Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

Ubik by Philip K. Dick

Glen Runciter runs a lucrative business — deploying his teams of anti-psychics to corporate clients who want privacy and security from psychic spies. But when he and his top team are ambushed by a rival, he is gravely injured and placed in “half-life,” a dreamlike state of suspended animation. Soon, though, the surviving members of the team begin experiencing some strange phenomena, such as Runciter’s face appearing on coins and the world seeming to move backward in time. As consumables deteriorate and technology gets ever more primitive, the group needs to find out what is causing the shifts and what a mysterious product called Ubik has to do with it all.

I bought a copy of this a couple of weeks ago, in preparation for this month's read - but it looked too intriguing, so I had to jump the gun, and I finished it a couple of days ago.

It was weird, but wonderful and I rated it 5 stars.

At times it required concentration to follow, as the author messes about with appearance and reality, but I greatly enjoyed it and would recommend it.

Great choice Book Nerd!

I last read this exactly ten years ago, in February 2014. I don't remember too much, but I know I liked it and thought it was probably the epitome of Philip K Dick. I'm looking forward to seeing how it holds up.

John wrote: "I bought a copy of this a couple of weeks ago, in preparation for this month's read - but it looked too intriguing, so I had to jump the gun, and I finished it a couple of days ago."
Cool, Have you read The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich? The story sounds very similar.

Vince wrote: "I last read this exactly ten years ago, in February 2014. I don't remember too much, but I know I liked it and thought it was probably the epitome of Philip K Dick. I'm looking forward to seeing how it holds up."
Yeah, PKD has never disappointed me yet. I won't start it for a few days but I'm looking forward to it.

I read this book 6 years ago for a sci-fi book club meeting. I gave it 5 stars and even wrote a glowing review! (I don’t write very many reviews.) If I have time, I will re-read it and post some comments. Look forward to seeing what others think of it!

Book Nerd wrote: "Cool, Have you read The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich? The story sounds very similar.."

I haven't read that, Book Nerd, but I've ordered a copy now.

I saw that Ubik seems to have been based on ideas that Dick had previously used in a novella - What the Dead Men Say. Has anyone read this, and is it worth reading? It looks like it would be hard to find a copy of it, but its available on archive.org.

I must have read it since I've read Minority Report, the collection in which it's included, but I can't remember it at all. I'll see if I can track it down and re-read it when I'm done with Ubik.

It is waiting for me to get to it, but it may be a week or so out as I have others in front of it.

Things are coming back to me as I read. The Internet of Things and subscription economy hadn't really taken off when I last read it (plus I had a regular old Nokia cellphone until well after I finished), but it seems prescient now!

John wrote: "I saw that Ubik seems to have been based on ideas that Dick had previously used in a novella - What the Dead Men Say. Has anyone read this, and is it worth reading? It looks like i..."
No, I've only read the best known Dick so far. Let us know how it is.

Vince wrote: "I must have read it since I've read Minority Report, the collection in which it's included, but I can't remember it at all. I'll see if I can track it down and re-read it when I'm done with Ubik."
I have a Minority Report collection and it's not in there.

Alan wrote: "It is waiting for me to get to it, but it may be a week or so out as I have others in front of it."
Same for me. I just wish I could read about ten times as fast as I do.

I will start this one tonight. I’ve read at least two novels by PKD that I can think of. I really liked Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? so I picked up The Man in the High Castle and didn’t like it all that much. So let’s see.

That's my opinion of those two books as well, Chad.

Chad wrote: "I will start this one tonight. I’ve read at least two novels by PKD that I can think of. I really liked Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? so I picked up [book:The Man in the High Castle and didn’t like it all that much. So let’s see."
Yeah, The Man in the High Castle is odd.

Well I’m loving this one. I’m about 70 pages in and I’ve laughed out loud on more than one occasion. To me this is just great classic science fiction. It’s smart, a bit wacky and very fun. I haven’t looked yet if there has been a film adaption but I would love to see one. It could be done in a number of ways.

Three different people have wanted to film it, but none managed to - Dick himself wrote a script for Jean-Pierre Gorin (mostly known for his work with Godard). Tommy Pallotta (who also produced A Scanner Darkly) abandoned his version shortly before shooting started, and and Michel Gondry (famous for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or infamous for The Green Hornet, whichever you prefer) gave up partway through trying to write a screenplay.

Apparently Dick's original script for Gorin would have had (view spoiler)["the film itself appearing to undergo a series of reversions: to black-and-white, then to the awkward jerkiness of very early movies, then to a crookedly jammed frame which proceeds to blacken, bubble and melt away, leaving only the white glare of the projection bulb, which in turn deteriorates to leave the theater in darkness." (hide spoiler)]

Thank you, Vince! I found some of that information last night clicking around on the tablet but I didn’t come across anything on PKD’s original ideas for the film. Very interesting! I suppose that an adaptation is something that a lot of people would like to do but are afraid of doing it poorly. I’m nearly done with the book and have really enjoyed it. Great pick Book Nerd.

I'm about halfway through and enjoying it.

As a movie stylistically I'm picturing something like The Fifth Element for some reason.

Well, off to finish it...

Chad wrote: "I suppose that an adaptation is something that a lot of people would like to do but are afraid of doing it poorly. I’m nearly done with the book and have really enjoyed it. Great pick Book Nerd."
Glad you like it.
It's hard to sell classic sci-fi to a general audience so studios almost never take a risk on it.

Finally got maself a copy!

I finished this one on the train home today. I loved it but I have to reread the last 30 or 40 pages because I’m not entirely sure what happened there. I think I started just reading words in order to finish a novel without really understanding what I was reading. It was weird. Fantastic book. Very fun.

What does everybody think of the last chapter? Until then it was starting to make sense.

I thought it was perfect - just when we thought we finally understood it as it was ending, Dick messes once again with reality and perception.

I’m going to read either A Scanner Darkly or The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch next.

Both are great.

I managed to get a copy of The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch from the library yesterday.

John wrote: "I managed to get a copy of The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch from the library yesterday."

Well then that settles it. That’s the next PKD I’ll read.

Ok, not much of a SciFi fan here. Ubik was interesting enough to read. (Truth be told I’ve abandoned other SciFi including PKD books in the past.)

But I’m trying to get involved in community. And when I say the email I gave it a shot. If you like the genre it’s pretty good.

Well done for finishing it, Michael, especially as Dick is not the easiest of authors.

Michael wrote: "Ok, not much of a SciFi fan here. Ubik was interesting enough to read. (Truth be told I’ve abandoned other SciFi including PKD books in the past.)

But I’m trying to get involved in community. And..."
Glad you liked it.

Finished The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick. Even weirder than Ubik, and not quite as good - but still a compelling read - 4 stars.

I think I might read some of his short stories now, to see if he still manages to build layers of strangeness within the constraints of that format.

It's been a long time since I read Palmer Eldritch but I think I agree. Ubik was better.

John wrote: "Finished The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick. Even weirder than Ubik, and not quite as good - but still a compelling read - 4 stars.

I t..."
I completely agree about The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. I’ll most likely finish it tomorrow.