titular Golden Man who is always a step ahead because his ability is to see the future (or where a certain decision/action will lead to). He hasn't actually done anything yet but can humanity take the risk?
There is an interview with the author where he talked about his motivation for this story and apparently it's that in the 50s (when this story was written) such evolved humans were regarded as benevolent leaders in any and all stories. However, PKD couldn't shake the sinking feeling that evolved humans might not want to lead us lesser versions, thus becoming a threat.
I'm really not sure he managed to convey that danger in this story though as, for me at least, the story rather told of humanity jumpstarting the next evolutionary step and thus bringing about their own "extinction" while the mutants aren't really the aggressive ones. Evolution itself, after all, is a natural process with no malicious intent behind it. So it was rather a case of humans not waking up to the truth.
Funnily enough, except for a very short moment, this had NOTHING to do with the movie. Not sure if that is always or mostly the case with PKD's stories but how THIS could have inspired THAT is something of a mystery to me. *lol*
Not a bad story, overall, but nothing too spectacular either.
We are in a post-apocalyptic world where atomic radiation has produced mutated human beings. They are simultaneously considered god-like and a danger to us mundane homo sapiens. Thus, there are people employed by the government to hunt down the mutants and either neuter or even kill them (depending on the strength of their abilities).
One mutant still at large is the titular Golden Man who is always a step ahead because his ability is to see the future (or where a certain decision/action will lead to). He hasn't actually done anything yet but can humanity take the risk?
There is an interview with the author where he talked about his motivation for this story and apparently it's that in the 50s (when this story was written) such evolved humans were regarded as benevolent leaders in any and all stories. However, PKD couldn't shake the sinking feeling that evolved humans might not want to lead us lesser versions, thus becoming a threat.
I'm really not sure he managed to convey that danger in this story though as, for me at least, the story rather told of humanity jumpstarting the next evolutionary step and thus bringing about their own "extinction" while the mutants aren't really the aggressive ones. Evolution itself, after all, is a natural process with no malicious intent behind it. So it was rather a case of humans not waking up to the truth.
Funnily enough, except for a very short moment, this had NOTHING to do with the movie. Not sure if that is always or mostly the case with PKD's stories but how THIS could have inspired THAT is something of a mystery to me. *lol*
Not a bad story, overall, but nothing too spectacular either.
May 1, 2019
I just read the titular story from this collection on a lark because it had the underlying core of Next with Nick Cage. I honestly didn't expect too much and wasn't all that surprised that it read like a standard hokey pulp.
You know, with tin foil outfits and utter shock and amazement that some blonde dude is really a lion among men. *rolls eyes*
OKAY, so, the core idea in the core idea of this story is still very cool and still pretty neat for something coming out of the mid-1950's. Multi-worlds theory involving soothsaying in a rather cool mind-blowing seeing EVERYTHING kind of way the way we tend to give Jedi's credit in the very short time-span. :)
Other than that, however? The story wasn't all that much. lol
You know, with tin foil outfits and utter shock and amazement that some blonde dude is really a lion among men. *rolls eyes*
OKAY, so, the core idea in the core idea of this story is still very cool and still pretty neat for something coming out of the mid-1950's. Multi-worlds theory involving soothsaying in a rather cool mind-blowing seeing EVERYTHING kind of way the way we tend to give Jedi's credit in the very short time-span. :)
Other than that, however? The story wasn't all that much. lol
June 11, 2017
Mark Hurst did an excellent job of editing this collection--these 15 stories work well together in terms of varying in length, style, and subject matter. They cover familiar PKD territory--the dangers of time-travel, the possibility of our planet being invaded by idiots ("fnools"), religion as politics, objects and toys being other than what they seem, and the danger of us becoming Eisenhower clones. The final story is perhaps the only sci-fi story ("The Pre-Persons") I've ever read from a pro-life perspective and while it too easily slips into misogyny, it also manages to raise interesting questions. That's the thing with PKD, even when you vehemently disagree with him or his stories lose their focus, he still makes you think. Much like his life, his writing can be wildly erratic, but he had his finger on the social pulse and genuinely seemed interested in a more honest, more free, and more loving world.
July 25, 2011
everyone needs more dick in their life
September 13, 2018
A-Changing
In the fifties, when PKD wrote his story The Golden Man, there seemed to have been a general fascination with the idea of mutants, i.e. human beings that were, in some decisive ways, different from the run-of-the-mill us. Sometimes mutation was seen as the result of some tampering with nuclear material – just think of Spiderman, who made his appearance in the early 60s – or of nuclear war and widespread contamination, or of evolution itself. Very often, mutants were regarded as a hope for mankind, as leaders who could help us strike completely new paths and overcome civilization’s numerous problems.
PKD was wary of that naïve optimism, asking himself the legitimate question that if those mutants are really so superior, why should they bother employing their marvellous faculties in order to help us out of our self-created messes; or why should they do so without the ulterior motive of seizing power over humanity. The eponymous Golden Man in our story is not really a Nietzschean Übermensch but he is also different from most other mutants that populate the world of PKD’s short story, a society which has grown used to mutants as a result of a past nuclear war and which has adapted a strict policy of hunting these mutants down and “euthing” them – as they “euph” the term. In this story, we get introduced to a wide variety of mutants – through the talk of the characters –, ranging from an eight-breasted woman to some menacing creatures in Tunis, which kill their victims and then take on their forms, continuing their lives. Our Golden Man is devoid of language, uninterested in social exchange, but able to know what is going to happen in the near future and adapt his course of action to it instinctively. [1] Apart from that, as his sobriquet implies, he is very good-looking – tall, athletic, of a golden colour, which is why especially the women in this story often refer to him as a god come down from heaven.
The fact that an unthinking being, with some precog abilities, appears to be superior to homo sapiens, maybe able to replace him one day, is seen as a dire humiliation by the representatives of non-mutant society:
In other words, the existence and the success of the Golden Man seem to suggest that our assumptions as to evolution tending into the direction of intelligent humans may be starkly erroneous. We are probably not the crown of creation, not even of any further interest at all, but just a blind alley, leading nowhere. Maybe, the whole idea of evolution following a scheme is wrong. Maybe, it’s just a trial-and-error-game, a wilful squandering of life forms that tends to go nowhere in particular?
One may imagine that PKD had some difficulty getting this story published and that when it was published in the science fiction magazine If, the following number had a two-page editorial consisting of a letter by a school teacher who criticized Dick’s story for not presenting the mutants in a more favourable life.
Hmmm, people’s implicit trust in mutants and their desire for being led by them, will it ever be exploited politically, one wonders …
[1] One may say that in this respect, PKD fails in credibility to a certain extent because near the end of the story, the Golden Man seems to be weighing various alternatives of action, which is something that could not be achieved just relying on animal instinct, I’d say.
In the fifties, when PKD wrote his story The Golden Man, there seemed to have been a general fascination with the idea of mutants, i.e. human beings that were, in some decisive ways, different from the run-of-the-mill us. Sometimes mutation was seen as the result of some tampering with nuclear material – just think of Spiderman, who made his appearance in the early 60s – or of nuclear war and widespread contamination, or of evolution itself. Very often, mutants were regarded as a hope for mankind, as leaders who could help us strike completely new paths and overcome civilization’s numerous problems.
PKD was wary of that naïve optimism, asking himself the legitimate question that if those mutants are really so superior, why should they bother employing their marvellous faculties in order to help us out of our self-created messes; or why should they do so without the ulterior motive of seizing power over humanity. The eponymous Golden Man in our story is not really a Nietzschean Übermensch but he is also different from most other mutants that populate the world of PKD’s short story, a society which has grown used to mutants as a result of a past nuclear war and which has adapted a strict policy of hunting these mutants down and “euthing” them – as they “euph” the term. In this story, we get introduced to a wide variety of mutants – through the talk of the characters –, ranging from an eight-breasted woman to some menacing creatures in Tunis, which kill their victims and then take on their forms, continuing their lives. Our Golden Man is devoid of language, uninterested in social exchange, but able to know what is going to happen in the near future and adapt his course of action to it instinctively. [1] Apart from that, as his sobriquet implies, he is very good-looking – tall, athletic, of a golden colour, which is why especially the women in this story often refer to him as a god come down from heaven.
The fact that an unthinking being, with some precog abilities, appears to be superior to homo sapiens, maybe able to replace him one day, is seen as a dire humiliation by the representatives of non-mutant society:
”’To be replaced by an animal! Something that runs and hides. Something without a language!’ He spat savagely. ‘That’s why they weren’t able to communicate with it. We wondered what kind of semantic system it had. It hasn’t got any! No more ability to talk and think than a — dog.’
‘That means intelligence has failed,’ Baines went on huskily. “We’re the last of our line — like the dinosaur. We’ve carried intelligence as far as it’ll go. Too far, maybe. We’ve already got to the point where we know so much — think so much — we can’t act.’”
In other words, the existence and the success of the Golden Man seem to suggest that our assumptions as to evolution tending into the direction of intelligent humans may be starkly erroneous. We are probably not the crown of creation, not even of any further interest at all, but just a blind alley, leading nowhere. Maybe, the whole idea of evolution following a scheme is wrong. Maybe, it’s just a trial-and-error-game, a wilful squandering of life forms that tends to go nowhere in particular?
One may imagine that PKD had some difficulty getting this story published and that when it was published in the science fiction magazine If, the following number had a two-page editorial consisting of a letter by a school teacher who criticized Dick’s story for not presenting the mutants in a more favourable life.
Hmmm, people’s implicit trust in mutants and their desire for being led by them, will it ever be exploited politically, one wonders …
[1] One may say that in this respect, PKD fails in credibility to a certain extent because near the end of the story, the Golden Man seems to be weighing various alternatives of action, which is something that could not be achieved just relying on animal instinct, I’d say.
May 11, 2015
I listened to this novella on the SFFaudio Podcast, narrated by Mike Vendetti (who's got a wonderful, very deep low voice). I highly recommend checking this podcast as they always have very interesting discussions afterwards.
I had never heard of the Golden Man before, but apparently it was turned (very loosely) into a movie called "Next" back in 2007, which I remember watching and not liking all that much. To be honest the book and the movie have very little in common.
I quite enjoyed this Philip K. Dick's take on mutants and superhumans. It was an intriguing story with themes like the nature of evolution and posthumanism. The type that makes you think without being too brainy either.
Seeing PK Dick's touching on precognition, a recurring theme throughout his work, was also a highlight for me.
3.5 stars (not quite 4 because of the sexist ending)
I had never heard of the Golden Man before, but apparently it was turned (very loosely) into a movie called "Next" back in 2007, which I remember watching and not liking all that much. To be honest the book and the movie have very little in common.
I quite enjoyed this Philip K. Dick's take on mutants and superhumans. It was an intriguing story with themes like the nature of evolution and posthumanism. The type that makes you think without being too brainy either.
Seeing PK Dick's touching on precognition, a recurring theme throughout his work, was also a highlight for me.
3.5 stars (not quite 4 because of the sexist ending)
January 19, 2014
I only read The Golden Man, for school. But i think it was a pretty good, short, sci-fi, story. Well at least the idea/theme of the story was - i really cant think of a word. But you know, it was pretty good i guess. Anyway, i only typed this to let people know that i only read The Golden Man, so yeah
February 6, 2018
So basically PKD created the X-Men like ten years before X-Men first appeared? He’s still proving that he was light years ahead and we’re all just catching up to him (or at least trying to).
May 21, 2022
Maybe three of the stories were really good. Five were average. And seven were marginal to bad. And perhaps this was the worst time to read this book. The final story is basically plotless and is just a screed about fetal rights being so fundamental that they trump the rights of living people. It was an anti-abortion story, which is fine if it’s a good story, but it ended up just being a treatise without a story, and it finished the book. Just kind of inadvertently sour and sad. Dick also wrote a little explanation about each story, and surprise, he received a load of criticism from other women writers and the public about this final “story”. Oh well, wasn’t the best collection anyway.
May 20, 2018
this is such an amazing story and one of great depth in my opinion. how it was made into such a bad movie like "Next" is beyond me when one could get so much more from just the setting alone. please read the story, dont watch the movie.
February 6, 2014
I only read The Golden Man. It was interesting. Not at all like the movie that was based on it: Next.
April 19, 2015
An excellent narration of a chilling and interesting Philip K Dick story.
August 16, 2021
Αναμνήσεις ενός μέλλοντος που δεν ήρθε ποτέ
Ο Φιλιπ Κ. Ντικ (ΦΚΝ απο εδώ και πέρα, δεν θα κάνουμε αυτή τη δουλειά συνέχεια) αποτελεί έναν απο τους σημαντικότερους συγγραφείς Ε.Φ. παγκοσμίως και για πολλούς είναι ο αδιαμφισβήτητος πρωταθλητής της Ε.Φ. Εδώ όμως δεν θα πλέξω το εγκώμιο του συγγραφέα, γιατί α) το έχουν κάνει πολλοί πριν απο μένα και β) το έχουν παρακάνει πλέον.
Αντ’αυτού θέλω να μείνω στην προσωπική μου εμπειρία με τον ΦΚΝ. Η πρώτη μου επαφή ήταν πριν αρκετά χρόνια, όταν διάβασα τον Άνθρωπο στο Ψηλό Κάστρο, σε μια αρκετά παλιά έκδοση. Να μην τα πολυλογώ το πλαίσιο πολύ δυνατό, η ιστορία κάπου χώλαινε και για μένα η σειρά εξακολουθεί να έχει διαχειριστεί πολύ καλύτερα το πρωτογενές υλικό.
Αυτό άλλαξε με την συλλογή ιστοριών «Ο Χρυσαφένιος Άντρας». Οι ιστορίες που περιλαμβάνονται καλύπτουν ένα εύρος που ξεκινά απο cyber noir και καταλήγει στη λογοτεχνία του φανταστικού. Ο ΦΚΝ γράφει και ζει σε έναν μεταπολεμικό κόσμο, μιας χρυσής τριακονταετίας (1945-1975) όπου εντάσσονται και οι ιστορίες του τόμου. Αναπόφευκτα, αντανακλώνται ανησυχίες της εποχής: πυρηνικά ολοκαυτώματα, αυτοματοποίηση της εργασίας, αχαλίνωτος καταναλωτισμός μέχρι και επαναστατικά κινήματα. Η πραγματικότητα παίρνει cyber-punk διαστάσεις στο έργο του ΦΚΝ και ο λόγος του δείχνει γιατί θεωρείται απο τους καλύτερους του είδους.
Είναι πραγματικά αξιόλογο πως η φαντασία του συγγραφέα κινούνταν περίπου 20-30 χρόνια μπροστά, σε ένα μέλλον που δεν ήρθε ποτέ όμως. Οι φοβοι των ανθρώπων του 1960 δεν πραγματοποιήθηκαν αλλά αντικαταστάθηκαν απο άλλους φόβους. Αυτό αυτομάτως, κάνει τη γραφή του ΦΚΝ vintage αλλά και retro. Η ισορροπία μεταξύ του να απολαμβάνεις μια κλασσική ιστορία Ε.Φ. και παρόλα αυτά να ελκύεσαι να συνεχίσεις την ανάγνωση είναι αντιπροσωπευτική των αισθημάτων που σου δημιουργούνται.
Ολίγον τι μοιρολατρικός ο ΦΚΝ, καθώς συνεχώς επιφέρει στο προσκήνιο πως στο μέλλον η ανθρωπότητα έβαλε τα χεράκια της και έβγαλε τα ματάκια της. Βέβαια, αν κοιτάξεις έξω μήπως δεν έχει άδικο τελικά; Μήπως το μέλλον που φανταζόταν ο ΦΚΝ ήρθε με άλλους όρους;
Διαβάζεται υπο την συνοδεία μουσικής 80s synthwave για μέγιστο αποτέλεσμα.
Ο Φιλιπ Κ. Ντικ (ΦΚΝ απο εδώ και πέρα, δεν θα κάνουμε αυτή τη δουλειά συνέχεια) αποτελεί έναν απο τους σημαντικότερους συγγραφείς Ε.Φ. παγκοσμίως και για πολλούς είναι ο αδιαμφισβήτητος πρωταθλητής της Ε.Φ. Εδώ όμως δεν θα πλέξω το εγκώμιο του συγγραφέα, γιατί α) το έχουν κάνει πολλοί πριν απο μένα και β) το έχουν παρακάνει πλέον.
Αντ’αυτού θέλω να μείνω στην προσωπική μου εμπειρία με τον ΦΚΝ. Η πρώτη μου επαφή ήταν πριν αρκετά χρόνια, όταν διάβασα τον Άνθρωπο στο Ψηλό Κάστρο, σε μια αρκετά παλιά έκδοση. Να μην τα πολυλογώ το πλαίσιο πολύ δυνατό, η ιστορία κάπου χώλαινε και για μένα η σειρά εξακολουθεί να έχει διαχειριστεί πολύ καλύτερα το πρωτογενές υλικό.
Αυτό άλλαξε με την συλλογή ιστοριών «Ο Χρυσαφένιος Άντρας». Οι ιστορίες που περιλαμβάνονται καλύπτουν ένα εύρος που ξεκινά απο cyber noir και καταλήγει στη λογοτεχνία του φανταστικού. Ο ΦΚΝ γράφει και ζει σε έναν μεταπολεμικό κόσμο, μιας χρυσής τριακονταετίας (1945-1975) όπου εντάσσονται και οι ιστορίες του τόμου. Αναπόφευκτα, αντανακλώνται ανησυχίες της εποχής: πυρηνικά ολοκαυτώματα, αυτοματοποίηση της εργασίας, αχαλίνωτος καταναλωτισμός μέχρι και επαναστατικά κινήματα. Η πραγματικότητα παίρνει cyber-punk διαστάσεις στο έργο του ΦΚΝ και ο λόγος του δείχνει γιατί θεωρείται απο τους καλύτερους του είδους.
Είναι πραγματικά αξιόλογο πως η φαντασία του συγγραφέα κινούνταν περίπου 20-30 χρόνια μπροστά, σε ένα μέλλον που δεν ήρθε ποτέ όμως. Οι φοβοι των ανθρώπων του 1960 δεν πραγματοποιήθηκαν αλλά αντικαταστάθηκαν απο άλλους φόβους. Αυτό αυτομάτως, κάνει τη γραφή του ΦΚΝ vintage αλλά και retro. Η ισορροπία μεταξύ του να απολαμβάνεις μια κλασσική ιστορία Ε.Φ. και παρόλα αυτά να ελκύεσαι να συνεχίσεις την ανάγνωση είναι αντιπροσωπευτική των αισθημάτων που σου δημιουργούνται.
Ολίγον τι μοιρολατρικός ο ΦΚΝ, καθώς συνεχώς επιφέρει στο προσκήνιο πως στο μέλλον η ανθρωπότητα έβαλε τα χεράκια της και έβγαλε τα ματάκια της. Βέβαια, αν κοιτάξεις έξω μήπως δεν έχει άδικο τελικά; Μήπως το μέλλον που φανταζόταν ο ΦΚΝ ήρθε με άλλους όρους;
Διαβάζεται υπο την συνοδεία μουσικής 80s synthwave για μέγιστο αποτέλεσμα.
August 18, 2020
Διαβάζοντας το ομότιτλο διηγήματα, The golden man, γραμμένο το 1954, να μιλά για μεταλλαγμένους με υπερδυναμεις και για κυβερνητικές υπηρεσίες που έχουν εξαπολύσει κυνηγητό με σκοπό την εξόντωση τους, αρχίζεις και αναρωτιέσαι μήπως οι κληρονόμοι του P. K. Dick θα πρέπει να ζητήσουν μέρος των πνευματικών δικαιωμάτων των X Men των Kirby και Lee. Άλλη μια έκδοση που την βρίσκει κανείς στην τιμή των 2.03 ευρώ και σε κάνει να αναρωτιέσαι πώς και υπάρχουν ακόμα διαθέσιμα κομμάτια (εκτός αν τελικά οι φίλοι της εφ στην Ελλάδα δεν είναι και τόσοι πολλοί...).
May 25, 2014
This is a review of the title story: THE GOLDEN MAN. It contains spoilers.
This story is a precursive working of themes that will be treated in more detail in Frank Herbert's DUNE. The mutant as potential dominator, but also the trap of precognition. Cris is presented as in the grip of his "inflexible path", he knows where we guess, so he has no freedom at all. His vision of the world is synchronic and spatialised, where human intelligence is diachronic, i.e. comprising novelty and uncertainty. He is all protention, and no retention. He is perceived as a god, but that is an effect of his golden appearance, a tool of sexual manipulation.
He is called a "deeve", a deviant, but in fact he cannot deviate from his precognized "inflexible" path. Without language, without interpretation, he cannot sublimate into culture or morality. His superiority is Darwinian, but he is driven by his instincts. Anita feels something like love and worries for him, he feels no such empathy, he just impregnates and uses her, and dumps her as soon as escape is possible. There is no semantic bridge, not because he has superior semantics, but because he has no language. There is no empathic bridge either. In view of his inflexible future we humans are the deviants, introducing complexity into what would otherwise be a simple life.
The story's ending with his escape is foreshadowed in the complexity of human social organisation. They were able to catch Cris because of a perfect "clamp" that lest no holes allowing escape. Yet Anita does not answer to Wisdom, and his security clamp down is incomplete: "I have no control over her. If she wants, she can check out." This is the loophole that Cris exploits.
Yet this victory is like that of a computer winning at chess by exploring mechanically all the consequences of possible moves. Cris's "intelligence" is synchronic and algorithmic: he knows, where the aptly named Wisdom's is diachronic and heuristic: he guesses. Of course it is informed guessing, but all it takes is sufficient computational power to see half an hour into the future to triumph over even experienced well-trained expert guessing. Baines is right to remark that such superior computation is not a sign of mental or spiritual superiority: "Superior survival doesn't mean superior man." Cris's precognition is a "neat faculty", but it is not a "development of mind".
This story is a precursive working of themes that will be treated in more detail in Frank Herbert's DUNE. The mutant as potential dominator, but also the trap of precognition. Cris is presented as in the grip of his "inflexible path", he knows where we guess, so he has no freedom at all. His vision of the world is synchronic and spatialised, where human intelligence is diachronic, i.e. comprising novelty and uncertainty. He is all protention, and no retention. He is perceived as a god, but that is an effect of his golden appearance, a tool of sexual manipulation.
He is called a "deeve", a deviant, but in fact he cannot deviate from his precognized "inflexible" path. Without language, without interpretation, he cannot sublimate into culture or morality. His superiority is Darwinian, but he is driven by his instincts. Anita feels something like love and worries for him, he feels no such empathy, he just impregnates and uses her, and dumps her as soon as escape is possible. There is no semantic bridge, not because he has superior semantics, but because he has no language. There is no empathic bridge either. In view of his inflexible future we humans are the deviants, introducing complexity into what would otherwise be a simple life.
The story's ending with his escape is foreshadowed in the complexity of human social organisation. They were able to catch Cris because of a perfect "clamp" that lest no holes allowing escape. Yet Anita does not answer to Wisdom, and his security clamp down is incomplete: "I have no control over her. If she wants, she can check out." This is the loophole that Cris exploits.
Yet this victory is like that of a computer winning at chess by exploring mechanically all the consequences of possible moves. Cris's "intelligence" is synchronic and algorithmic: he knows, where the aptly named Wisdom's is diachronic and heuristic: he guesses. Of course it is informed guessing, but all it takes is sufficient computational power to see half an hour into the future to triumph over even experienced well-trained expert guessing. Baines is right to remark that such superior computation is not a sign of mental or spiritual superiority: "Superior survival doesn't mean superior man." Cris's precognition is a "neat faculty", but it is not a "development of mind".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2020
3/5 — A short story that might make you wonder what your dog thinks of you.
Where is the line between our instincts and our thoughts, our nervous brain and our thinking mind? That had to be one question in Dick's mind while writing this model of mid-century sci-fi. Atomic war, mutated people hiding in caves, casual misogyny, and energy guns. It would've made a great episode of the original Twilight Zone. It's a small, fun read that nudges your philosophical side with sexy characters. Dick's descriptive writing on the visuals was my favorite aspect of this story, though. The entire tale shines easily into view, from the crowded small town diner to the spirited family farm to the boxy, cold chambers of the lab. It gleams with sunlight and pink energy clouds and, of course, flesh of gold. I have a feeling that the golden man is why we can see these things with such ease. Because he's certainly still alive, right?
Where is the line between our instincts and our thoughts, our nervous brain and our thinking mind? That had to be one question in Dick's mind while writing this model of mid-century sci-fi. Atomic war, mutated people hiding in caves, casual misogyny, and energy guns. It would've made a great episode of the original Twilight Zone. It's a small, fun read that nudges your philosophical side with sexy characters. Dick's descriptive writing on the visuals was my favorite aspect of this story, though. The entire tale shines easily into view, from the crowded small town diner to the spirited family farm to the boxy, cold chambers of the lab. It gleams with sunlight and pink energy clouds and, of course, flesh of gold. I have a feeling that the golden man is why we can see these things with such ease. Because he's certainly still alive, right?
June 10, 2019
I read this book in high school and the stories really stuck with me, particularly those with themes that were atypical for mainstream science fiction. Even decades later, I found myself wanting to read it again.
Unfortunately, I wasn't sure of the title--I thought it was "Golden Boy"--and I had no idea who the author was. So, I was delighted when I figured out not only what the actual title was, but that Philip K. Dick was the author. Not just some run-of-the-mill sci-fi writer, but someone whose writings have been translated to film again and again.
I got myself a used copy and gave it another read. To my surprise, I found it as interesting and compelling as the first time I read it. Possibly more so. Like any anthology, I liked some stories more than the others. But all of them are solid and many have twists and ideas that still feel unique yet relatable. For instance, "the Pre Persons" seems as relevant today as it ever was. Possibly more so.
I also like the author's story notes at the end. They give a welcome glimpse into the circumstances and thoughts surrounding the stories.
All in all a great collection of Dick's works that span decades of his career. I recommend it.
Unfortunately, I wasn't sure of the title--I thought it was "Golden Boy"--and I had no idea who the author was. So, I was delighted when I figured out not only what the actual title was, but that Philip K. Dick was the author. Not just some run-of-the-mill sci-fi writer, but someone whose writings have been translated to film again and again.
I got myself a used copy and gave it another read. To my surprise, I found it as interesting and compelling as the first time I read it. Possibly more so. Like any anthology, I liked some stories more than the others. But all of them are solid and many have twists and ideas that still feel unique yet relatable. For instance, "the Pre Persons" seems as relevant today as it ever was. Possibly more so.
I also like the author's story notes at the end. They give a welcome glimpse into the circumstances and thoughts surrounding the stories.
All in all a great collection of Dick's works that span decades of his career. I recommend it.
August 26, 2022
Αυτός ο άνθρωπος... Όσο αγαπάω τα διηγήματά του, τόσο αδιάφορα με βρίσκουν τα μυθιστορήματά του. Πώς το καταφέρνει;
Όλα (μα όλα) τα διηγήματα σε αυτήν τη συλλογή (μα και σε μία ακόμη που έχω διαβάσει) είναι γεμάτα εκπλήξεις, εκρήξεις (εγκεφαλικές), στιγμές σαστιμάρας που σε κάνουν να αναρωτιέσαι "τι ακριβώς έγινε τώρα;", ανατροπές, στιγμές αυτο-αμφισβήτησης ( πράγματι το βλέπει αυτό ή έχει αποτρελαθεί; ). Είσαι διαρκώς με μια γλυκιά απορία στο μυαλό που σιγά σιγά μετατρέπεται σε αυτή την εσωτερική ένταση που κάνει τον αναγνώστη να μην τολμάει να αφήσει την ιστορία στη μέση. Λατρεύω Philip K. Dick.
Θα διαλέξω ως αγαπημένα το "Η έξοδος οδηγεί μέσα" και το "Ο βασιλιάς των ξωτικών".
Όλα (μα όλα) τα διηγήματα σε αυτήν τη συλλογή (μα και σε μία ακόμη που έχω διαβάσει) είναι γεμάτα εκπλήξεις, εκρήξεις (εγκεφαλικές), στιγμές σαστιμάρας που σε κάνουν να αναρωτιέσαι "τι ακριβώς έγινε τώρα;", ανατροπές, στιγμές αυτο-αμφισβήτησης ( πράγματι το βλέπει αυτό ή έχει αποτρελαθεί; ). Είσαι διαρκώς με μια γλυκιά απορία στο μυαλό που σιγά σιγά μετατρέπεται σε αυτή την εσωτερική ένταση που κάνει τον αναγνώστη να μην τολμάει να αφήσει την ιστορία στη μέση. Λατρεύω Philip K. Dick.
Θα διαλέξω ως αγαπημένα το "Η έξοδος οδηγεί μέσα" και το "Ο βασιλιάς των ξωτικών".
October 7, 2022
Εξαιρετικές ιστορίες από έναν εξαιρετικό δημιουργό.
November 29, 2015
I started reading this during the dreadfully boring (and quite loose) movie adaptation, Next (starring Nicholas Cage), which I was watching with a group. This was classic Dick, short but sweet, with some interesting ideas even 60 years after its publication. It left me curious about two things: where did Dick get the idea of "lash-tube" weaponry (also featured in his novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep), and where did the idea of homo superior originate--here, X-Men, or elsewhere?
December 31, 2020
Did I pick this “book” because it was 26 pages long, and thus would allow me to complete my reading challenge on a technicality? Yes. Yes I did.
But man, what a 26 page story! I hadn’t heard of this novelette, nor the Nic Cage movie that is apparently an adaptation of it (Next), but I was struck by the story, and can’t help but think that it was at least partly the inspiration for Dr. Manhattan. Really really good stuff!
Oh, and yes, I technically read 25 books this year. Go me!
But man, what a 26 page story! I hadn’t heard of this novelette, nor the Nic Cage movie that is apparently an adaptation of it (Next), but I was struck by the story, and can’t help but think that it was at least partly the inspiration for Dr. Manhattan. Really really good stuff!
Oh, and yes, I technically read 25 books this year. Go me!
November 11, 2013
From "based on movies" I always saw Dick as visionary and clever writer, but never actually read something from him. This collection of early short stories, although amazingly constructed, is so idealogically distant for me, I just cannot recommend it. It was unpleasant eye-opener, which makes Philip K. Dick look like babbling TV preacher.
March 23, 2017
Τα περισσότερα διηγήματα αυτής της συλλογής είχαν κάτι ενδιαφέρον. Τρία, τουλάχιστον, θα τα θυμάμαι για καιρό. Τα περισσότερα, παρόλα αυτά, δεν τα απόλαυσα πραγματικά. Είχαν αυτό το στυλ γραφής που με έχει κρατήσει μέχρι τώρα μακριά από την Ε.Φ. Ψυχρό, στεγνό, κάπως βαρετό μέχρι την τελική αποκάλυψη (όχι σαν το Ηλεκτρικό Πρόβατο, που το ευχαριστιέσαι από την πρώτη ως την τελευταία γραμμή).
January 14, 2021
This novella had an interesting analysis of what the interactions would be between humans and the next step in evolution that would certainly supplant them as the dominant species (later explored in more depth in all X-Men comics), but frames it with strange characters in strange relationships to each other. It was fine.
August 11, 2014
I read this because it was listed in the credits of the 2007 movie, Next as the story the movie was based on, like Blade Runner being based on Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. It was a real good read, I enjoyed it a lot.
November 19, 2014
What would we (the authorities) if there were aliens or X men types?
Dick maps out the 50s (my idealized view of the 50s) ideas of paranoia. I think we would be pretty similar now. Are the 2010s the new 1950s?
Dick maps out the 50s (my idealized view of the 50s) ideas of paranoia. I think we would be pretty similar now. Are the 2010s the new 1950s?
January 1, 2016
You will not find a better Introduction to the span and scope of PKD's writing. His themes of human fallibility, desire and philosophical meditations on the mind, self and their relationship to reality makes this truly masterful science fiction in my opinion.
February 5, 2010
interesting collection of old stories. for fans only i think.
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