Philip K Dick favourites?

Mmm I love him, such a wonderful style and the ideas! Oh joys...Some of them remind me of Gibson's style in Neuromancer, though I don't know why, perhaps the franticness, and not telling the reader evrything; you actually have to think, which is wonderful...I have, for a long while now, wanted to go out and bulk buy everything of his, then read it (all at once? or in chunks...now that is the question, how long do I wish to enjoy them for...) but have come up against just how much he has written and the names/availability of them all, AND WHERE IS SECOND VARIETY HEY!? WHERE! *cries in a corner* I can't find his shorts ANYWHERE!
 
Kylara said:
Mmm I love him, such a wonderful style and the ideas! Oh joys...Some of them remind me of Gibson's style in Neuromancer, though I don't know why, perhaps the franticness, and not telling the reader evrything; you actually have to think, which is wonderful...I have, for a long while now, wanted to go out and bulk buy everything of his, then read it (all at once? or in chunks...now that is the question, how long do I wish to enjoy them for...) but have come up against just how much he has written and the names/availability of them all, AND WHERE IS SECOND VARIETY HEY!? WHERE! *cries in a corner* I can't find his shorts ANYWHERE!
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You can find "Second Variety" in The Philip K. Dick Reader. I have it so I am sure. I tried to post the link to Amazon, but it wouldn't let me. A simple search of the title will get you there, however. :)

I never really made the connection between PKD and Gibson, maybe because the prose is so different. They are both amazingly inventive though.
 
Haha I'll have a look thanks Illusive...Man that was a bad week I had there: Neuromancer, A Scanner Darkly and a few other strange books, hectic lines, crazy words, proppelling me through hours, I was confused over what was real and what wasn't for about a month, luckily I had my good ol' LOTR to fall back on to stop my poor head spinning...
I think it was reading those specific two right after one another that really linked them...the crazy style, losing you in thoughts and fears, grand plans that no-one seems to understand...brilliant stuff
 
Kylara said:
AND WHERE IS SECOND VARIETY HEY!? WHERE! *cries in a corner* I can't find his shorts ANYWHERE!
Click to expand...

I'm surprised you can't find his short story collections - They are usually published in five volumes and they are called (in order)
Beyond lies the Wub, Second Variety, The Father Thing, The Days of Perky Pat and We can Remember it for you Wholesale.


Second variety is, as you'd expect, in volume 2!

My collection has the full set of 1991 reprints (which I see on Amazon as the 1999 reprint). I do know however that there are quite a few other anthlogies called different things floating about - but the above are, I think, the main ones.

Of course if you are trying to find them second hand - that may be more difficult.
 
I try an buy everything I can new, that way they stay perfect forever...I'll have to trip into London then to the big bookshop and try there...evrytime I look I only see the man in the high castle and electric sheep, it is annoying... -_-
 
Kylara said:
Haha I'll have a look thanks Illusive...Man that was a bad week I had there: Neuromancer, A Scanner Darkly and a few other strange books, hectic lines, crazy words, proppelling me through hours, I was confused over what was real and what wasn't for about a month, luckily I had my good ol' LOTR to fall back on to stop my poor head spinning...
I think it was reading those specific two right after one another that really linked them...the crazy style, losing you in thoughts and fears, grand plans that no-one seems to understand...brilliant stuff
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I love Neuromancer. It's one of my favorites. In fact, I will be reading it again next week for a jaunt though the history of contemporary SF I am running a colleague through. It's been a summer of New Wave, the fall will be Cyberpunk, and the spring will be Steampunk and the New Weird. Great fun!

It's been a while since I have picked up LOTR, but I plan to devour The Hobbit again quicker than second breakfast before the film comes out. Shame that Guillermo del Toro didn't complete it, but I guess there will be continuity of style. Not sure how they plan to squeeze three films out of that one, though. And with no Tom Bombadil!
 
del Toro's designs have been kept, so it will be kinda different...yeah I love Bombadil...I adore Neuromancer, it just wasn't such a great plane to read all of the books I did right after one another heh, I was paranoid and confused about reality for weeks!
 
I've only just finished my first PKD novel , and I enjoyed it so much that it inspired my username :)
Just ordered a few more of his books , looking forward to reading more of his work
 
PartMetalAlchemist83 said:
Just started Flow My Tears the Policeman Said, great premise so far. I love that there isn't a detailed explanation of students/teachers being kept apart from the general population. I like that the details of this dystopian future are described sort of organically as the narrative develops. The idea of a sterilization program after the Watts riots is horrifying. All and all very excited about this author. Thank you for the recommendations, the others mentioned will soon follow. Laundry is going to have to wait until tomorrow.
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Good book that one, He must have been straight when he wrote that. Everything else has just been too weird! More like this from PKD?
 
I've just finished reading 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' - finally, having had it on my 'to read' pile for about five years! Very enjoyable, and several interesting speculations beyond the central android idea. I think it's time I read some more PKD, so thanks to all who've given suggestions below! :)
 
My first K. Dick book was "Do android dream..." and still my fav, but I think that Ubik, Man in high castle and sivainvi saga are great too.
 
Flow My Tears is some beautiful writing, but you can't go wrong with Remember it for you Wholesale. Even two big giant hollywood movies came out alright because of the levels of that story.
 
I am glad that Flow My Tears and Valis were recently released here in Brazil, these two are two books I am eagerly wanting to read. I read most of his Portuguese translated books, and my favorite is for sure "Ubik". I have an almost equal admiration for "The Man In The High Castle" and "Clans Of the alphane moon".
 
I have read Confessions of a Crap Artist, Now Wait for Last Year, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? & most recently Counter-Clock World.

Confessions of a Crap Artist is probably not actually Sci Fi but contains elements of it, such as the 1950s flying saucer cults in Marin County, California.
 
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One of my many favourites is Clans of the Alphane Moon. A world colonized by former mental patients from an asylum that has produced unique cultures based on their diagnoses.
 
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I've read a great many of his books... working through all 44 novels slowly... i have to say, the effect Ubik had on me was enormous. Not often could I say a book "blew my mind" but that one certainly did. Also Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, The Man in the High Castle, and Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said...

Among his novels I feel Time Out Of Joint, Dr. Bloodmoney, Counter-Clock World, and Our Friends From Frolix 8 are extremely underrated classics...

As for his shorts... Upon The Dull Earth is probably my favorite.
 
44? My, I have some reading to do.

My favorite is VALIS. I've read it 4 times and find a completely different novel each reading because more and more of it is becoming truth rather than fiction. If Dick was nuts we should all be so crazy.
 
I enjoyed his short story Autofac. It's about automated factories that continue to supply mankind with everything they need long after they are wanted. A group of humans must stop the factories before the use up the last of Earth's resources.
 
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