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mattpfarr's review against another edition
1.0
A man is hired to work as a mechanic for two years and as a precaution to their secrets his mind is wiped clean when he is done. He finds that instead of receiving pay he opted to receive a bag of random items but he doesn't know why.
I really did not enjoy this. It seemed to slog along pretty slowly and there was really no suspense. The idea was pretty interesting but lost its interest. The items from the bag were called "trinkets" and I couldn't take it seriously; some of their uses were pretty bad. The story just wasn't executed well and then the ended was horrid. Not very believable. Which is sad since the ending is not at all crazy. It got worse when he basically made a comment that the female interest would be bearing his children. They didn't have an established relationship. If he really made that leap in his mind, he is pretty psychotic.
I really did not enjoy this. It seemed to slog along pretty slowly and there was really no suspense. The idea was pretty interesting but lost its interest. The items from the bag were called "trinkets" and I couldn't take it seriously; some of their uses were pretty bad. The story just wasn't executed well and then the ended was horrid. Not very believable. Which is sad since the ending is not at all crazy. It got worse when he basically made a comment that the female interest would be bearing his children. They didn't have an established relationship. If he really made that leap in his mind, he is pretty psychotic.
kratositaly's review
3.0
My first foray into the sci-fi works of Philip K. Dick, and it was a lackluster first impression. PAYCHECK is a novella with intriguing concepts but without a clear idea of what to do with them. A blend of time travel and visions of the future make for a fun enough thriller, but its themes of free will and choice do not amount to much and will be explored more in-depth with THE MINORITY REPORT. Also, the ending is too sappy even for its time!
silviabond's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
exterus's review
3.0
Collection of short stories bunched together seemingly semi-randomly, riding on the 2003 movie Paycheck. The stories vary a bit quality-wise, with highlights like Stand-by and Autofac. Not really Dick at his best, with some mediocre stories too.
cavetoad's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
shieldbearer's review
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i still find myself thinking about this one even though it has a major plot hole.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
djwudi's review
3.0
Actually the first P.K. Dick I'd read. Some really fun ideas in quite a few of these stories, but I was struck by how much a product of his time Dick was, especially in his treatment and characterizations of women. I suppose it's not really a surprise in hindsight, but it occasionally caught me off guard as I was reading.
chickflix's review
3.0
Fun little problem-solving thriller. Haven't seen the movie but now I want to.