Wikipedia sez "At least eight of his stories have been adapted for film."
But that's close to the least of his accomplishments the way I see it. The world of Blade Runner wasn't half as crazy and engaging as the world of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I haven't read A Scanner Darkly yet, but I'm sure it's pretty much the same deal with that one. So it's sci-fi, yeah. But his work really transcends the genre. Anyway, I'm reading the Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and I just finish Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. It's going to be hard to top Flow my Tears. Anyway, any other fans out there? Recommendations?
Read the last three (or four if you count Radio Free Albemuth)books Dick wrote, which make up the Valis trilogy. They are the ones that Ishmael seemed to write off as "religiously overt musings." They are Valis, the Divine Invasion, and Transmigration of Timothy Archer. Probably my favorite stuff he ever wrote.
hey trev, you really find the valis trilogy the best? Wow. They are not bad reads by any means, but I do find them more ideological tracts than coherent s/f novels. I am being a little harsh in overall terms however, as even the weaker Dick stuff (to me) is head and shoulders above most other writers, and Timothy Archer is my fave of the three.
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'for my purpose holds to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths of all the western stars, until I die.'
Posts: 2084 | Location: The ever silent spaces of the East | Registered: 12 February 2007
Originally posted by keylimetrev: Read the last three (or four if you count Radio Free Albemuth)books Dick wrote, which make up the Valis trilogy. They are the ones that Ishmael seemed to write off as "religiously overt musings." They are Valis, the Divine Invasion, and Transmigration of Timothy Archer. Probably my favorite stuff he ever wrote.
I was just talking to the guy I'm borrowing all of these books from about the Valis trilogy last night. Looks like that will be my next challenge... well, after I finish Palmer Eldritch, A Maze of Death and Simulacra too. I might have to take a break - not cos I'll get sick of him, just because my brain might explode from too much fun.
Glad to hear you are gonna give the Valis books a try eventually. They are great reads, and I don't think they get enough credit.
Ish- I don't see them as "ideological tracts" at all. Would you think that at all if you didn't know that Dick had had a personal religious conversion during the time he was writing them? I sometimes worry that you get your tail-feathers ruffled whenever religion is brought up at all.
posted by keylimetrev Ish- I don't see them as "ideological tracts" at all. Would you think that at all if you didn't know that Dick had had a personal religious conversion during the time he was writing them? I sometimes worry that you get your tail-feathers ruffled whenever religion is brought up at all.
Oh wow, trev! You have me all wrong mate. What can I say? I'm fascinated by religion. I have studied it fairly extensively, enjoy reading and talking about it, and consider the understanding of it as essential to civilized discourse.
Now, the fact that i am a stone cold, take no prisoners atheist in no way makes me hostile to religious ideas in books. God!! to quote a phrase. Some of my all time beloved literature is suffused with religious and spiritual ideologies and concerns.
With PKD,...this has got out of hand ha ha. I was merely trying to say that those later books are not as good, artistically, as his red hot creative period, partly because he is allowing too much authorial interference to the detriment of the art.
I mean to say, 'Androids', and 'Ubik' both have spiritual philosophical musings at their heart; they just do it better than the late works, I think.
Don't get me wrong. I like those late works, and wld certainly recommend them. Its just I was saying they aren't as great as others. I hope this makes my stance clear!
More I think about this trev, I'm sure you have me confused with someone else. Have a look at my posts over on the Religion thread. I'm very civil and friendly, and debate rather than freak out. Plus my tail feathers fell off a long time ago.
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'for my purpose holds to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths of all the western stars, until I die.'
Posts: 2084 | Location: The ever silent spaces of the East | Registered: 12 February 2007
I saw Calvin Johnson with Julie Doiron not too long ago, and I swapped a collection of T.S. Eliot with my friend for D.A.D.O.E.S. (since I had just downloaded the director's cut of Blade Runner which is FANTASTIC.) Sad to say I haven't gotten started yet though :/ Book's been starin' me down next to the computer for a little while now, everyone tells me it's better than the movie but I have a hard time believing that to be honest.
See now Nhaz, you shouldn't be swapping T.S. Eliot for anything. A collection for just one book? You gotta bargain harder mate ha ha.
That said, hope you enjoy 'Androids.' To encounter the book before or after the film is to encounter two very different texts. But it's a wonderful, wonderful book.
'for my purpose holds to sail beyond the sunset, and the baths of all the western stars, until I die.'
Posts: 2084 | Location: The ever silent spaces of the East | Registered: 12 February 2007
picked up The Divine Invasion and Ubik today at my library (all they had). i think i'll like this guy. so thanks for the recs. anywho, can i read the divine invasion or should I read the first one in the trilogy?
Posts: 456 | Location: On the Road | Registered: 20 January 2007
Originally posted by The Friar: picked up The Divine Invasion and Ubik today at my library (all they had). i think i'll like this guy. so thanks for the recs. anywho, can i read the divine invasion or should I read the first one in the trilogy?
I haven't read anything from the Valis trilogy, but I think Ubik would be a damn fine introduction. And it's probably a better idea to start off with a book that stands on its own.
quote:
Originally posted by Jonas42: Transcends the genre? The same genre of Ursula Le Guin, Kurt Vonnegut and Ray Bradbury?
There are plenty of shitty sci-fi writers too. I'm just saying I think that P.K.D. has an appeal that goes beyond the ordinary trappings of outer space stories. Although there's definitely a pulpy element too (but most of the times that element's one of my favorite traits of his writing).
