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A review by ishouldreadthat
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams by Philip K. Dick
4.0
Originally posted to I Should Read That
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This edition ties in with the new anthology TV show on Channel 4 in the UK (Amazon Prime in the US, I believe). The book consists of ten short stories, and each story is introduced by one of the writers/directors/producers of that particular episode. As someone who doesn’t usually read short stories, I can confidently say that all ten of these stories are incredibly engaging and well-written. The introductions explain a little of how the corresponding episode was created and the impact the story had on the author. That kind of context really helps put PKD’s influence in perspective and compliments each story so well.
I had a really tough time picking a favourite story. One of the reasons I love classic sci-fi is that you can not only see the incredible influence some authors have had on the genre as a whole, but you can see how they tackle issues that are still so relevant today. PKD handles everything from the surveillance state to consumerism and paranoia in Electric Dreams. My favourites stories were Impossible Planet, The Father-Thing, Human Is, and The Hanging Stranger -- I had a hard time narrowing it down!
It’s incredible how hard hitting these stories are in their own way while still being incredibly fun and entertaining to read. If you’re looking for a place to start with PKD or science fiction in general, Electric Dreams is perfect for you. The stories are about 20 pages long on average, so you can easily fly through this book. The TV show is on Sundays at 9 in the UK, and if you’re watching the show you should absolutely read the stories. There have been some changes to the adaptations already (and we all know the book is always better than the show anyway).
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This edition ties in with the new anthology TV show on Channel 4 in the UK (Amazon Prime in the US, I believe). The book consists of ten short stories, and each story is introduced by one of the writers/directors/producers of that particular episode. As someone who doesn’t usually read short stories, I can confidently say that all ten of these stories are incredibly engaging and well-written. The introductions explain a little of how the corresponding episode was created and the impact the story had on the author. That kind of context really helps put PKD’s influence in perspective and compliments each story so well.
I had a really tough time picking a favourite story. One of the reasons I love classic sci-fi is that you can not only see the incredible influence some authors have had on the genre as a whole, but you can see how they tackle issues that are still so relevant today. PKD handles everything from the surveillance state to consumerism and paranoia in Electric Dreams. My favourites stories were Impossible Planet, The Father-Thing, Human Is, and The Hanging Stranger -- I had a hard time narrowing it down!
It’s incredible how hard hitting these stories are in their own way while still being incredibly fun and entertaining to read. If you’re looking for a place to start with PKD or science fiction in general, Electric Dreams is perfect for you. The stories are about 20 pages long on average, so you can easily fly through this book. The TV show is on Sundays at 9 in the UK, and if you’re watching the show you should absolutely read the stories. There have been some changes to the adaptations already (and we all know the book is always better than the show anyway).