Sock

I have read a couple Phillip K. Dick books: A Scanner Darkly and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. I read the latter because I loved its film adaptation, Bladerunner. As for A Scanner Darkly, I read a few months before the movie came out. Over all I likes A Scanner Darkly more, the psychedelic paranoia, mixed with an interesting look at government surveillance and manipulation. I Was just wonder if he has any other books that relate to his drug experiences , or at least are less "action packed" and massive like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.



My question is: Is there more Dick out there, more relative to A Scanner Darkly, with smaller portions on its plate? Thanks.

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At least I think... so...

Kane

Oh, I'm sure there's enough Dick out there to keep you busy for a while. If you haven't checked out the official website, do so. You'll practically be tripping over Dick. If you want a lot of Dick at once, there are many novels. And there are even more short stories if you're just looking for a quick Dick fix to get you through the day.

mwd

Yep, Kane is quite right. If I remember correctly his complete short fiction has been collected in four thick volumes. So if you like short stories there are tons to keep you busy. By necessity most of his short fiction has "smaller portions on its plate" ... each of them generally deals with a particular idea or specific theme. Most of them are clever, and a few of them are brilliant. If you're familiar with modern SF you can get a pretty clear glimpse of the influence he has had through his short fiction.

My favourite novel of his is Ubik. I wouldn't say it is "action packed" (although to be honest I wouldn't describe Do Androids Dream... that way either), but it does move at a fast pace. Of course it has his usual themes of perception and the nature of reality, but I think it handles them in a more interesting way than A Scanner Darkly. The ending, in particular, I found to be pretty profound and thought provoking.

On the other hand I thought A Scanner Darkly was probably his most personal and emotionally affecting work, considering its background in Dick's own life, and the way things turn out in the end for Fred/Arctor.

The Man in the High Castle is one of his tighter, slower paced and more 'literary' novels, if that's what you're looking for.

Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said is also very good. It deals with some themes of drug use, mostly regarding how they alter the perceptions/reality of some of the characters. But they don't receive as much of the focus as in A Scanner Darkly. In most of his writing the drug/perception themes are more of an undercurrent that runs through everything, rather than the "point" of the story itself. So if you're looking for something that treads the same ground as a A Scanner Darkly you might have trouble, but if you're looking for a bit of that and a bit of other themes, you're in business.

Really, you could pick up damn near anything by Dick and get treated to some trippiness, in one form or another. He's written way more novels than these, but these are generally considered his most famous and well known works, from what I've seen. So if you look into these I don't think you'll go wrong.

Tundra Belle

Hoo-boy, does that name take me back to my black, bleak, angst-ridden days as a teenager. I've always wondered if perhaps I read PKD at the wrong time of my life.

Ubik was pretty stunning. The last book I read was (published postumously?) Radio Free Albumuth, or something like that. Extremely dark, IMO. And methinks that the movie Total Recall was based on his story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale. However, I don't remember any of his characters being Schwartenegger-ish; much less, winners.

Somber Cheers,

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T-Belle
Keep it simple, make it move.

Hodge

Dude.

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Science

Scarecrow

Oh come on it was great.

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End Times

Hodge

It was, but so very unexpected coming from Kane.

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Science

Kane

lol, sorry. It was the way he posed the question. I couldn't help myself. =)

Sock

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm deffinetly treating myself to as much Dick as I can get my hands on!!!

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At least I think... so...

Kathyrn

you go, girl!

Rah!

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I write to find out why I'm writing what I'm writing.
M.John Harrison

wmd

I was in borders today and because of this thread I looked for some Dick... There is a LOT. you are right.

I wsa going to get A Scanner Darkly but they did not have it... maybe next time.

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