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thisotherbookaccount 's review for:
Time Out of Joint
by Philip K. Dick
Philip K Dick is not a good writer, so let's just get that out of the way. If you are looking for compelling characters, character development, lyrical writing or proper structure, please look elsewhere. Dick is the concept artist who works in a studio, with grand ideas that he is able to put down on paper fairly easily. But don't ask him to turn his concept art into a narrative story, because you're not going to get any of that. He excels in premises, and you get a distinct sense that this man is from a future we are not aware of yet. That is the appeal of his books, the way he challenges reality and makes you question your senses.
Time Out of Joint is one of Dick's earlier works, and perhaps that's why it reads a lot more intact than his later books. That is not to say that books like Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Ultrich and The Scanner Darkly are subpar. Quite the opposite, actually, since they are three of my favorites. However, you know that he wrote his later books while being completely shot up with drugs. His earlier works, however, are a lot more polished and sober, if you will. Sure, the ending when the "big twist" is revealed turns inadvertently into a Dickian info dump, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as you are used to the way Dick's brain operates.
The plot, which revolves around a man who slowly begins to doubt everything in his life, is quintessential Dick. It isn't layered on nearly as thick as his later works, but here are some of his most popular concepts in infancy. And it has a distinct Twilight Zone vibe to it too, combining elements of The Truman Show and The Matrix. Remember! This was written in 1959, so this novel can be forgiven for trespassing a few film ideas that came a few decades after.
This is an essential read for Dick fans out there, although it isn't one of his best. However, it shows surprising amount of maturity and discipline, and the Dick here does not let his lofty ideas get in the way of good suspense and story. I will rank it somewhere between Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Time Out of Joint is one of Dick's earlier works, and perhaps that's why it reads a lot more intact than his later books. That is not to say that books like Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Ultrich and The Scanner Darkly are subpar. Quite the opposite, actually, since they are three of my favorites. However, you know that he wrote his later books while being completely shot up with drugs. His earlier works, however, are a lot more polished and sober, if you will. Sure, the ending when the "big twist" is revealed turns inadvertently into a Dickian info dump, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as you are used to the way Dick's brain operates.
The plot, which revolves around a man who slowly begins to doubt everything in his life, is quintessential Dick. It isn't layered on nearly as thick as his later works, but here are some of his most popular concepts in infancy. And it has a distinct Twilight Zone vibe to it too, combining elements of The Truman Show and The Matrix. Remember! This was written in 1959, so this novel can be forgiven for trespassing a few film ideas that came a few decades after.
This is an essential read for Dick fans out there, although it isn't one of his best. However, it shows surprising amount of maturity and discipline, and the Dick here does not let his lofty ideas get in the way of good suspense and story. I will rank it somewhere between Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?