{"id":221,"date":"2011-06-26T22:10:47","date_gmt":"2011-06-26T22:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zirkvandenberg.com\/?p=221"},"modified":"2018-04-14T10:24:22","modified_gmt":"2018-04-13T22:24:22","slug":"a-galactic-guide-to-philip-k-dicks-best-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zirkvandenberg.com\/index.php\/2011\/06\/26\/a-galactic-guide-to-philip-k-dicks-best-books\/","title":{"rendered":"A galactic guide to Philip K. Dick\u2019s best books"},"content":{"rendered":"
Science fiction writer Philip K. Dick\u2019s best books are maddening beyond belief. He is a tremendous writer who managed to write about deep and serious matters in the most ridiculous genre of them all.<\/div>\n

But one can\u2019t expect anyone but a hardcore fan to wade through Dick\u2019s tremendous output of 44 novels. At a quick count, there is only seven I may not have read. So here\u2019s a guide to Philip K. Dick\u2019s ten best books.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ubik<\/h2>\n

Here Dick examines one of his key themes: What is reality? When asked this question in person once, he gave a wonderful answer: \u201cReality is that which continues to exist even if I don\u2019t believe in it.\u201d The book takes a more roundabout view. It features God in a spray can. You spray Ubik around you if reality starts to fall apart. A top class book, with ideas that resurfaced in popular culture in the Matrix<\/em> movies.<\/p>\n

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?<\/h2>\n

Dick\u2019s second great theme is: What is it that makes us human? This story about near-human \u201creplicants\u201d makes that theoretical question a matter of life and death, in the typical Dickian way. Dick\u2019s short answer, by the way, is\u00a0empathy<\/em>. Many people know this story from Ridley Scott\u2019s excellent movie version,\u00a0Blade Runner<\/em>. The book features a strong added dimension, the religion of Mercerism with its induced suffering, that never made it into the movie. Amazingly, this book was written in the same year as\u00a0Ubik\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 1966.<\/p>\n

* A note of caution: This title seems to have been appropriated for a number of books with ties to the original. Make sure you get the original Philip K. Dick book and not something cobbled together afterwards.<\/em><\/p>\n

A Scanner Darkly<\/h2>\n

Most of Philip K. Dick\u2019s books are about the California of his era, with science fiction trappings added. In this one, the sci-fi element is at its thinnest. It\u2019s more of a drug book. Bob Arctor works for the drug busting law agency. Like all agents, he is totally incognito in his \u201cscramble suit\u201d. Then he gets sent to investigate himself\u2026 Dick once called this his best book. The animation-style movie of the book is also well worth watching.<\/p>\n

The Man in the High Castle<\/h2>\n

This is the book that put Dick on the map, winning the Hugo Award in 1962. It tells of an alternate history where Germany and Japan won World War Two. This is probably the best place to start reading Dick if you like science fiction, but games with reality are not your thing. The alternate reality in this book is, at least, fairly consistent, without the dizzying shifts he often inflicts on readers.<\/p>\n

Martian Time-Slip<\/h2>\n

A repairman in a colony on Mars struggles with schizophrenia, local power struggles and an autistic boy who sees the future. While not the very best of his books, it is arguably the most representative, if you only read one.<\/p>\n

Time Out of Joint<\/h2>\n

Published in 1958, this is the earliest book on the list. Ragle Gumm (what a name!) lives in 1950s USA and is the regular winner of a newspaper competition to predict Where Will the Little Green Man Appear Next? Only it turns out that the competition, his wife, his entire life, is a carefully constructed fiction aimed at preserving his sanity. The movie\u00a0The Truman Show\u00a0<\/em>is reminiscent of this book.<\/p>\n

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch<\/h2>\n

Dick\u2019s growing religious sense comes strongly to the fore in this book, where settlers on Mars play with Barbie-style dolls to preserve their sanity and chew gum that makes them hallucinate. Parts of this book are like listening to Bach.<\/p>\n

Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said<\/h2>\n

A famous television personality suddenly discovers his identity has been officially deleted. In his subsequent struggles, he learns something about the Dickian concept of compassion. (How many other authors\u2019 names can be adjectivised meaningfully?) It is one of Dick\u2019s most emotionally moving books.<\/p>\n

Valis<\/h2>\n

This is late-period Dick and one to avoid unless you\u2019ve already read four or five others and preferably know a bit about the man. The book seems to be the product of a mind on the edge of madness. Most of Dick\u2019s books drive the reader slightly mad, casting doubt on your relation with reality, but never to the same extent as this. It\u2019s a profound and moving book, but for patient fans only. It was originally published in 1981, only a year before the author\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

Confessions of a Crap Artist<\/h2>\n

This is one of the non-SF books Philip K. Dick wrote early in his career. It was written in 1959 and only published in 1975, after he had made his name. In fact, there is little to choose between these books and you can also try\u00a0Puttering About in a Small Land\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0In Milton Lumky Territory<\/em>. Though often flawed, these books about real people with small lives have great charm.<\/p>\n

But read the science fiction first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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