Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Ehm.
Rated at 4, but looking back at it, it didn't affect me much.
Rated at 4, but looking back at it, it didn't affect me much.
I wonder if there are any other authors in the druggy, sci-fi genre. The book was good but in the end didn't really say anything, not to me at least. Not as impacting as a scanner darkly is about drug use and the human cost. Not as well tied together as Flow my Tears. It feels somewhere in the middle with a strange religious bend I didn't catch until he his you over the head with it in the last 50 pages. Still, I'll watch the movie when the book eventually gets optioned like all his others.
Completely bonkers. This sci-fi classic, first published in 1965, takes place in a future where Earth is way too hot, humanity is fleeing to off-world colonies, and everyone’s drugging themselves to escape their miserable lives.
The main fix of choice is “Can-D,” a hallucinogen that lets colonists step into dollhouse-like fantasies, but then along comes Palmer Eldritch with his new drug, “Chew-Z.” It’s marketed as the ultimate escape. But is it really freedom, or is Eldritch pulling everyone into his creepy, god-like control? Spoiler: it’s the second one.
Barney Mayerson, a stressed-out, insecure “Pre-Fash” consultant (basically a guy who predicts trends before they happen) is great at his job but terrible at life. When he gets tangled up with Chew-Z and Eldritch’s freaky omnipresence, things get... weird. Time bends, reality fractures, and suddenly you’re not sure if anything—or anyone—is real.
Dick throws a lot at you: questions about free will, God, reality, and the commodification of pretty much everything. The book is stuffed with ideas, some of them genius, some of them half-baked. The writing is chaotic but hypnotic, like Dick himself was on some Chew-Z while writing it.
I loved the audacity of this story. It doesn’t care if it’s confusing or if the ending leaves you with more questions than answers. And that’s the point, I think - Dick wants readers to feel as disoriented as his characters. It’s also slyly funny, with plenty of digs at religion, capitalism, and humanity’s endless need to escape.
Is it perfect? Nope. Is it a must-read? Absolutely, if you’re into sci-fi that messes with your head.
The main fix of choice is “Can-D,” a hallucinogen that lets colonists step into dollhouse-like fantasies, but then along comes Palmer Eldritch with his new drug, “Chew-Z.” It’s marketed as the ultimate escape. But is it really freedom, or is Eldritch pulling everyone into his creepy, god-like control? Spoiler: it’s the second one.
Barney Mayerson, a stressed-out, insecure “Pre-Fash” consultant (basically a guy who predicts trends before they happen) is great at his job but terrible at life. When he gets tangled up with Chew-Z and Eldritch’s freaky omnipresence, things get... weird. Time bends, reality fractures, and suddenly you’re not sure if anything—or anyone—is real.
Dick throws a lot at you: questions about free will, God, reality, and the commodification of pretty much everything. The book is stuffed with ideas, some of them genius, some of them half-baked. The writing is chaotic but hypnotic, like Dick himself was on some Chew-Z while writing it.
I loved the audacity of this story. It doesn’t care if it’s confusing or if the ending leaves you with more questions than answers. And that’s the point, I think - Dick wants readers to feel as disoriented as his characters. It’s also slyly funny, with plenty of digs at religion, capitalism, and humanity’s endless need to escape.
Is it perfect? Nope. Is it a must-read? Absolutely, if you’re into sci-fi that messes with your head.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Drug abuse, Drug use, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, Kidnapping
fast-paced
Not his best! The last 80 or so pages are amazing, but the 150 before that are just a bit boring. Horny middle-aged men being perverts while repeatedly saying something is going to happen. It gets good when it actually happens!
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes