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cruelspirit 's review for:
Time Out of Joint
by Philip K. Dick
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After finishing The Man in the High Castle last year I said my next Philip K Dick book would be Ubik. That all changed when I had a friend come over and give me their copy of Time Out Of Joint. This friend has been working through all of PKD's books and, having read many more than I have, didn't really have much to say about this one. They said it was alright but nothing compared to their favorites. After a few months I decided to finally get around to reading this myself and I was quite surprised with what I got.
I really didn't know much going into Time Out of Joint. I knew it was one of PKD's earlier works, the earliest novel I've read of his so far. Personally, I've been more drawn to his later works and wanted to get into something from the mid to late 1960s, since that is what is commonly categorized as his "golden era" but I wasn't against going back to an early work.
Initially, I was surprised how general of a world this book takes place in. "Set" in a world seemingly not so different from our actual world of 1959 it seemed like the most grounded of all of his books I've read. Of course, no PKD book is typical or what you'd expect.
As I read through this book I was blown away with how developed the story. With each chapter you're given a new piece of the puzzle, recontextualizing the world of the book and you expectations for where the story can go. While I caught on to where some of the smaller plot elements were going, I couldn't have imagined how it would end without reading it. Sure, the story gets a little convoluted and it's structure starts to wane but with a story like this that's bound to happen. I think if this book was drawn out for longer or further indulged it would only hurt the overall return.
While I am still relatively new to the bibliography of PKD I'd say this was the best book I've read of his capturing his sense of paranoia. With it based in a more relatable setting it has a stronger effect on the reader and really makes you consider where PKD was at in his life at this point. This really is a great story of paranoia and conspiracy. The element of panic and distrust is captured really well here.
I was also surprised at how well PKD captured the element of 1950s suburban idealism while living in it. Today, we take for granted a setting like this but he had his finger on the pulse of what would become a standard trope. This is par for the course with a PKD book but I had to mention it here as he continues to prove he was far and away better than nearly all of his contemporaries. This book feels like something that would have been written 10-15 years later. The shift in perspectives throughout the book, while nothing new at this point in the grand scheme of literature really is something not expected from a pulp sci fi of the time.
Overall, I think if you've read more PKD, especially his most well praised works, you might not enjoy this one as much as me. But for me I really enjoyed it. It really feels like this is the start of PKD branching into the kinds of concepts he would become known for.
I really didn't know much going into Time Out of Joint. I knew it was one of PKD's earlier works, the earliest novel I've read of his so far. Personally, I've been more drawn to his later works and wanted to get into something from the mid to late 1960s, since that is what is commonly categorized as his "golden era" but I wasn't against going back to an early work.
Initially, I was surprised how general of a world this book takes place in. "Set" in a world seemingly not so different from our actual world of 1959 it seemed like the most grounded of all of his books I've read. Of course, no PKD book is typical or what you'd expect.
As I read through this book I was blown away with how developed the story. With each chapter you're given a new piece of the puzzle, recontextualizing the world of the book and you expectations for where the story can go. While I caught on to where some of the smaller plot elements were going, I couldn't have imagined how it would end without reading it. Sure, the story gets a little convoluted and it's structure starts to wane but with a story like this that's bound to happen. I think if this book was drawn out for longer or further indulged it would only hurt the overall return.
While I am still relatively new to the bibliography of PKD I'd say this was the best book I've read of his capturing his sense of paranoia. With it based in a more relatable setting it has a stronger effect on the reader and really makes you consider where PKD was at in his life at this point. This really is a great story of paranoia and conspiracy. The element of panic and distrust is captured really well here.
I was also surprised at how well PKD captured the element of 1950s suburban idealism while living in it. Today, we take for granted a setting like this but he had his finger on the pulse of what would become a standard trope. This is par for the course with a PKD book but I had to mention it here as he continues to prove he was far and away better than nearly all of his contemporaries. This book feels like something that would have been written 10-15 years later. The shift in perspectives throughout the book, while nothing new at this point in the grand scheme of literature really is something not expected from a pulp sci fi of the time.
Overall, I think if you've read more PKD, especially his most well praised works, you might not enjoy this one as much as me. But for me I really enjoyed it. It really feels like this is the start of PKD branching into the kinds of concepts he would become known for.