I'm a huge fan of science fiction and Philip Dick certainly belongs in the pantheon of science fiction writers. He was also a certifiable lunatic and published some unreadable trash. His best efforts however, were top drawer. We'll Remember it for you Wholesale (Total Recall), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Bladerunner) and Minority Report were developed into blockbuster motion pictures.

This work is a compilation of three very early novellas written by Dick. The Man who Japed, Dr. Futurity and Vulcan's Hammer each run about 140 pages. They are easilt comprehensible (unlike much of Dick's later work) and are outstanding stories, especially the latter two. Dr. Futurity is the type of time travel work that requires serious thought to keep a handle on.

I consider Dick to be very similar to Frank Herbert in that they both produced brilliant work for mass consumption, but also very philosophical and deep efforts which I am simply not able to get my mind around. These early stories by Philip Dick were of the former variety and quite enjoyable. ( )

I don't, as a general rule, like Sci-Fi. It tends to lack realism and emotion, and take itself to seriously, and is too restrained. I make three exceptions; Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegurt and Philip K. Dick. The first two obviously arn't really bothered about sci-fi, they don't take it seriously at all, and this makes for an enjoyable read. Philip K.

Dick is not restrained, the thing that makes Dick so glorious to read is that he actually believed what he was writing. Famously, he didn't think he was actually living life, or watching a movie of someone elses. The sheer absurdity, the ridiculousness of Dick's work, without confines, is what makes it so fantastic.

Maybe these three stories arn't his best, but their length allows you to become slightly more absorbed than in his shorter stories.

aM ( )