Discussion: Philip Kindred Dick

I've only read do Androids dream of electric sheep? but is was top notch, great book.

>>By Gazza



the film's title "blade runner" actually comes from william burroughs. black market medical technology, surgery in abandoned subway terminals, etc.

>>By mr. lee



Ive found a coin with Phillip K. Dick´s face on it!
I really liked Ubik, if you like ghosts, reincarnation, or the Bardo Thodol(tibetan book of dead) youll like this one, and also time travel and changing past events

>>By omarello y reve



My favorites are Martian Time Slip and The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. Great stuff.

>>By Exister



Ive read 10 of his books but Ubik is my fave.So many twists of perception.....brilliant!

>>By Scotty



A Scanner Darkly and Valis are fantastic as is Our friends for Frolix 8, not read a bad book by him though.

>>By Cobby



Our friends FROM Frolix 8 that is.

>>By Cobby



a scanner darkly is a frightening trip into the ambiguity of perception even so monitored by the recursive introspection of a causal dementional shift in the consciousness of a willing victim.

>>By adult.mammalien



the simulacra is great too and so is time out of joint.

>>By valdemarjurel



I've had at least one Dickian experience. A friend and I had just finished reading Valis a few years ago, and we were arguing over whether Dick had lost his mind, was just toying with his readers, or what (From what I've read, it might have been a little of both). In the book, God appears to the narrator as King Felix, and is manifested in odd coincidences. For example, you might be watching a Burger King commercial, and a Felix the cat cartoon would immediately follow. While my friend and I were talking about whether Dick might be schitzophrenic, or trying to start his own cult or whatever, we were driving down Wabash Avenue in Terre Haute, IN. Suddenly my friend said, "Oh, my, God!" and pointed. We were at a stoplight near a Burger King. The Burger King was right next door to a Felix cleaners. The two signs in front of the businesses were positioned perfectly to say "King Felix".

Of course the laws of chance say this was bound to happen to someone somewhere, but it creeped me out so much that I didn't read any more Dick for a long time, and never finished the Valis series. I didn't want any alien-built satellites shooting laser beams into my head.

>>By clinbrohf



when someone reads to p.k.d. should try to understand the nature of the ''order'' or ''disorder'' of things ( even if it is just the order of ''things'' inside a philip dick's book), how the order of the universe ''works'' or ''doesn't'' within his writing and his omni merging and altering worlds.
entropy is one of his most returning subjects.
when he saw the face he describes in the ''3 stigmata of palmer eltridch'', was it the face of ''god'' (as a prologue of that book quated)? What was Dick's original description of the figure he saw? He claimed that he hadn't experienced hallucinogenics until that time.

>>By eumix



i have always been a fan of the movies taken from dick's writings...but am now just
learning about him....i was in berkeley about the same time he lived there...was he
influenced by the counter culture....mind altering stimulants?.....and what part did
philosophy or religion play in his life?

>>By redpanther



Um, I would say Dick was heavily influenced by the bay area counter culture, it crops up everywhere in his writing. The influence of drugs on his writing is debatable. Some people would like to claim that he wrote while tripping, but I believe he has stated that the drug influence was always exaggerated. But philosophy, and religion to a somewhat lesser extent, are huge parts of most of his books and stories, especially his later writings i.e. the Valis trilogy and Radio Free Albemuth where it altogether dominates. He is a big fan of throwing a little tidbit out at seemingly random times, which usually I find on a second read-thru really amazes me.

On a side note you brought up the use of his stories by Hollywood. Its their practice to find something that works (cookie cutter movies) and stick with it. Anyone else have mixed feelings about the relative success of movies based on Dick stories, esp. with this new Paycheck movie coming out?

>>By Distrust



I must have read COUNTERCLOCK WORLD at least 25 times. Time goes backwards. This means biological processes are reversed. For example, people must imbibe "sorghum" through a pipe and disgorge undigested food.

Art pieces also return from say, CD to record to tape to manuscript form; finally, the manuscript is returned to the Library where the reborn Beethoven unwrites his masterpiece.

There is a character who is incredibly wise based loosely on Malcolm X and Bishop James Pike. He is called the Anarch Peak.

Has anyone else read this?

Best regards--
G

>>By Odradek



Dick's use of mind altering substances was certainly overrated. I am quite sure most of his writings were done in clear conscience - it is simply his unbelievably creative imagination that does all the work.

>>By scyrlin



Perhaps "ubik" should become the slang term for cell phones.

>>By resealable



The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, makes you think about the possibilities of hallucinogens as tools for space travel. And the possibilities of the human concioussness as the means to control matter itself. And the dangers and advantages of it. I think Phillip K. Dick is brilliant in redirecting all of his imagination into something that could be useful.

>>By spiralcollider



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