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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one’s a thinker! Very cool discourse on time, space, and contact. Really really amazing writing of each characters internal thoughts and processes.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-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
Allucinato e folle ma allo stesso tempo cupo, tagliente e cinico. Philip K. Dick non solo vuole dare il mal di testa, ma vuole anche far emergere incongruenze e assurdità della natura umana. Il confronto continuo con altre realtà e possibilità serve per mettere alla berlina le nostre illusioni e il nostro disperato bisogno di evasione. Qualcosa deve essere elevato a divino in ogni epoca storica e questo non va bene.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
mysterious
slow-paced
7.
Stupidamente provo a smontare il mito intorno a Philip. Mi impunto sulle cose, senza motivo, forse per il gusto di farlo, forse perché ho una personalità ossessiva e silenziosa che tira le fila della mia mente da dietro un sipario.
Puntualmente, fallisco. Puntualmente, cedo davanti ad un genio innegabile.
Non mi arrenderò. Leggerò tutto.
"Simboli della sua presenza, pensò. Fra noi. Una presenza non richiesta. Non intenzionalmente evocata. E... Non disponiamo di sacramenti d'intercessione tramite i quali proteggerci; non possiamo costringerlo, mediante i nostri accurati, venerandi, astuti e meticolosi rituali, a confinarsi in specifici elementi come il pane e l'acqua o il pane e il vino. È ovunque nell'aria, libero di muoversi dove vuole. Ci guarda negli occhi, e guarda con i nostri occhi." (225)
Stupidamente provo a smontare il mito intorno a Philip. Mi impunto sulle cose, senza motivo, forse per il gusto di farlo, forse perché ho una personalità ossessiva e silenziosa che tira le fila della mia mente da dietro un sipario.
Puntualmente, fallisco. Puntualmente, cedo davanti ad un genio innegabile.
Non mi arrenderò. Leggerò tutto.
"Simboli della sua presenza, pensò. Fra noi. Una presenza non richiesta. Non intenzionalmente evocata. E... Non disponiamo di sacramenti d'intercessione tramite i quali proteggerci; non possiamo costringerlo, mediante i nostri accurati, venerandi, astuti e meticolosi rituali, a confinarsi in specifici elementi come il pane e l'acqua o il pane e il vino. È ovunque nell'aria, libero di muoversi dove vuole. Ci guarda negli occhi, e guarda con i nostri occhi." (225)
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another truly bizarre, dystopian novella, which is fully realised in Dick’s science-fiction universe. Dick draws on many pre-existing concepts explored in other works to establish perhaps his most complex plot yet, capturing a profound sense of existentialism as he ponders reality through the guise of drug use.
Dick makes no secret of his own experimentation with psychedelics, and this novel seems to draw heavily upon these experiences. We follow Mayerson and Bulero as they combat Eldritch’s three stigmata, only to discover him an inescapable force which Mayerson eventually likens to God. The brevity in which Dick explores these challenging themes forces some knowledge of his most used concepts, such as ‘pre-cogs’. As an avid reader of his work, this presented no problem to me, but this should not be a reader’s first introduction to his work as a result. The exploration of masculinity in the image of consciousness and existentialism is truly unique and a fascinating concept, well ahead of its time. Using the Chew-Z as a plot device to explore sentience and even time travel is a genius way to abstract heavy philosophical notions into a two hundred page novella. Exploring this patriarchy through the lens of our two protagonists, shows insight into the consequences of misogyny, which remains poignant all these years later. Naturally, the multi-timeline or multi-reality plot is confusing, but I believe this propels readers into a greater sense of empathy for our protagonists as they experience the drug. As a cautionary tale for gateway drug use in a harsh, cold society, this novel is particularly powerful. Questioning the very essence of existence, Dick pens this powerful glimpse into the lives of many who find themselves depressed and regretful in the face of an ever “improving” world, at a detriment of the individual.
Colonialism is an interesting facet of the work, which altogether proves harmful and destructive for the coloniser. Mayerson’s ‘atoning’ trip to Mars bares striking parallels to a pilgrimage, and highlights another aspect of religious exposition in a more subtle sense. We experience first hand his descent into desperation, and the inescapable doom resulting from his ‘sin’.
Despite an immensely complex plot, only further complicated by the hallucination sequences, this is another strong contribution by Dick, though not my favourite of his work. Satirical, but truly bizarre.
Dick makes no secret of his own experimentation with psychedelics, and this novel seems to draw heavily upon these experiences. We follow Mayerson and Bulero as they combat Eldritch’s three stigmata, only to discover him an inescapable force which Mayerson eventually likens to God. The brevity in which Dick explores these challenging themes forces some knowledge of his most used concepts, such as ‘pre-cogs’. As an avid reader of his work, this presented no problem to me, but this should not be a reader’s first introduction to his work as a result. The exploration of masculinity in the image of consciousness and existentialism is truly unique and a fascinating concept, well ahead of its time. Using the Chew-Z as a plot device to explore sentience and even time travel is a genius way to abstract heavy philosophical notions into a two hundred page novella. Exploring this patriarchy through the lens of our two protagonists, shows insight into the consequences of misogyny, which remains poignant all these years later. Naturally, the multi-timeline or multi-reality plot is confusing, but I believe this propels readers into a greater sense of empathy for our protagonists as they experience the drug. As a cautionary tale for gateway drug use in a harsh, cold society, this novel is particularly powerful. Questioning the very essence of existence, Dick pens this powerful glimpse into the lives of many who find themselves depressed and regretful in the face of an ever “improving” world, at a detriment of the individual.
Colonialism is an interesting facet of the work, which altogether proves harmful and destructive for the coloniser. Mayerson’s ‘atoning’ trip to Mars bares striking parallels to a pilgrimage, and highlights another aspect of religious exposition in a more subtle sense. We experience first hand his descent into desperation, and the inescapable doom resulting from his ‘sin’.
Despite an immensely complex plot, only further complicated by the hallucination sequences, this is another strong contribution by Dick, though not my favourite of his work. Satirical, but truly bizarre.