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hakimbriki's review against another edition
4.0
The Penultimate Truth is one of those PKD books that rarely anyone mentions when discussing his best works. I went in with low-to-mid expectations, but came out very impressed with the intricacies of the plot and the political commentary. Don't get me wrong, most usual PKD tropes are omnipresent in this novel (simulacra of a leader, bodyguard robots, precogs... etc.) but that didn't hinder my enjoyment of it much. I can definitely imagine a great film adaptation by Neill Blomkamp or Denis Villeneuve.
jmcook's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
gavgav's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
hereticburger's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sauce4you's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
madmissmedic's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
couldbestephen's review against another edition
3.0
World War III rages on the surface of the earth, fought by robots produced by humans hidden underground. These humans, living in colonies called tanks, live in poor conditions, find the strength to brave their new reality through messages broadcasted by their president, Yancy. Here's the thing... World War III is over and the people in the tanks are kept there for manual labor. Yancy's speech writers hold all the power aboveground. And they don't want the undergrounder's to come up.
I think I just might not like PKD's style of writing. The story was fascinating; the themes of propaganda and how even bad propaganda works, exploration of the characters who write said propaganda, and time travel(??) were so fun! But it's like PKD gave up near the end, we were building to something interesting and then he shut it down, almost leaving us with a cliffhanger ending that didn't even get me excited for another story. I'm not sure if it's his prose or pacing that throws me off more. But there's something that keeps me from feeling connected to the story.
A very interesting read that builds to nowhere, a solid 3/5 star read.
I think I just might not like PKD's style of writing. The story was fascinating; the themes of propaganda and how even bad propaganda works, exploration of the characters who write said propaganda, and time travel(??) were so fun! But it's like PKD gave up near the end, we were building to something interesting and then he shut it down, almost leaving us with a cliffhanger ending that didn't even get me excited for another story. I'm not sure if it's his prose or pacing that throws me off more. But there's something that keeps me from feeling connected to the story.
A very interesting read that builds to nowhere, a solid 3/5 star read.
jtweston's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
digdoog1's review against another edition
4.0
My first PKD novel. The world building is so complex that it takes some time to wrap yourself in it. When I did I really enjoyed it. The idea that truth is not as important as who tells the best story first will always be a problem with humankind. Basically, even with all of its sci-fi trappings the story is about the ambition of some to rule and the fear of others to stand for what is right. A very human story.
lunaseassecondaccount's review against another edition
1.0
I thought I'd enjoy this book. World War III occurred (and some of it appeared to be fought on Mars), and during that time, most of humanity went underground. The war finished two years later, but people were told by the politicians that the war was still going on and the surface wasn't safe. And this lie just kept on going. And then there was some kind of political intrigue and time travel and that's when I got lost.
When I should the book to my father, the only thing he said was, 'he wrote most of his work high.' Ah, I said. That makes sense. I found the language to be very difficult to follow. I couldn't tell what was up or down, left or right, forwards or backwards. I struggled throughout all of it.
Gah.
When I should the book to my father, the only thing he said was, 'he wrote most of his work high.' Ah, I said. That makes sense. I found the language to be very difficult to follow. I couldn't tell what was up or down, left or right, forwards or backwards. I struggled throughout all of it.
Gah.