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Counterfeit Unrealities
Mood organs. Scramble suits. Poison tongue darts. Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) may have invented more wildly imaginative creations per novel than any of his peers. An eccentric whose mind danced on the blurry edge between illusion and reality, madness and metaphysics, he produced a body of work that no science fiction reader should ignore. Lacked with humor, compassion, irony and paranoia, the four novels n Counterfeit Unrealities are among his best work. Contains Ubik, A Scanner Darkly, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep [aka Blade Runner], The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
722 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2002
6 people are currently reading
343 people want to read
About the author
Philip K. Dick
2,006 books22.5k 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 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 6, 2013
Please note: Originally read and reviewed in September 2007. Just copying over my review from Amazon.
In this omnibus, some of the Philip K. Dick stories that explore the borders of reality are brought together:
In The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Dick works through the nature of reality and illusion. Set in a dystopian future, Earth is going through a "fire" age and humans cannot survive more than a few seconds outside during daylight; this has forced humanity to spend daylight hours in a warren of buildings and tunnels. Additionally, a draft is set up to send humans out to the colonies on Mars and various asteroids - whether they want to or not. These colonies are living at subsistence level and the colonists there invariably end up hooked on a drug called Can-D, that allows them to live in an illusory world populated by Perky Pat and her boyfriend Walt, thereby escaping their miserable existence. They use miniature items to create these worlds; these "mins" are provided by the same company that supplies the illegal Can-D, which is run by Leo Bulero.
When the famous explorer Palmer Eldritch returns from his trip to Proxa, he brings with him some lichen, with which he creates a product called Chew-Z - a legal alternative to Can-D. This is a more potent drug that allows people to create their own universes, without needing the mins. However, what most do not know is that all these universes are controlled by Eldritch. Is Palmer still human, or did something else come back in his place?
Playing onto our worst nightmares - namely those in which we continually think we've awakened, only to find we're still inside the nightmare - this story keeps you guessing as to what is real and what is hallucination. It is difficult to explain too much of the plot without giving away key elements that will spoil the story, which is why I've stuck mainly to what is given in the editorial review or on the book cover. However, I found the story to be very much in the lines of a typical Philip K. Dick story - twisted and convoluted. Well worth the read, however.
In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, we find ourselves alternating between two intertwining plot lines. One involves Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who "retires" escaped androids. The latest model - the Nexus-6 - can only be differentiated from humans through use of a sophisticated psychological testing mechanism that measures empathy levels; empathy being the one thing that androids quite simply lack. The other plot line revolves around J. R. Isadore, a "chickenhead" (that is to say, a man who has mutated enough that he is starting to lose his cognitive abilities, but not so much that he cannot still manage to take care of himself and serve the public in some small way). He works for the Van Ness Pet Hospital, which serves people who own electric animals. However, his day gets off to an uneven start when first he discovers another tenant in his previously empty building, and then he is given a real cat - which subsequently dies on the way in to the hospital before he even realizes it is actually alive.
Similar in theme to "Stigmata," this book explores the differences between reality and fantasy by probing the differences between man and machine(sometimes that line is very blurred), electric animal and real animal, and so forth. Always in the background is the constant back and forth of Mercerism vs. Buster Friendly, who always gently (and sometimes not so gently) accuses Mercer as a fraud and fake.
I found the story enjoyable; dense and difficult at times, but the interchange and interplays are always deft and intriguing. This classic bit of surreal sci-fi is not to be missed.
When reading Ubik, the first comparison that came to mind was Don DeLilo's White Noise (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century) Not due to any special thematic comparison, but because of the advertisements for great new products named Ubik at the beginning of each paragraph in the story; this reminded me of the constant low-level onslaught of information that came at you while reading White Noise.
As far as the story itself - what can one say without spoiling it? The main character is Joe Chip, a tester for the Runciter Group, which is a group of "Anti-psis" - they null out psionic power to help protect people's privacy. I was by stages amused and appalled by the vision of 1992 painted in this novel - apparently we were supposed to have made our way to Mars and the Moon by now, with colonies on each, and we're supposed to be dressing even more outlandishly than we do now. However, it seems odd to me to note the things that are kept in the style of the 50s and 60s. Women are either young and in the service industry or they are matrons and stay at home. If they are other than that, then they are shown as . . . strange, even dangerous, such as Pat Conroy in this story. It is this that makes her such an appropriate foil for Joe Chip, as he stumbles through his attempts to keep the group together after a major fiasco occurs when the Glen Runciter - the owner of the company - takes a group of his most highly skilled workers to the Lunar colony for a job and is there attacked.
The rest of the story shakes down while the surviving characters notice a strange combination of entropy and growth - recession and coming into being. The world seems to be regressing to an older era, but at the same time, they keep getting messages from "beyond" instructing them on what to do. Then the question arises - who is really dead? Who is really alive? What is reality? Who is creating it?
Not for a light evening's read, that's for sure! But well worth the slodge if you have the time. Most intriguing and something to keep the ol' cerebellum stretched. Give it a try.
A Scanner Darkly was the most difficult of the stories for me, personally - I'm not quite certain why, but it just didn't hold my interest as much as the others in the omnibus. Telling the story (on the surface) of the deterioration of the undercover narcotics officer "Fred," living as Bob Arctor - due to substance abuse - into paranoia and split personalities when he is told to begin investigating himself intensely (undercover agents wear a "blur" suit and none of them know each other, nor are they aware of whom is who in the field). Additionally, the federal government is seeking the source of Substance D, a deadly and highly addictive drug that invariably leads to burn-out in the case of users. Darkly comical in the earlier parts of the story - and in general any time when Arctor and his friends and roommates are sitting around and shooting the breeze - it is also in its way terribly depressing.
Overall, however, I give a big thumbs up to this omnibus. If you're a fan of Philip K. Dick, obviously you don't want to miss it. If you enjoy fiction that challenges your perceptions of reality, you definitely don't want to miss it!
In this omnibus, some of the Philip K. Dick stories that explore the borders of reality are brought together:
In The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Dick works through the nature of reality and illusion. Set in a dystopian future, Earth is going through a "fire" age and humans cannot survive more than a few seconds outside during daylight; this has forced humanity to spend daylight hours in a warren of buildings and tunnels. Additionally, a draft is set up to send humans out to the colonies on Mars and various asteroids - whether they want to or not. These colonies are living at subsistence level and the colonists there invariably end up hooked on a drug called Can-D, that allows them to live in an illusory world populated by Perky Pat and her boyfriend Walt, thereby escaping their miserable existence. They use miniature items to create these worlds; these "mins" are provided by the same company that supplies the illegal Can-D, which is run by Leo Bulero.
When the famous explorer Palmer Eldritch returns from his trip to Proxa, he brings with him some lichen, with which he creates a product called Chew-Z - a legal alternative to Can-D. This is a more potent drug that allows people to create their own universes, without needing the mins. However, what most do not know is that all these universes are controlled by Eldritch. Is Palmer still human, or did something else come back in his place?
Playing onto our worst nightmares - namely those in which we continually think we've awakened, only to find we're still inside the nightmare - this story keeps you guessing as to what is real and what is hallucination. It is difficult to explain too much of the plot without giving away key elements that will spoil the story, which is why I've stuck mainly to what is given in the editorial review or on the book cover. However, I found the story to be very much in the lines of a typical Philip K. Dick story - twisted and convoluted. Well worth the read, however.
In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, we find ourselves alternating between two intertwining plot lines. One involves Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who "retires" escaped androids. The latest model - the Nexus-6 - can only be differentiated from humans through use of a sophisticated psychological testing mechanism that measures empathy levels; empathy being the one thing that androids quite simply lack. The other plot line revolves around J. R. Isadore, a "chickenhead" (that is to say, a man who has mutated enough that he is starting to lose his cognitive abilities, but not so much that he cannot still manage to take care of himself and serve the public in some small way). He works for the Van Ness Pet Hospital, which serves people who own electric animals. However, his day gets off to an uneven start when first he discovers another tenant in his previously empty building, and then he is given a real cat - which subsequently dies on the way in to the hospital before he even realizes it is actually alive.
Similar in theme to "Stigmata," this book explores the differences between reality and fantasy by probing the differences between man and machine(sometimes that line is very blurred), electric animal and real animal, and so forth. Always in the background is the constant back and forth of Mercerism vs. Buster Friendly, who always gently (and sometimes not so gently) accuses Mercer as a fraud and fake.
I found the story enjoyable; dense and difficult at times, but the interchange and interplays are always deft and intriguing. This classic bit of surreal sci-fi is not to be missed.
When reading Ubik, the first comparison that came to mind was Don DeLilo's White Noise (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century) Not due to any special thematic comparison, but because of the advertisements for great new products named Ubik at the beginning of each paragraph in the story; this reminded me of the constant low-level onslaught of information that came at you while reading White Noise.
As far as the story itself - what can one say without spoiling it? The main character is Joe Chip, a tester for the Runciter Group, which is a group of "Anti-psis" - they null out psionic power to help protect people's privacy. I was by stages amused and appalled by the vision of 1992 painted in this novel - apparently we were supposed to have made our way to Mars and the Moon by now, with colonies on each, and we're supposed to be dressing even more outlandishly than we do now. However, it seems odd to me to note the things that are kept in the style of the 50s and 60s. Women are either young and in the service industry or they are matrons and stay at home. If they are other than that, then they are shown as . . . strange, even dangerous, such as Pat Conroy in this story. It is this that makes her such an appropriate foil for Joe Chip, as he stumbles through his attempts to keep the group together after a major fiasco occurs when the Glen Runciter - the owner of the company - takes a group of his most highly skilled workers to the Lunar colony for a job and is there attacked.
The rest of the story shakes down while the surviving characters notice a strange combination of entropy and growth - recession and coming into being. The world seems to be regressing to an older era, but at the same time, they keep getting messages from "beyond" instructing them on what to do. Then the question arises - who is really dead? Who is really alive? What is reality? Who is creating it?
Not for a light evening's read, that's for sure! But well worth the slodge if you have the time. Most intriguing and something to keep the ol' cerebellum stretched. Give it a try.
A Scanner Darkly was the most difficult of the stories for me, personally - I'm not quite certain why, but it just didn't hold my interest as much as the others in the omnibus. Telling the story (on the surface) of the deterioration of the undercover narcotics officer "Fred," living as Bob Arctor - due to substance abuse - into paranoia and split personalities when he is told to begin investigating himself intensely (undercover agents wear a "blur" suit and none of them know each other, nor are they aware of whom is who in the field). Additionally, the federal government is seeking the source of Substance D, a deadly and highly addictive drug that invariably leads to burn-out in the case of users. Darkly comical in the earlier parts of the story - and in general any time when Arctor and his friends and roommates are sitting around and shooting the breeze - it is also in its way terribly depressing.
Overall, however, I give a big thumbs up to this omnibus. If you're a fan of Philip K. Dick, obviously you don't want to miss it. If you enjoy fiction that challenges your perceptions of reality, you definitely don't want to miss it!
November 25, 2011
This is an anthology of four Dick novels: The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Ubik, and A Scanner Darkly. I was strongly tempted to count them as four books to boost my numbers, but a) I'm too behind to write four whole reviews and b) I'm too behind to make it to 50 books anyway. Plus, I have this thing about listing the exact edition that I read, especially if it's a book that I own.
Anyway, The Three Stigmata and Do Androids Dream both had portions that were so startlingly familiar that I would have sworn I'd read them before. But I'm convinced I'd never read The Three Stigmata before -- I suppose if I'd read Electric Sheep a long time ago Blade Runner may have written over portions of it in my mind in order to make sections of it seem totally new again.
All of these works, as it suggests in the anthology title, deal with one of Dick's favorite questions: "What is real?" In The Three Stigmata, reality is bent by colonists taking Can-D (some sort of empathy-enhancing hallucinogen) to interact with their Perky Pat layouts, then bent even further by the introduction of a new drug, Chew-Z, which brings its users into contact with a god-like figure. In Electric Sheep, we are led to question who is real, as Rick Deckard tries to tell androids from humans, while the reality of two main forms of entertainment -- an "empathy box," and an always-on radio and TV show are also called into question. In Ubik, time itself seems to come unfixed after an explosion -- and those affected fight to determine if it is the world that is changing or if they are the victims of some sort of psychic attack. Finally, in A Scanner Darkly, people fall apart as their realities are distorted and split by heavy drug use and the duplicitous natures of their similarly affected friends.
All four works were absorbing, provoking thought on the nature of reality. But by far I preferred Electric Sheep and A Scanner Darkly above the other two. Often, reading Dick, it is easy to get lost in what is real and what is not and miss how masterful is his understanding of human nature. In Electric Sheep, two scenes shine out in my memory: at the opening of the story, Rick's argument with his depressed wife -- who could, with the touch of a few buttons, feel hopeful, joyous, smug, fulfilled, or any other positive emotion she could think of, but reflects these feelings as false and instead experiments to find settings like despondent, lonely, despair (despite the fact that these negative feelings, also generated by her attitude box, would be just as authentic or inauthentic as the positive feelings)... Then, much later, when J.R. finds a living spider (all non-human animals have been made extremely rare by the continuous fallout from World War Terminus), Pris cuts its legs off one by one to see if it can still walk with fewer legs. That scene vibrates with such horror that it was difficult to not throw the book to the ground. Then, A Scanner Darkly is just one unrelenting unfolding horror. The ever-increasing realization that none of this can end well for pretty much anyone involved. Indeed, in the Author's Note, Dick writes about all his friends who were destroyed by their experiments with drugs. This story is the smallest derivation from reality as we know it, and that makes it all the more harrowing.
A side note -- A Scanner Darkly contained a lot of theory on the dual nature of the mind and the interplay between the two hemispheres of the brain. It strongly reminded me of Lem's writing in Peace on Earth, which makes me wonder if there were some new big studies in neuroscience that excited both of their imaginations, if they were both sparked by the same studies. It's enough to make me look up some books on the brain. To be added to the never-ending list!
Anyway, The Three Stigmata and Do Androids Dream both had portions that were so startlingly familiar that I would have sworn I'd read them before. But I'm convinced I'd never read The Three Stigmata before -- I suppose if I'd read Electric Sheep a long time ago Blade Runner may have written over portions of it in my mind in order to make sections of it seem totally new again.
All of these works, as it suggests in the anthology title, deal with one of Dick's favorite questions: "What is real?" In The Three Stigmata, reality is bent by colonists taking Can-D (some sort of empathy-enhancing hallucinogen) to interact with their Perky Pat layouts, then bent even further by the introduction of a new drug, Chew-Z, which brings its users into contact with a god-like figure. In Electric Sheep, we are led to question who is real, as Rick Deckard tries to tell androids from humans, while the reality of two main forms of entertainment -- an "empathy box," and an always-on radio and TV show are also called into question. In Ubik, time itself seems to come unfixed after an explosion -- and those affected fight to determine if it is the world that is changing or if they are the victims of some sort of psychic attack. Finally, in A Scanner Darkly, people fall apart as their realities are distorted and split by heavy drug use and the duplicitous natures of their similarly affected friends.
All four works were absorbing, provoking thought on the nature of reality. But by far I preferred Electric Sheep and A Scanner Darkly above the other two. Often, reading Dick, it is easy to get lost in what is real and what is not and miss how masterful is his understanding of human nature. In Electric Sheep, two scenes shine out in my memory: at the opening of the story, Rick's argument with his depressed wife -- who could, with the touch of a few buttons, feel hopeful, joyous, smug, fulfilled, or any other positive emotion she could think of, but reflects these feelings as false and instead experiments to find settings like despondent, lonely, despair (despite the fact that these negative feelings, also generated by her attitude box, would be just as authentic or inauthentic as the positive feelings)... Then, much later, when J.R. finds a living spider (all non-human animals have been made extremely rare by the continuous fallout from World War Terminus), Pris cuts its legs off one by one to see if it can still walk with fewer legs. That scene vibrates with such horror that it was difficult to not throw the book to the ground. Then, A Scanner Darkly is just one unrelenting unfolding horror. The ever-increasing realization that none of this can end well for pretty much anyone involved. Indeed, in the Author's Note, Dick writes about all his friends who were destroyed by their experiments with drugs. This story is the smallest derivation from reality as we know it, and that makes it all the more harrowing.
A side note -- A Scanner Darkly contained a lot of theory on the dual nature of the mind and the interplay between the two hemispheres of the brain. It strongly reminded me of Lem's writing in Peace on Earth, which makes me wonder if there were some new big studies in neuroscience that excited both of their imaginations, if they were both sparked by the same studies. It's enough to make me look up some books on the brain. To be added to the never-ending list!
April 14, 2009
I suppose the four in the book are Dick's best novels but I wouldn't categorically state that. I know some would disagree with me. I know there are people who criticize Dick's novels for not being totally coherent and his writing style as pedestrian. But give the man credit - his novels were concerned with the truly important questions of life. What makes us human, and do we trust the government or the big corporations to tell us truth. Dick always left us unsettled or me at least. It is hard to write an ordinary novel with pat answers - believe me I am trying- but to write one that really questions everything and to be entertaining at the same time is a mark of brilliance. Peace out.
July 30, 2011
What a collection!! This book contains 4 of Philip Dick's best novels: Ubik, A Scanner Darkly, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. Each novel is outstanding on its own, making this a fantastic deal. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch is the trippiest, most unusual book I've ever read while being fascinating at the same time.
March 23, 2008
I was loaned this volume by a friend, who suggested I read "Ubik". Unfortunately, it proved to be colossally addictive and I promptly finished not only "Ubik", bu the rest of the novels within.
It's a great checking-in point for the PKD oeuvre.
It's a great checking-in point for the PKD oeuvre.
August 9, 2016
I've read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (2 times now), Ubik, and A Scanner Darkly. Still have the Three Stigmata to go. I've taken break and will come back to it eventually.
December 6, 2025
A lot of the sci-fi ideas here are really fascinating and contributed a large amount to contemporary sci-fi, but I personally despise Philip K. Dick's writing style. By far my favorite in the collection was A Scanner Darkly. if i could half rate this would be 3½
October 3, 2021
Wow! What a fantastic collection of mind-fuck stories - each more complex than the last.
October 15, 2023
***** The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965)
***** Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)
***** Ubik (1969)
**** A Scanner Darkly (1977)
***** Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)
***** Ubik (1969)
**** A Scanner Darkly (1977)
reading-slowly-or-saving-for-later
March 16, 2015This will be difficult to rate as a volume, given the fact that it contains multiple books. I have not yet decided how to handle this issue, but in the meantime I am rating each book separately.
Palmer Eldritch only managed two stars, despite an interesting premise, a fairly engaging world, and better than average writing. My biggest issue with this one was the structure. Rather than pulling everything together with some manner of resolution, this pulled everything together into what I imagine a bad drug trip might be like. Creative, and I enjoyed some of the mind-engaging side questions, but... I didn't care for the book.
Electric Sheep won four stars, as it didn't really fall apart until the very end, and the premise was thought-provoking enough to keep me entertained throughout. However, it was still abstract enough to be slightly uncomfortable reading. Glad I read it, but it's the kind of thing you will never have occasion to revisit.
And that's where it stands. The book has been temporarily shelved,and though I do intend to return, Tolstoy's War and Peace is a welcome change of pace.
Edit, 7/2/14.
Ubik gets two stars, mostly nonsense start to finish, no real redeeming qualities. Anti-climactic ending which felt mostly like a last desperate attempt to pull things together into a cohesive whole. It makes Palmer Eldritch look a little better, but that's about the most I can say for it.
Palmer Eldritch only managed two stars, despite an interesting premise, a fairly engaging world, and better than average writing. My biggest issue with this one was the structure. Rather than pulling everything together with some manner of resolution, this pulled everything together into what I imagine a bad drug trip might be like. Creative, and I enjoyed some of the mind-engaging side questions, but... I didn't care for the book.
Electric Sheep won four stars, as it didn't really fall apart until the very end, and the premise was thought-provoking enough to keep me entertained throughout. However, it was still abstract enough to be slightly uncomfortable reading. Glad I read it, but it's the kind of thing you will never have occasion to revisit.
And that's where it stands. The book has been temporarily shelved,and though I do intend to return, Tolstoy's War and Peace is a welcome change of pace.
Edit, 7/2/14.
Ubik gets two stars, mostly nonsense start to finish, no real redeeming qualities. Anti-climactic ending which felt mostly like a last desperate attempt to pull things together into a cohesive whole. It makes Palmer Eldritch look a little better, but that's about the most I can say for it.
February 19, 2016
This one collects 4 of Dick's novels:
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch- Very cool idea where people can take a drug (Can-D [candy]) to transport their pysche into a dollhouse, effectively, and do whatever they want. Then along comes Chew-Z (choosy) to allow people to become gods in their own made up world. This of course threatens the Can-D business, so the boss of that has to make plans on how to stop it. Not perfectly written from a technical standpoint, but I enjoyed the plans and effects of the drugs. 3 1/2 stars.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep- Everyone must know by now that this is Blade Runner by another name. But it is a little different than the movie! The book values animals a lot more and is really well done. Very fun to read even if you've seen the movie, which might be my favorite Science Fiction movie. 5 stars
Ubik- Probably my favorite Philip K Dick novel. Deals with death, mind communication, friend relationships, weird uses for household sprays, all the good stuff. Definitely a must in the Dick library. 5 stars
A Scanner Darkly- Another novel that suffers from Dick's lack of writing prowess, yet still is a really good idea. This undercover cop is trying to bust the IMMENSE use of a drug but becomes addicted to it and starts to lose his own identity. Also they have these really cool suits where you can't tell one iota of who a person is while they're inside, from looks to voice. Really fun idea, not as well written. 3 1/2 stars
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch- Very cool idea where people can take a drug (Can-D [candy]) to transport their pysche into a dollhouse, effectively, and do whatever they want. Then along comes Chew-Z (choosy) to allow people to become gods in their own made up world. This of course threatens the Can-D business, so the boss of that has to make plans on how to stop it. Not perfectly written from a technical standpoint, but I enjoyed the plans and effects of the drugs. 3 1/2 stars.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep- Everyone must know by now that this is Blade Runner by another name. But it is a little different than the movie! The book values animals a lot more and is really well done. Very fun to read even if you've seen the movie, which might be my favorite Science Fiction movie. 5 stars
Ubik- Probably my favorite Philip K Dick novel. Deals with death, mind communication, friend relationships, weird uses for household sprays, all the good stuff. Definitely a must in the Dick library. 5 stars
A Scanner Darkly- Another novel that suffers from Dick's lack of writing prowess, yet still is a really good idea. This undercover cop is trying to bust the IMMENSE use of a drug but becomes addicted to it and starts to lose his own identity. Also they have these really cool suits where you can't tell one iota of who a person is while they're inside, from looks to voice. Really fun idea, not as well written. 3 1/2 stars
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