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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-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:
N/A
Post world war 3, robots called leady, and manufactured reality. This story expands the earlier short stories The Defenders and The Unreconstructed M and incorporates elements of The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike, Dr and The Mold of Yancy
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The novel has an interesting enough premise, but suffers from having too many characters that the story is told through, and none of them are developed enough to really care about.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
The Penultimate Truth, newly released in the wonderful new edition from Mariner Books, is a perfect example of Philip K. Dick at his best: a future story that immediately draws the reader in with its complexity and interest, as well as taking its characters to interesting and unexpected places. Like most of his books, it’s a short one that leaves the reader contemplating on what they’ve just read and what it might mean for his or her life and world.
It is the future and a devastating world war of epic proportions has taken place and most of humanity now lives deep beneath the ground in massive bunkers which is all the world that these people know. To them the battle still wages above, and they continue about their daily lives, manufacturing weapons and making supplies to send up above, while eking out a pitiful existence in this regimented and hopeless society. That is until Nick St. James, president of one of these “anthills,” makes the decision and digs himself to the surface to get help to his people. It is there that he discovers a shocking reality he never could’ve predicted.
The Penultimate Truth has a great message to it at the end, which may not be completely clear, but unavoidably asks questions of our own society and where we might be headed in the future. Given that Dick was writing this in 1964, it is an astonishing revelation and foresight that many have come to expect from this master of science fiction.
Originally written on March 14, 2012 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more reviews and exclusive interviews, go to BookBanter.
It is the future and a devastating world war of epic proportions has taken place and most of humanity now lives deep beneath the ground in massive bunkers which is all the world that these people know. To them the battle still wages above, and they continue about their daily lives, manufacturing weapons and making supplies to send up above, while eking out a pitiful existence in this regimented and hopeless society. That is until Nick St. James, president of one of these “anthills,” makes the decision and digs himself to the surface to get help to his people. It is there that he discovers a shocking reality he never could’ve predicted.
The Penultimate Truth has a great message to it at the end, which may not be completely clear, but unavoidably asks questions of our own society and where we might be headed in the future. Given that Dick was writing this in 1964, it is an astonishing revelation and foresight that many have come to expect from this master of science fiction.
Originally written on March 14, 2012 ©Alex C. Telander.
For more reviews and exclusive interviews, go to BookBanter.
"He was again aware or his own mortality, the delicate stability of forces that, from the bio-chemical level on up, permitted a human being to exist."
Oh my goodness! I am still lost for words...
But the world building and the build up of tension, and the intricate details of the characters are just so brilliant! This is a very political and, in a way, dystopian sci-fi novel! The premise of the novel is almost uncomfortably close to the truth and what still could be our future! The mind games and psychology of it are so clever that you're always left questioning yourself as to who to trust! The story was raw, gripping, dark and never disappointing! I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves dystopian sci-fi!
Oh my goodness! I am still lost for words...
But the world building and the build up of tension, and the intricate details of the characters are just so brilliant! This is a very political and, in a way, dystopian sci-fi novel! The premise of the novel is almost uncomfortably close to the truth and what still could be our future! The mind games and psychology of it are so clever that you're always left questioning yourself as to who to trust! The story was raw, gripping, dark and never disappointing! I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves dystopian sci-fi!
The book is excellent, but has a couple of annoying flaws which prevent it from being a 5/5.
First of all, the writing is a bit off in the first half. Many sentences are ridiculously long, give way too much unrelated information at once and makes some parts hard to follow. This only happens in the first half (maybe third) of the book.
The second issue is that the end (last 40 pages) is extremely rushed. Won't give any spoilers, so I'll just say I think a longer book (extra 50 pages at most) would've made the book so much better.
First of all, the writing is a bit off in the first half. Many sentences are ridiculously long, give way too much unrelated information at once and makes some parts hard to follow. This only happens in the first half (maybe third) of the book.
The second issue is that the end (last 40 pages) is extremely rushed. Won't give any spoilers, so I'll just say I think a longer book (extra 50 pages at most) would've made the book so much better.
Really neat worldbuilding. Has elements of 1984 and Wool. I wish it had been a bit more fleshed out, though. This is a very short book, so I didn't connect with the characters, and the plot moved very fast.