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mayastone's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
fleural's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The Variable Man by Philip K. Dick is a fast-paced, action-packed adventure of a novella that isn´t as nuanced or thought-provoking as perhaps other works by PKD but is still interesting and entertaining.
mike_word's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dandelionking's review
2.0
I loved the story but unfortunately it had one scene that was not needed. For that, I've given this interesting story 2 instead of 4 or 5 stars because of this.
oluwaran's review
4.0
A wonderful story about how intuition can save the day. With growing evidence, we are seeing that intuition should not be as highly prized as we once imagined, but this story is an example of how it still has its uses. Also, it does not demonize the concept of being a jack of all trades, which is usually followed by the insult "master of none." The author also throws in some dystopian ideas such as the worship of machines, intergalactic war, and a monopoly on power.
laplaine's review
2.0
This short piece brought me back to my days of reading Asimov and Bradbury as a kid. I had forgotten how much I like these campy "futuristic" stories and like imagining just how the author envisioned the future turning out like this.
jokoloyo's review against another edition
4.0
I admit I have only read a few of PKD's works. But from my very limited experience, after I read The Variable Man, I think this one should be read by general readers, not only by PKD's fans or SF fans. And we can get this story in Gutenberg site. :)
This story is short, has a really excellent sci-fi plot twist (I already said too much here), and has some PKD's standard troupes.
And I found one pleasant surprise in this story. I put spoiler for anyone people who want to strictly read it all by yourself. I just can't help myself not mentioning it on my review, but don't worry I won't spoil the details:
This story is short, has a really excellent sci-fi plot twist (I already said too much here), and has some PKD's standard troupes.
Spoiler
Such as: time travel, prediction the future, war/weapon race against Alpha Centauri people, cat-and-mouse-chasing plot.And I found one pleasant surprise in this story. I put spoiler for anyone people who want to strictly read it all by yourself. I just can't help myself not mentioning it on my review, but don't worry I won't spoil the details: