Does anyone like PHILIP K. DICK?

I just started getting into his stuff and as usual when I get into an author I pretty much read everything I can involving them. I already read his first 4 collections of short stories, Do Androids Dream of blah blah blah, A Scanner Darkly, and right now I'm reading Lies, Inc.

What would you say his best novels are?

I really liked Radio Free Albemuth. But it's hard to go wrong with Dick. I'd stay away from Valis untill you read more of his stuff though, it's hard on the brain.

I liked Ubik a lot too.

Man in the High Castle is another good one.

DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?


is the best intro


then if you like that:

UBIK

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE

THE THREE STIGMATA OF PALMER ELDRITCH

A SCANNER DARKLY

NOW WAIT FOR LAST YEAR

WE CAN BUILD YOU

FLOW MY TEARS, THE POLICEMAN SAID

and if you still want more

VALIS

THE DIVINE INVASION

THE TRANSMIGRATION OF TIMOTHY ARCHER

THE MARTIAN TIME SLIP

THE GALACTIC POT HEALER

A MAZE OF DEATH

THE WORLD JONES MADE

THE GAME PLAYERS OF TITAN


he wrote other good novels but i think these are the best

I don't know how you could do better than Do Androids..., but The Man in the High Castle is one of the most unique sci-fi books you will ever read. I mean really, how many books have as a central conflict the re-emergence of American individualism following a fall into banal iconography and cultural irrelevance.

Yeah, I like Dick.

Yeah...I'm a Dickhead, too...

VALIS.

Agreed: Valis is essential, and has ramifications far beyond most mere novels...but it might be a bit much to chew at first. Hell, give it a shot anyway - and let us know what you think when you're finished!

I too have started getting into dick, and damn I wonder why I waited!

Many have told me to wait on valis until I'm ready so I would head that advice.

His short stories are also worth reading!

yeah.

VALIS.

best evah.





[Edited on Oct 16, 2004 by lostarchitect]

Agreed.
Ignore the people who say you shouldn't read it first. It was the first I'd read and it certainly didn't turn me off of him.. and damn, that's when I was 14.. I think you can handle it.

The SG Science Fiction Group have synthetic wet dreams about this cat.

edited to add "collectively" somwhere in there.

[Edited on Oct 16, 2004 by DriveLikeJehu]

You can't say VALIS
and then ignore
THE DIVINE INVASION
as well as
THE TRANSMIGRATION OF TIMOTHY ARCHER

Phillip K. Dick is one of those authors, who when I hear his name mentioned, I automatically think, "A man ahead of his time."

I wish somebody would make an indie film of THE SKULL...I dunno, it seems like a possible thing...you definitely couldn't make it into a big budget action film at least...

three stigmata of palmer eldritch

scanner darkly

clans of the alphane moon

man in the high castle

i would say definitely pick up one of the collections of his short stories, they are incredible.

valis was the first PKD novel i read, and at the time i didn't like it very much. i don't know what my reaction would be if i reread it now that i have read so many of his other books and have a better feel for his writing style.

I love Dick, sure.

how can you begin to understand part of the essential conflict in VALIS if you havent read The Divine Invasion first???
and Maze of Death decades ahead of virtual reality
pure genius

[Edited on Oct 16, 2004 by implod]

and transmigration of timothy archer after that.

Wait, what about this Radio whatever book.

It claims it can act as an introduction into the "Valis" triology...

Also, what the hell is with Lies, Inc.? Apparently they sort of pieced it together after his death or something, and it shows, seeing as the ending sort of acts like the entire middle part didn't happen. And by sort of I mean completely.

it's a good book but not one of the best

Well I already have it so... it's not going to be out of order to read it before anything else is it?

it wont matter

you will probably like it better if you save it till later

you will see that these so-called "trilogies" are really nothing of the sort

but "loosely" related books merely connected by common themes