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The Early Work of Philip K. Dick Volume 2: Breakfast at Twilight and Other Stories
Edited and selected by noted scholar Gregg Rickman, The Early Work of Philip K. Dick, Volume One: 1952-1953, and Volume Two: 1953-1954, encompasses a total of twenty-six stories from the early years of Philip K. Dick. With extensive story notes and introductions by Rickman, and packaged to belong on any shelf, The Early Work of Philip K. Dick promises an early peek into the many worlds created by one of the acclaimed masters of science fiction and fantasy.
Contents:
• Introduction
• Breakfast at Twilight
• Survey Team
• The Hanging Stranger
• The Eyes Have It
• The Turning Wheel
• The Last of the Masters
• Strange Eden
• Tony and the Beetles
• Exhibit Piece
• The Crawlers
• Sales Pitch
• Upon the Dull Earth
• A World of Talent
• Story Notes
Contents:
• Introduction
• Breakfast at Twilight
• Survey Team
• The Hanging Stranger
• The Eyes Have It
• The Turning Wheel
• The Last of the Masters
• Strange Eden
• Tony and the Beetles
• Exhibit Piece
• The Crawlers
• Sales Pitch
• Upon the Dull Earth
• A World of Talent
• Story Notes
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 15, 2008
82 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 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 10, 2018
Edited and selected by noted scholar Gregg Rickman, The Early Work of Philip K. Dick, Volume One: 1952-1953, and Volume Two: 1953-1954, encompasses a total of twenty-six stories from the early years of Philip K. Dick. With extensive story notes and introductions by Rickman, and packaged to belong on any shelf, The Early Work of Philip K. Dick promises an early peek into the many worlds created by one of the acclaimed masters of science fiction and fantasy.
April 9, 2025
13 stories:
*** Breakfast at Twilight (1954)
*** Survey Team (1954)
***** The Hanging Stranger (1953)
***** The Eyes Have It (1953)
*** The Turning Wheel (1954)
*** The Last of the Masters (1954)
**** Strange Eden (1954)
*** Tony and the Beetles (1953)
*** Exhibit Piece (1954)
*** The Crawlers (1954)
**** Sales Pitch (1954)
*** Upon the Dull Earth (1954)
*** A World of Talent (1954)
*** Breakfast at Twilight (1954)
*** Survey Team (1954)
***** The Hanging Stranger (1953)
***** The Eyes Have It (1953)
*** The Turning Wheel (1954)
*** The Last of the Masters (1954)
**** Strange Eden (1954)
*** Tony and the Beetles (1953)
*** Exhibit Piece (1954)
*** The Crawlers (1954)
**** Sales Pitch (1954)
*** Upon the Dull Earth (1954)
*** A World of Talent (1954)
June 9, 2012
More of the same as Vol. 1 which is a good thing. Great collection with story notes explaining the publication history and significance of each story relative to PKD's later works. Reading in 2012, it is almost impossible not to compare these works to others I am familiar with, many of which may have been inspired, directly or indirectly, by PKD's work. It is worth noting that, often, when PKD created these stories, he was blazing the trail that these later works would follow.
Stand out stories:
Survey Team - Masterfully ironic and tense; a dark inversion of the Battlestar Gallactica premise leaves the reader with a pile of open-questions. Good for the environmental alarmist in all of us.
The Eyes Have It - Plainly hilarious. Whenever someone tells you that grammar and structure are unimportant, have them read this story. The story is also a great negative example of inferring.
The Last of the Masters - The Matrix by way of Fallout. All the best traits of post-apocalypse fiction with a delightfully grey ending regarding man/machine relations. Contains some well paced and vivid action sequences as well.
The Crawlers - Utterly disturbed and disturbing. This story has the structure and components of a cheap 1950's horror/sci-fi flick (a la 'Them' or 'The Blob') but applies such horrifying realism to the premise that it becomes nearly unbearable. If you even need to explain body-modification horror to someone, use this story.
Sales Pitch - Some thematic similarities to 'The Last of the Masters', this story takes a more satirical look at human/robot relationships and, in so doing, skewers consumer culture in a way that feels frighteningly current.
A World of Talent - Takes all the best philosophical problems posed by X-Men comics and sets them in a Firefly-esque solar system. The twist is no surprise to a contemporary, cynical reader but the emotion and execution are peerless.
Nerdy sidebar: roughly 45 years later, White Wolf Games would develop an RPG called Aeon (later renamed Trinity) that might as well be set in this story. Fans of the game should take note; this might very well be the inspiration for damn near every aspect of that setting.
Stand out stories:
Survey Team - Masterfully ironic and tense; a dark inversion of the Battlestar Gallactica premise leaves the reader with a pile of open-questions. Good for the environmental alarmist in all of us.
The Eyes Have It - Plainly hilarious. Whenever someone tells you that grammar and structure are unimportant, have them read this story. The story is also a great negative example of inferring.
The Last of the Masters - The Matrix by way of Fallout. All the best traits of post-apocalypse fiction with a delightfully grey ending regarding man/machine relations. Contains some well paced and vivid action sequences as well.
The Crawlers - Utterly disturbed and disturbing. This story has the structure and components of a cheap 1950's horror/sci-fi flick (a la 'Them' or 'The Blob') but applies such horrifying realism to the premise that it becomes nearly unbearable. If you even need to explain body-modification horror to someone, use this story.
Sales Pitch - Some thematic similarities to 'The Last of the Masters', this story takes a more satirical look at human/robot relationships and, in so doing, skewers consumer culture in a way that feels frighteningly current.
A World of Talent - Takes all the best philosophical problems posed by X-Men comics and sets them in a Firefly-esque solar system. The twist is no surprise to a contemporary, cynical reader but the emotion and execution are peerless.
Nerdy sidebar: roughly 45 years later, White Wolf Games would develop an RPG called Aeon (later renamed Trinity) that might as well be set in this story. Fans of the game should take note; this might very well be the inspiration for damn near every aspect of that setting.
February 19, 2012
A true science fiction fan cannot go wrong with a collection of PKD short stories, these from the early days and most from 1954. Breakfast at Twilight is a gem and must be considered elemental PKD, a classic. Dick's recurring theme of war, usually nuclear war, is again the subject of an illustrative study of human emotions. PKD seems to share with Ray Bradbury an ability to capture a realistic glimpse of humanity in war, humanity in a technological nightmare, yet humanity that clings and lives. More than that, Philip K. Dick explores humanity in the midst of dystopia, as it happens. Many authors describe a word after the fall, PKD paints portraits while the slag is still smoking and while survivors are still trying to grasp a new world. As influential as ever, it is easy for the reader to catch glimpses of later day themes and settings, borrowed from Dick, "Exhibit Piece" was certainly an inspiration, at least on some level, with the authors of The Invention of Lying.
July 25, 2013
Philip Dick writes a collection of eccentric and odd science fiction that all end in an unexpected deviant way that blows my mind. These stories stick around, I was thinking about them for a few days after, and even picking up the book to re-read some parts. The more I thought about the stories, and went back to glancing through the book, the more little things came together for me.
Story after story, I found each one to be as exciting and interesting, especially as the stories developed. Its not surprising to me that, after reading a quick bio about Philip Dick, there has been at least 10 different films based on his work. He is clearly very talented and I am sure after reading his work you will be just as blown away as I was. I can't even begin to think of which story was my favorite, I enjoyed them all so much. I gladly give this book 5/5
Story after story, I found each one to be as exciting and interesting, especially as the stories developed. Its not surprising to me that, after reading a quick bio about Philip Dick, there has been at least 10 different films based on his work. He is clearly very talented and I am sure after reading his work you will be just as blown away as I was. I can't even begin to think of which story was my favorite, I enjoyed them all so much. I gladly give this book 5/5
August 1, 2016
I really enjoy reading Philip K. Dick's early works because they show how much he grew as a writer between his early works and his most famous works. The writing in these stories was not terribly good, but his ideas are brilliant all the way through. He has a great deal of movement in his stories - they never sit still for long, the plot swiftly moves from one event or place to the next, and that is what keeps the reader going and allows for such suspension of disbelief while reading his stories. He is also good at giving only the details that are really necessary and allowing the reader some freedom in imagining the rest of the scene. I really enjoyed "Exhibit Peace" and "A World of Talent." One of the things I like most about him is his ability to write about a variety of premises - he seems to have infinite imagination.
March 16, 2010
A shorter book than volume 1, as if it were decided late in the process not to publish a single larger book.
The two volumes provide a representative sample of the author's best work before 1960, most before 1955.
To me the highlight of this volume is its one novella, A World of Talent as The Variable Man is in volume 1. These longer works are fine work that amply demonstrate the potential that was realized in the later novels that have established his reputation today. Even at the start of his career, when he is given more space to work with he fills it with more ideas, more characters and more story producing a noticeably richer product not a padded short story.
The two volumes provide a representative sample of the author's best work before 1960, most before 1955.
To me the highlight of this volume is its one novella, A World of Talent as The Variable Man is in volume 1. These longer works are fine work that amply demonstrate the potential that was realized in the later novels that have established his reputation today. Even at the start of his career, when he is given more space to work with he fills it with more ideas, more characters and more story producing a noticeably richer product not a padded short story.
March 4, 2010
the second collection of Dick's short works from the mid-50's. Really enjoyed it.
December 29, 2010
Mozarts wrote music in his childhood, advanced for its age and hinting at what was to come. These collected works are that music.
March 5, 2011
Well, this guy was a genius, and even these, his early, pulpy, SF stories are completely freaking awesome. Highly recommended.
October 8, 2012
I devoured this book and finished it cover to cover in a few hours. Great collection.
September 27, 2024
Sadly many of PKD's stories do not stand the test of time. I have the stories I really like many of them.
August 21, 2011
Very good - already shows interesting cuts and twists.
August 14, 2014
scarily ahead of their time, extremely thought provoking.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews