Philip K. Dick

[Winslow]

I thought I'd create a thread to talk about P.K. Dick's books. I've read five novels authored by Dick over the past month and thought I would post my reviews in this thread and see if I am interpreting the work correctly or if there are any comments and conversation.

I will add my first review tomorrow of the book, Martian Time-Slip

[Libaax]

Since several of us here read PKD often and try to anlyse,rate his books this is a good idea. The best PKD books leave you with alot to think about,try to understand.

I have read my first PKD in over a year with The Man in the High Castle.

[Alton]

I thought I'd create a thread to talk about P.K. Dick's books. I've read five novels authored by Dick over the past month and thought I would post my reviews in this thread and see if I am interpreting the work correctly or if there are any comments and conversation.

I will add my first review tomorrow of the book, Martian Time-Slip

Thanks for this thread it has inspired me to dig out some of the old books,and reread them.Do you know anything about the rumored Man In The High Castle movie? Also has anyone actually seen the Adjustment B. film? I heard it being touted as truer to the style of PKD than other adaptations.

[Libaax]

Thanks for this thread it has inspired me to dig out some of the old books,and reread them.Do you know anything about the rumored Man In The High Castle movie? Also has anyone actually seen the Adjustment B. film? I heard it being touted as truer to the style of PKD than other adaptations.

Hehe it took a cosmic,bleak PKD story into epic romance story that has more in common with the love story of Titanic.

It looked good though. It sucks though that they tricked and refused to pay PKD estate despite the story is copyrighted.

[Winslow]

Thanks for this thread it has inspired me to dig out some of the old books,and reread them.Do you know anything about the rumored Man In The High Castle movie? Also has anyone actually seen the Adjustment B. film? I heard it being touted as truer to the style of PKD than other adaptations.

I haven't heard anything but I am always slow on pop culture news. I have not read Man in the High Castle, yet. It's on my list. I am planning on reading some horroe stories by Robert E. Howard (Conan creator) next.

[Alton]

Hehe it took a cosmic,bleak PKD story into epic romance story that has more in common with the love story of Titanic.

It looked good though. It sucks though that they tricked and refused to pay PKD estate despite the story is copyrighted.

Thanks for letting me know about the lack of payment.For that alone I'll avoid it and tell others about the issue. I found it hard to believe PKD had actually found a receptive director.We'l just have to hope for better from Minority Report 2.(just kidding!)

[Libaax]

Thanks for letting me know about the lack of payment.For that alone I'll avoid it and tell others about the issue. I found it hard to believe PKD had actually found a receptive director.We'l just have to hope for better from Minority Report 2.(just kidding!)

Same reason i havent seen the whole film. I cant support people who tricked PKD estate. Normally i would seen it i like Matt Damon and PKD films even when they suck.

[RolandJP]

We can remember it for you wholesale..very tight work..for a short story. Which was the basis for the movie TOTAL RECALL. Tho I recall ( pun notwithstanding) Peirs Anthony actually wrote a book with that title and was helped by PKD.




I love his short stories...Like:

I hope I shall Return Soon

Autofac

[RolandJP]

Same reason i havent seen the whole film. I cant support people who tricked PKD estate. Normally i would seen it i like Matt Damon and PKD films even when they suck.

The Peter Weller Film " SCREAMERS" is based on a PKD story ( Second Variety) ..pretty faithful too.

[Alton]

We can remember it for you wholesale..very tight work..for a short story. Which was the basis for the movie TOTAL RECALL. Tho I recall ( pun notwithstanding) Peirs Anthony actually wrote a book with that title and was helped by PKD.




I love his short stories...Like:

I hope I shall Return Soon

Autofac

Was this also the basis for Johnny Mnenomic with Keanu Reeves? I probably spelled it wrong. Small film early in Keanu's career that came and went quickly.

[Winslow]

I checked out of the library a volume of five P.K. Dick novels last month. I had a mixed reaction to them. I have heard Dick's quality of writing is all over the map, and that was my experience as well. Some novels were suspenseful, original, and unpredictable. And others were not only predictable, but somewhat convoluted in the plot and character development.

Martian Time Slip was the later. The novel was OK, but there were some subplots that did not tie in with the main theme, and left me wondering what was the purpose of certain chapters. That is, the ole dangling plot lines were all over the plot map.

Martian Time Slip is about a colony on Mars. It explores the themes of time travel, mental illness, and consolidation of power. The time travel theme was interesting, as Dick ties in time travel with the use of hallucinogenic drugs as well as mental illness. That is, time and cause and effect are simply the brain's processing of data and are only loosely tied to reality. The mentally disturbed is simply experiencing time and reality in a different plane. While this seemed to be the main theme, there was also the sub theme of the all powerful antagonist trying to use the mentally disturbed to time travel and manipulate the future for his own personal profit.

spoilers:

he meets with his own destruction in the end, and the mentally disturbed youth he was attempting to use turns the tables and sets himself free from his own "potential" grisly future.

end of spoilers

Do I need spoilers tags for a book published in 1963? heh.

Anyway, if you have read the books feel free to comment. If not, feel free to ask questions.

The themes were cool. I just found myself wondering about some of the side plots and characters that weren't tied in very well.

[Winslow]

Was this also the basis for Johnny Mnenomic with Keanu Reeves? I probably spelled it wrong. Small film early in Keanu's career that came and went quickly.

Wiki states the fiml was based on a novel of the same name by William Gibson.

Dick died in 1982, before the internet was in use by most of the public.

One of the things that was distracting about Dick was his lack of technical imagination. A lot of the future technology was in terms of his current understanding. For example, reel to reel tapes and vinyl albums often appear in his work.

[Libaax]

Yeah Winslow you did good with the spoiler tags since Martian Time Slip is the book i bought along with The Man in the High Castle and is my last unread PKD to read at home. I will hopefully enjoy it more than you because The Man in High Castle was brilliant and made he hungry for qouality PKD books.

[Libaax]

Wiki states the fiml was based on a novel of the same name by William Gibson.

Dick died in 1982, before the internet was in use by most of the public.

One of the things that was distracting about Dick was his lack of technical imagination. A lot of the future technology was in terms of his current understanding. For example, reel to reel tapes and vinyl albums often appear in his work.

Thats because he is in the school of social science fiction. Authors like him Ballard,Le Guin,Vance etc they dont care for techo elements.

Although he is important precurser for cyberpunk school because he,Bester used videophones,android taxi cars,virtual worlds the like those authors like.

I would be annoyed with lack of techno imagination if his stories wasnt mostly human relation,human condition dramas in SF form. Thats the general fiction world,critics try to take SF authors like him for their own. He didnt write what they sees as SF aka pulp space opera. Lame critics....

Same thing with my other idol SF Jack Vance. He is worse he writes space opera with calling the space ships "space boats". He doesnt mention at all how their technology works. They are just tools to go to new planet,scene.

[Winslow]

Yeah Winslow you did good with the spoiler tags since Martian Time Slip is the book i bought along with The Man in the High Castle and is my last unread PKD to read at home. I will hopefully enjoy it more than you because The Man in High Castle was brilliant and made he hungry for qouality PKD books.

Glad I included the spoiler tags.

The Man in the High Castle was recommended as a starting point for P.K. Dick reading in the Comm thread RITA's, but it wasn't in the closest local library. It is in my library systems so I'll check it out soon.

One of the limitations of my posting and writing ability to critique without sounding like I didn't enjoy it. I did enjoy it. I guess I went in with high expectations and they weren't met.

Some of the other novels I read were excellent, and I'll write about them sometime this weekend.