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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
I could have forgiven the dreadfully misguided and antiquated representations of mental health conditions if this book was actually any good. Sadly this is the worst PKD novel I've read by some margin.
The pulpy tone didn't hold true; the humour fell flat; the plot managed to be simultaneously over-complicated and deeply shallow; the characters were all completely flat.
I persevered because I thought somehow the book would challenge the initial notions of the clans and mental health. But it didn't. The closest it got to a clever ending or twist was that - shock horror - the therapist turns out to be mad herself!
(Actually in fairness that's probably the most plausible bit about MH in the whole book... therapists always seem to be mad...)
The pulpy tone didn't hold true; the humour fell flat; the plot managed to be simultaneously over-complicated and deeply shallow; the characters were all completely flat.
I persevered because I thought somehow the book would challenge the initial notions of the clans and mental health. But it didn't. The closest it got to a clever ending or twist was that - shock horror - the therapist turns out to be mad herself!
(Actually in fairness that's probably the most plausible bit about MH in the whole book... therapists always seem to be mad...)
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Minor Dick. I think this one is about divorce proceedings.
adventurous
lighthearted
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:
Yes
One of his wackiest books to be sure, but not one of his best
Absolutely loved this novel and the portrayal of mental illness in Societies - my only complaint is that the novel lingered too long on the Rittersdorf couple. I was mostly interested in the workings of the clans themselves, and wish they hadn't been mainly used as a jumping off point for a couple counseling narrative. Despite that, this was still a thoroughly fun ride of science fiction!
The moon, Alpha III M2, was once a mental asylum. Abandoned and left to itself, the inmates establish a civilization, with clans formed based on the type of mental illness. There are clans of paranoids, schizophrenics, ones with obsessive compulsive disorder. To cure them comes a psychiatrist who may be more mentally unstable that them all. The stage is set.
This soon turns into a kichdi of a plot that oscillates between an I-know-that-you-know-that-I-know and a hate-to-love-to-hate drama. Ends posing the question of what's normal anyhow.
Oh its a Philip K Dick, so there are androids and telepathic slime molds.
A comfy read during Corona times.
This soon turns into a kichdi of a plot that oscillates between an I-know-that-you-know-that-I-know and a hate-to-love-to-hate drama. Ends posing the question of what's normal anyhow.
Oh its a Philip K Dick, so there are androids and telepathic slime molds.
A comfy read during Corona times.
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Everyone, from the clans to the Rittersdorfs to Bunny Hentman to the aliens are interesting characters, all driving the story forward with mind bending amounts of intrigue. Philip K. Dick has all the players on the board almost from the start, and you get to watch their dramas unfold, by the end wondering if an interplanetary war will explode based solely on a single shattered marriage. A great book by a great author.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm surprised it's not required reading for psychology undergrads