Product Description

A matchless display of Philip K. Dick's quirky, humorous, idiosyncratically philosophical world view. With one exception, all the stories of this volume were written over a nine-month period between 1951 and 1952, when Dick was making his first impact as a writer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14852 in Books
• Published on: 1999-08-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 397 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Though best known for Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, the source of the classic SF film Blade Runner, for four decades in dozens of stories and novels Philip K. Dick turned into poetic prose the metaphysical doubt and surreal zeitgeist of the late 20th century. This volume, the first of five, finds him at the beginning of his career, just starting to develop the themes which would make him one of the most important writers of the latter half of the century. The 25 stories come with a forward by the author, an introduction by Roger Zelazny, who co-wrote Deus Irae with Dick, and six pages of informative notes. From the previously unpublished "Stability" (1947) to "Nanny" (1952), these are science-fiction stories, fantasies, unique gimmicks and oddities. "Roog" is a dog's-eye view of refuge collectors, "The Preserving Machine" a chill allegory on the nature of change, while the title story concerns a psychic Martian with a remarkable survival mechanism.

Inevitably some of the SF elements have dated, but it doesn't matter: Dick wasn't predicting the future, but shining a bright, sometimes mordant light on the baffling nature of reality. These stories still dazzle because they are mind-bendingly inventive, quirkily humorous, filled with original and startling ideas. Dick, who said he wrote about "The shock of dysrecognition", was a true original, a writer who expanded to possibilities of fiction. This collection is essential reading for anyone who wants to stretch the horizons of their universe. --Gary S. Dalkin

About the Author
SALES POINTS * ' A fitting tribute to a great philosophical writer who found science fiction the ideal form for the expression of his ideas' The Independent * ' One of the most original practitioners writing any kind of fiction. Philip K. Dick made most of the European avant-garde seem naval gazers in a cul-de-sac' Sunday Times * ' An elusive and incomparable artist' Ursula K. Le Guin

Customer Reviews

A mindspinning, quirky, lucky dip.
Just the compendium to dip into when you want your reality twisted a little. I found it a good collection, some experimental stuff, other stories have a more familiar structure. Full marks for the only story I have read where the protagonist is the only character and is in fact a spaceship, fly on 'Mr Spaceship'

Interesting early stories
As this is the first of 5 volumes of ALL Philip K Dick's short fiction, it's not classic SF and it's not classic PKD. That said, there are enough nuggets here and it will make fascinating reader for the already committed PKD fan.

I'm Now a Fan!
These are the first stories I have encountered of Philip K Dick. The book is a mix of the bizarre, strange, and exciting. After you're finished you will definitely look at reality a bit differently. Or maybe your reality will be a bit more real. Or at least you'll see dogs, shoes, and butterflies in a new light.

Supposedly these were all written by Philip in his early 20's, which is quite impressive. I've already purchased the other 4 volumes.