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Human Is
From the mind of Philip K. Dick, the influential and visionary author behind blockbuster films like Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report, comes a captivating and suspenseful sci-fi short story, Human Is.
Originally published in 1955, this masterful tale of paranoia and psychological horror explores the consequences of space travel and the thin line between human and alien.
Venture into the heart of an interstellar mystery as we follow an emotionally battered wife, trapped in an abusive marriage. Her husband, a cold and cruel scientist, returns from a mission to the dying planet Rexor IV, seemingly changed for the better. Unbeknownst to her, an oppressed Rexorian has replaced her husband's psyche. Struggling with this newfound kindness, she is forced to confront her own humanity and unearth the truth behind her husband's transformation.
In this evocative and chilling story, Philip K. Dick expertly weaves together themes of identity, empathy, and alienation, drawing readers into a thrilling tale crafted with his trademark speculative fiction flair. Human Is is a must-read for any sci-fi enthusiast and a testament to Dick's status as a prolific master of pulp fiction, compelling readers to question what truly makes us human.
Originally published in 1955, this masterful tale of paranoia and psychological horror explores the consequences of space travel and the thin line between human and alien.
Venture into the heart of an interstellar mystery as we follow an emotionally battered wife, trapped in an abusive marriage. Her husband, a cold and cruel scientist, returns from a mission to the dying planet Rexor IV, seemingly changed for the better. Unbeknownst to her, an oppressed Rexorian has replaced her husband's psyche. Struggling with this newfound kindness, she is forced to confront her own humanity and unearth the truth behind her husband's transformation.
In this evocative and chilling story, Philip K. Dick expertly weaves together themes of identity, empathy, and alienation, drawing readers into a thrilling tale crafted with his trademark speculative fiction flair. Human Is is a must-read for any sci-fi enthusiast and a testament to Dick's status as a prolific master of pulp fiction, compelling readers to question what truly makes us human.
28 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1955
26 people are currently reading
519 people want to read
About the author
Philip K. Dick
2,007 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 - 30 of 55 reviews
September 6, 2019
First published in Startling Stories (Winter 1955), “Human is...” takes a typical sci-fi cliché and turns it on its head, manipulating the reader so that he (or she) desires an ending that science fiction convention—indeed, American society itself—habitually condemns. It leaves his readers to re-evaluate their values, and hope for better science fiction, and a better American society too.
Jill Herrick’s husband Lester is a difficult man to live with. Not only has he banned Jill’s nephew Gus from further viists (although Jill delights in Lester, and obviously loves children), but he is also a workaholic, humorless and unromantic. After he returns from a mission to planet Rexor IV, however, Lester appears to be greatly change. He delights in the company of little Gus, and he speak—and acts—like a typical romantic straight out of an an old-fashioned book. But then Jill—and others—begin to wonder: is Lester really still Lester, or is the being who claims to be Lester really a Rexorian in disguise?
This story has something to say about McCarthyism, and Witch Hunts, as well as about the romantic impulse in literature and unhappy marriages, but at is core it asks a question about what it means to be human: is it a question of what we look like, of our genetic make-up, or is it simpler—and deeper--than that? Is is a question of basic “humanity”? Is “human is” what “human does”?
July 3, 2024
Human Is is a science fiction short story by the American writer Philip K. Dick. It was first published in the magazine “Startling Stories” in Winter 1955, and has been included in several anthologies of his works. As is often the case with stories by Philip K. Dick, the story focuses on philosophical and social themes, using a Science fiction scenario. In this case, the big question posed is: “What does it means to be human?”
Our sympathies are called firmly into play right from the start of Human Is. We seem to be in the near future, and we meet Jill Herrick, who lives on “Terra” (easily recognisable as Earth). She is in the middle of an argument with her husband Lester. Jill appears to be at the mercy of an intolerant, tyrannical husband. Not only is he ruthless, and obsessed with his work, but he is cruel, demanding and abusive. For instance, he tells Jill that she can never see her young nephew Gus again, torments the boy, and deflects his wife’s claim that he is “hideous” with cold indifference. Lester tells his wife that he will not allow the child in the house again, and will have him removed to government custody because the child is interfering with his research.
However, this “monster” (to use pulp SciFi terminology) is extremely successful at his job. Lester is suddenly sent to Rexor IV, a planet which Jill would have loved to visit herself—but of course Lester laughs at the very thought. As time passes Jill dreads his return, and even makes up her mind to end the marriage. She tells her brother Frank that she is going to leave Lester, and says how happy she has been while Lester had been away. Lester had been getting increasingly worse, every year of their marriage: becoming more cold and more ruthless, and working obsessively.
But when he walks through the door, somehow Lester seems to be a “different man”. He speaks to her lovingly, and uses quaint old-fashioned expressions, such as: “Do I smell a delicious repast warming on the hearth?” He even thanks the robot who takes his coat. He seems genuinely delighted by everything he sees, whether it is ice cream, or coffee, or his young nephew Gus. The only thing he doesn’t really seems to care about, oddly, is his work. He expresses disgust with his work on Rexor IV studying toxins, and says he prefers Terra and being at home with his wife.
Jill is baffled by these changes.
Human Is was adapted by Jessica Mecklenburg for an episode of the 2017 TV series, “Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams”. This version reimagines Jill and Lester, calling them Vera and Silas, and sets in the distant future: the year 2520 to be exact. Earth again is called “planet Terra”, but a big difference is that Terra is itself a dying world, and humanity is battling for resources with a dangerous alien race.
In this modern re-imagining, Vera (Jill) is a high-ranking official, who works alongside her husband, a high-ranking soldier named Silas (Lester), who makes speeches about sacrifice and duty. Gus is not included, even though he had been the trigger for conflict in Philip K. Dick’s original story. The focus is firmly on Silas’s emotional abuse of his wife: his cruelty and ruthlessness, lack of emotion or physical desire. This last is another added-on aspect. Silas’s sexual rejection of Vera results in her finding sexual satisfaction elsewhere, at a kinky sort of futuristic place.
The substitute for Jill’s brother is Vera’s second-in-command, “Yaro”. It is Yaro who sounds the alarm when Vera confides in her that Lester has come home a different man. From then on the questions are more about friendship, loyalty and patriotic duty. The ending too is different. There is a courtroom scene, in which Vera fails to convince the court that Silas is human. Because of her high-ranking position, she herself comes under suspicion for treason, with Yaro accusing her of knowingly hiding a Rexorian and concealing the truth from the court. It is resolved, but somehow the story seems to lose its direction, and the original message about what it means to be human drifts away.
I much prefer the original, with its compassion, and ironic sense of humour. In a way Human Is is a relatively straightforward tale, with a simple message. No matter what your physical nature is, if you are a kind, empathetic, caring person, you are intrinsically more human than someone who is cruel and indifferent. You could even physically be a mutated human, or an alien, or a robot .
Throughout all his stories Philip K. Dick reminds us that the fundamental problem with other sentient beings is not biological, but moral. He writes about aliens, about atomic mutants, those with psychic powers, robots, and many others. These “others” or “posthumans” will not have our moral code. They may be indifferent to human life; they could even be what we define as sociopaths. To give any such being power would be catastrophic. Here, the irony is that the threat does not come from outside. The alien among us is more human than the human he replaced.
Interestingly, the Rexorians Thus a kind of idealised fiction for human behaviour had become their model. Perhaps we too think of the perfect relationship as that which we see on television, or in novels and films. Whereas we are aware that these are fantasies, with unrealistic situation and perfect characters, nevertheless the ideology is sound. They reinforce aims in life which many strive for, such as monogamy, fidelity, caring for others, devoted parenting, and the need for hard work. It is interesting to wonder whether the Rexorian’s behaviour would be different, if he had been subjected to a diet of modern literary novels, with all their hangups, obsessions and anxieties.
Philip L. Dick wrote other stories about . They include: “Out In the Garden,” from 1953, plus “Beyond the Door,” and “Of Withered Apples”, both from 1954. In this story, since Jill is cognisant of the fact that . In the 1950s, and for many now too, this infidelity might be hard to accept. I find both the sensitive investigation into what it means to be human, coupled with the twist in the tale irresistible. I first read it around 1970, when it was already no longer contemporary, and then again now. Yes, some societal mores are dated, but the questions are still sound: authentic and relevant.
In 1976, writing to an editor concerning a proposed selection of his stories for a new edition, Philip K. Dick mentioned Human Is, saying:
“To me, this story states my early conclusions as to what is human. I have not really changed my view since I wrote this story, back in the Fifties. It’s not what you look like, or what planet you were born on. It’s how kind you are. The quality of kindness, to me, distinguishes us from rocks and sticks and metal, and will forever, whatever shape we take, wherever we go, whatever we become. For me, ”Human Is“ is my credo. May it be yours.”
Some say they dislike Science Fiction, and for those people, this story may be an ideal way in. It is speculative; as “soft” as Sci Fi gets—and it may just make you think a little, as all good stories do.
Our sympathies are called firmly into play right from the start of Human Is. We seem to be in the near future, and we meet Jill Herrick, who lives on “Terra” (easily recognisable as Earth). She is in the middle of an argument with her husband Lester. Jill appears to be at the mercy of an intolerant, tyrannical husband. Not only is he ruthless, and obsessed with his work, but he is cruel, demanding and abusive. For instance, he tells Jill that she can never see her young nephew Gus again, torments the boy, and deflects his wife’s claim that he is “hideous” with cold indifference. Lester tells his wife that he will not allow the child in the house again, and will have him removed to government custody because the child is interfering with his research.
However, this “monster” (to use pulp SciFi terminology) is extremely successful at his job. Lester is suddenly sent to Rexor IV, a planet which Jill would have loved to visit herself—but of course Lester laughs at the very thought. As time passes Jill dreads his return, and even makes up her mind to end the marriage. She tells her brother Frank that she is going to leave Lester, and says how happy she has been while Lester had been away. Lester had been getting increasingly worse, every year of their marriage: becoming more cold and more ruthless, and working obsessively.
But when he walks through the door, somehow Lester seems to be a “different man”. He speaks to her lovingly, and uses quaint old-fashioned expressions, such as: “Do I smell a delicious repast warming on the hearth?” He even thanks the robot who takes his coat. He seems genuinely delighted by everything he sees, whether it is ice cream, or coffee, or his young nephew Gus. The only thing he doesn’t really seems to care about, oddly, is his work. He expresses disgust with his work on Rexor IV studying toxins, and says he prefers Terra and being at home with his wife.
Jill is baffled by these changes.
Human Is was adapted by Jessica Mecklenburg for an episode of the 2017 TV series, “Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams”. This version reimagines Jill and Lester, calling them Vera and Silas, and sets in the distant future: the year 2520 to be exact. Earth again is called “planet Terra”, but a big difference is that Terra is itself a dying world, and humanity is battling for resources with a dangerous alien race.
In this modern re-imagining, Vera (Jill) is a high-ranking official, who works alongside her husband, a high-ranking soldier named Silas (Lester), who makes speeches about sacrifice and duty. Gus is not included, even though he had been the trigger for conflict in Philip K. Dick’s original story. The focus is firmly on Silas’s emotional abuse of his wife: his cruelty and ruthlessness, lack of emotion or physical desire. This last is another added-on aspect. Silas’s sexual rejection of Vera results in her finding sexual satisfaction elsewhere, at a kinky sort of futuristic place.
The substitute for Jill’s brother is Vera’s second-in-command, “Yaro”. It is Yaro who sounds the alarm when Vera confides in her that Lester has come home a different man. From then on the questions are more about friendship, loyalty and patriotic duty. The ending too is different. There is a courtroom scene, in which Vera fails to convince the court that Silas is human. Because of her high-ranking position, she herself comes under suspicion for treason, with Yaro accusing her of knowingly hiding a Rexorian and concealing the truth from the court. It is resolved, but somehow the story seems to lose its direction, and the original message about what it means to be human drifts away.
I much prefer the original, with its compassion, and ironic sense of humour. In a way Human Is is a relatively straightforward tale, with a simple message. No matter what your physical nature is, if you are a kind, empathetic, caring person, you are intrinsically more human than someone who is cruel and indifferent. You could even physically be a mutated human, or an alien, or a robot .
Throughout all his stories Philip K. Dick reminds us that the fundamental problem with other sentient beings is not biological, but moral. He writes about aliens, about atomic mutants, those with psychic powers, robots, and many others. These “others” or “posthumans” will not have our moral code. They may be indifferent to human life; they could even be what we define as sociopaths. To give any such being power would be catastrophic. Here, the irony is that the threat does not come from outside. The alien among us is more human than the human he replaced.
Interestingly, the Rexorians Thus a kind of idealised fiction for human behaviour had become their model. Perhaps we too think of the perfect relationship as that which we see on television, or in novels and films. Whereas we are aware that these are fantasies, with unrealistic situation and perfect characters, nevertheless the ideology is sound. They reinforce aims in life which many strive for, such as monogamy, fidelity, caring for others, devoted parenting, and the need for hard work. It is interesting to wonder whether the Rexorian’s behaviour would be different, if he had been subjected to a diet of modern literary novels, with all their hangups, obsessions and anxieties.
Philip L. Dick wrote other stories about . They include: “Out In the Garden,” from 1953, plus “Beyond the Door,” and “Of Withered Apples”, both from 1954. In this story, since Jill is cognisant of the fact that . In the 1950s, and for many now too, this infidelity might be hard to accept. I find both the sensitive investigation into what it means to be human, coupled with the twist in the tale irresistible. I first read it around 1970, when it was already no longer contemporary, and then again now. Yes, some societal mores are dated, but the questions are still sound: authentic and relevant.
In 1976, writing to an editor concerning a proposed selection of his stories for a new edition, Philip K. Dick mentioned Human Is, saying:
“To me, this story states my early conclusions as to what is human. I have not really changed my view since I wrote this story, back in the Fifties. It’s not what you look like, or what planet you were born on. It’s how kind you are. The quality of kindness, to me, distinguishes us from rocks and sticks and metal, and will forever, whatever shape we take, wherever we go, whatever we become. For me, ”Human Is“ is my credo. May it be yours.”
Some say they dislike Science Fiction, and for those people, this story may be an ideal way in. It is speculative; as “soft” as Sci Fi gets—and it may just make you think a little, as all good stories do.
June 17, 2024
Rating: 4* of five
I'd give the episode 4.5 stars because it's a lot richer and more nuanced, and because it's got the ineffably lovely Essie Davis of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries fame as the female lead.
PKD's story is a different animal in the details...Vera and Silas Herrick are a scientist and a Colonel respectively, while Jill and Lester Herrick in the story are a housewife and a scientist respectively...but the broad strokes are the same. What exactly does it mean to be human? What makes someone a human being, mere accident of birth or some more inscrutable, indefinable something?
Both stories center on this question and answer it in the same way. These issues aren't unfamiliar to the modern audience, either. We face our McCarthyite issues by not facing them, just as our parents didn't face them in the 1950s until they were forced to do so by one courageous, outraged man.
We are still waiting for a man the equal of that one to arise, and wanna bet me he'll be a woman this time? She'd better get a wriggle on. Crap's gettin' all too real for the Dreamers and the deportees.
The episode's other beauties are all about textures of the world of 2520. The writer and the producers make this a very different Terra, and the visuals are glorious. The world-building is done so much more readily with images than it is with words. PKD did little more than sketch in a world like the 1954 he was living in but with robot servants, robants. The showrunners made the Earth Vera and Silas live on a major factor in the story, where to PKD's story it was unimportant.
Don't sprain anything hunting up the story. Sprain ankles, wrists, elbows if necessary to get the show into your eyes. It is outstanding.
I'd give the episode 4.5 stars because it's a lot richer and more nuanced, and because it's got the ineffably lovely Essie Davis of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries fame as the female lead.
PKD's story is a different animal in the details...Vera and Silas Herrick are a scientist and a Colonel respectively, while Jill and Lester Herrick in the story are a housewife and a scientist respectively...but the broad strokes are the same. What exactly does it mean to be human? What makes someone a human being, mere accident of birth or some more inscrutable, indefinable something?
Both stories center on this question and answer it in the same way. These issues aren't unfamiliar to the modern audience, either. We face our McCarthyite issues by not facing them, just as our parents didn't face them in the 1950s until they were forced to do so by one courageous, outraged man.
We are still waiting for a man the equal of that one to arise, and wanna bet me he'll be a woman this time? She'd better get a wriggle on. Crap's gettin' all too real for the Dreamers and the deportees.
The episode's other beauties are all about textures of the world of 2520. The writer and the producers make this a very different Terra, and the visuals are glorious. The world-building is done so much more readily with images than it is with words. PKD did little more than sketch in a world like the 1954 he was living in but with robot servants, robants. The showrunners made the Earth Vera and Silas live on a major factor in the story, where to PKD's story it was unimportant.
Don't sprain anything hunting up the story. Sprain ankles, wrists, elbows if necessary to get the show into your eyes. It is outstanding.
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June 6, 2018
Review for 'Human Is' only.
This is the first time I feel let down by PKD. I enjoyed the plot and the ideas, the bitter loneliness of sharing a life with someone who had forgotten how to love, the characters to an extent and the general ambience surrounding the piece.
But my was it written badly. It had nothing. Absolutely nothing. The dialogue, the whole thing. It was a supreme let down. But still much better than 99% of stuff being pushed out these days.
This is the first time I feel let down by PKD. I enjoyed the plot and the ideas, the bitter loneliness of sharing a life with someone who had forgotten how to love, the characters to an extent and the general ambience surrounding the piece.
But my was it written badly. It had nothing. Absolutely nothing. The dialogue, the whole thing. It was a supreme let down. But still much better than 99% of stuff being pushed out these days.
April 21, 2018
I’ll Call You Lester, Anyway
“You are no longer the man I married” is a statement that is usually not meant as a compliment or a statement of recognition, but in PKD’s short story Human Is this is different. Jill Herrick’s husband Lester is a very sorry version of Sheldon Cooper, a narrow-minded and bloodless scientist who has a piece of codfish where other people have their hearts, and he clearly leads his wife a dog’s life, treating her with unfeeling cruelty and only taking interest in his scientific work, which, of course, consists in developing chemical warfare agents. He comes back a completely different man, loving and caring and showing interest in human relations rather than scientific work, from an expedition to a planet called Rexor IV, and soon Jill’s brother Frank suspects that one of the Rexorians, a dying race, has taken hold of Lester’s body in order to escape from his native planet. Sometimes, the Rexorians do that, but they rarely get away with it. In order to have her husband back and annihilate the alien that has kidnapped Lester’s body, to “end the nightmare”, as Frank thoughtlessly puts it, Jill has to testify that there has occurred a change of behaviour in her husband, but all of a sudden, Jill decides that her Lester is a human and has always been.
Human Is is, at first sight, a very straightforward story with a clear and simple message, namely that our quality of being human consists in acting like one, i.e. in taking interest in one’s fellow-creatures and in doing kind things. We are not so much defined through our work as through our treatment of others. This story being a PKD story, there is, however, a little catch to this message, and this is that the Rexorians have their information on how humans behave from old Terran novels, probably also of the romantic kind, which is partly reflected in their use of language, which has a quaint and slightly old-fashioned ring to it. In other words, the new Lester might not so much be acting like an actual human being – even Jill’s brother Frank is appallingly unfeeling when it comes to seeing his sister’s marriage through her eyes –, but like a character from a romantic novel, a projection of the average reader’s longings and ideals. This observation leads us into two different directions, one rather bleak, the other much brighter. The bleak one is that Lester’s unlimited kindness, which is just a matter of imitation, and the imitation of an unreal projection at that, may not be genuinely human after all because humans are inveterately self-seeking beings. Or is it not egocentric in Jill to play the game of the Rexorian because he is so much kinder than the original Lester, when it means leaving the real Lester a bodyless outcast, wandering between the winds, on Rexor IV?
The other conclusion tells us something about the purpose and value of literature: It may not always be realistic but in giving a voice to our longings, it makes us aware of our own potentials and sets us thinking about what the essence of being human is, thus liberating our better selves.
“You are no longer the man I married” is a statement that is usually not meant as a compliment or a statement of recognition, but in PKD’s short story Human Is this is different. Jill Herrick’s husband Lester is a very sorry version of Sheldon Cooper, a narrow-minded and bloodless scientist who has a piece of codfish where other people have their hearts, and he clearly leads his wife a dog’s life, treating her with unfeeling cruelty and only taking interest in his scientific work, which, of course, consists in developing chemical warfare agents. He comes back a completely different man, loving and caring and showing interest in human relations rather than scientific work, from an expedition to a planet called Rexor IV, and soon Jill’s brother Frank suspects that one of the Rexorians, a dying race, has taken hold of Lester’s body in order to escape from his native planet. Sometimes, the Rexorians do that, but they rarely get away with it. In order to have her husband back and annihilate the alien that has kidnapped Lester’s body, to “end the nightmare”, as Frank thoughtlessly puts it, Jill has to testify that there has occurred a change of behaviour in her husband, but all of a sudden, Jill decides that her Lester is a human and has always been.
Human Is is, at first sight, a very straightforward story with a clear and simple message, namely that our quality of being human consists in acting like one, i.e. in taking interest in one’s fellow-creatures and in doing kind things. We are not so much defined through our work as through our treatment of others. This story being a PKD story, there is, however, a little catch to this message, and this is that the Rexorians have their information on how humans behave from old Terran novels, probably also of the romantic kind, which is partly reflected in their use of language, which has a quaint and slightly old-fashioned ring to it. In other words, the new Lester might not so much be acting like an actual human being – even Jill’s brother Frank is appallingly unfeeling when it comes to seeing his sister’s marriage through her eyes –, but like a character from a romantic novel, a projection of the average reader’s longings and ideals. This observation leads us into two different directions, one rather bleak, the other much brighter. The bleak one is that Lester’s unlimited kindness, which is just a matter of imitation, and the imitation of an unreal projection at that, may not be genuinely human after all because humans are inveterately self-seeking beings. Or is it not egocentric in Jill to play the game of the Rexorian because he is so much kinder than the original Lester, when it means leaving the real Lester a bodyless outcast, wandering between the winds, on Rexor IV?
The other conclusion tells us something about the purpose and value of literature: It may not always be realistic but in giving a voice to our longings, it makes us aware of our own potentials and sets us thinking about what the essence of being human is, thus liberating our better selves.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2019
El título de este cuento tiene la forma de una pregunta, un blanco que hay que completar. En efecto, ¿qué significa ser humano? Una lectura lineal de este cuento nos indicaría que la humanidad es una cualidad ética, casi metafísica, antes que biológica.
Lester, el protagonista, tiene un cuerpo de hombre, nació como tal, mientras que en lo que hace a sus cualidades personales, y en particular a sus cualidades como esposo, es una basura. El alien rexoriano que lo suplanta, pese a ser un impostor, también muestra un comportamiento más amable, más empático, y por eso, al parecer, merece mucho más que se le aplique la categoría de “humano”.
Bueno, a mí todo esto me parece un despropósito. Como cuando se dice que los animales son a fin de cuentas “más humanos que nosotros”, queriendo decir que en algún sentido son mejores. Si se trata de elogiar a otros seres, ¿por qué se los elogia utilizando precisamente la palabra que nos define a nosotros? ¿Ni siquiera cuando nos estamos despreciando dejamos de ser el parangón de todos los demás?
Si llega a existir algo así como "lo humano", deberá incluir necesariamente todo lo horroroso y lo malvado que los homo sapiens somos capaces de hacer. Es más: tendrá que ver más con esta realidad que las altas aspiraciones que tenemos para nuestra propia especie, y que nunca parecemos capaces de realizar.
En este cuento, resulta que los rexorianos han aprendido a imitar a las personas mediante el consumo de novelas románticas. Es decir, son así de buenos porque recogieron precisamente una representación ficcional, mucho más cercana a lo que nos gustaría ser que a lo que en efecto somos. Lo que hace que toda la posible humanidad de los rexorianos sea nada más que un acting, un chiste. Hacen lo que suponen que los humanos tienen que hacer... y desde ya no hay ningún ser humano que haga lo que se supone que tiene que hacer.
En este mismo sentido, diría que Jill es el personaje que mejor contesta a la pregunta del título. Al final, no es que tengamos que decidir quién se acerca más al ideal de la especie, si el miserable Lester o el amable impostor. Lo propiamente humano es lo de Jill: pensar que existe una decisión que tomar, un juicio definitivo que hacer, y que además todo eso está en sus manos.
A fin de cuentas bastaría con decir que “human is what human is”, pero ¿quién puede quedarse en esa simple constatación? La categoría de lo humano está siempre por ser definida y modelada, ya que con la humanidad que tenemos a nadie parece alcanzarle.
“Human Is” es el cuento #9 de Electric Dreams
Anterior: “Foster, You’re Dead!”
Siguiente: “Autofac”
Lester, el protagonista, tiene un cuerpo de hombre, nació como tal, mientras que en lo que hace a sus cualidades personales, y en particular a sus cualidades como esposo, es una basura. El alien rexoriano que lo suplanta, pese a ser un impostor, también muestra un comportamiento más amable, más empático, y por eso, al parecer, merece mucho más que se le aplique la categoría de “humano”.
Bueno, a mí todo esto me parece un despropósito. Como cuando se dice que los animales son a fin de cuentas “más humanos que nosotros”, queriendo decir que en algún sentido son mejores. Si se trata de elogiar a otros seres, ¿por qué se los elogia utilizando precisamente la palabra que nos define a nosotros? ¿Ni siquiera cuando nos estamos despreciando dejamos de ser el parangón de todos los demás?
Si llega a existir algo así como "lo humano", deberá incluir necesariamente todo lo horroroso y lo malvado que los homo sapiens somos capaces de hacer. Es más: tendrá que ver más con esta realidad que las altas aspiraciones que tenemos para nuestra propia especie, y que nunca parecemos capaces de realizar.
En este cuento, resulta que los rexorianos han aprendido a imitar a las personas mediante el consumo de novelas románticas. Es decir, son así de buenos porque recogieron precisamente una representación ficcional, mucho más cercana a lo que nos gustaría ser que a lo que en efecto somos. Lo que hace que toda la posible humanidad de los rexorianos sea nada más que un acting, un chiste. Hacen lo que suponen que los humanos tienen que hacer... y desde ya no hay ningún ser humano que haga lo que se supone que tiene que hacer.
En este mismo sentido, diría que Jill es el personaje que mejor contesta a la pregunta del título. Al final, no es que tengamos que decidir quién se acerca más al ideal de la especie, si el miserable Lester o el amable impostor. Lo propiamente humano es lo de Jill: pensar que existe una decisión que tomar, un juicio definitivo que hacer, y que además todo eso está en sus manos.
A fin de cuentas bastaría con decir que “human is what human is”, pero ¿quién puede quedarse en esa simple constatación? La categoría de lo humano está siempre por ser definida y modelada, ya que con la humanidad que tenemos a nadie parece alcanzarle.
“Human Is” es el cuento #9 de Electric Dreams
Anterior: “Foster, You’re Dead!”
Siguiente: “Autofac”
November 28, 2019
This volume would act as a great introduction to PKD for those unfamiliar with his work. All his main themes are represented and the average standard of the stories is very high. I'd read most of them before in one place or another but none of it was time wasted for me.
February 15, 2023
Por mucho la mejor colección de relatos que he leído. No conocía el trabajo de Philip K Dick y me sorprendió gratamente. Su estilo es muy cautivante, manteniendo cierta tensión durante todo el relato y luego liberándola delicadamente en las últimas páginas, siempre con un giro que (aunque se haya anticipado) logra sorprender
May 6, 2020
Don't get me wrong, not every short story is perfect, but Human Is? certainly showcases some of Philip K. Dick's best short fiction. Standouts for me include 'Foster, You're Dead!', 'The Electric Ant', 'A Little Something for us Tempunauts', 'The Mold of Yancy', 'Adjustment Team' and the titular story 'Human Is'.
October 26, 2017
Human Is? consists of 20 short stories written by American sci-fi novelist, Philip K. Dick between 1952 and 1974. The resultant assemblage offers 438 pages of varied, entertaining and thought-provoking prose. Authoritarian governments, powerful corporations and the need to live underground, feature frequently in Dick’s varied visions of the future. It is no surprise that the Russians make an appearance too, as the stories were written during the Cold War. Dick’s perceived roles for women, and perhaps the recurrent smoking of tobacco, date the stories, but the crisp presentation of original and imaginative plots, keeps you turning the pages.
June 7, 2022
Una maravilla, siempre.
Read
August 28, 2024The more I read him, the more I like him.
June 12, 2018
This is a collection of 20 of Philip K. Dick’s short stories written between 1952 and 1973 that explore what it means to be human. Dick waxed philosophical on the question enough that a large collection could be assembled that examines humanity from many fascinating angles. While the age of these stories (and their Cold War taint) might make them seem obsolete, there is more than one way in which this collection is extremely relevant today.
First, artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be on everybody’s mind of late, and several of these stories feature machine intelligence as a means to understand what makes a human in a world in which there are other intelligent entities (in a similar vein, alien intelligence is also considered.) Second, Dick also asks us to consider the reality of a fictitious character who is alive in the minds of many and who might have more impact on the world than any living being. In our current phase of the information age, in which merchants of [dis-]information are becoming adroit at manipulating information and misinformation for their own desired effect, this seems a more crucial question than ever. Finally, there remains the age-old unresolved question of whether there is some x-factor beyond biology (i.e. a soul) that separates humanity from other forms of intelligence. While this is an old question, the fact that most people still believe there is a “soul” (by whatever name it’s called), even if most scientifically-minded people don’t see any reason to think so, means that it will continue to be a question with potential societal ramifications.
A sub-theme across these stories is the Cold War undercurrent of anxiety that the world could be turned into a dystopian wasteland at any moment. (In most of the stories, it already has been.) Again, if one can look past the references to the Soviet Union being cast as foe in many of the stories, one will find that the stories and the emotional zeitgeist aren’t as faded as they might at first seem.
The stories include some that movie-goers unfamiliar with Dick’s writing will know from Hollywood cinema (e.g. “Second Variety” (movie title: “Screamers,”) “Paycheck” (an eponymous film with Ben Affleck,) “Adjustment Team” (movie: “The Adjustment Bureau,”) and “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” (i.e. both “Total Recall” movies.) But it also includes some deep cuts and lesser known stories.
1.) Beyond Lies The Wub: The crew of a ship is divided over whether to make an intelligent alien a prisoner or dinner.
2.) The Defenders: Owing to high radiation in the wake of nuclear war, humans are living underground, leaving the war-fighting to AI machines. A group of military men make an expedition to the surface only to get a big surprise.
3.) Roog: A dog is more than the family pet they think him to be, it’s secretly a guardian against the Roog.
4.) Second Variety: The Cold War went hot and the US built AI metallic creatures to fight the Soviets. The problem arises when these intelligent machines developed their own ideas, building androids because a robot that looked human could get into the midst of humans for better killing. The Soviets – after taking heavy losses – discover from serial number placards on androids that variety 1 is a wounded soldier and variety 3 is an orphan boy, begging the question of what is the Second Variety? When Americans end up among the last survivors, the question becomes essential for them as well.
5.) Impostor: Police take a man into custody who they believe to be an android with a dead human’s consciousness loaded into it, along with a bomb that could do tremendous damage. Of course, the man thinks they’ve got it all wrong.
6.) The Preserving Machine: A scientist builds a machine to preserve music, which he believes is at risk of being lost to future generations, but ultimately he learns that life always adapts and changes in unanticipated ways.
7.) The Variable Man: In a world in which decisions are made based on statistical models, the decision to go to war is in gridlock because the odds of winning stay close to 50/50. When a man from the future with a gift for repairing devices shows up, he upsets the apple cart by making the models unstable.
8.) Paycheck: A gifted engineer gets his memory wiped as part of a deal with a huge firm so that he cannot disclose any secrets about the top-secret high-tech project he was working on. He’s irked to find out that before his memory was wiped he asked for an envelope full of odds and ends in lieu of his lucrative paycheck. However, after being picked up by police, he soon realizes that the junk in the envelope was actually a well-thought out out collection of useful items – if he can figure out how to use them.
9.) Adjustment Team: In a world in which a heavy hand has to periodically make major societal adjustments without people knowing, one man unwittingly becomes witness to these secret machinations. (Like “Paycheck,” the movie uses Dick’s concept without sharing the same character details and story details. However, I’d say “Paycheck” is closer to the story than is this one. However, it’s worth reading both because neither is exactly like the movie.)
10.) The Father-Thing: What if aliens could take over the consciousnesses of loved ones? How soon would one recognize the difference, if your father looked just like your father, but his behavior became a bit… off?
11.) Foster, You’re Dead: The “Keeping Up with the Joneses” mentality is a central theme in this story. A son wants one of the latest high-tech bomb shelters both because of Cold War anxiety, because it would be cool for a boy to have a subterranean lair, and because would be a prestige signal. The dad, however, is reluctant to get caught up in keeping up with the Joneses.
12.) Human Is: A scientist, who happens to be married to a woman who finds him cold and distant, is body-snatched while he’s away on assignment on a different world. His wife is the first to recognize her husband has been replaced, but does she want the original back?
13.) The Mold of Yancy: This story is about a soft dystopia, but instead of Huxley’s vision of people being plied with drugs and free and easy sex, these subjects are kept docile by the folksy wisdom of a beloved character who’s a complete fiction (unbeknownst to everyone.) Everybody wants their kids to grow up in the mold of the great war hero, Yancy. [Note: Even with all the AI stories, this may be the most apropos for today’s world, information used to manipulate people’s behavior without any threat of force.]
14.) If There Were No Benny Cemoli: Like “The Mold of Yancy” this story explores the question of what it means to be human by considering the fictitious person as a societal touchstone. If you can make people believe in a person who isn’t, and to change their behavior accordingly, what have you created?
15.) The Days of Perky Pat: In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, people are passionately into playing a game which revolves around a character named “Perky Pat.” In a way, she is a surrogate for who they were before war transformed the world. What will happen when they expand out to play members of a neighboring enclave who have a similar “Connie Companion” game?
16.) Oh, to be a Blobel: In a war against an alien race, a former spy was genetically altered to appear like the enemy species. After the war is over, he discovers that he can’t be stably turned back to human form. He will revert to the amorphous form of a Blobel for several hours per day, and stressors risk causing spontaneous transformation. As he will never be able to be married and have children with a human woman – who would have him – a solution is suggested whereby he will marry a former Blobel spy who turns into a human form for several hours per day.
17.) We Can Remember It for You Wholesale: A white-collar worker, Douglas Quail, who wants to go to Mars, decides to go to a memory-implant clinic that can provide him with a vivid detailed memory of a vacation to Mars. But when they try to implant said memory, it’s discovered that he isn’t who he – or the company -- thought.
18.) The Electric Ant: A man who thought he was human finds out that he’s actually an android. The identity crisis that follows causes him to contemplate suicide.
19.) A Little Something for Us Tempunauts: There’s an accident with the first American crew of time-travelers, putting them into a closed time loop (i.e. like the movie “Groundhog Day.”) The question of the meaning of life in this story revolves around the unclear question of whether the tempunauts are alive or dead.
20.) Pre-Persons: In a future dystopia, abortion isn’t only legal; the age until which it can be carried out has been extended to 12. There are forces in society who rail against the government doctrine that a soul is attained precisely on one’s twelfth birthday, but that minority is considered to be the lunatic fringe.
This is an exceptional collection of stories, offering plenty to consider about the meaning of being human. Dick takes on the questions from several angles with a level of creativity only he could. I’d highly recommend this book for readers of science fiction or those who enjoy philosophical fiction.
First, artificial intelligence (AI) seems to be on everybody’s mind of late, and several of these stories feature machine intelligence as a means to understand what makes a human in a world in which there are other intelligent entities (in a similar vein, alien intelligence is also considered.) Second, Dick also asks us to consider the reality of a fictitious character who is alive in the minds of many and who might have more impact on the world than any living being. In our current phase of the information age, in which merchants of [dis-]information are becoming adroit at manipulating information and misinformation for their own desired effect, this seems a more crucial question than ever. Finally, there remains the age-old unresolved question of whether there is some x-factor beyond biology (i.e. a soul) that separates humanity from other forms of intelligence. While this is an old question, the fact that most people still believe there is a “soul” (by whatever name it’s called), even if most scientifically-minded people don’t see any reason to think so, means that it will continue to be a question with potential societal ramifications.
A sub-theme across these stories is the Cold War undercurrent of anxiety that the world could be turned into a dystopian wasteland at any moment. (In most of the stories, it already has been.) Again, if one can look past the references to the Soviet Union being cast as foe in many of the stories, one will find that the stories and the emotional zeitgeist aren’t as faded as they might at first seem.
The stories include some that movie-goers unfamiliar with Dick’s writing will know from Hollywood cinema (e.g. “Second Variety” (movie title: “Screamers,”) “Paycheck” (an eponymous film with Ben Affleck,) “Adjustment Team” (movie: “The Adjustment Bureau,”) and “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” (i.e. both “Total Recall” movies.) But it also includes some deep cuts and lesser known stories.
1.) Beyond Lies The Wub: The crew of a ship is divided over whether to make an intelligent alien a prisoner or dinner.
2.) The Defenders: Owing to high radiation in the wake of nuclear war, humans are living underground, leaving the war-fighting to AI machines. A group of military men make an expedition to the surface only to get a big surprise.
3.) Roog: A dog is more than the family pet they think him to be, it’s secretly a guardian against the Roog.
4.) Second Variety: The Cold War went hot and the US built AI metallic creatures to fight the Soviets. The problem arises when these intelligent machines developed their own ideas, building androids because a robot that looked human could get into the midst of humans for better killing. The Soviets – after taking heavy losses – discover from serial number placards on androids that variety 1 is a wounded soldier and variety 3 is an orphan boy, begging the question of what is the Second Variety? When Americans end up among the last survivors, the question becomes essential for them as well.
5.) Impostor: Police take a man into custody who they believe to be an android with a dead human’s consciousness loaded into it, along with a bomb that could do tremendous damage. Of course, the man thinks they’ve got it all wrong.
6.) The Preserving Machine: A scientist builds a machine to preserve music, which he believes is at risk of being lost to future generations, but ultimately he learns that life always adapts and changes in unanticipated ways.
7.) The Variable Man: In a world in which decisions are made based on statistical models, the decision to go to war is in gridlock because the odds of winning stay close to 50/50. When a man from the future with a gift for repairing devices shows up, he upsets the apple cart by making the models unstable.
8.) Paycheck: A gifted engineer gets his memory wiped as part of a deal with a huge firm so that he cannot disclose any secrets about the top-secret high-tech project he was working on. He’s irked to find out that before his memory was wiped he asked for an envelope full of odds and ends in lieu of his lucrative paycheck. However, after being picked up by police, he soon realizes that the junk in the envelope was actually a well-thought out out collection of useful items – if he can figure out how to use them.
9.) Adjustment Team: In a world in which a heavy hand has to periodically make major societal adjustments without people knowing, one man unwittingly becomes witness to these secret machinations. (Like “Paycheck,” the movie uses Dick’s concept without sharing the same character details and story details. However, I’d say “Paycheck” is closer to the story than is this one. However, it’s worth reading both because neither is exactly like the movie.)
10.) The Father-Thing: What if aliens could take over the consciousnesses of loved ones? How soon would one recognize the difference, if your father looked just like your father, but his behavior became a bit… off?
11.) Foster, You’re Dead: The “Keeping Up with the Joneses” mentality is a central theme in this story. A son wants one of the latest high-tech bomb shelters both because of Cold War anxiety, because it would be cool for a boy to have a subterranean lair, and because would be a prestige signal. The dad, however, is reluctant to get caught up in keeping up with the Joneses.
12.) Human Is: A scientist, who happens to be married to a woman who finds him cold and distant, is body-snatched while he’s away on assignment on a different world. His wife is the first to recognize her husband has been replaced, but does she want the original back?
13.) The Mold of Yancy: This story is about a soft dystopia, but instead of Huxley’s vision of people being plied with drugs and free and easy sex, these subjects are kept docile by the folksy wisdom of a beloved character who’s a complete fiction (unbeknownst to everyone.) Everybody wants their kids to grow up in the mold of the great war hero, Yancy. [Note: Even with all the AI stories, this may be the most apropos for today’s world, information used to manipulate people’s behavior without any threat of force.]
14.) If There Were No Benny Cemoli: Like “The Mold of Yancy” this story explores the question of what it means to be human by considering the fictitious person as a societal touchstone. If you can make people believe in a person who isn’t, and to change their behavior accordingly, what have you created?
15.) The Days of Perky Pat: In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, people are passionately into playing a game which revolves around a character named “Perky Pat.” In a way, she is a surrogate for who they were before war transformed the world. What will happen when they expand out to play members of a neighboring enclave who have a similar “Connie Companion” game?
16.) Oh, to be a Blobel: In a war against an alien race, a former spy was genetically altered to appear like the enemy species. After the war is over, he discovers that he can’t be stably turned back to human form. He will revert to the amorphous form of a Blobel for several hours per day, and stressors risk causing spontaneous transformation. As he will never be able to be married and have children with a human woman – who would have him – a solution is suggested whereby he will marry a former Blobel spy who turns into a human form for several hours per day.
17.) We Can Remember It for You Wholesale: A white-collar worker, Douglas Quail, who wants to go to Mars, decides to go to a memory-implant clinic that can provide him with a vivid detailed memory of a vacation to Mars. But when they try to implant said memory, it’s discovered that he isn’t who he – or the company -- thought.
18.) The Electric Ant: A man who thought he was human finds out that he’s actually an android. The identity crisis that follows causes him to contemplate suicide.
19.) A Little Something for Us Tempunauts: There’s an accident with the first American crew of time-travelers, putting them into a closed time loop (i.e. like the movie “Groundhog Day.”) The question of the meaning of life in this story revolves around the unclear question of whether the tempunauts are alive or dead.
20.) Pre-Persons: In a future dystopia, abortion isn’t only legal; the age until which it can be carried out has been extended to 12. There are forces in society who rail against the government doctrine that a soul is attained precisely on one’s twelfth birthday, but that minority is considered to be the lunatic fringe.
This is an exceptional collection of stories, offering plenty to consider about the meaning of being human. Dick takes on the questions from several angles with a level of creativity only he could. I’d highly recommend this book for readers of science fiction or those who enjoy philosophical fiction.
June 3, 2025
Dick es un maestro de la ciencia-ficción, velando profundos temas existenciales en relatos que no dejan de hacerte sentir devastado, aunque con buenos toques de humor
La inteligencia del humor de relatos como "Algunas Peculiaridades de los Ojos"; el cuestionamiento existencial de "Humano Es" (adaptado en la serie Electric Dreams); las paradojas espacio-temporales de "Autor, Autor", el futuro de la crianza y el rol de los robot en esta en "Progenie"; La realidad y albedrio (y raíces conspiranoicas) en "Equipo de Ajustes"; Invasiones y juegos mentales en "El Ahorcado" (también adaptada, pero más libremente en Electric Dreams, con un tinte más expresamente político), Viajes en el tiempo en "Desayuno en el Crepúsculo" y por último, el desastre de la guerra, el peligro de las maquinas (robots) autoreplicantes y la posible autoconsciencia de ellos en "La Segunda Variedad"
RELECTURA 2025: Oye que la pase mal, no recordaba que fuera una lectura tan tan pesimista, tan conspiranoica, siempre ocultando algo, siempre enemigos por aquí y por allá, pero sigue siendo una gran lectura
La inteligencia del humor de relatos como "Algunas Peculiaridades de los Ojos"; el cuestionamiento existencial de "Humano Es" (adaptado en la serie Electric Dreams); las paradojas espacio-temporales de "Autor, Autor", el futuro de la crianza y el rol de los robot en esta en "Progenie"; La realidad y albedrio (y raíces conspiranoicas) en "Equipo de Ajustes"; Invasiones y juegos mentales en "El Ahorcado" (también adaptada, pero más libremente en Electric Dreams, con un tinte más expresamente político), Viajes en el tiempo en "Desayuno en el Crepúsculo" y por último, el desastre de la guerra, el peligro de las maquinas (robots) autoreplicantes y la posible autoconsciencia de ellos en "La Segunda Variedad"
RELECTURA 2025: Oye que la pase mal, no recordaba que fuera una lectura tan tan pesimista, tan conspiranoica, siempre ocultando algo, siempre enemigos por aquí y por allá, pero sigue siendo una gran lectura
August 8, 2020
The phylosofical question here is absolutely shocking. What if a synthetic version of ourselves would be a better one. The best version of ourselves. Would it be good to switch? Would it be that it could be human?
May 26, 2021
Some interesting ideas throughout, and an enjoyable, though slightly predictable read. The five stars are based on the eponymous story "Human Is", which is the most romantic story I've ever read.
February 2, 2024
"Human Is" by Philip K. Dick is a captivating exploration of the complexities of human relationships and the profound need for love. In this poignant short story, Dick weaves a cautionary tale that resonates with the universal theme of not fully appreciating what one has until it's lost. The narrative skillfully delves into the human tendency to seek out perceived needs, even if misguided, rather than embracing the genuine connections that already exist.
The story's thematic richness is complemented by Dick's distinctive style and setting, which are quintessentially his own. The author's unique narrative voice and the atmospheric backdrop create a compelling ambiance that immerses readers in a world where the line between humanity and artificiality is blurred. "Human Is" serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of recognizing and cherishing the authentic bonds that make us human, even in the face of the allure of the unknown.
The story's thematic richness is complemented by Dick's distinctive style and setting, which are quintessentially his own. The author's unique narrative voice and the atmospheric backdrop create a compelling ambiance that immerses readers in a world where the line between humanity and artificiality is blurred. "Human Is" serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of recognizing and cherishing the authentic bonds that make us human, even in the face of the allure of the unknown.
November 22, 2019
Couldn't get myself to finish this compilation of short stories.
Short stories - especially in SF - are generally all about the unexpected, surprise conclusion which makes you rethink some important philosophical question. Hey - even the title of this books very blatantly suggest just that.
The problem is, however, that all of the stories I managed to get through were as transparent as I have ever seen - conclusion was already obvious after first few pages, even if our protagonists were happily ignoring all the clues.
Perhaps conclusions were more shocking at the time of writing - but they definitely didn't survive the challenge of time...
Short stories - especially in SF - are generally all about the unexpected, surprise conclusion which makes you rethink some important philosophical question. Hey - even the title of this books very blatantly suggest just that.
The problem is, however, that all of the stories I managed to get through were as transparent as I have ever seen - conclusion was already obvious after first few pages, even if our protagonists were happily ignoring all the clues.
Perhaps conclusions were more shocking at the time of writing - but they definitely didn't survive the challenge of time...
October 6, 2022
For a series of short stories that have a somewhat common theme, this was not a bad read in that you can read one a day (otherwise they tend to feel a bit repetitive). In some ways, I found them a bit weird and dated since you can feel the influence of the the time (50s and 60s) but the themes are relevant even now if you can get past the thinly veiled Cold War sentiments.
Within this collection are “The Adjustment Bureau” and “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” which have been adapted for the big screen [The Adjustment Bureau, 2011 & Total Recall, 1990 and 2012) and are well worth the read.
Within this collection are “The Adjustment Bureau” and “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” which have been adapted for the big screen [The Adjustment Bureau, 2011 & Total Recall, 1990 and 2012) and are well worth the read.
June 7, 2020
Wellllll,It took me long time to find this book's name . I remember reading it when I was preparing for my SAT exam (English isn't my mother language so I wasn't good at it and read this book to write a summary afterword) . I loved it and it was my first time to read a novel ever . and I started to like Sci-fi romance books since that time 💕 I don't remember much about it but I will give it 5 since it's my first book/novel I've read .
December 27, 2020
Sono arrivata a questo racconto grazie alla serie tv basata sui racconti di Dick, Electric dreams, mi era piaciuto particolarmente questo racconto e devo dire che anche se l'ambientazione è molto diversa mi è piaciuto. La brevità è un vantaggio, mi ero così abituata a leggere libri lunghi che leggere un racconto è stato un sollievo, e il bello di leggere un racconto di questo tipo è che ha molta più qualità di wattpad. Mi sento di consigliare questo racconto è davvero molto carino, leggetelo!
March 14, 2025
Short but sweet turn, can't help but agreeing with the wife's decision by the end. This was adapted into an episode of Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams on Amazon, which I'm watching as I'm writing this, it's taking some strange liberties with the story. But the original is good enough as is.
My rating: 4.5/5 (rounded up)
Would I own/re-read?: Probably!
TW: Possession, Alien Racism (in that way it's surprisingly fitting to today)
Does the animal die?: No animals are harmed.
My rating: 4.5/5 (rounded up)
Would I own/re-read?: Probably!
TW: Possession, Alien Racism (in that way it's surprisingly fitting to today)
Does the animal die?: No animals are harmed.
December 31, 2022
El último cuento me tuvo tensa y metida en la trama como si fuera una película. Filosofía y ciencia ficción que siempre nos hace preguntarnos nuestra relación con la tecnología. Es como un black mirror pero pensado por alguien que vivió en los años 50 y lo escribió en esa decáda por lo que hace muy interesante.
November 13, 2023
You can see why so many of these short stories ended up as the basis for films. Neat premises, well realised (aside from the last polemic against abortion which was by turns nonsensical and heavy handed), and just the sort of high concept stuff the media love.
Many variations on the themes of: What is self? What is reality? Are you the sum of your memories? etc.
Well worth reading.
Many variations on the themes of: What is self? What is reality? Are you the sum of your memories? etc.
Well worth reading.
January 4, 2019
Which do you prefer? We take on our first episode of the acclaimed series Electric Dreams. Plus: Angsty Dick Theories. Alien parasite adultery. And a possible stunt ass.
https://soundcloud.com/dickheadspodca...
https://soundcloud.com/dickheadspodca...
September 25, 2023
Acercamiento a los primeros escritos de Philip K. Dick, uno de mis autores favoritos.
Cuentos rememorables de la colección:
-Autor, autor
-Progenie
-El ahorcado
-Desayuno en el crepúsculo
-La segunda Variedad
Cuentos rememorables de la colección:
-Autor, autor
-Progenie
-El ahorcado
-Desayuno en el crepúsculo
-La segunda Variedad
June 8, 2024
Una colección de cuentos que en su época pudo ser un boom por las ideas innovadoras en su tiempo.
Pero que a mi parecer, después de todos los libros y todos los años que han pasado desde su publicación, deja mucho que desear.
Mi cuento favorito fue Autor, autor
Pero que a mi parecer, después de todos los libros y todos los años que han pasado desde su publicación, deja mucho que desear.
Mi cuento favorito fue Autor, autor
April 4, 2018
All you need is love!
August 19, 2018
“Human Is”: Peculiar short story. A reversal of 'The Father-Thing'. ***
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