A review by kdawn999
A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

2.0

Reading off the heels of the incredibly sexist The Godfather was a punch in the gut I should have been more steeled for when picking up a classic 70s Sci-fi. Almost every female character is introduced by a description of her breasts and speculation about how she would be in bed, and the tone is downright malicious. Add to that my hatred of drug trip stories, and it’s a miracle I didn’t despise this book more at the end. This is because Dick does reach for something grand in the dark profundity of his lyrical, stream-of-consciousness style here. I see this as a retelling of Faust, the seething Biblical undercurrents bringing a moving melancholy to the jokey, surface-level schtick. The ending is somewhat fitting in that our main character is duly punished, but that doesn’t make up for what I suffered in the lead up.