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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
There was some potential with the different societies based on mental illness, but pkd chose to focus on hid problem with women and divorce instead.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
By far my favorite Philip K. Dick novel. As opposed to all of the other characters he has written I actually felt I could moderately relate to the main character. Plus, the idea of factions of people that all have the same mental disorders makes for some fascinating reading (and some interesting comedy).
As usual, this book seems to explore outer space, but leaves a feeling that it actually mostly explored inner space. The plot is pleasantly twisty, particularly before the action moves to the Alphane Moon.
adventurous
medium-paced
Though the eccentric society depicted here in which diagnostic categories have become tribal identities is an interesting thought experiment, this novel is too rooted in mid-1960s ideas about psychiatry to have aged well, and too prominently features Dick's grumpy axe-grinding about women. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2016/11/18/drugs-hallucinations-and-the-quest-for-dick/
Four stars because i really liked it. And mostly because of a certain green slime.
This book is a bit weird, even by PKD standards. Split between a psychosis-UN on foreign moon, and terran business drama, this book is interesting all throughout.
Colorful aliens, psionic abilities, a large variety of settings -t his book has it all.
The book is at times a a bit self referential with the main character taking space amphetamines to write a lot of material. But at the time of its publication the readers would be unaware.
I enjoyed the interaction of Chuck with the slime mold - the relationship was endearing and fun.
Where the books misses is the "comedy ending" (although i appreciated a positive ending on the whole), the disjointedness, throwaway characters (what happens to joan), and lack of any real character arc outside of the wife. But she, being the "villain", doesnt have enough exposure to make her anything other than a sihlouettte.
IM glad im not running out of fun PKD books to read... yet.....swoon.
This book is a bit weird, even by PKD standards. Split between a psychosis-UN on foreign moon, and terran business drama, this book is interesting all throughout.
Colorful aliens, psionic abilities, a large variety of settings -t his book has it all.
The book is at times a a bit self referential with the main character taking space amphetamines to write a lot of material. But at the time of its publication the readers would be unaware.
I enjoyed the interaction of Chuck with the slime mold - the relationship was endearing and fun.
Where the books misses is the "comedy ending" (although i appreciated a positive ending on the whole), the disjointedness, throwaway characters (what happens to joan), and lack of any real character arc outside of the wife. But she, being the "villain", doesnt have enough exposure to make her anything other than a sihlouettte.
IM glad im not running out of fun PKD books to read... yet.....swoon.
I read this in order to understand a cartoon in the May/June 2022 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction:
However, I still don't understand the cartoon very well. Good book though.
However, I still don't understand the cartoon very well. Good book though.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As much as I love PKD's writing, I suffered through this one. It has all the deficits I've come to expect:
•Misogyny
•Antiquated psychiatry
•Poorly realized protagonists
•1-dimensional supporting characters
•Stiff, pulpy dialogue
•Poorly paced conclusion
•Loose ends tied up hastily at best
But this one didn't redeem itself with any of the solipsistic puzzles or mind-twisting plot tinkering that makes it all well worth enduring. The plot skeleton held promise, but I couldn't sustain my optimism past halfway through, where many of the best parts were ditched in favor of trivial conventions.
Oh, well. I'll still keep reading his stuff. And at worst, I can always come back to stories like The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, or Martian Time Slip, or Now Wait for Last Year, or Ubik, or...
•Misogyny
•Antiquated psychiatry
•Poorly realized protagonists
•1-dimensional supporting characters
•Stiff, pulpy dialogue
•Poorly paced conclusion
•Loose ends tied up hastily at best
But this one didn't redeem itself with any of the solipsistic puzzles or mind-twisting plot tinkering that makes it all well worth enduring. The plot skeleton held promise, but I couldn't sustain my optimism past halfway through, where many of the best parts were ditched in favor of trivial conventions.
Oh, well. I'll still keep reading his stuff. And at worst, I can always come back to stories like The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, or Martian Time Slip, or Now Wait for Last Year, or Ubik, or...