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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Amph The Works of Philip K. Dick, or Do Authors Dream of Electric Novels?

Discussion in 'Archive: SF&F: Books and Comics' started by MrZAP, Mar 23, 2009.

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  1. MrZAP

    MrZAP Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jun 2, 2007
    Yes! I have search and search and searched, and I have not found a thread about Philip K. Dick! Oh, sure, there are references to him in certain threads (yay google search bar!) but no threads devoted to him or his works. This is now being corrected!

    So far I've read two of his works, a novel and a short story. These were The Man in the High Castle and Minority Report.

    The Man in the High Castle is one of my favorite books of all time. It's chilling and mysterious and quite hard to wrap one's head around all at once. For those of you who haven't read it, it's an alternate reality novel that gives an answer to a frightening question: What would happen if the Axis Powers had won World War II? I urge everyone to go out and read this book, if they haven't already. Truly a classic piece of fiction.
     
  2. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 20, 2002
    I haven't read that, but I have read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Not really my cup of tea, so to say, but I can appreciate it's message about defining humanity and I thought it was well-written.
     
  3. Sniper_Wolf

    Sniper_Wolf Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 26, 2002
    I enjoyed Man in the High Castle, Electronic Sheep, Confessions of a Crap Artist (my fav personally), and Scanner Darkly. On the other hand I hated VALIS despite it being hailed as the Dick masterpiece.
     
  4. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

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    Oct 3, 2004
    I've read a few of his books and loved them all. I plan on getting the rest at some point. Despite being a big fan of his books I'm really not a fan of the films at all. I haven't read A Scanner Darkly yet so I can't compare it to the film, but the others were really lacking. They were good films but they were really bad adaptations.
     
  5. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 20, 2002
    Yeah, Bladerunner wasn't a very good adaptation (not a not good movie, but didn't stick very close to the book).
     
  6. MrZAP

    MrZAP Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Jun 2, 2007
    I've seen the first half of the Minority Report movie. I had to stop there because I couldn't stand it anymore. It just....wasn't that great a movie.
     
  7. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

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    Oct 3, 2004
    I quite liked it when I saw it. It wasn't a great film but it wasn't bad either. Mind you, I did see it before I read the book, so my opinion of it might be different now.
     
  8. Sith_Lord_Linkoping

    Sith_Lord_Linkoping Jedi Knight star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 19, 2001
    I think there is a PKD thread somewhere over at The Amphitheatre.

    I've read a great deal by PKD. My personal favorites are VALIS and Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said.

    There are some pretty good short story collections out there to get your hands on, published by Gollancz.

    Beyond Lies the Wub
    Second Variety
    The Father-Thing
    Minority Report
    We Can Remember it for You Wholesale

    And some great collections of his novels, like: Philip K. Dick: Five Novels of the 1960s and 70s [Martian Time Slip / Dr. Bloodmoney / Now Wait for Last Year / Flow My Tears the Policeman Said / A Scanner Darkly] (published by Library of America)
     
  9. Sniper_Wolf

    Sniper_Wolf Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Nov 26, 2002
    Blade Runner's one of the few instances where the film is better than the book so the not faithful part isn't a big deal to me.
     
  10. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

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    Oct 3, 2004
    I disagree, I think the book is better than the film.
     
  11. Qui-Gon_Reborn

    Qui-Gon_Reborn Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Dec 11, 2008
    I agree that the book was much better than the film. It was kind of sad, since the film had so much potential, but it kind of went...nowhere. The last few scenes were the best.
     
  12. JoinTheSchwarz

    JoinTheSchwarz Former Head Admin star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Nov 21, 2002
    Well, I'm finally reading VALIS. So far, so good.
     
  13. King_of_Red_Lions

    King_of_Red_Lions Jedi Grand Master star 4

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    Mar 28, 2003
    I began reading A Scanner, Darkly once. The plot became curiouser and curiouser until I hit the 100 page mark and the absurdity reached red levels and I abandoned it.
     
  14. MrZAP

    MrZAP Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Jun 2, 2007
    So I finished reading The Cosmic Puppets. I found that the first half was fairly standard fare, but the second half was brilliant. I always find that Philip K. Dick has brilliant concepts and okay execution. He just has a very rough writing style.
     
  15. Qui-Gon_Reborn

    Qui-Gon_Reborn Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Dec 11, 2008
    Anybody read The Divine Invasion? I thought it was horrible. It seemed to have absolutely no plot, and I'm covinced that was unintentional, the characters were one-dimensional and unlikeable, and the story dragged severely. I was very disappointed.
     
  16. Lance_Toris

    Lance_Toris Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    May 16, 2005
    Dick was pissed about Blade Runner, ha! I watched the the "making of" in the special DVD release and how this fil;m even got into production was a pretty twisted road.

    I loved both the film and book, despite being drastically different.
     
  17. CloneUncleOwen

    CloneUncleOwen Jedi Master star 4

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    Jul 30, 2009
    Philip K. Dick's THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE created the mainstream alternative
    history genre popularized by Harry Turtledove. Almost all of Dick's major works have
    been adapted for television or film, with the exception of THE TRANSMIGRATION OF
    TIMOTHY ARCHER
    . DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP (adapted under the
    William Burroughs title, BLADE RUNNER), became a seminal film that has influenced
    the look of science fiction movies for almost three decades. Yet, it seems so few
    accolades were awarded the author.

    Pity.:(


     
  18. AussieRebel

    AussieRebel Jedi Grand Master star 2

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    May 2, 2005
    I'm reading "The Man in the High Castle" at the moment. Fascinating ideas. Yes, as with many sci-fi and fanstasy writers, one gets the feeling that Dick is consistently underrated by the Establishment literati, just as Le Guin, Tolkien and others are similary ignored by the mainstream.
     
  19. NYCitygurl

    NYCitygurl Manager Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Jul 20, 2002
    Unlocked.
     
  20. LAJ_FETT

    LAJ_FETT Tech Admin (2007-2023) - She Held Us Together star 10 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    I've got a few of his here in the bookcases. I think the last I read was Minority Report back when the film came out.
     
  21. DarthPraxus

    DarthPraxus Jedi Knight star 1

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    Nov 1, 2010
    I've read Androids and Scanner. Scanner was my favorite.
     
  22. Duragizer

    Duragizer Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 23, 2009
    I've read four of his books. From best to least :

    Radio Free Albemuth

    The Divine Invasion

    Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

    Valis


    I don't know if his other work is of similar (or better) calibre, but he's definately piqued my interest and I'm interested in reading more of his material.
     
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