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The Best of Philip K. Dick
Thirteen short stories by the legendary author of The Man in the High Castle and other science fiction classics.
Philip K. Dick didn’t predict the future―he summoned the desperate bleakness of our present directly from his fevered paranoia. Dick didn’t predict the Internet or iPhones or email or 3D printers, but rather he so thoroughly understood human nature that he could already see, even at the advent of the transistor, the way technology would alienate us from each other and from ourselves. He could see us isolated and drifting in our own private realities even before we had plugged in our ear buds. He could see, even in the earliest days of space exploration, how much of our own existence remained unexplored, and how the great black spaces between people were growing even as our universe was shrinking.
Philip K. Dick spent his first three years as a science fiction author writing shorter fiction, and in his lifetime he composed almost 150 short stories, many of which have gone on to be adapted into (slightly watered down) Hollywood blockbusters. Collected here are thirteen of his most Dickian tales, funhouse realities with trap doors and hidden compartments.
Philip K. Dick didn’t predict the future―he summoned the desperate bleakness of our present directly from his fevered paranoia. Dick didn’t predict the Internet or iPhones or email or 3D printers, but rather he so thoroughly understood human nature that he could already see, even at the advent of the transistor, the way technology would alienate us from each other and from ourselves. He could see us isolated and drifting in our own private realities even before we had plugged in our ear buds. He could see, even in the earliest days of space exploration, how much of our own existence remained unexplored, and how the great black spaces between people were growing even as our universe was shrinking.
Philip K. Dick spent his first three years as a science fiction author writing shorter fiction, and in his lifetime he composed almost 150 short stories, many of which have gone on to be adapted into (slightly watered down) Hollywood blockbusters. Collected here are thirteen of his most Dickian tales, funhouse realities with trap doors and hidden compartments.
229 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1977
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1087 people want to read
About the author
Philip K. Dick
2,006 books22.4k followersPhilip Kindred Dick was a prolific American science fiction author whose work has had a lasting impact on literature, cinema, and popular culture. Known for his imaginative narratives and profound philosophical themes, Dick explored the nature of reality, the boundaries of human identity, and the impact of technology and authoritarianism on society. His stories often blurred the line between the real and the artificial, challenging readers to question their perceptions and beliefs.
Raised in California, Dick began writing professionally in the early 1950s, publishing short stories in various science fiction magazines. He quickly developed a distinctive voice within the genre, marked by a fusion of science fiction concepts with deep existential and psychological inquiry. Over his career, he authored 44 novels and more than 100 short stories, many of which have become classics in the field.
Recurring themes in Dick's work include alternate realities, simulations, corporate and government control, mental illness, and the nature of consciousness. His protagonists are frequently everyday individuals—often paranoid, uncertain, or troubled—caught in surreal and often dangerous circumstances that force them to question their environment and themselves. Works such as Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly reflect his fascination with perception and altered states of consciousness, often drawing from his own experiences with mental health struggles and drug use.
One of Dick’s most influential novels is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Ridley Scott’s iconic film Blade Runner. The novel deals with the distinction between humans and artificial beings and asks profound questions about empathy, identity, and what it means to be alive. Other adaptations of his work include Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle, each reflecting key elements of his storytelling—uncertain realities, oppressive systems, and the search for truth. These adaptations have introduced his complex ideas to audiences well beyond the traditional readership of science fiction.
In the 1970s, Dick underwent a series of visionary and mystical experiences that had a significant influence on his later writings. He described receiving profound knowledge from an external, possibly divine, source and documented these events extensively in what became known as The Exegesis, a massive and often fragmented journal. These experiences inspired his later novels, most notably the VALIS trilogy, which mixes autobiography, theology, and metaphysics in a narrative that defies conventional structure and genre boundaries.
Throughout his life, Dick faced financial instability, health issues, and periods of personal turmoil, yet he remained a dedicated and relentless writer. Despite limited commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation grew steadily, and he came to be regarded as one of the most original voices in speculative fiction. His work has been celebrated for its ability to fuse philosophical depth with gripping storytelling and has influenced not only science fiction writers but also philosophers, filmmakers, and futurists.
Dick’s legacy continues to thrive in both literary and cinematic spheres. The themes he explored remain urgently relevant in the modern world, particularly as technology increasingly intersects with human identity and governance. The Philip K. Dick Award, named in his honor, is presented annually to distinguished works of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. His writings have also inspired television series, academic studies, and countless homages across media.
Through his vivid imagination and unflinching inquiry into the nature of existence, Philip K. Dick redefined what science fiction could achieve. His work continues to challenge and inspire, offering timeless insights into the human condition a
Raised in California, Dick began writing professionally in the early 1950s, publishing short stories in various science fiction magazines. He quickly developed a distinctive voice within the genre, marked by a fusion of science fiction concepts with deep existential and psychological inquiry. Over his career, he authored 44 novels and more than 100 short stories, many of which have become classics in the field.
Recurring themes in Dick's work include alternate realities, simulations, corporate and government control, mental illness, and the nature of consciousness. His protagonists are frequently everyday individuals—often paranoid, uncertain, or troubled—caught in surreal and often dangerous circumstances that force them to question their environment and themselves. Works such as Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly reflect his fascination with perception and altered states of consciousness, often drawing from his own experiences with mental health struggles and drug use.
One of Dick’s most influential novels is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Ridley Scott’s iconic film Blade Runner. The novel deals with the distinction between humans and artificial beings and asks profound questions about empathy, identity, and what it means to be alive. Other adaptations of his work include Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle, each reflecting key elements of his storytelling—uncertain realities, oppressive systems, and the search for truth. These adaptations have introduced his complex ideas to audiences well beyond the traditional readership of science fiction.
In the 1970s, Dick underwent a series of visionary and mystical experiences that had a significant influence on his later writings. He described receiving profound knowledge from an external, possibly divine, source and documented these events extensively in what became known as The Exegesis, a massive and often fragmented journal. These experiences inspired his later novels, most notably the VALIS trilogy, which mixes autobiography, theology, and metaphysics in a narrative that defies conventional structure and genre boundaries.
Throughout his life, Dick faced financial instability, health issues, and periods of personal turmoil, yet he remained a dedicated and relentless writer. Despite limited commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation grew steadily, and he came to be regarded as one of the most original voices in speculative fiction. His work has been celebrated for its ability to fuse philosophical depth with gripping storytelling and has influenced not only science fiction writers but also philosophers, filmmakers, and futurists.
Dick’s legacy continues to thrive in both literary and cinematic spheres. The themes he explored remain urgently relevant in the modern world, particularly as technology increasingly intersects with human identity and governance. The Philip K. Dick Award, named in his honor, is presented annually to distinguished works of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. His writings have also inspired television series, academic studies, and countless homages across media.
Through his vivid imagination and unflinching inquiry into the nature of existence, Philip K. Dick redefined what science fiction could achieve. His work continues to challenge and inspire, offering timeless insights into the human condition a
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
January 2, 2019
If I had to choose just one fiction writer to read for the rest of my life, it would probably be PKD. His work rarely fails to fill me with awe, and fear, even if he has put out a few clunkers over the years (understandable considering his need to crank out novels at a rapid clip in order to support himself). That said, I've always gravitated more toward his novels as opposed to his shorts. When I enter Dick's world, I want to fully immerse myself in the weirdness.
Whereas many readers feel he peaked in the early to mid-60s, I think that's when he just started to hit his groove, and became a much more polished writer as time went on, with more fully-realized characters and worlds. Which is why I'm always a bit disappointed when I pick up a random PKD collection only to find that most or all of the stories are from the mid 50s. It only makes sense, since the majority of his short work was produced in the 50s, but too many of the tales seem little more than an average Twilight Zone episode. I love that show, but after experiencing total mind-benders like A Scanner Darkly, Three Stigmata, Valis, etc. it became harder for me to get into early Dick.
But now that several years have gone by since I've read any of his "major" novels, these early tales worked a lot better for me. My favorite of the 1950s pieces collected here is "The Father Thing" (1954) which is as effective a horror story as I've ever read, and just as chilling now as when I first read it over 20 years ago, about a boy who suspects his father may have been replaced by an alien impostor, so he recruits his friends to help reveal the truth.
There are three later-period PKD stories here, and they're probably my favorites, along with "The Father Thing." "The Faith of Our Fathers," first published in 1967 in Harlan Ellison's seminal Dangerous Visions anthology, details a future communist world where the population is kept under control by mind-altering drugs, but when the main character discovers an anti-drug that counteracts the effects, he finds that the world isn't what he thought it was. Sort of like They Live, but without the sunglasses, bubblegum, and ass-kicking.
The best story, imo, is "The Electric Ant" (1969), where a top-level executive named Garson Poole discovers one day that he's an organic robot, whose reality is being fed to him from a tape reel inside his chest. What happens to him, and the world, once he starts altering the tape is for you to discover, so I dare not say more, other than it's a masterpiece of head-fuckery.
Very nearly as good is "A Little Something for us Tempunauts" (1974), which I first read in the massive 1987 horror antho, The Dark Descent, edited by David G. Hartwell. It concerns a future US where time travel is run similarly to the space program of the 60s, and when a group of "tempunauts" accidentally get sent only a few days into the future instead of a century, they learn from the news that something causes their return journey to be fatal. I usually steer clear of time-travel stories, as they either: A. Make my brain hurt due to time loops and whatnot, or B. Infuriate me due to the laws of cause and effect being ignored if the story demands it. This one caused a little of "A," but overall was an excellent bit of wibbly wobbly timey-wimey....stuff.
This collection may be the best single-volume representation of PKD's short work, at least as far as vintage paperbacks go. The more recent Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick (2002) is very similar, though it's inexplicably missing "The Father Thing," but does have "The Minority Report" (1956), "We Can Remember it For You Wholesale" (1966, basis for Total Recall), and excellent later period stories like "The Exit Door Lead In" (1979), and "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon" (1980) to more than make up for it.
4.5 Stars.
BTW, every time I look at that cover on my shelf I always think it's an action figure at first. It looks just like an unopened GI JOE-type figure from the 80s.
Whereas many readers feel he peaked in the early to mid-60s, I think that's when he just started to hit his groove, and became a much more polished writer as time went on, with more fully-realized characters and worlds. Which is why I'm always a bit disappointed when I pick up a random PKD collection only to find that most or all of the stories are from the mid 50s. It only makes sense, since the majority of his short work was produced in the 50s, but too many of the tales seem little more than an average Twilight Zone episode. I love that show, but after experiencing total mind-benders like A Scanner Darkly, Three Stigmata, Valis, etc. it became harder for me to get into early Dick.
But now that several years have gone by since I've read any of his "major" novels, these early tales worked a lot better for me. My favorite of the 1950s pieces collected here is "The Father Thing" (1954) which is as effective a horror story as I've ever read, and just as chilling now as when I first read it over 20 years ago, about a boy who suspects his father may have been replaced by an alien impostor, so he recruits his friends to help reveal the truth.
There are three later-period PKD stories here, and they're probably my favorites, along with "The Father Thing." "The Faith of Our Fathers," first published in 1967 in Harlan Ellison's seminal Dangerous Visions anthology, details a future communist world where the population is kept under control by mind-altering drugs, but when the main character discovers an anti-drug that counteracts the effects, he finds that the world isn't what he thought it was. Sort of like They Live, but without the sunglasses, bubblegum, and ass-kicking.
The best story, imo, is "The Electric Ant" (1969), where a top-level executive named Garson Poole discovers one day that he's an organic robot, whose reality is being fed to him from a tape reel inside his chest. What happens to him, and the world, once he starts altering the tape is for you to discover, so I dare not say more, other than it's a masterpiece of head-fuckery.
Very nearly as good is "A Little Something for us Tempunauts" (1974), which I first read in the massive 1987 horror antho, The Dark Descent, edited by David G. Hartwell. It concerns a future US where time travel is run similarly to the space program of the 60s, and when a group of "tempunauts" accidentally get sent only a few days into the future instead of a century, they learn from the news that something causes their return journey to be fatal. I usually steer clear of time-travel stories, as they either: A. Make my brain hurt due to time loops and whatnot, or B. Infuriate me due to the laws of cause and effect being ignored if the story demands it. This one caused a little of "A," but overall was an excellent bit of wibbly wobbly timey-wimey....stuff.
This collection may be the best single-volume representation of PKD's short work, at least as far as vintage paperbacks go. The more recent Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick (2002) is very similar, though it's inexplicably missing "The Father Thing," but does have "The Minority Report" (1956), "We Can Remember it For You Wholesale" (1966, basis for Total Recall), and excellent later period stories like "The Exit Door Lead In" (1979), and "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon" (1980) to more than make up for it.
4.5 Stars.
BTW, every time I look at that cover on my shelf I always think it's an action figure at first. It looks just like an unopened GI JOE-type figure from the 80s.
Currently reading
December 30, 2020Very early on in my quest to read and review all the PKD shorts that got turned into Electric Dreams episodes I came across a quite predictable roadblock. Starting with the third story already there’s just no Goodreads entry.
Since I read a few of them as part of this anthology I figured I just update this review as I go.
So, reading this out of order:
Foster, du bist tot (OT: Foster, you're dead) (1955 / pp. 131 - 158 / read on Apr 26, 2019)
This 1955 PKD short tells the story of Bob Foster who refuses to buy a bomb shelter or financially contribute to the government‘s nuclear war preparations, because he doesn’t believe in the imminent threat of war. He suspects the government and the companies to create an atmosphere of fear to sell products and keep the economy afloat.
His stance makes his son Mike an outsider, though. He’s not allowed to use the school’s bomb shelter in case of emergency and he gets lampooned by the other kids, because his dad is not in line with social conventions.
Peer-pressure is also getting to Bob’s wife, since the whole neighborhood owns bomb shelters and the Fosters don’t.
Ultimately Bob has to give in, because he wants his family to feel safe.
By buying the newest model he now puts pressure onto his neighbors to upgrade. But it won’t be enough for any of them. Because subsequently new weapons are developed and sold, which in turn creates the need for another upgrade of the bomb shelters. When does it ever stop?
And so it goes.
Unfortunately, the story was a little too straightforward, its messages too much on the nose for me to really get much enjoyment out of it.
It had me thinking, though, about uncontrolled consumerism vs. the need for technological advancements. But without ever challenging me as a reader while I was actually reading it.
So, even though this was devoid of surprises and ultimately felt somewhat flat in its execution, I still got something out of it and it wasn’t like reading it was painful or something. No, it was fairly easy, in fact. That’s a 2.5 for me.
The Electric Dreams episode „Safe and Sound“ takes the basic premise of Dick’s story - a company that creates the need for its own products by way of creating a fearful environment for the consumers - and modernizes the ingredients. Instead of bomb shelters we get a high tech bracelet that functions as a kind of personal assistant, but is mainly a monitoring technology to ensure the safety of the collective. Cold War anxiety is replaced by fear of terrorism.
The showmakers add another layer to the story with the question of security vs. privacy, which PKD could have explored with his short story, but for some reason didn’t. Even though the surveillance state has always been one of his favorite themes.
The TV episode tells its story in a more nuanced way and with an actual line of suspense, which the source material completely lacked. It looks great, is enthralling and has a likable main actor in Annalise Basso. It also gets to the topic of privacy in a technologically advanced world, at a time when we are already surrounded by convenient products that happen to be pretty convenient for spying on us, too.
Great fun and more than a little scary. My favorite episode so far.
The PKD short story: 2.5/5
The Electric Dreams episode: 9/10
Das Vater-Ding (OT: The Father-Thing) (1954 / pp. 159 – 174 / read on Oct 11, 2019)
Reasonably entertaining short story about an alien life form taking over the body of 8-year-old Charlie's father.
Charlie's mother does not believe him when he tells her about it and so he recruits a couple of boys from the neighborhood, and together they try to bring the father-thing down.
I fail to see the deeper meaning that the book description here on Goodreads is trying to make out. It is a pretty short, relatively simple and slightly creepy story. It was entertaining enough, but really nothing remarkable.
The Electric Dreams episode very much stays true to the source material. But it adds one pretty important thing by establishing a good father/son relationship before the transformation happens.
The addition of music and also of some more possessed people further enhances the experience.
Once again I liked the tv episode better. But neither one ranks amongst my favorites.
The PKD short story: 2.5/5
The Electric Dreams episode: 6/10
Autofac (1955 / pp. 201 – 235 / read on Feb 15, 2019)
The 1955 Philip K. Dick short story which the Electric Dreams episode Autofac, starring Juno Temple, was based upon.
In a post-apocalyptic world automated factories have taken over production of all goods, which they deliver automatically to the surviving humans.
The survivors want to take over production themselves again, as they get delivered goods they don’t deem necessary and also resources are running low as the factories just keep producing and producing and producing.
They try to get in contact with the autofac by filing a complaint about a delivery of milk. The autofac delivery bot wants them to fill out a form. But instead of choosing one of the default answers they tell it the milk had been pizzled. Which puzzles the autofac bot.
The autofac sends a unit to discuss the matter of the pizzled milk. And the humans try to convince it that autofacs aren‘t necessary anymore and they can produce all goods themselves. But the autofac bot outsmarts them and so they proceed with more drastic measures to stop the automated production.
This story can be read as a parable on consumerism and unnecessary, if not to say outright stupid, bureaucracy. Though PKD leaves it mostly to the reader to decide what’s the actual point of the story.
Unfortunately the characters are very flat, there isn‘t much atmosphere and the autofac units seem a little dated by now. Though one has to consider this was written 64 years ago.
I have to say I didn’t enjoy this story much and think the, unsurprisingly, more modern Electric Dreams episode works a lot better. The two stories differ in many aspects, but especially in how they end. I loved the twist at the end of the TV episode, while I think the ending of the short story wasn’t bad.
Overall, in my opinion, not one of his better works.
The PKD short story: 1.5/5
The Electric Dreams episode: 7/10
Was menschlich ist (OT: Human is) (1955 / pp. 236 – 252 / read on Feb 15, 2019)
A simple but fun story.
Jill Hendricks is married to a toxicologist. He's developing toxic substances for the military. And he's a total douchebag. He's treating his wife very badly. And, honestly, everyone else as well. He's clearly written to be hated by the reader immediately. And Dick succeeds in that.
One day Mr. Douche has to go on a business related trip to the planet Rexnor IV and he returns a changed man.
What happened on Rexor IV? Not only Jill wants to know, but authorities as well.
I can't say much more for spoilery reasons. But the outcome was fun. It was also very predictable. Like the whole story, really. Which is the main reason I can't give it a 4 star rating, even though I really enjoyed it.
The Electric Dreams episode for once isn't too different from the source material. But they changed the ending and a few details here and there. Unfortunately one of those details turned out to be crucial for the motivation of one of the main characters. And in my opinion this underminded the whole story. It just didn’t make much sense in the end.
Very unfortunate, because both leads (Essie Davis and Bryan Cranston) were great and the episode was entertaining until I realised they wouldn’t resolve the problems they created for themselves by changing parts of the original story.
The PKD short story: 3.5/5
The Electric Dreams episode: 5/10
Other stories read (not part of this anthology):
Exhibit Piece (1954 / Electric Dreams episode: Real Life)
Sales Pitch (1954 / Electric Dreams episode: Crazy Diamond)
The Hood Maker (1955 / Electric Dreams episode: The Hood Maker)
The Impossible Planet (1953 / Electric Dreams episode: Impossible Planet)
Since I read a few of them as part of this anthology I figured I just update this review as I go.
So, reading this out of order:
Foster, du bist tot (OT: Foster, you're dead) (1955 / pp. 131 - 158 / read on Apr 26, 2019)
This 1955 PKD short tells the story of Bob Foster who refuses to buy a bomb shelter or financially contribute to the government‘s nuclear war preparations, because he doesn’t believe in the imminent threat of war. He suspects the government and the companies to create an atmosphere of fear to sell products and keep the economy afloat.
His stance makes his son Mike an outsider, though. He’s not allowed to use the school’s bomb shelter in case of emergency and he gets lampooned by the other kids, because his dad is not in line with social conventions.
Peer-pressure is also getting to Bob’s wife, since the whole neighborhood owns bomb shelters and the Fosters don’t.
Ultimately Bob has to give in, because he wants his family to feel safe.
“You know, this game has one real advantage over selling people cars and TV sets. With something like this we have to buy. It isn’t a luxury, something big and flashy to impress the neighbours, something we could do without. If we don’t buy this we die. They always said the way to sell something was create anxiety in people. Create a sense of insecurity – tell them they smell bad or look funny. But this makes a joke out of deodorant and hair oil. You can’t escape this. If you don’t buy, they’ll kill you. The perfect sales-pitch. Buy or die – new slogan.“
By buying the newest model he now puts pressure onto his neighbors to upgrade. But it won’t be enough for any of them. Because subsequently new weapons are developed and sold, which in turn creates the need for another upgrade of the bomb shelters. When does it ever stop?
“They're always improving weapons, Bob. Last week it was those grain-impregnation flakes. This week it's bore-pellets. You don't expect them to stop the wheels of progress because you finally broke down and bought a shelter, do you?”
And so it goes.
Unfortunately, the story was a little too straightforward, its messages too much on the nose for me to really get much enjoyment out of it.
It had me thinking, though, about uncontrolled consumerism vs. the need for technological advancements. But without ever challenging me as a reader while I was actually reading it.
So, even though this was devoid of surprises and ultimately felt somewhat flat in its execution, I still got something out of it and it wasn’t like reading it was painful or something. No, it was fairly easy, in fact. That’s a 2.5 for me.
The Electric Dreams episode „Safe and Sound“ takes the basic premise of Dick’s story - a company that creates the need for its own products by way of creating a fearful environment for the consumers - and modernizes the ingredients. Instead of bomb shelters we get a high tech bracelet that functions as a kind of personal assistant, but is mainly a monitoring technology to ensure the safety of the collective. Cold War anxiety is replaced by fear of terrorism.
The showmakers add another layer to the story with the question of security vs. privacy, which PKD could have explored with his short story, but for some reason didn’t. Even though the surveillance state has always been one of his favorite themes.
The TV episode tells its story in a more nuanced way and with an actual line of suspense, which the source material completely lacked. It looks great, is enthralling and has a likable main actor in Annalise Basso. It also gets to the topic of privacy in a technologically advanced world, at a time when we are already surrounded by convenient products that happen to be pretty convenient for spying on us, too.
Great fun and more than a little scary. My favorite episode so far.
The PKD short story: 2.5/5
The Electric Dreams episode: 9/10
Das Vater-Ding (OT: The Father-Thing) (1954 / pp. 159 – 174 / read on Oct 11, 2019)
Reasonably entertaining short story about an alien life form taking over the body of 8-year-old Charlie's father.
Charlie's mother does not believe him when he tells her about it and so he recruits a couple of boys from the neighborhood, and together they try to bring the father-thing down.
I fail to see the deeper meaning that the book description here on Goodreads is trying to make out. It is a pretty short, relatively simple and slightly creepy story. It was entertaining enough, but really nothing remarkable.
The Electric Dreams episode very much stays true to the source material. But it adds one pretty important thing by establishing a good father/son relationship before the transformation happens.
The addition of music and also of some more possessed people further enhances the experience.
Once again I liked the tv episode better. But neither one ranks amongst my favorites.
The PKD short story: 2.5/5
The Electric Dreams episode: 6/10
Autofac (1955 / pp. 201 – 235 / read on Feb 15, 2019)
The 1955 Philip K. Dick short story which the Electric Dreams episode Autofac, starring Juno Temple, was based upon.
In a post-apocalyptic world automated factories have taken over production of all goods, which they deliver automatically to the surviving humans.
The survivors want to take over production themselves again, as they get delivered goods they don’t deem necessary and also resources are running low as the factories just keep producing and producing and producing.
They try to get in contact with the autofac by filing a complaint about a delivery of milk. The autofac delivery bot wants them to fill out a form. But instead of choosing one of the default answers they tell it the milk had been pizzled. Which puzzles the autofac bot.
The autofac sends a unit to discuss the matter of the pizzled milk. And the humans try to convince it that autofacs aren‘t necessary anymore and they can produce all goods themselves. But the autofac bot outsmarts them and so they proceed with more drastic measures to stop the automated production.
This story can be read as a parable on consumerism and unnecessary, if not to say outright stupid, bureaucracy. Though PKD leaves it mostly to the reader to decide what’s the actual point of the story.
Unfortunately the characters are very flat, there isn‘t much atmosphere and the autofac units seem a little dated by now. Though one has to consider this was written 64 years ago.
I have to say I didn’t enjoy this story much and think the, unsurprisingly, more modern Electric Dreams episode works a lot better. The two stories differ in many aspects, but especially in how they end. I loved the twist at the end of the TV episode, while I think the ending of the short story wasn’t bad.
Overall, in my opinion, not one of his better works.
The PKD short story: 1.5/5
The Electric Dreams episode: 7/10
Was menschlich ist (OT: Human is) (1955 / pp. 236 – 252 / read on Feb 15, 2019)
A simple but fun story.
Jill Hendricks is married to a toxicologist. He's developing toxic substances for the military. And he's a total douchebag. He's treating his wife very badly. And, honestly, everyone else as well. He's clearly written to be hated by the reader immediately. And Dick succeeds in that.
One day Mr. Douche has to go on a business related trip to the planet Rexnor IV and he returns a changed man.
What happened on Rexor IV? Not only Jill wants to know, but authorities as well.
I can't say much more for spoilery reasons. But the outcome was fun. It was also very predictable. Like the whole story, really. Which is the main reason I can't give it a 4 star rating, even though I really enjoyed it.
The Electric Dreams episode for once isn't too different from the source material. But they changed the ending and a few details here and there. Unfortunately one of those details turned out to be crucial for the motivation of one of the main characters. And in my opinion this underminded the whole story. It just didn’t make much sense in the end.
Very unfortunate, because both leads (Essie Davis and Bryan Cranston) were great and the episode was entertaining until I realised they wouldn’t resolve the problems they created for themselves by changing parts of the original story.
The PKD short story: 3.5/5
The Electric Dreams episode: 5/10
Other stories read (not part of this anthology):
Exhibit Piece (1954 / Electric Dreams episode: Real Life)
Sales Pitch (1954 / Electric Dreams episode: Crazy Diamond)
The Hood Maker (1955 / Electric Dreams episode: The Hood Maker)
The Impossible Planet (1953 / Electric Dreams episode: Impossible Planet)
January 20, 2025
Check out a discussion on this collection of short stories with Matt, Richard and Stephen E. Andrews (The Outlaw Bookseller) HERE.
Great collection of PKD short stories ranging from the 1950’s to the mid 1970’s. There are some really great ones in this collection, but he also has some amazing stories not included in this “Best of”, so don’t limit yourself to just this collection. You can see themes and ideas being explored in some of these stories that PDK would later expand on and write full length novels based on. Not all of these are amazing but some of my favorites are; Second Variety, Paycheck, Impostor, The Days of Perky Pat, Faith of Our Fathers and Foster, You’re Dead!.
Great collection of PKD short stories ranging from the 1950’s to the mid 1970’s. There are some really great ones in this collection, but he also has some amazing stories not included in this “Best of”, so don’t limit yourself to just this collection. You can see themes and ideas being explored in some of these stories that PDK would later expand on and write full length novels based on. Not all of these are amazing but some of my favorites are; Second Variety, Paycheck, Impostor, The Days of Perky Pat, Faith of Our Fathers and Foster, You’re Dead!.
March 24, 2013
If this was truly the "best" of Philip K. Dick, I'd hate to see the worst. The stories are the anti-war, anti-big government tales that were the staple of SF during the Cold War, but not particularly well told or inventive. Dick's heart was good, and he often resorted to the "unintended consequences" twist.
Since most of these were written fifty years ago, a word about technology is appropriate. Since Dick wrote before both the micro-circuitry and personal communication revolutions, you'd think his stories would be hopelessly out of step with later technology. It's not. Make no mistake, he talks about "relays" powering computers. But the anachronisms does not interfere with the stories.
A humorous note: one story features a 1913 Mr. Fix-It repairing--no, improving--2136 circuitry. That, of course, is unlikely. Few people today understand, let alone can repair or modify, existing circuitry. Oh, we can manipulate the software till the cows come home, but our current culture is rapidly approaching Clark's tipping point into our own technology being indistinguishable from magic--to us.
A few gems kept it out of the single star abyss.
Hardly worth the effort.
Since most of these were written fifty years ago, a word about technology is appropriate. Since Dick wrote before both the micro-circuitry and personal communication revolutions, you'd think his stories would be hopelessly out of step with later technology. It's not. Make no mistake, he talks about "relays" powering computers. But the anachronisms does not interfere with the stories.
A humorous note: one story features a 1913 Mr. Fix-It repairing--no, improving--2136 circuitry. That, of course, is unlikely. Few people today understand, let alone can repair or modify, existing circuitry. Oh, we can manipulate the software till the cows come home, but our current culture is rapidly approaching Clark's tipping point into our own technology being indistinguishable from magic--to us.
A few gems kept it out of the single star abyss.
Hardly worth the effort.
November 19, 2025
better than i expected after Do Androids Dream... sucked pretty bad.
August 23, 2025
To była ciężka przeprawa. Nie wiem czy to forma opowiadań była średnio wciągająca, czy może motyw science fiction z lat 50, ale czytało się to bardzo mozolnie.
Niektóre opowiadania były faktycznie ciekawe, ale nie powiedziałabym że jakoś bardzo odkrywcze.
Niektóre opowiadania były faktycznie ciekawe, ale nie powiedziałabym że jakoś bardzo odkrywcze.
December 25, 2017
This was an even better collection than the other PKD collection I’ve read, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale; of course, the latter collection was a fifth volume; possibly whoever put it together thought they were the fifth best of his stories (possibly the series was chronological; the only stories repeated in both books are the three final stories in this collection). They were still great, but this standalone collection really shows off Philip K. Dick’s writing chops.
John Brunner, in the introduction, writes that Dick tailored his short stories for the editor he was writing for; except for one story, this tension seems to result in great pieces of satirical and speculative science fiction.
The one exception, Foster, You’re Dead, written for Frederik Pohl and Star Science Fiction Stories, is about the commercialization of fallout shelters; more widely, it’s about the forced purchases of public goods that either should not be forced upon people or that should be handled through taxes. While in our modern age it is no longer unthinkable for the government to do all in its power to force us to purchase what the powers-that-be consider social goods whether we want them or not, his fallout shelters are better homes than the ones people live in, and he never addresses why people don’t cut costs by living in their fallout shelters; this is especially odd given how much of people’s time in the story is spent worrying about reaching their shelter in time.
This collection includes the short story Paycheck, which was made into a movie with Ben Affleck. Like many of Dick’s stories, it deals with the prosaic paradoxes of time travel. As a company developing time travel devices, you probably can’t trust your employees. Other stories deal with the untoward knowledge gained through travel; many writers have tried to deal with the problem of what happens when people try to change history through time travel. Dick addresses the emotional toll such knowledge places on those who happen across it unexpectedly in at least two of these stories, Service Call and Breakfast at Twilight.
Another issue Dick is well-known for addressing is what it means to be human. At least five stories here follow on that idea, involving robots, aliens, and those most alien of creatures, spouses and parents.
This is a great introduction to the short stories of Philip K. Dick.
John Brunner, in the introduction, writes that Dick tailored his short stories for the editor he was writing for; except for one story, this tension seems to result in great pieces of satirical and speculative science fiction.
The one exception, Foster, You’re Dead, written for Frederik Pohl and Star Science Fiction Stories, is about the commercialization of fallout shelters; more widely, it’s about the forced purchases of public goods that either should not be forced upon people or that should be handled through taxes. While in our modern age it is no longer unthinkable for the government to do all in its power to force us to purchase what the powers-that-be consider social goods whether we want them or not, his fallout shelters are better homes than the ones people live in, and he never addresses why people don’t cut costs by living in their fallout shelters; this is especially odd given how much of people’s time in the story is spent worrying about reaching their shelter in time.
This collection includes the short story Paycheck, which was made into a movie with Ben Affleck. Like many of Dick’s stories, it deals with the prosaic paradoxes of time travel. As a company developing time travel devices, you probably can’t trust your employees. Other stories deal with the untoward knowledge gained through travel; many writers have tried to deal with the problem of what happens when people try to change history through time travel. Dick addresses the emotional toll such knowledge places on those who happen across it unexpectedly in at least two of these stories, Service Call and Breakfast at Twilight.
Another issue Dick is well-known for addressing is what it means to be human. At least five stories here follow on that idea, involving robots, aliens, and those most alien of creatures, spouses and parents.
This is a great introduction to the short stories of Philip K. Dick.
Read
March 31, 2022Przyznaję, że po ten zbiór sięgnęłam głównie ze względu na to, że został wydany w ramach serii Wehikuł czasu, którą chcę przeczytać w całości - inaczej pewnie bym z niego zrezygnowała. Okazało się jednak, że te opowiadania są naprawdę dobre i ciekawe. To prawda, że nie każde podobało mi się tak samo i nie każde zapamiętam na tak samo długo, ale naprawdę bardzo miło spędziłam czas z tą książką!
Było to moje pierwsze spotkanie z twórczością tego autora i jak na pisarza uchodzącego już za kultową postać, jeśli chodzi o gatunek science fiction, to byłam bardzo pozytywnie zaskoczona tym jak lekki jest jego styl! Każde opowiadanie czytałam z prawdziwą przyjemnością, szło gładko i bez oporów, bardzo szybko! Chcę też podkreślić, że przy każdym czułam po prostu profesjonalizm. Czułam, że autor wie co robi, wszystko było przemyślane i poprowadzone w nieprzypadkowy sposób. Na szybkość czytania też na pewno składała się duża ilość dialogów, jednak nie tylko. Przede wszystkim po prostu za każdym razem poczułam się zaangażowana, niemal każde opowiada wciągało mnie bez reszty.
Opowiadania z tego zbioru są naprawdę dobrej jakości i zmieniły moje postrzeganie o opowiadaniach. Można je napisać wyśmienicie! Opowieści z tego zbioru są futurystyczne lub spod gatunku science fiction, lecz trafiły się też elementy grozy czy thrilleru. Autor wszystko konstruuje w tak przemyślany sposób, idealnie wprowadza czytelnika w swoją opowieść, przeprowadza go przez nią, a na sam koniec nie czuć, że to jakieś nieporozumienie, że historia się urywa. Po prostu wiadomo, że to koniec, nawet jeśli jest on dosyć otwarty i pozostawia miejsce na sugestie i różne przypuszczenia, to nie jest to tak, że autor porzucił pomysł. Wszystko jest tu dobrze rozwiązane.
Konstrukcja opowiadań jest bardzo poprawna, ale też perfekcyjnie zostało rozłożone napięcie i tempo. Początek każdego opowiadania budził we mnie szczere zainteresowanie, a s miarę czytania, gdy napięcie rosło, to tylko ono wzrastało.Nie mogę też odmówić emocji, bo choć przy opowiadaniach je rzadko odczuwam, tak tutaj było naprawdę dobrze pod tym względem. Cóż więcej mogę rzec, jestem bardzo pozytywnie zaskoczona tym zbiorem, nie sądziłam, że spodobają mi się aż tak.
Było to moje pierwsze spotkanie z twórczością tego autora i jak na pisarza uchodzącego już za kultową postać, jeśli chodzi o gatunek science fiction, to byłam bardzo pozytywnie zaskoczona tym jak lekki jest jego styl! Każde opowiadanie czytałam z prawdziwą przyjemnością, szło gładko i bez oporów, bardzo szybko! Chcę też podkreślić, że przy każdym czułam po prostu profesjonalizm. Czułam, że autor wie co robi, wszystko było przemyślane i poprowadzone w nieprzypadkowy sposób. Na szybkość czytania też na pewno składała się duża ilość dialogów, jednak nie tylko. Przede wszystkim po prostu za każdym razem poczułam się zaangażowana, niemal każde opowiada wciągało mnie bez reszty.
Opowiadania z tego zbioru są naprawdę dobrej jakości i zmieniły moje postrzeganie o opowiadaniach. Można je napisać wyśmienicie! Opowieści z tego zbioru są futurystyczne lub spod gatunku science fiction, lecz trafiły się też elementy grozy czy thrilleru. Autor wszystko konstruuje w tak przemyślany sposób, idealnie wprowadza czytelnika w swoją opowieść, przeprowadza go przez nią, a na sam koniec nie czuć, że to jakieś nieporozumienie, że historia się urywa. Po prostu wiadomo, że to koniec, nawet jeśli jest on dosyć otwarty i pozostawia miejsce na sugestie i różne przypuszczenia, to nie jest to tak, że autor porzucił pomysł. Wszystko jest tu dobrze rozwiązane.
Konstrukcja opowiadań jest bardzo poprawna, ale też perfekcyjnie zostało rozłożone napięcie i tempo. Początek każdego opowiadania budził we mnie szczere zainteresowanie, a s miarę czytania, gdy napięcie rosło, to tylko ono wzrastało.Nie mogę też odmówić emocji, bo choć przy opowiadaniach je rzadko odczuwam, tak tutaj było naprawdę dobrze pod tym względem. Cóż więcej mogę rzec, jestem bardzo pozytywnie zaskoczona tym zbiorem, nie sądziłam, że spodobają mi się aż tak.
July 26, 2024
Is this book truly the best of PKD? No. But it’s a solid offering.
I liked all but one story. THE EYES HAVE IT just didn’t do it for me. My favorites - THE SECOND VARIETY and THE VARIABLE MAN. The latter was a great treatise on how greedy and desperate the military industrial complex will go to get an edge. The former felt like a precursor to THE TERMINATOR.
Some of the stories were clunky in style but plot and action made up for it. Technological descriptions show how dated some of the works are, but given time it was bound to happen. And the works put together seem to show PKD’s obsession with the Cold War and Government bureaucracy.
I recommend this fun, insightful, slightly hard take on science-fiction.
I liked all but one story. THE EYES HAVE IT just didn’t do it for me. My favorites - THE SECOND VARIETY and THE VARIABLE MAN. The latter was a great treatise on how greedy and desperate the military industrial complex will go to get an edge. The former felt like a precursor to THE TERMINATOR.
Some of the stories were clunky in style but plot and action made up for it. Technological descriptions show how dated some of the works are, but given time it was bound to happen. And the works put together seem to show PKD’s obsession with the Cold War and Government bureaucracy.
I recommend this fun, insightful, slightly hard take on science-fiction.
August 20, 2024
Meine absoluten „Favoriten-Geschichten„:
- Und da liegt denn das Woob ( schönes Ende 😂)
- Die zweite Variante ( diese Geschichte kannte ich schon —> mein absoluter Favorit 🤩)
-Was menschlich ist ( Gute Entscheidung 😉)
👍🏻
- Und da liegt denn das Woob ( schönes Ende 😂)
- Die zweite Variante ( diese Geschichte kannte ich schon —> mein absoluter Favorit 🤩)
-Was menschlich ist ( Gute Entscheidung 😉)
👍🏻
January 9, 2021
Some interesting thoughts / short stories. Mostly enjoyed it, but felt the common thread of 'mankind is very war focused', a bit much after a while.
January 26, 2012
Reading Philip K. Dick is to gradually have the ground under you tilt away from you. As you keep reading, the ground feels the same, still solid and supportive, but before you know it the tilt is just enough that you slide off your feet and land someplace you don’t recognize. Just a moment before you thought you were in control but Dick has taken over. The stories in this collection do a nice job representing Dick’s strength as a writer. My favorite is THE VARIABLE MAN where decisions are not made based on a human intuition for what’s right but on the probability of success. A sudden unexpected variable throws everything out of whack. Next favorite would be THE DEFENDERS where the Earth has been destroyed by war and the remaining combatants strike at each other from societies underground. Both these stories and much of his work deal with mankind abdicating his responsibility toward other humans, toward his planet and even himself and the inescapable price to be paid. This particular collection I got free on my Nook and is not the best. A couple of the stories are clunkers like THE EYES HAVE IT and THE CRYSTAL CRYPT but the highs are very high.
September 20, 2011
Really enjoyed this, became a fan. Some of his stories seem like Twilight Zone script, others are foundational modern science fiction. Two stories, The Skull and Second Variety, must have surely influenced the producers of The Terminator. Early ideas of the Matrix can also be glimpsed.
September 30, 2013
Fijn. De paar verhalen die ik echt niet boeiend vond, konden de pret niet drukken: af en toe hardop lachen, breed glimlachen, grinniken en jezelf verbazen.
March 19, 2023
Książka dostarcza tego, co zapowiada na okładce. Znakomity zbiór opowiadań, w których Philip K. Dick eksploruje charakterystyczne dla siebie sfery dziedziny science-fiction i tak się składa, że są to tematy w tej literaturze, które od zawsze pociągały mnie najbardziej!
Mamy więc historię, którą zdecydowanie można uznać za swoisty apendyks do "Człowieka z Wysokiego Zamku", czyli "Wiarę ojców". Sporo opowiadań zgłębiających wątki znane z "Blade Runnera" - co odróżnia ludzi od androidów / AI i czy sztuczna inteligencja jest zdolna doświadczać emocji czy osiągnąć samoświadomość? - ("Fałszywy człowiek", "Elektryczna mrówka"). Jakie zagrożenia - ale też co dobrego - może dla ludzkości nieść "oddanie pola" w wielu dziedzinach tworom wyposażonym w sztuczną inteligencję ("Autofab", "Gdyby nie istniał Benny Cemoli", "Serwisant").
Sporo tu też - kolejne z moich fantastycznych fetyszy! - opowieści o podróżach w czasie i paradoksach z tym związanych ("Małe co nieco dla nas, chrononautów", "Śniadanie o zmierzchu") i post-apokalipsy, głównie związanej głównie z zimnowojennymi fobiami, dręczącymi w okresie powstawania tych historii, nie tylko Dicka (wspomniany "Wariant Drugi" [jedna z wielu możliwych inspiracji dla twórcy "Terminatora" w tym zbiorze], także wspomniane "Śniadanie o zmierzchu", "Serwisant", wszystkie opowiadające o wydarzeniach, które są pokłosiem konfliktu globalnego "Iwanów" z US i A).
Oczywiście, w końcu to Dick, nie mogło zabraknąć historii, związanych z konspiracjami, inwigilacjami, kryzysem tożsamości... Tu pewnie musia��bym wymienić każde z opowiadań tego zbioru.
Zaskakuje tu nie tylko wieczna świeżość refleksji, wniosków i prognoz - mimo tego, że powstały one pomiędzy 1952 a 1974 rokiem - ale też, jak dobrze czyta się tę prozę i jak świetnie są to skonstruowane opowieści pod kątem dramaturgicznym. W wielu wypadkach żal przejmuje, że Dick nigdy nie został zaadaptowany w "Strefie Mroku", bowiem większość, jeśli nie wszystkie, z historii pasują jak ulał do tego formatu, że wymienię te, które "najbardziej" - "Kopia ojca", "Zbędny", "Bloblem być (albo nie być)"...
Podsumowując: zbiór, który każdy - nie tylko fan fantastyki naukowej - winien przeczytać! Wydawnictwo Rebis zasłużyło na gromkie brawa za wznowienie tego kultowego zbioru! Polecam!
Mamy więc historię, którą zdecydowanie można uznać za swoisty apendyks do "Człowieka z Wysokiego Zamku", czyli "Wiarę ojców". Sporo opowiadań zgłębiających wątki znane z "Blade Runnera" - co odróżnia ludzi od androidów / AI i czy sztuczna inteligencja jest zdolna doświadczać emocji czy osiągnąć samoświadomość? - ("Fałszywy człowiek", "Elektryczna mrówka"). Jakie zagrożenia - ale też co dobrego - może dla ludzkości nieść "oddanie pola" w wielu dziedzinach tworom wyposażonym w sztuczną inteligencję ("Autofab", "Gdyby nie istniał Benny Cemoli", "Serwisant").
Sporo tu też - kolejne z moich fantastycznych fetyszy! - opowieści o podróżach w czasie i paradoksach z tym związanych ("Małe co nieco dla nas, chrononautów", "Śniadanie o zmierzchu") i post-apokalipsy, głównie związanej głównie z zimnowojennymi fobiami, dręczącymi w okresie powstawania tych historii, nie tylko Dicka (wspomniany "Wariant Drugi" [jedna z wielu możliwych inspiracji dla twórcy "Terminatora" w tym zbiorze], także wspomniane "Śniadanie o zmierzchu", "Serwisant", wszystkie opowiadające o wydarzeniach, które są pokłosiem konfliktu globalnego "Iwanów" z US i A).
Oczywiście, w końcu to Dick, nie mogło zabraknąć historii, związanych z konspiracjami, inwigilacjami, kryzysem tożsamości... Tu pewnie musia��bym wymienić każde z opowiadań tego zbioru.
Zaskakuje tu nie tylko wieczna świeżość refleksji, wniosków i prognoz - mimo tego, że powstały one pomiędzy 1952 a 1974 rokiem - ale też, jak dobrze czyta się tę prozę i jak świetnie są to skonstruowane opowieści pod kątem dramaturgicznym. W wielu wypadkach żal przejmuje, że Dick nigdy nie został zaadaptowany w "Strefie Mroku", bowiem większość, jeśli nie wszystkie, z historii pasują jak ulał do tego formatu, że wymienię te, które "najbardziej" - "Kopia ojca", "Zbędny", "Bloblem być (albo nie być)"...
Podsumowując: zbiór, który każdy - nie tylko fan fantastyki naukowej - winien przeczytać! Wydawnictwo Rebis zasłużyło na gromkie brawa za wznowienie tego kultowego zbioru! Polecam!
October 16, 2023
I was born in the mid fifties. DDE was president and life was good. Walter Cronkite was in charge and the USA was full of the best and the brightest. Of course in second grade we still participated in 'duck and cover' air raid drills but JFK was president and encouraging the nation to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Everything was possible. Then came puberty and rock and roll (not necessarily in that order) By the end of the sixties, the Vietnam War was omnipresent and the world was continuing to become post colonial with everyone taking sides: communist or free.
I discovered Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein and Theodore Sturgeon and Isaac Asimov and so many others. I acquired and read quantities of Astounding/Analog, F&SF, and Galaxy magazines.
We would hang out in the back room of Moe's books {the old location) in Berkeley exploring Ace twofers and Harlan Ellison's Dangerous Visions and arguing about who really wrote Venus on the Half Shell by Kilgore Trout. Then the Beatles broke up and Jimi, Janis, and Jim Morrison died.
I went to college and wrote a term paper on post apocalyptic sci-fi. ( I got a B).
Forward to 2023. I collect quantities of lps and used books. I read very little sci-fi (mostly mysteries and histories). But every now and then...
Alas, these early stories have not held up well: what I enjoyed then, today appear to be the flat hackwork of a journeyman. It is also amazing how smoking tobacco was not only a given in almost every story but considered to be forever and ever. Some of the ideas were interesting for their time but ... And so now I tread cautiously: what if Eric Frank Russell also falls short ?
I discovered Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein and Theodore Sturgeon and Isaac Asimov and so many others. I acquired and read quantities of Astounding/Analog, F&SF, and Galaxy magazines.
We would hang out in the back room of Moe's books {the old location) in Berkeley exploring Ace twofers and Harlan Ellison's Dangerous Visions and arguing about who really wrote Venus on the Half Shell by Kilgore Trout. Then the Beatles broke up and Jimi, Janis, and Jim Morrison died.
I went to college and wrote a term paper on post apocalyptic sci-fi. ( I got a B).
Forward to 2023. I collect quantities of lps and used books. I read very little sci-fi (mostly mysteries and histories). But every now and then...
Alas, these early stories have not held up well: what I enjoyed then, today appear to be the flat hackwork of a journeyman. It is also amazing how smoking tobacco was not only a given in almost every story but considered to be forever and ever. Some of the ideas were interesting for their time but ... And so now I tread cautiously: what if Eric Frank Russell also falls short ?
April 30, 2025
I simply cannot disagree that Philip K. Dick is probably one of the greatest sci-fi writers of all time. This collection of stories definitely highlights his talent.
Majority of these stories ere on the notion that men are still the ones in positions of great power, with a few exceptions here and there, which makes sense of the political landscape of his time. War and dominant power was on every politicians mind influencing their populations with their propaganda.
I’m not critiquing this, especially as we are seeing in our current political climate the vapid male (mostly) politicians striving to get back to the so-called ‘good old days’. This is where Dick shines. In this collection it highlights the irony of these officials in high positions being more focused on securing a win rather than what’s good for the greater of humankind.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. I have so much more to read from him and honestly can’t wait.
Majority of these stories ere on the notion that men are still the ones in positions of great power, with a few exceptions here and there, which makes sense of the political landscape of his time. War and dominant power was on every politicians mind influencing their populations with their propaganda.
I’m not critiquing this, especially as we are seeing in our current political climate the vapid male (mostly) politicians striving to get back to the so-called ‘good old days’. This is where Dick shines. In this collection it highlights the irony of these officials in high positions being more focused on securing a win rather than what’s good for the greater of humankind.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. I have so much more to read from him and honestly can’t wait.
July 10, 2025
What a fantastic book!
I obtained this through interlibrary loan from UW Madison.
It reads like a compilation of movie scripts.
A great compendium of ideas for movies, from Body Snatchers, to Paycheck, to many others that have yet to be done. I have read some of Philip K Dick's other works; these were treasures. Perhaps one of the best parts was the epilogue, where he discusses each story in a paragraph, explaining where it came from, etc etc. Not too much of an explanation though, to always leave the reader guessing. He is an interesting guy; it is too bad I was unable to meet him - maybe there's a documentary on him?
Definitely a surrealist literature writer; maybe surrealist sci-fi?
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If it weren't so hard to obtain, I would ask to borrow it again from the library.
I obtained this through interlibrary loan from UW Madison.
It reads like a compilation of movie scripts.
A great compendium of ideas for movies, from Body Snatchers, to Paycheck, to many others that have yet to be done. I have read some of Philip K Dick's other works; these were treasures. Perhaps one of the best parts was the epilogue, where he discusses each story in a paragraph, explaining where it came from, etc etc. Not too much of an explanation though, to always leave the reader guessing. He is an interesting guy; it is too bad I was unable to meet him - maybe there's a documentary on him?
Definitely a surrealist literature writer; maybe surrealist sci-fi?
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If it weren't so hard to obtain, I would ask to borrow it again from the library.
February 5, 2023
Zbiór najlepszych opowiadań od Philipa K. Dicka to doskonały sposób na rozpoczęcie przygody z tym autorem. Naprawdę przyjemnie było odkrywać kolejne historie i sprawdzać co tym razem wizjonerstwo twórcy. Wiele opowiadań na dłużej zapada w pamięci, choć znajdą się i te słabsze. Najczęściej poruszane są kwestie człowieczeństwa, robotyki, podróży w czasie, ale i obcych cywilizacji. Te, które najbardziej przypadły mi do gustu to: Wariant drugi, Wypłata, Fałszywy człowiek, Kolonia, Czas Wesołej Pat, Już nie żyjesz Foster, Serwisant, Ludzka rzecz, Gdyby nie istniał Benny Cemoli, Bloblem być (albo nie być), Elektryczna mrówka. To całkiem sporo jak widać. Jako, że to opowiadania, całość czyta się naprawdę szybko. Jak najbardziej polecam każdemu fanowi sci-fi.
May 10, 2017
My review of Phillip K Dick's short story "The Golden Man" was not especially favorable to the author. Having read "Early Stories", a collection of short stories I must change my mind. I didn't much like the first short story, but thoroughly enjoyed most of the collection of the second. I look forward to reading other offerings by this author. I found a certain similarity between Phillip K. Dick and my favorite sf author, Robert Heinlein. I am now moving the author ( having great difficulty writing his last name as this application continuously changes the last name to Rick) toward a more favorable place. Much better than "The Golden Man."
October 7, 2023
Mimo że podstawą wielu powieści i scenariuszy Sci-fi od wielu lat jest twórczość Dicka, to wciąż czytając jego dzieła można się nieźle zaskoczyć. A opowiadania to już w ogóle esencja i konkrety od początku do końca. Bardzo dobrze się to czyta z myślą, że każda historia to materiał na kolejny blockbuster.
May 1, 2025
As you can expect from a collection of short stories, even if by the great Philip Dick, some are really good (5- stars), some are good (4-stars), some mediocre (3-stars or less).
I took a generous average, and rated the book 4-stars.
Read it more like a pice of history in sci-fi. That is how sci-fi used to be.
I took a generous average, and rated the book 4-stars.
Read it more like a pice of history in sci-fi. That is how sci-fi used to be.
July 23, 2025
Bardzo podobne do siebie te opowiadania. Tzn w zasadzie każde dotyczy albo totalnej wojny z Chinami lub ZSRR albo inne końca świata (kosmici itp). Trochę obsesyjne.
Ale oczywiście pisał je sam mistrz Dick więc są bardzo dobre. Nie pomijacie słowa wstępnego ani posłowia!
cztery gwiazdki bo skoro Ubik czy Blade Runner .. miały po pięć to tu muszę dać coś mniej :)
Ale oczywiście pisał je sam mistrz Dick więc są bardzo dobre. Nie pomijacie słowa wstępnego ani posłowia!
cztery gwiazdki bo skoro Ubik czy Blade Runner .. miały po pięć to tu muszę dać coś mniej :)
November 9, 2017
This is the first collection of Philip K. Dick stories I have read, and I wasn't disappointed. Truly a treasure trove of introspection, horror, and mystery. I loved every word of it!
Recommended to those who need extra reasons to hate crab grass.
Recommended to those who need extra reasons to hate crab grass.
October 26, 2021
Czytałem po polsku, ale kilka opowiadań znałem już w wersji angielskiej. Najciekawsze opowiadania to te traktujące o człowieczeństwie np. Impostor czy Człowiek jest.... Większość przywołuje klimat atomowej zagłady i wojny z Sowietami.
August 28, 2024
Imaginative as always
Short stories. Pleasant to read at airports without too much stress. I wish there were spaces between paras when a scene changes. Makes me wonder whether the book is written this way ? Or whether it is a publication issue ?
Short stories. Pleasant to read at airports without too much stress. I wish there were spaces between paras when a scene changes. Makes me wonder whether the book is written this way ? Or whether it is a publication issue ?
December 15, 2024
If you are not familiar with Philip Dick, this collection will give you a good introduction to his writings. Some have become dated as all old science fiction. It is interesting to speculate how the great past writers envisioned technology.
May 7, 2025
This book was amazing
I grew up reading the science fiction books of the 50's and 60's. I never read any of these short stories. This book shows just how much of a genius Mr. Dick. was. Now I need to find this in print.
I grew up reading the science fiction books of the 50's and 60's. I never read any of these short stories. This book shows just how much of a genius Mr. Dick. was. Now I need to find this in print.
February 3, 2018
While I’m a fan of PDK, and I did enjoy reading this collection of short stories, these stories were very familiar. These stories were familiar as if I had read them before and knew what was coming next, or what the twist were going to be.
April 15, 2018
Some old SF is timeless, but reading this book felt like I stepped back into the 1960's/1970's. Worst of all, it seemed like every character in every story smoked. Did Dick have a smoking fetish?
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