A review by trilbynorton
Radio Free Albemuth by Philip K. Dick

mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

In 1974, Philip K. Dick experienced a psychotic break. Among other delusions, he believed that he had been contacted by an extraterrestrial intelligence called VALIS (Vast Active Living Intelligence System), that he was catching glimpses of a past life as an early Christian named Thomas, and that all of it was somehow linked to something resembling the second coming of Christ. Radio Free Albemuth is PKD’s first (of four) attempts to deal with his experience and its personal and spiritual ramifications. It's also the most straightforward, a fictionalised version of his delusions written as if they happened to a friend rather than himself. It was only published after his death, but reading it before the so-called VALIS trilogy, it operates as a sort of primer for the in-depth explorations of the subsequent novels.