∎ Download Gratis The Philip K Dick Reader Philip K Dick 9780806518565 Books

The Philip K Dick Reader Philip K Dick 9780806518565 Books

Download As PDF : The Philip K Dick Reader Philip K Dick 9780806518565 Books

The Philip K Dick Reader Philip K Dick 9780806518565 Books

I first learned of this author’s existence when his name appeared in the credits for Blade Runner, way back in 1982. But in all the years since then I hadn’t read any of his work. That was a box I had to check off at some point.

Well, now I’ve gotten round to this collection of his stories. One, near the beginning (“The Eyes Have It”) is delightfully clever and amusing. I read it aloud to my appreciative daughter. It’s the kind of thing I wish I’d written. Another, at the end (“Second Variety”) is a masterful study in paranoia and creepy suspense. It deserves to be included in anthologies of great short fiction (along with, say, Carl Stephenson’s “Leiningen versus the Ants” and Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” or perhaps most relevant Saki’s “The Interlopers”). Several are based on very original, cautionary, and even prescient ideas (“The Minority Report,” “Paycheck,” “We Can Remember it for You Wholesale,” “The Chromium Fence”). Most of those have been made into movies.

On the other hand, some in this collection are examples of a kind of fiction that feels a little dated, despite still engaging my interest (“Sales Pitch” and “Shell Game” come to mind). I don’t blame the author for that. Time moves on and so do conventions. Eventually, all current writers will sound as quaint as George Eliot. But other stories feel distinctly amateurish. Meh. I’ve read efforts by unknown writers on sites like authonomy that were better.

As an example of what I mean, consider the first story in this collection, “Fair Game.” The main character has fleeting glimpses of faces that he thinks are peering down at him from above, and when he shares this news with his friends, one calmly states, while puffing on a pipe, that “they’re a nonterrestrial race.” When characters rush to such a conclusion, as opposed to reacting in a realistic manner, I suspect the purpose is to tell the reader what is going on. I begin taking off points, because then the story feels contrived. Of course, all fiction is contrived, but the author’s job is to convince readers to forget that and immerse themselves in the story. “Fair Game” might have been better with less commentary.

Having read this now, I think some works by contemporary writers may be conscious attempts at emulating Dick. Generally speaking, I don’t think this should be emulated. I think some of it is very clever and effective, if also rather depressing (too many of these stories are set in a post-apocalyptic world that is covered with ash). He definitely saw the world moving in a worrisome direction, and I think he was very perceptive. That insight is I think what is more interesting than the writing itself. I’d feel differently if the weaker examples had been kept out of this collection.


Tags : The Philip K. Dick Reader [Philip K. Dick] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>Includes the stories that inspired the movies Total Recall, Screamers, Minority Report, Paycheck</i>,Philip K. Dick,The Philip K. Dick Reader,Citadel,0806518561,FIC029000,Short Stories (single author),Science fiction,Science fiction, American.,Short stories,DICK, PHILIP K. - PROSE & CRITICISM,Fiction,Fiction - Science Fiction,Fiction Short Stories (single author),Fiction anthologies & collections,Fiction-Science Fiction,GENERAL,ReadingsAnthologiesCollected Works,Reference General,ScholarlyUndergraduate,Science Fiction - General,Science fiction, American,United States

The Philip K Dick Reader Philip K Dick 9780806518565 Books Reviews

This book should be on everyone's essential SF reading list, along with Cordwainer Smith and Jerome Bixby (to get into the real arcane guts of SF). The Dick Reader has a 1987 copyright, so it only brags on two of the collection's stories as movie adaptations ("We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" --> movie Total Recall; "Second Variety" --> movie Screamers), but since then, this collection also includes two other film-adapted versions "Minority Report" and "The Golden Man" (movie Next). The film adaptations are (more or less) inventive but stray too far from the innovative imagination of the original stories. All hail, Philip K. Dick! Missing from the anthology is any sort of introduction by the editors, which would have been nice. It's straight forward, no frills, not even citations for when or where the stories first came out, but the essential goods -- the stories -- are all intact and ready to savor. Highly recommended.
i'm a slow struggling type of reader but i managed to read this whole volume in a month or so

each story is kind of like a b-movie from the 50s; but unlike the movies, instead of having to sit through alot of bad acting, in the stories pkd moves the plot along very fast.

its really quite engaging

ps
1. i have read most of his major works.
2. i'm not a short story format aficionado as a rule
The esteemed late 20th century Sci-Fi writer Philip K. Dick recently has been the object of much renewed attention. The Library of America released two volumes of his novels, with helpful notes and a chronology of his life. Michael Dirda in his book "Classics for Pleasure" also draws attention to the work of Dick. This collection of his earliest short and medium-length stories (23 in all) nicely complements the LOA volumes. I had never read any Dick prior to the first LOA volume and found him incredibily fascinating in his spinning of yarns. As inventive a mind as can be imagined, every story and novel sparkles with fantastic plotting, effective dramatic devices, and almost always a surprise ("Twilight Zone" like) ending. One just marvels at his inventive capabilities, and I have not read a bad Dick novel or story yet. Considering that a number of his novels and stories were made into movies (including "Total Recall" and "Scanners" based upon stories in this volume, as well as "Blade Runner" from one of his novels), Dick had wide appeal. Unfortunately his early death in 1982 stilled the pen of this most creative and prolific writer. But we have plenty of Dick left to enjoy in this and other collections.
A throwback to the '40s and '50s in Science Fiction. Philip K. Dick conceived many great ideas in SF, and many have been turned into major SF films. He also wrote some classic "pulp" SF. This collection has it all, from variants on the "body snatcher" tales to the short stories that produced the films "Minority Report", "Paycheck", "Screamers", "Total Recall", and more.
Rereading these today can be jarring for societal changes that have occurred in the past 50-60 years, but many of his concepts still strike home (and unfortunately could still come to pass).
If, like me, you read these back "in the day", this is a cool refresher. If you enjoy SF and want a glimpse of the early days, you will enjoy this one.
You may find the first/earliest stories a bit "pulpish" - almost juvenile fiction, but the ideas of the latter ones are worth pondering and the stories themselves are well written.
I first learned of this author’s existence when his name appeared in the credits for Blade Runner, way back in 1982. But in all the years since then I hadn’t read any of his work. That was a box I had to check off at some point.

Well, now I’ve gotten round to this collection of his stories. One, near the beginning (“The Eyes Have It”) is delightfully clever and amusing. I read it aloud to my appreciative daughter. It’s the kind of thing I wish I’d written. Another, at the end (“Second Variety”) is a masterful study in paranoia and creepy suspense. It deserves to be included in anthologies of great short fiction (along with, say, Carl Stephenson’s “Leiningen versus the Ants” and Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” or perhaps most relevant Saki’s “The Interlopers”). Several are based on very original, cautionary, and even prescient ideas (“The Minority Report,” “Paycheck,” “We Can Remember it for You Wholesale,” “The Chromium Fence”). Most of those have been made into movies.

On the other hand, some in this collection are examples of a kind of fiction that feels a little dated, despite still engaging my interest (“Sales Pitch” and “Shell Game” come to mind). I don’t blame the author for that. Time moves on and so do conventions. Eventually, all current writers will sound as quaint as George Eliot. But other stories feel distinctly amateurish. Meh. I’ve read efforts by unknown writers on sites like authonomy that were better.

As an example of what I mean, consider the first story in this collection, “Fair Game.” The main character has fleeting glimpses of faces that he thinks are peering down at him from above, and when he shares this news with his friends, one calmly states, while puffing on a pipe, that “they’re a nonterrestrial race.” When characters rush to such a conclusion, as opposed to reacting in a realistic manner, I suspect the purpose is to tell the reader what is going on. I begin taking off points, because then the story feels contrived. Of course, all fiction is contrived, but the author’s job is to convince readers to forget that and immerse themselves in the story. “Fair Game” might have been better with less commentary.

Having read this now, I think some works by contemporary writers may be conscious attempts at emulating Dick. Generally speaking, I don’t think this should be emulated. I think some of it is very clever and effective, if also rather depressing (too many of these stories are set in a post-apocalyptic world that is covered with ash). He definitely saw the world moving in a worrisome direction, and I think he was very perceptive. That insight is I think what is more interesting than the writing itself. I’d feel differently if the weaker examples had been kept out of this collection.