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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.
ninj's review
4.0
This opens with someone working on a speech with help from some automation software that you provide prompts to, which is eerily prescient for 60 odd years ago.
An interesting look at living above and below after a war, and both the feelings and actions of those living such a time. Not the greatest of Dick's work, but maybe that's just because he works better at shorter lengths.
An interesting look at living above and below after a war, and both the feelings and actions of those living such a time. Not the greatest of Dick's work, but maybe that's just because he works better at shorter lengths.
shane_tiernan's review against another edition
4.0
Probably closer to 3.5 stars. This was a super cool idea. He lets it out pretty early that a few rich people are keeping humanity underground under the pretense of a war that ended 13 years earlier. I really would have expected this to be the "big reveal" similar to something like [b:Ender's Game|375802|Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet, #1)|Orson Scott Card|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408303130s/375802.jpg|2422333] but instead it was more about people realizing that history had been manipulated and the politics of the people in power.
There was a funky part about a time travelling guy (one of the main characters) that seemed totally unnecessary but maybe I just didn't get it. Still it was fun and I enjoyed it a lot.
There was a funky part about a time travelling guy (one of the main characters) that seemed totally unnecessary but maybe I just didn't get it. Still it was fun and I enjoyed it a lot.
isabellarobinson7's review against another edition
4.0
Man, I thought procrastinating for four days to write a review was bad, now it's over two weeks.
Rating: 4 stars
First, a word of advice: do not read Phillip K. Dick when you have limited brain power because he does not spoon feed anything to you. His books are always super confusing at the beginning (and in the middle, really, when there is usually some twist, which then ends up in a confusing ending. So I guess his entire books are confusing) but they are even more confusing when you've lost a couple of IQ points recently like I have. Then the whole confusing element (take a shot whenever I say "confusing", honestly) is bumped up ten-fold.
So after a mighty rigmarole to get the first half of this book done, (I had gotten just under half way through this minuscule "novel" in three whole weeks), I woke up at 4am one morning with nothing to do, and all of a sudden, I sped-read the crap out of this book in (about) an hour! (For a bit of background, everything was pointing towards finishing this book in one day - quite possibly even in a single sitting. With both the physical and audio copy in my possession, and at the speed at which I listen to audiobooks, two and a half hours was all the reading time required for me to have this book done and dusted.)
But it's been such a long time since I read this that I have next to nothing to say about it. Dammit! I was aiming to review every book I read this year (which is only four so far at the end of February, and I usually average about 15 books a month) but as of yet I am pumping out this worthless nonsense that holds value to no one. I don't know what I'm doing, but then again, does anyone really?
Rating: 4 stars
First, a word of advice: do not read Phillip K. Dick when you have limited brain power because he does not spoon feed anything to you. His books are always super confusing at the beginning (and in the middle, really, when there is usually some twist, which then ends up in a confusing ending. So I guess his entire books are confusing) but they are even more confusing when you've lost a couple of IQ points recently like I have. Then the whole confusing element (take a shot whenever I say "confusing", honestly) is bumped up ten-fold.
So after a mighty rigmarole to get the first half of this book done, (I had gotten just under half way through this minuscule "novel" in three whole weeks), I woke up at 4am one morning with nothing to do, and all of a sudden, I sped-read the crap out of this book in (about) an hour! (For a bit of background, everything was pointing towards finishing this book in one day - quite possibly even in a single sitting. With both the physical and audio copy in my possession, and at the speed at which I listen to audiobooks, two and a half hours was all the reading time required for me to have this book done and dusted.)
But it's been such a long time since I read this that I have next to nothing to say about it. Dammit! I was aiming to review every book I read this year (which is only four so far at the end of February, and I usually average about 15 books a month) but as of yet I am pumping out this worthless nonsense that holds value to no one. I don't know what I'm doing, but then again, does anyone really?
motna's review against another edition
mysterious
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? No
3.5
redmordred's review against another edition
2.0
This was the seventh book I've read by Philip K. Dick. It wasn't one of his better novels, but I still found some enjoyment in the work. In some ways I could see it being a kind of pre-atompunk novel, but like usual a lot of the lingo is either outdated, the name choices are very PKD, and trying to figure out what the technology he's talking about can be kind of difficult. For example he doesn't use the words mike or microphone. He refers a kind of air vehicle as a flapple - I don't imagine it's a helicopter or a plane.
encgolsen's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Published in 1964, this remarkable novel imagines a future in which World War III happened, forcing humanity to take refuge in underground "ant tanks" to survive. On the surface, the war ended long ago; the economy is based on perpetuating "the big lie" that it's still going on so the tank residents will keep producing robot labor for the surface dwellers. Fascinating, especially in our time of deep fakes and disinformation. Also, I love the title