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A review by teal_axolotl
The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick, Volume 2: Second Variety by Philip K. Dick, Norman Spinrad
3.0
Volume 2. Second Variety (Millennium)
5⭐ Second Variety
A terrifying picture of the consequences of a total war. The kind of war that was prevented in an earlier story, The Defenders (Vol.1). Much like there, people utilized technology to gain military advantage, and the machines they created got out of control. But this time they turned on mandind, slaughtering what's left of them.
The overwhelming feeling of the story is that of dread, hopelessness and futility of continued existence in such world, much similar to Black Mirror's episode Metalhead.
How can we be sure who is human and who only masquerades as one? This theme plays out throughout a couple of other stories.
5⭐ Human Is
Which conditions have to be met for us to accept other lifeforms as humane enough? "Human Is" - the one that looks human, was born human, OR the one that acts like one?
Electric Dreams S1E6
4⭐ Impostor
Am I a human? Or am I just programmed to believe I am human?
4⭐ A Surface Raid
Intriguing worldbuilding, cool reveal. One of the best stories.
4⭐ The Hood Maker (aka Immunity)
Electric Dreams S1E1
3⭐ Martians Come in clouds (aka The Buggies)
Xenophobia, mob mentality and aggression against harmless outsiders without any attempt to hear them out or understand them.
4⭐ Planet for Transients
After humans destroyed Earth in a nuclear war, new life species emerged, adapted to new radioactive conditions. And the humans themselves became alien to the planet they used to call home.
2⭐ Project Earth (aka One Who Stole)
4⭐ Some Kinds of Life
A depressingly true satire on mindless consumerism and resource exploitation that it brings. Written in 1952 at the very start of US suburbanization, it prophetically jokes about 90-mile ride to the city. Main idea: commodities, the comfort they bring, and continuous technological progress required for their development – at what cost?
4⭐ The Commuter
Losing touch with reality, doubting yourself.
2⭐ The Cookie Lady
2⭐ The Cosmic Poaches (aka The Burglar)
3⭐ The Impossible Planet
An old lady wishes to travel to Earth, which is believed to be a myth. Tempted by a huge payment she offers, the captain of the spaceship decides to betray her life-long dream and fly her to a random desolate planet that fits the description. But it turns out to be Earth after all.
Electric Dreams S1E2
3⭐ The Trouble with Bubbles (aka Plaything)
Boredom and loss of purpose pushes people towards engaging new forms of leisure, and to disregard morality of their actions.
3⭐ The World She Wanted
We live in bubbles of reality, and even though our worlds exist only for us, at times they intersect with worlds of others.
2⭐ A Present for Pat
3⭐ Adjustment Team
A sector of the city is isolated and changes are made to alter the future towards a desired outcome. But, like in Variable Man, there was something unaccounted for - a clerk had entered the sector mid-adjustment and had seen the "behind the scenes". Later, he can't accept this new reality and even thinks he's going crazy.
2⭐ Beyond the Door
4⭐ Breakfast at Twilight
A house gets transported forward in time, to arrive in the middle of total war that has been going on for a few years.
3⭐ James P. Crow
Robots vs Humans. Once tools, now masters.
3⭐ Jon's World (aka Jon)
1⭐ Of Whithered Apples
3⭐ Progeny
Children are being raised by robots, educated according to their determined abilities. A father can't easily bear the separation with his son and finally meets him after 9 years, but the child feels too alien.
3⭐ Prominent Author
People from another time begin to worship a man and write the Bible.
3⭐ Small Town
Story about escapism and importance of feeling in control of your own life, not being powerless.
For 30 years a man works on building a near-perfect model of his town. Then, one day he reshapes it, removing unwanted parts and adding new ones according to his vision. When the remodelling is complete, it becomes the reality.
3⭐ Souvenir
Conformity and uniformity are the key to peaceful existence in the Galaxy. Anything that differs and doesn't conform, must be destroyed in the name of peace.
3⭐ Survey Team
Earth's environment is destroyed, remains of humanity exist underground. A manned expedition to Mars discovers the planet barren, completely exhausted of its resourses, and its inhabitants - gone, departed to another world, virgin, unspoiled. After further investigation the team realizes that this world had been Earth.
5⭐ Second Variety
A terrifying picture of the consequences of a total war. The kind of war that was prevented in an earlier story, The Defenders (Vol.1). Much like there, people utilized technology to gain military advantage, and the machines they created got out of control. But this time they turned on mandind, slaughtering what's left of them.
The overwhelming feeling of the story is that of dread, hopelessness and futility of continued existence in such world, much similar to Black Mirror's episode Metalhead.
How can we be sure who is human and who only masquerades as one? This theme plays out throughout a couple of other stories.
5⭐ Human Is
Which conditions have to be met for us to accept other lifeforms as humane enough? "Human Is" - the one that looks human, was born human, OR the one that acts like one?
Electric Dreams S1E6
4⭐ Impostor
Am I a human? Or am I just programmed to believe I am human?
4⭐ A Surface Raid
Intriguing worldbuilding, cool reveal. One of the best stories.
4⭐ The Hood Maker (aka Immunity)
Electric Dreams S1E1
3⭐ Martians Come in clouds (aka The Buggies)
Xenophobia, mob mentality and aggression against harmless outsiders without any attempt to hear them out or understand them.
4⭐ Planet for Transients
After humans destroyed Earth in a nuclear war, new life species emerged, adapted to new radioactive conditions. And the humans themselves became alien to the planet they used to call home.
2⭐ Project Earth (aka One Who Stole)
4⭐ Some Kinds of Life
A depressingly true satire on mindless consumerism and resource exploitation that it brings. Written in 1952 at the very start of US suburbanization, it prophetically jokes about 90-mile ride to the city. Main idea: commodities, the comfort they bring, and continuous technological progress required for their development – at what cost?
4⭐ The Commuter
Losing touch with reality, doubting yourself.
Fear gripped him. Laura, all his possessions, his plans, hopes and dreams. His own world was in jeopardy. Only one thing mattered now. He had to make sure of it; make sure his own life was still there.Does having memory of a thing make it real? And does not remembering something mean it wasn't part of your life?
How much had changed? He didn’t remember that. But how could he be sure? He felt confused. How could he tell?Electric Dreams S1E3
2⭐ The Cookie Lady
2⭐ The Cosmic Poaches (aka The Burglar)
3⭐ The Impossible Planet
An old lady wishes to travel to Earth, which is believed to be a myth. Tempted by a huge payment she offers, the captain of the spaceship decides to betray her life-long dream and fly her to a random desolate planet that fits the description. But it turns out to be Earth after all.
Electric Dreams S1E2
3⭐ The Trouble with Bubbles (aka Plaything)
Boredom and loss of purpose pushes people towards engaging new forms of leisure, and to disregard morality of their actions.
3⭐ The World She Wanted
We live in bubbles of reality, and even though our worlds exist only for us, at times they intersect with worlds of others.
2⭐ A Present for Pat
3⭐ Adjustment Team
A sector of the city is isolated and changes are made to alter the future towards a desired outcome. But, like in Variable Man, there was something unaccounted for - a clerk had entered the sector mid-adjustment and had seen the "behind the scenes". Later, he can't accept this new reality and even thinks he's going crazy.
2⭐ Beyond the Door
4⭐ Breakfast at Twilight
A house gets transported forward in time, to arrive in the middle of total war that has been going on for a few years.
3⭐ James P. Crow
Robots vs Humans. Once tools, now masters.
3⭐ Jon's World (aka Jon)
1⭐ Of Whithered Apples
3⭐ Progeny
Children are being raised by robots, educated according to their determined abilities. A father can't easily bear the separation with his son and finally meets him after 9 years, but the child feels too alien.
3⭐ Prominent Author
People from another time begin to worship a man and write the Bible.
3⭐ Small Town
Story about escapism and importance of feeling in control of your own life, not being powerless.
For 30 years a man works on building a near-perfect model of his town. Then, one day he reshapes it, removing unwanted parts and adding new ones according to his vision. When the remodelling is complete, it becomes the reality.
3⭐ Souvenir
Conformity and uniformity are the key to peaceful existence in the Galaxy. Anything that differs and doesn't conform, must be destroyed in the name of peace.
3⭐ Survey Team
Earth's environment is destroyed, remains of humanity exist underground. A manned expedition to Mars discovers the planet barren, completely exhausted of its resourses, and its inhabitants - gone, departed to another world, virgin, unspoiled. After further investigation the team realizes that this world had been Earth.
“We’ve destroyed two worlds,” Halloway said at last. “Not one. Mars first. We finished up here, then we moved to Terra. And we destroyed Terra as systematically as we did Mars.”