Philip K. Dick
05-01-01 | 01:26 AM
#1
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Having discovered him about a year ago i spent so much time trying to get my hands on anything he wrote. He has to be my absolute favourite sci-fi author. The guy was crazy as can be but he just has this storytelling skill that i adore.
Some of my favs were: Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Galactic Pot Healer
Flow My Tears the Policeman Said
Valis
I really liked how he interweaves his unique sort of mysticism into his novels.
Anyone else find him and his writings as fascinating as i do? His writings were one of the three things that got me really interested in reading about mysticism (mostly christian and islamic) and really had a profound effect on me. Anyone else?
Some of my favs were: Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Galactic Pot Healer
Flow My Tears the Policeman Said
Valis
I really liked how he interweaves his unique sort of mysticism into his novels.
Anyone else find him and his writings as fascinating as i do? His writings were one of the three things that got me really interested in reading about mysticism (mostly christian and islamic) and really had a profound effect on me. Anyone else?
05-01-01 | 11:10 AM
#2
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Yeah, I'm a big Dick fan. 
You know what I mean. His books are hit or miss with me, but I think he's a great story teller with great introspective characters. My favs include:
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The Crap Artist
The Three Stigmata...
The Man in the High Castle
Time Out of Joint is a must read as well.
You know what I mean. His books are hit or miss with me, but I think he's a great story teller with great introspective characters. My favs include:Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The Crap Artist
The Three Stigmata...
The Man in the High Castle
Time Out of Joint is a must read as well.
05-02-01 | 02:21 AM
#4
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Originally posted by slewis
I've been a PKD fanatic for almost 30 years. One and a half shelves on my bookcase are devoted to his works and books about him. One of my favorites was his last book, Timothy Archer.
I've been a PKD fanatic for almost 30 years. One and a half shelves on my bookcase are devoted to his works and books about him. One of my favorites was his last book, Timothy Archer.
05-02-01 | 11:19 AM
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I'm also a Dick fan. I got him 12-13 years ago, before the reprints came, when it was a real chore searching down copies. It's much easier now, when he often shows up in the "literature" section.
05-02-01 | 01:38 PM
#6
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Long time Dick-Head here!May list faves at a later date but don't forget the non-SF material. Interesting to see some familiar tropes (and even character names).
05-04-01 | 04:30 PM
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My favorite PKD
The Unteleported Man
Any one read that book?
One or two passages of the original manuscript
are lost forever. The 1980s reprint which I read
didn't seem to lose much from this omission but it
may have made it less desirable to reprint.
It has great PKD themes. How can you know if one-way teleportation to another galaxy is for real?
A guy starts out broke and hounded for his
debts (by a miniature blimp) and gets to be a galactic hero.
And there is a giant eyeball from another dimension.
You know, the usual stuff.
Any one read that book?
One or two passages of the original manuscript
are lost forever. The 1980s reprint which I read
didn't seem to lose much from this omission but it
may have made it less desirable to reprint.
It has great PKD themes. How can you know if one-way teleportation to another galaxy is for real?
A guy starts out broke and hounded for his
debts (by a miniature blimp) and gets to be a galactic hero.
And there is a giant eyeball from another dimension.
You know, the usual stuff.
05-04-01 | 04:48 PM
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That I Ching deal
Look at how convincing the I Ching thing is in The Man in the High
Castle. It was the second PKD book that I read and afterwards I was
thinking about the character and how he was using the I Ching the way
that I'd heard it might be used to make decisions. And then, WAIT A
MINUTE!!! I realized that what I'd heard about using the I Ching was
probably from people who had read The Man in the High Castle. Cause
in real life I'd never known anyone to be serious about the I Ching.
I'd head people describe very convincing how the I Ching is used but,
of course, they didn't use it for major decisions in their life, but
they "knew" that some people did. I really think they got their idea
first or second hand from TMIHC and didn't even realize how fictional
it was.
Castle. It was the second PKD book that I read and afterwards I was
thinking about the character and how he was using the I Ching the way
that I'd heard it might be used to make decisions. And then, WAIT A
MINUTE!!! I realized that what I'd heard about using the I Ching was
probably from people who had read The Man in the High Castle. Cause
in real life I'd never known anyone to be serious about the I Ching.
I'd head people describe very convincing how the I Ching is used but,
of course, they didn't use it for major decisions in their life, but
they "knew" that some people did. I really think they got their idea
first or second hand from TMIHC and didn't even realize how fictional
it was.
05-04-01 | 05:53 PM
#9
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That IChing Deal
I have used the IChing and I've known other people who have used it. You probably don't know anyone who has used it to make decisions in their life because you probably don't either know many Taoists or Chinese people.
05-07-01 | 11:56 AM
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I still wonder if PKD didn't do more for the I Ching then most
readers realize. I have never meet anyone who uses the I Ching.
Well, one guy, but he clearly was just trying to pick up girls.
I have meet people who play with Tarot cards, but they just seem to
be playing around. I meet buddist priests and a ton of feng shui
practitioners, but no one who uses the I Ching.
And I've heard that about PKD and writing the book, but that also seems
like something that is assumed because the characters use of the I Ching
is so compelling. Is there any good source for that info?
readers realize. I have never meet anyone who uses the I Ching.
Well, one guy, but he clearly was just trying to pick up girls.
I have meet people who play with Tarot cards, but they just seem to
be playing around. I meet buddist priests and a ton of feng shui
practitioners, but no one who uses the I Ching.
And I've heard that about PKD and writing the book, but that also seems
like something that is assumed because the characters use of the I Ching
is so compelling. Is there any good source for that info?
05-07-01 | 01:43 PM
#12
Mod Emeritus
<small>Originally posted by 70gigabyte And I've heard that about PKD and writing the book, but that also seems like something that is assumed because the characters use of the I Ching is so compelling. Is there any good source for that info?</SMALL>
Take a look at this interview where he says
MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE was an anomaly in my writing. I had given up writing. I had actually decided to give up writing, and was helping my wife in her jewelry business. And I wasn't happy. She was giving me all the sh¡t part to do, and I decided to pretend I was writing a book. And I said, "Well, I'm writing a very important book. And to make the fabrication convincing, I actually had to start typing. And I had no notes, I had nothing in mind, except for years I had wanted to write that idea, about Germany and Japan actually having beaten the United States. And without any notes, I simply sat down and began to write, simply to get out of the jewelry business. And that's why the jewelry business plays such a large role in the novel. Without any notes, I had no pre-conception of how the book would develop, and I used the I CHING to plot the book. [....] the I CHING failed me at the end of that book, and didn't help me resolve the ending. That's why the ending is so unresolved. I did throw the coins for the characters, and I did give what the coins got -- the hexagrams -- and I was faithful to what the I CHING actually showed, but the I CHING copped out completely, and left me stranded. And since I had no notes, no plot, no structure in mind, I was in a terrible spot [....] that was the first time I noticed something about the I CHING that I have noticed since. And that is that the I CHING will lead you along the garden path, giving you information that either you want to hear, or you expect to hear, or seems reasonable, or seems profound, up to a certain point. And then, just about the time that it's gotten your, you know, your credulity is there -- you're willing to trust it -- just about the time you've given it your faith and trust, it will zap you with the most malevolent, wrong information. In other words, it sets you up. It really does, it really sets you up. I regard the I CHING as a malicious spirit. As actually spirit, an animation. I think it is an evil book, and I no longer use it. And I don't recommend that people --I certainly do not recommend that people make important decisions on the basis of it. The more important the decision, the more it tends to hand you an answer which brings tragedy into your life. And I say that as after using it for years and using it quite extensively. It is a liar. It speaks with forked tongue.
02-21-02 | 12:30 PM
#13
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Philip K. Dick
Well, I've been meaning to read him for years. Recommendations have been personal and professional.
Then I read this (highly recommended):
http://www.philipkdick.com/weirdo/weirdo1.htm
Now I really need to give him a try.
He was prolific it seems. So where would you recommend I begin?
Then I read this (highly recommended):
http://www.philipkdick.com/weirdo/weirdo1.htm
Now I really need to give him a try.
He was prolific it seems. So where would you recommend I begin?
02-21-02 | 02:01 PM
#14
Mod Emeritus
Great site and one which I always intend to revisit more often!
Your question is a difficult one because PKD wrote (perhaps) four or five different kinds of fiction, to my way of thinking, although his obsessions/themes permeated nearly all of his work....
First there is the out-and-out non-SF material. Confessions of a Crap Artist was published (by an enthusuiast) during his lifetime although all the rest was posthumous. I believe it had been rejected and sat in a drawer for 30 years before someone took the "risk"! I'd take a look at that one and try out the rest of that block if you like it. From later on The Transmigration of Timothy Archer is also less sf-nal than his other material....
Some of his stuff, particularly in the early days is perhaps fairly described as "intelligent pulp". I think much of it is great. It has been a long time since I read it so I don't really know what to recommend.... to dip your toes in further, there are the collected short stories. These have all been gathered together in to five volumes.
Despite the crackpot reputation, there is a cerebral aspect to much of his work. Shifting realities came to the fore as time went on: a paranoia perhaps caused by ingesting too many amphetamines when PKD was writing against the clock! You could try the deservedly award-winning The Man in the High Castle.
Continuing with the near-omnipresent themes of identity (What is real? What is human?) consider Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Martian Timeslip or say, <A HREF="http://www.sfsite.com/01b/nw96.htm" target=blank">Now Wait for Last Year.
And, then, of course, there are the Valis books. Most "normal" is Radio Free Albemuth, an interesting read. Right after this you can read the alternative version, VALIS itself and/or another take on things The Divine Invasion!
Not to mention the best PKD books Dick never wrote namely:
Your question is a difficult one because PKD wrote (perhaps) four or five different kinds of fiction, to my way of thinking, although his obsessions/themes permeated nearly all of his work....
First there is the out-and-out non-SF material. Confessions of a Crap Artist was published (by an enthusuiast) during his lifetime although all the rest was posthumous. I believe it had been rejected and sat in a drawer for 30 years before someone took the "risk"! I'd take a look at that one and try out the rest of that block if you like it. From later on The Transmigration of Timothy Archer is also less sf-nal than his other material....
Some of his stuff, particularly in the early days is perhaps fairly described as "intelligent pulp". I think much of it is great. It has been a long time since I read it so I don't really know what to recommend.... to dip your toes in further, there are the collected short stories. These have all been gathered together in to five volumes.
Despite the crackpot reputation, there is a cerebral aspect to much of his work. Shifting realities came to the fore as time went on: a paranoia perhaps caused by ingesting too many amphetamines when PKD was writing against the clock! You could try the deservedly award-winning The Man in the High Castle.
Continuing with the near-omnipresent themes of identity (What is real? What is human?) consider Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Martian Timeslip or say, <A HREF="http://www.sfsite.com/01b/nw96.htm" target=blank">Now Wait for Last Year.
And, then, of course, there are the Valis books. Most "normal" is Radio Free Albemuth, an interesting read. Right after this you can read the alternative version, VALIS itself and/or another take on things The Divine Invasion!
Not to mention the best PKD books Dick never wrote namely:- Philip K Dick is Dead Alas - Micheal Bishop
- The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon
- Double Helix Fall - Neil Ferguson
- The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula Le Guin
02-21-02 | 04:56 PM
#15
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I'd say the place to begin is 'The Man in the High Castle' and 'Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said'.
Both are fairly accessible, the plots are mostly linear, and are well written wholes. Sometimes Dick would play with an idea, and then drop it when it ceased to interest him.
The first book is about what life is like after the Allies lose WWII. The second is about a Jay Leno type celebrity who wakes up one morning to find that no one has heard of him.
If you like them, you can crank up the weirdness with 'The Three Stigmata of Eldritch Palmer' and 'Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?' (Bladerunner).
I liked 'A Scanner Darkly', but the book is a real downer. I've been told that it's an accurate description of life as a druggie.
Both are fairly accessible, the plots are mostly linear, and are well written wholes. Sometimes Dick would play with an idea, and then drop it when it ceased to interest him.
The first book is about what life is like after the Allies lose WWII. The second is about a Jay Leno type celebrity who wakes up one morning to find that no one has heard of him.
If you like them, you can crank up the weirdness with 'The Three Stigmata of Eldritch Palmer' and 'Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?' (Bladerunner).
I liked 'A Scanner Darkly', but the book is a real downer. I've been told that it's an accurate description of life as a druggie.
03-01-02 | 05:21 PM
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I see this post if over a week old but I'm going to throw my 2 cents in anyway.
All the books mentioned are good. If you're intrigued by that website I would say it most directly ties into his final trilogy, VALIS, The Divine Invasion and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. These are the books based on his religious experience.
I have just finished the first two and I have the third. Personally, I like his psychological sci-fi best. Ubik and Do Androids Dream... are a couple of my favorites. Do Androids Dream... is very different than Blade Runner, by the way.
benedict, The Crying of Lot 49 is on my girlfriend's shelf, but I don't know anything about it. Could you possibly tell me what's phildickian (as they say) about it?
All the books mentioned are good. If you're intrigued by that website I would say it most directly ties into his final trilogy, VALIS, The Divine Invasion and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer. These are the books based on his religious experience.
I have just finished the first two and I have the third. Personally, I like his psychological sci-fi best. Ubik and Do Androids Dream... are a couple of my favorites. Do Androids Dream... is very different than Blade Runner, by the way.
benedict, The Crying of Lot 49 is on my girlfriend's shelf, but I don't know anything about it. Could you possibly tell me what's phildickian (as they say) about it?
03-11-02 | 12:47 AM
#17
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I'm a huge Dick fan (sorry had to say it ) and i would affirm the recommendation to read the Valis trilogy (especially Divine Invasion). I would also mention picking up the Galactic Pot Healer which in my eyes is a fascinating parable on a mystical union with God. Overall i honestly don't think you can go wrong with anything the man wrote - he was a total genius in my opinion.
Time Out of Joint is also another one worth reading - not quite as spiritual as some of his others but a fun paranoid read.
And actually there is another one i would recommend but for the life of me i can't remember the title. Maybe someone will know - it is the one where the main character starts having these odd experiences where he is in the park by a fountain and he turns to look at something and when he turns back there is a small slip of paper that just reads "fountain" on it.
) and i would affirm the recommendation to read the Valis trilogy (especially Divine Invasion). I would also mention picking up the Galactic Pot Healer which in my eyes is a fascinating parable on a mystical union with God. Overall i honestly don't think you can go wrong with anything the man wrote - he was a total genius in my opinion. Time Out of Joint is also another one worth reading - not quite as spiritual as some of his others but a fun paranoid read.
And actually there is another one i would recommend but for the life of me i can't remember the title. Maybe someone will know - it is the one where the main character starts having these odd experiences where he is in the park by a fountain and he turns to look at something and when he turns back there is a small slip of paper that just reads "fountain" on it.
03-11-02 | 06:53 PM
#18
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Originally posted by Christo
benedict, The Crying of Lot 49 is on my girlfriend's shelf, but I don't know anything about it. Could you possibly tell me what's phildickian (as they say) about it?
benedict, The Crying of Lot 49 is on my girlfriend's shelf, but I don't know anything about it. Could you possibly tell me what's phildickian (as they say) about it?
03-11-02 | 09:45 PM
#19
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Originally posted by Nick Danger
It's a good book. It's not terribly dickian, but it is paranoid and conspiratorial. I have never looked at trash cans the same again.
It's a good book. It's not terribly dickian, but it is paranoid and conspiratorial. I have never looked at trash cans the same again.
03-12-02 | 01:19 PM
#20
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I meant to get back to this thread re CoL49: it was years ago that I read it!
I particularly remember that it contained some of Dick's themes, as outlined just above, but, yes, it probably isn't anywhere near so Dickian as the other titles in my list of the best books he never wrote
I particularly remember that it contained some of Dick's themes, as outlined just above, but, yes, it probably isn't anywhere near so Dickian as the other titles in my list of the best books he never wrote
03-12-02 | 02:20 PM
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Well, now I have to read CoL49 to see what this garbage can/w.a.s.t.e. thing is about
Speaking of Dick (forgive me), Imposter came and went without my even noticing it. Maybe I'll rent it but I heard it was terrible. On the other hand, I have high hopes for The Minority Report. Previews look really good, although you can't trust them ever. Additionally, it will be interesting to compare to A.I..
Speaking of Dick (forgive me
), Imposter came and went without my even noticing it. Maybe I'll rent it but I heard it was terrible. On the other hand, I have high hopes for The Minority Report. Previews look really good, although you can't trust them ever. Additionally, it will be interesting to compare to A.I..
03-22-02 | 12:01 AM
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You HAVE to read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. It's a much richer world (IMO) than the world of Blade Runner, and its a quick read, so why not give it a try? Flow My Tears is good also, but it doesn't flow as smoothly, ironically, and it just doesn't seem to pack the punch which Androids has.
07-12-02 | 10:45 PM
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From: The City of Roses.
Well, there is a lot of PKD. There's a lot of good PKD and there's a lot of so-so PKD. The suggestions in this thread are all great. Here's my top ten PKD novels in order:
UBIK
The Man in the High Castle
A Scanner Darkly
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Clans of the Alphane Moon
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said
The Simulacra
Time Out of Joint
Dr. Bloodmoney
UBIK
The Man in the High Castle
A Scanner Darkly
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Clans of the Alphane Moon
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said
The Simulacra
Time Out of Joint
Dr. Bloodmoney
07-16-02 | 04:00 AM
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From: Texas! Damn right.
Hmmm, can nobody suggest The Unteleported Man? I just picked it up this weekend along with Blade Runner, Man in the High Castle, and a few of the Collected Stories of PKD. Sounds like that one is the obvious "backburner book" of the bunch. Whadya think? Okay, obviously it goes after Runner and Castle, but on it's own, does it suck, or is it decent?