Reviews - Time Out of Joint

253 reviews for:

Time Out of Joint

Philip K. Dick

3.82 AVERAGE

ronanprsh's review against another edition

3.0

Não sei bem o que eu penso deste livro...

uv_sensibility's review against another edition

2.5

adventurous

stcloud_17's review against another edition

4.0

dark reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

gringoamericano's review against another edition

2.0

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

pennyandaduck's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I was looking for something similar to The Truman Show and Dark City, and boy did I find it with Time Out of Joint. It feels like the direct inspiration.

I was a little concerned in the first few chapters as the story progressed extremely slowly with no obvious direction. Little did I know this was world building and would be a good setup for the mundanity of the world. I just wish there were some earlier hints as I almost put it down.

Once the revelations began, I was hooked. This is exactly my kind of read, and with the Truman Show in the back of my mind I wondered if this would have the same ending, especially as the story beats felt the same.

My real gripe is with how the story reveals itself and doesn't give time to wrap up. Some elements feel unanswered:

How did things 'disappear'? Were they ever real?

Building the whole town feels like a monumental effort. Where did the funding come from? The people? What goes in to making all this work?

What does the outside world think or know about this Old Town?

What happens to everyone in the town afterwards?

And, most importantly, what's the actual resolution? Sure, we get a decision on what happens next, but we don't read how that affects the war or the characters we've met along the way.

I think the Afterward was useful in putting this book in context, and how Dick was trying to break free of sci-fi, but still had to put elements in there to get paid. It explains why

the explanation at the end is so 'out there'.

But before that context, it feels drastically different. That would be fine if we could learn more about that world or the consequences of Raggle's actions I think.

Overall, I loved most of this book. It was just

the sudden ending, or at least the feeling that it ended too soon. I want more! I want answers to the questions!

Perhaps that's why I liked it so much.