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Our Friends From Frolix 8
This satirical adventure from Philip K. Dick deals with issues of power, class, and politics, set in a world ruled by big-brained elites. In Our Friends from Frolix 8 , the world is run by an elite few. And what determines whether one is part of the elite isn’t wealth or privilege, but brains. As children, every citizen of Earth is tested; some are found to be super-smart New Men and some are Unusuals, with various psychic powers. The vast majority are Undermen, performing menial jobs in an overpopulated world. Nick Appleton is an Underman, content to go with the flow and eke out an existence as a tire regroover. But after his son is classified as an Underman, Appleton begins to question the hierarchy. Strengthening his resolve, and energizing the resistance movement, is news that the great resistance leader Thors Provoni is returning from a trip to the furthest reaches of space. And he’s brought a giant, indestructible alien.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
About the author
Philip K. Dick
1,759 books20.6k followersPhilip K. Dick was born in Chicago in 1928 and lived most of his life in California. In 1952, he began writing professionally and proceeded to write numerous novels and short-story collections. He won the Hugo Award for the best novel in 1962 for The Man in the High Castle and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel of the year in 1974 for Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. Philip K. Dick died on March 2, 1982, in Santa Ana, California, of heart failure following a stroke.
In addition to 44 published novels, Dick wrote approximately 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his lifetime. Although Dick spent most of his career as a writer in near-poverty, ten of his stories have been adapted into popular films since his death, including Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly, Minority Report, Paycheck, Next, Screamers, and The Adjustment Bureau. In 2005, Time magazine named Ubik one of the one hundred greatest English-language novels published since 1923. In 2007, Dick became the first science fiction writer to be included in The Library of America series.
In addition to 44 published novels, Dick wrote approximately 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his lifetime. Although Dick spent most of his career as a writer in near-poverty, ten of his stories have been adapted into popular films since his death, including Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly, Minority Report, Paycheck, Next, Screamers, and The Adjustment Bureau. In 2005, Time magazine named Ubik one of the one hundred greatest English-language novels published since 1923. In 2007, Dick became the first science fiction writer to be included in The Library of America series.
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January 10, 2020
Our Friends from Frolix 8, first published by Philip K Dick in 1970 is classic PKD.
An observant student of Dick’s work will recognize many recurring themes such as government surveillance, isolation, affinity with the working classes, Biblical and classical references, rejection of elitism, paranoia and drug use. This one turns drug use on its ear, as many drugs are legal but a “dealer” in this novel sales illegal tracts from a revolutionary minority political hero.
There is also an underlying absurdist Kafkaesque quality to PKD’s science fiction that is especially highlighted here, though Frolix is not one of his wilder plots. Similar in tone to his masterpiece Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, Frolix examines life from the streets in a future harsh with its own understated dystopia yet close enough to be recognizable for us. PKD’s talent for spot on characterization is also in full form here. The character Charlie is an archetypal, pre-cyberpunk, who may have been a template for William Gibson’s Molly Millions.
Also evident is Dick’s remarkable visionary ability. There is a scene where a man has a “personal speaker system” built into his clothing. A reader in 2013 will read past this with little notice, but when one realizes that he wrote this in the late sixties, when vinyl record players and 8 track tapes came equipped with huge, cabinet sized speaker systems, his ability to see into the future is remarkable. This anecdote is only one of many that proclaim once again that Philip K. Dick was one of the greatest science fiction writers of the past century and may be considered one of America’s most innovative and farseeing writers of speculative fiction or in any genre.
An observant student of Dick’s work will recognize many recurring themes such as government surveillance, isolation, affinity with the working classes, Biblical and classical references, rejection of elitism, paranoia and drug use. This one turns drug use on its ear, as many drugs are legal but a “dealer” in this novel sales illegal tracts from a revolutionary minority political hero.
There is also an underlying absurdist Kafkaesque quality to PKD’s science fiction that is especially highlighted here, though Frolix is not one of his wilder plots. Similar in tone to his masterpiece Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, Frolix examines life from the streets in a future harsh with its own understated dystopia yet close enough to be recognizable for us. PKD’s talent for spot on characterization is also in full form here. The character Charlie is an archetypal, pre-cyberpunk, who may have been a template for William Gibson’s Molly Millions.
Also evident is Dick’s remarkable visionary ability. There is a scene where a man has a “personal speaker system” built into his clothing. A reader in 2013 will read past this with little notice, but when one realizes that he wrote this in the late sixties, when vinyl record players and 8 track tapes came equipped with huge, cabinet sized speaker systems, his ability to see into the future is remarkable. This anecdote is only one of many that proclaim once again that Philip K. Dick was one of the greatest science fiction writers of the past century and may be considered one of America’s most innovative and farseeing writers of speculative fiction or in any genre.
November 29, 2023
what’s good, squad? the latest mutations from Dicktopia were straight up insane! Dick was on conceptual fire, dishing out two sick new evolutionary dead ends: the psychic Unusuals and the brainiac New Men. they rule a brave new world full of Undermen like you and me, all of us with nothing to do except watch tv, take our tests, take our pills, punch the clock, follow the orders of New Men & Unusuals... and wait for the people to rise up! no cap, the regime change will be lit, especially when the CEO of This Ain't It returns from Frolix 8 with a dank alien who will totally run the table. fam, it's time for us all to glo up and finally take that W!
I wanted this book to be off the chain but it turned out to be mid. concepts were good but I was shook when I realized that the book wouldn't hit different. too much cringe in the first third, too much yadda yadda in the middle third, but finally the revolution came to slay. and folx, it was savage. all those out of pocket New Men and extra Unusuals may have brought the drama but they just weren't ready to catch hands. they can take several seats. 💀
but you know who was cool AF? NGL, the alien from Frolix 8. this chilled-out boss gave big main character energy and was ready to do work. gotta give a shout-out to our friend from Frolix 8, we stan a kween who holds their head high. even if there's no actual head and the body is a giant mass of glutinous semi-corporeal goo, sis slaps. periodt
This review has been a Cheugy Production™ - don't @ me.
I wanted this book to be off the chain but it turned out to be mid. concepts were good but I was shook when I realized that the book wouldn't hit different. too much cringe in the first third, too much yadda yadda in the middle third, but finally the revolution came to slay. and folx, it was savage. all those out of pocket New Men and extra Unusuals may have brought the drama but they just weren't ready to catch hands. they can take several seats. 💀
but you know who was cool AF? NGL, the alien from Frolix 8. this chilled-out boss gave big main character energy and was ready to do work. gotta give a shout-out to our friend from Frolix 8, we stan a kween who holds their head high. even if there's no actual head and the body is a giant mass of glutinous semi-corporeal goo, sis slaps. periodt
This review has been a Cheugy Production™ - don't @ me.
March 31, 2017
"We may all be that soon. Unhatched eggs sat on by a cosmic chicken."
- Philip K. Dick, Our Friends from Frolix 8
I'm not sure how it stands as far as pages read, but in books read - no one is close for me to Philip K. Dick. I think this makes 29 or 30 of Dick's novels I've read (I won't count the LOA versions for the total, obviously). Just in case you are wondering, Nabokov, le Carré and Roth and the 2, 3, 4th place finishers (so far). When I think of PKD - the two-word description I keep coming back to is messy genius. In many ways (and this may just be influenced by some recent readings of Vollmann, etc.) Dick is similar to William T Vollmann (bear with me). They both are hypergraphic in their need to make some sense of the world (PKD peers ahead, Vollmann peers into the now and the past) through their words. They aren't aiming for polish, they are searching for truth and truth might just required 100,000+ words. Dick's genius seems to be not just that of a futurist, but as someone who is able to look forward with available information, see where technology, politics, religion will converge in the future (and I'm not sure there is anyone with a better grasp of this ever) AND then explore all the moral, social, religious ramifications. If he was just a futurist, that would be one thing. He reads the future and then writes about the consequences.
Anyway, 'Our Friends from Frolix 8' explores a future where political power rests with "unusuals" (telepaths) and "new men" (hyper-geniuses). Again, it is interesting to read this book along side Yuval Noah Harari Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. Harari is trying to predict what will happen with the future evolution of man, man and machine, and machine. Dick is already there and his paints are wet, canvas tight, and brushes moving furiously. I think this PKD novel is probably under-read, under-appreciated. It doesn't have the same cachet as his more popular and more notable novels, but there is something deeply arresting about it.
I have written in other reviews about Patrick O'Brian and how I'm amazed that he could write 20 fantastic novels about basically the same thing (2 friends on a boat?). Here is additional proof that all someone needs are some good themes (drugs, paranoia, technology, religion, corporatism, consumption of the individual, etc.) and a genius can produce an almost infinite stack of entertaining books.
- Philip K. Dick, Our Friends from Frolix 8
I'm not sure how it stands as far as pages read, but in books read - no one is close for me to Philip K. Dick. I think this makes 29 or 30 of Dick's novels I've read (I won't count the LOA versions for the total, obviously). Just in case you are wondering, Nabokov, le Carré and Roth and the 2, 3, 4th place finishers (so far). When I think of PKD - the two-word description I keep coming back to is messy genius. In many ways (and this may just be influenced by some recent readings of Vollmann, etc.) Dick is similar to William T Vollmann (bear with me). They both are hypergraphic in their need to make some sense of the world (PKD peers ahead, Vollmann peers into the now and the past) through their words. They aren't aiming for polish, they are searching for truth and truth might just required 100,000+ words. Dick's genius seems to be not just that of a futurist, but as someone who is able to look forward with available information, see where technology, politics, religion will converge in the future (and I'm not sure there is anyone with a better grasp of this ever) AND then explore all the moral, social, religious ramifications. If he was just a futurist, that would be one thing. He reads the future and then writes about the consequences.
Anyway, 'Our Friends from Frolix 8' explores a future where political power rests with "unusuals" (telepaths) and "new men" (hyper-geniuses). Again, it is interesting to read this book along side Yuval Noah Harari Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. Harari is trying to predict what will happen with the future evolution of man, man and machine, and machine. Dick is already there and his paints are wet, canvas tight, and brushes moving furiously. I think this PKD novel is probably under-read, under-appreciated. It doesn't have the same cachet as his more popular and more notable novels, but there is something deeply arresting about it.
I have written in other reviews about Patrick O'Brian and how I'm amazed that he could write 20 fantastic novels about basically the same thing (2 friends on a boat?). Here is additional proof that all someone needs are some good themes (drugs, paranoia, technology, religion, corporatism, consumption of the individual, etc.) and a genius can produce an almost infinite stack of entertaining books.
April 3, 2020
"We may all be that soon. Unhatched eggs sat on by a cosmic chicken."
A great title. A repressive government made up of two groups of elites who pretend to be opposed to each other. Said government sends dissidents to labor colonies in southwestern Utah and on Luna. Telepathic dictator of said government subjects his flunkies to monologues about his acrimonious divorce and convoluted plots to assassinate his former wife (incidentally, during the time he wrote this novel, 1968-69, Phil was on his fourth marriage), berating them when he detects (telepathically) that they're bored, rather than focusing on an imminent alien invasion. Said invasion composed of single entity, one (1) inconceivably powerful Frolixian, on his/her/its way to Terra with only the most benevolent of intentions, namely to end the tyranny of the New Men and the Unusuals...or so he/she/it claims. Said Frolixian recruited in the first place by Undermen leader Thors Provoni, absent from Terra for the last ten years, having promised all Undermen that he would return from the far reaches of the galaxy with help. Undermen are radicalized Old Men, the majority-population underclass. Main character a member of said underclass who works a dead-end job, dreams of his son passing the (rigged) civil service exam, and feels belittled by his wife. A dark-haired girl. Her samizdat-dealing boyfriend, "a gutter Dionysius." Quotations from a Yeats poem. TVs that turn themselves on for government announcements. A man with no eyelids. The unhatched eggs of a cosmic chicken.
Put it all together and you've got a novel with a lot of familiar Philip K. Dickian elements, almost satirically so, not too bad but unlikely to stick in my memory. In an appendix at the end of Divine Invasions, Lawrence Sutin's biography of Phil, he tells us that "Phil dismissed Frolix as a potboiler", and that sounds about right. There are some good moments, it cracked me up a few times, but it's not nearly as thought-provoking as his best work. There's a reason that no PKD fan has ever told someone trying to get into Phil's work to start with Our Friends from Frolix 8.
But I've read a fair number of Phil's novels at this point, and I've started to get the same feeling that I had about halfway through the third season of the original series of Star Trek. The third season was as bad as I'd heard, and it occurred to me that there were no more cities on the edge of forever, amok times, wolves in the fold or squires of gothos- no more great episodes that I hadn't seen. I think I may have gotten to that point with Phil's novels- no more androids dreaming of electric sheep, no more scanners darkly.
But last night I remembered that Sutin's appendix offers a short synopsis and rating for each of Phil's novels, so I read through it to refresh my memory. Sutin is an astute and occasionally quite funny guide through Phil's bibliography. Here's how he begins to describe Dr. Futurity: "The medical skills of a twenty-first-century physician are needed to save the life of a twenty-fifth-century rebel leader who would topple the sterile world dystopia. Ahem." On Vulcan's Hammer: "In the post-nuclear holocaust future, white-collar technocrats and their power-crazed computer Vulcan 3 keep the blue-collar Healers' Movement in check. Turns out the Healers were founded by former big cheese Vulcan 2. Vulcan 3 bites the dust in a scene that defines anticlimax. Phil never set out to write a bad book, but anyone who has tried to make a living at SF has cranked out dreck like this to pay the bills. Okay? Okay." Sutin rates both of those novels 1/10. On The Simulacra, which he gives a 7 and describes as containing the "most complex" of all Phil's plots: "To say that a German drug cartel manufactures simulacra presidents who hold figurehead power while beautiful Nicole Thibodeaux, the first lady, really runs the show is only to hint at its intrigues and capers." On The Unteleported Man, or Lies, Inc., which gets a 5: "damn weird." Phil also wrote a novel called The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike, which I could have sworn was a Jim Incandenza title. Frolix gets an appropriate 4 from Sutin.
In any case, here are the Dick SF novels that I haven't read. I think I've got my eye on that early-to-mid 60s stretch, from The Game-Players of Titan to The Zap Gun. Any recommendations?
The Cosmic Puppets
Solar Lottery
The World Jones Made
Eye in the Sky
The Man Who Japed
Dr. Futurity
Vulcan's Hammer
We Can Build You
The Game-Players of Titan
The Simulacra
Clans of the Alphane Moon
The Crack in Space
The Zap Gun
The Penultimate Truth
The Unteleported Man or Lies, Inc.
Galactic Pot-Healer
The Divine Invasion
August 18, 2011
Unlike Philip K. Dick's previous two novels, 1969's "Ubik" and 1970's "A Maze of Death," his 27th full-length sci-fi book, "Our Friends From Frolix 8," was not released in a hardcover first edition. Rather, it first saw the light of day, later in 1970, as a 60-cent Ace paperback (no. 64400, for all you collectors out there). And whereas those two previous novels had showcased the author giving his favorite theme--the chimeralike nature of reality--a pretty thorough workout, "Our Friends" impresses the reader as a more "normal" piece of science fiction...although glints of Dickian strangeness do, of course, crop up.
Of all the Dick novels that I have read, "Our Friends" seems most reminiscent of 1964's "The Simulacra." Both books feature the downfall of entrenched, duplicitous governments and sport an extremely large cast of characters (56 named characters in the earlier book, 48 in the latter). In "Our Friends," the Earth of the 22nd century is ruled by an oligarchy of two ruling groups: the New Men, bubble-headed mutants with tremendous IQs, and the Unusuals, who command various telepathic, telekinetic and precognitive abilities. The overwhelming ruck of Earth's billions, the Old Men, are precluded from any sort of government/civil service employment and must make do with their menial-labor positions. In the book, we meet Nick Appleton ("the name a character in a book would have," he is told), a "tire regroover," who is shaken out of his mundane existence when his young son "fails" a rigged civil service exam. Swiftly becoming politicized, he drinks illegal alcohol, buys anti-government tracts from a feisty 16-year-old tomboy, and is soon embroiled in the thick of things in this Big Brotherish, dystopian world. A good thing, then, that Thors Provoni, a space wanderer who had left Earth a decade earlier to seek help for mankind's lot, is about to return...with a "90-ton, gelatinous mass of protoplasmic slime"; the telepathic, titular friend from Frolix 8.
Swiftly moving and filled with humorous touches, simply written yet complexly plotted, alternating furious action sequences with thought-provoking discourse, "Our Friends" is yet another delightful Dick confection. It finds the author dealing with some of his pet topics, such as divorce (Appleton leaves his wife during the course of the book; Council Chairman Willis Gram plots to kill his), Carl Jung ("A Maze of Death" was replete with Jungian subtext; he is referred to by Provoni as "the greatest of the human thinkers"), drug use (drugbars are ubiquitous in the novel, and every citizen seems to possess the knowledge of a Walgreens pharmacist) and 20th century fighter planes (this pet subject of Dick's had received especial attention in previous works such as 1967's "The Ganymede Takeover" and "Ubik"). Nick is an especially well-drawn everyman-type character, and the reader's sympathy for him never wavers, not even when he strikes his wife, Kleo (named after Dick's second wife out of five). No dummy, he recognizes the music of Victor Herbert and has a Yeats poem, "The Song of the Happy Shepherd," committed to memory. Charley, the young tomboy "gutter rat" with whom Nick has a rather icky love affair, is also memorable; in one sweet scene, the two make love in the one acre left of Central Park, and she spins around in circles, arms out, when Nick tells her that he loves her.
The book, however, good as it is, has its share of problems. As in "The Simulacra," several plot threads and characters simply peter out, never to be mentioned again. Worse, the author seems to be guilty here of a good deal of inconsistencies over the course of his story. For example, there is the matter of dates. We are told that the New Men have been in power for 50 years, since 2085. So the book takes place in 2135, right? But wait...Provoni later tells us that he was 18 years old in 2103, and now he's 105. So it's 2190, right? But hold on...his 10-year-old spaceship is a model from 2198. So it's 2208, right? See what I mean? Elsewhere, Dick mentions that there are 10,000 New Men and Unusuals on Earth; later, that figure changes to 10 million! He mentions that the army commands 64 different types of missiles; that figure is later said to be 70! He says that the government maintains detention camps in southwest Utah; later, they are said to be in southeast Utah! Provoni lands on Earth 1 1/2 hours earlier than expected; later, he is said to have landed eight hours earlier than expected! And perhaps most surprising, history buff Dick mentions that the name "Ashurbanipal" was Egyptian, whereas it is fairly common knowledge that the dude was Assyrian! (Granted, that last COULD be a bit of ignorance on Provoni's part.) Anyway, you get my point. Dick and his editors surely would have benefited from another rereading of their manuscript before publication. But despite all these many gaffs (very uncommon for this author, to my experience), the book is still as fun as can be. And really, how can you dislike any book with a 90-ton mass of telepathic slime?
Of all the Dick novels that I have read, "Our Friends" seems most reminiscent of 1964's "The Simulacra." Both books feature the downfall of entrenched, duplicitous governments and sport an extremely large cast of characters (56 named characters in the earlier book, 48 in the latter). In "Our Friends," the Earth of the 22nd century is ruled by an oligarchy of two ruling groups: the New Men, bubble-headed mutants with tremendous IQs, and the Unusuals, who command various telepathic, telekinetic and precognitive abilities. The overwhelming ruck of Earth's billions, the Old Men, are precluded from any sort of government/civil service employment and must make do with their menial-labor positions. In the book, we meet Nick Appleton ("the name a character in a book would have," he is told), a "tire regroover," who is shaken out of his mundane existence when his young son "fails" a rigged civil service exam. Swiftly becoming politicized, he drinks illegal alcohol, buys anti-government tracts from a feisty 16-year-old tomboy, and is soon embroiled in the thick of things in this Big Brotherish, dystopian world. A good thing, then, that Thors Provoni, a space wanderer who had left Earth a decade earlier to seek help for mankind's lot, is about to return...with a "90-ton, gelatinous mass of protoplasmic slime"; the telepathic, titular friend from Frolix 8.
Swiftly moving and filled with humorous touches, simply written yet complexly plotted, alternating furious action sequences with thought-provoking discourse, "Our Friends" is yet another delightful Dick confection. It finds the author dealing with some of his pet topics, such as divorce (Appleton leaves his wife during the course of the book; Council Chairman Willis Gram plots to kill his), Carl Jung ("A Maze of Death" was replete with Jungian subtext; he is referred to by Provoni as "the greatest of the human thinkers"), drug use (drugbars are ubiquitous in the novel, and every citizen seems to possess the knowledge of a Walgreens pharmacist) and 20th century fighter planes (this pet subject of Dick's had received especial attention in previous works such as 1967's "The Ganymede Takeover" and "Ubik"). Nick is an especially well-drawn everyman-type character, and the reader's sympathy for him never wavers, not even when he strikes his wife, Kleo (named after Dick's second wife out of five). No dummy, he recognizes the music of Victor Herbert and has a Yeats poem, "The Song of the Happy Shepherd," committed to memory. Charley, the young tomboy "gutter rat" with whom Nick has a rather icky love affair, is also memorable; in one sweet scene, the two make love in the one acre left of Central Park, and she spins around in circles, arms out, when Nick tells her that he loves her.
The book, however, good as it is, has its share of problems. As in "The Simulacra," several plot threads and characters simply peter out, never to be mentioned again. Worse, the author seems to be guilty here of a good deal of inconsistencies over the course of his story. For example, there is the matter of dates. We are told that the New Men have been in power for 50 years, since 2085. So the book takes place in 2135, right? But wait...Provoni later tells us that he was 18 years old in 2103, and now he's 105. So it's 2190, right? But hold on...his 10-year-old spaceship is a model from 2198. So it's 2208, right? See what I mean? Elsewhere, Dick mentions that there are 10,000 New Men and Unusuals on Earth; later, that figure changes to 10 million! He mentions that the army commands 64 different types of missiles; that figure is later said to be 70! He says that the government maintains detention camps in southwest Utah; later, they are said to be in southeast Utah! Provoni lands on Earth 1 1/2 hours earlier than expected; later, he is said to have landed eight hours earlier than expected! And perhaps most surprising, history buff Dick mentions that the name "Ashurbanipal" was Egyptian, whereas it is fairly common knowledge that the dude was Assyrian! (Granted, that last COULD be a bit of ignorance on Provoni's part.) Anyway, you get my point. Dick and his editors surely would have benefited from another rereading of their manuscript before publication. But despite all these many gaffs (very uncommon for this author, to my experience), the book is still as fun as can be. And really, how can you dislike any book with a 90-ton mass of telepathic slime?
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November 17, 2017
Most of the sci-fi elements were pretty cool and very interesting, but not much explored to the extent I would have liked. The characters were all annoying and boring and kind of stereotypical and I didn't much care for what happened to them, but thought Thors Provoni and his friend from Frolix 8 were probably the best thing of the whole story.
I don't feel qualified to really write anything substantial in sci-fi as I'm so new to it and so lacking in having read any of it, but this felt really lacklustre from PKD and nothing that wonderful, unlike a couple others I've read from him. Still some really good ideas and I think a glimmer of the imagination to be found elsewhere in his works.
It's written well, if, as said before, kind of full of stereotypes which made it slow and boring sometimes. But the story didn't seem to go too far and the conclusion was rather annoyingly vague, perhaps trying to be too profound. Not his best, I've no doubt, but not one to put me off reading more.
I don't feel qualified to really write anything substantial in sci-fi as I'm so new to it and so lacking in having read any of it, but this felt really lacklustre from PKD and nothing that wonderful, unlike a couple others I've read from him. Still some really good ideas and I think a glimmer of the imagination to be found elsewhere in his works.
It's written well, if, as said before, kind of full of stereotypes which made it slow and boring sometimes. But the story didn't seem to go too far and the conclusion was rather annoyingly vague, perhaps trying to be too profound. Not his best, I've no doubt, but not one to put me off reading more.
August 12, 2023
My 29th PKD novel.
In the 5-year period (1964-1969) that precedes the final, bold 11-year thrust of his writing career, quality can fluctuate some. The mid- to late-60s, of course, is where we find a few of the magnificent works that helped cement Dick's solid, mind-altering reputation (i.e., 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' and 'Ubik').
As well, there are immensely fascinating / satisfying titles which seem to remain somewhat unheralded ('Clans of the Alphane Moon', 'The Penultimate Truth', 'Galactic Pot-Healer', 'A Maze of Death').
But, in at least two instances, creativity noticeably ebbs. 'Lies, Inc.' is simply a (rare) clunker, one that seems to defy the reader. On the other hand, even if it's reader-friendly and has some interesting ideas, 'Our Friends from Frolix 8' is mainly a mish-mosh; a hodgepodge of elements that will be familiar to Dick aficionados.
It's not a bad book really (within, it does at least attempt a certain newness) but, at the same time, it's not all that memorable overall - attributable to its rehash leanings.
That said... I absolutely love its standout final chapter.
In the 5-year period (1964-1969) that precedes the final, bold 11-year thrust of his writing career, quality can fluctuate some. The mid- to late-60s, of course, is where we find a few of the magnificent works that helped cement Dick's solid, mind-altering reputation (i.e., 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' and 'Ubik').
As well, there are immensely fascinating / satisfying titles which seem to remain somewhat unheralded ('Clans of the Alphane Moon', 'The Penultimate Truth', 'Galactic Pot-Healer', 'A Maze of Death').
But, in at least two instances, creativity noticeably ebbs. 'Lies, Inc.' is simply a (rare) clunker, one that seems to defy the reader. On the other hand, even if it's reader-friendly and has some interesting ideas, 'Our Friends from Frolix 8' is mainly a mish-mosh; a hodgepodge of elements that will be familiar to Dick aficionados.
It's not a bad book really (within, it does at least attempt a certain newness) but, at the same time, it's not all that memorable overall - attributable to its rehash leanings.
That said... I absolutely love its standout final chapter.
March 30, 2017
First off, I loved the artwork for the hardcover Book Club edition by Kim Whitesickles - it took a while to find a decent copy. I consider this as PKD's last 'pulp novel' of his career.
I know that "Sandy" (in my opinion, GR's most respectful PKD reviewer), pointed out a multitude of mechanical flaws in the narrative, and he surely is correct. To be sure, some editor should have sorted all of these oversights out before sending this manuscript to press - but as I understand it, it was way past the deadline by the time PDK got it done and so, I imagine, Donald A Wollheim of Ace books would have been very eager to get it out in circulation trusting all was in order. It was Ace pulp after all...
I had more issues with the creepy element of two men over fourty being infatuated by "a small, black haired, pug nosed sixteen year old with sensual lips, and elegantly formed cheekbones, who’s smile illuminates her whole face, bringing it to life, named Charley."
Getting past that, I did love the idea of three types of peoples living on Earth: The Under Men (regular normal men), the New Men (big brained evolved supermen) and the Unusuals (men with telepathic or kinetic abilities) - not any women in these categories as far I recall, by the way. Best character of all was the huge protoplasmic alien being from far out in space.
All the elements of previous great PKD novels such as the colourful characterization and interestingly rendered dialogue is there. The ending is also very cool (if not a bit disturbing).
So glad to have finally read it. A flawed little gem in a magnificent cannon of work by one of the most talented and imaginative authors of our time.
I know that "Sandy" (in my opinion, GR's most respectful PKD reviewer), pointed out a multitude of mechanical flaws in the narrative, and he surely is correct. To be sure, some editor should have sorted all of these oversights out before sending this manuscript to press - but as I understand it, it was way past the deadline by the time PDK got it done and so, I imagine, Donald A Wollheim of Ace books would have been very eager to get it out in circulation trusting all was in order. It was Ace pulp after all...
I had more issues with the creepy element of two men over fourty being infatuated by "a small, black haired, pug nosed sixteen year old with sensual lips, and elegantly formed cheekbones, who’s smile illuminates her whole face, bringing it to life, named Charley."
Getting past that, I did love the idea of three types of peoples living on Earth: The Under Men (regular normal men), the New Men (big brained evolved supermen) and the Unusuals (men with telepathic or kinetic abilities) - not any women in these categories as far I recall, by the way. Best character of all was the huge protoplasmic alien being from far out in space.
All the elements of previous great PKD novels such as the colourful characterization and interestingly rendered dialogue is there. The ending is also very cool (if not a bit disturbing).
So glad to have finally read it. A flawed little gem in a magnificent cannon of work by one of the most talented and imaginative authors of our time.
June 11, 2011
Whenever I read Philip K. Dick, I react in exactly the same way. The first few pages, I tell myself that, after all, he isn't very good. And then the jagged paranoiac genius of the man kicks in, takes hold, and carries me along. And what a ride it is! Some 200 years in the future, the earth is under the control of Willis Gram, a telepath who sits around all day in pajamas, robe, and slippers while his "New Men," geniuses with bloated heads, give him advice. If one is not an "Unusual" (telepath) or New Man, one is an Old Man who is effectively prevented from joining the Civil Service and participating in the reins of power.
The hero is one Nick Appleton who runs into an underage girl named Charlie, who is 98 pounds of ferocious energy. They spend much of their time trying to escape the pissers (or PSS, the police), who are trying to nail them for various infractions.
In the meantime, hurtling toward the Earth is Thors Provoni, who had escaped in a souped-up spaceship and encountered an alien from Frolix 8 who returns with him. Gram and his minions attempt first to shoot him out of the sky, and then to aim giant lasers to kill him, but his friend from Frolix 8 absorbs all their attempts and even thrives on them.
No way am I going to divulge what happens. It's a fairly interesting story, even though this is not one of Dick's better-known efforts. (That's probably why I read it: I needed something to keep me from thinking too much. It worked.)
Think of Dick as a hyperdrive from outer space that can take you faster and farther than you ever imagined, and leave you off somewhere where you can feel the dew on the grass with your bare toes.
The hero is one Nick Appleton who runs into an underage girl named Charlie, who is 98 pounds of ferocious energy. They spend much of their time trying to escape the pissers (or PSS, the police), who are trying to nail them for various infractions.
In the meantime, hurtling toward the Earth is Thors Provoni, who had escaped in a souped-up spaceship and encountered an alien from Frolix 8 who returns with him. Gram and his minions attempt first to shoot him out of the sky, and then to aim giant lasers to kill him, but his friend from Frolix 8 absorbs all their attempts and even thrives on them.
No way am I going to divulge what happens. It's a fairly interesting story, even though this is not one of Dick's better-known efforts. (That's probably why I read it: I needed something to keep me from thinking too much. It worked.)
Think of Dick as a hyperdrive from outer space that can take you faster and farther than you ever imagined, and leave you off somewhere where you can feel the dew on the grass with your bare toes.
November 21, 2013
i love pkd, but this book runs around at the height of his "wives are horrible, pathetic shrews; the only other women are vibrant pixie sex monkeys" bullshit.
the end is awesome, though.
but he forgot to tell us that these "new men" have big heads until halfway through, which is kinda bullshit.
the end is awesome, though.
but he forgot to tell us that these "new men" have big heads until halfway through, which is kinda bullshit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2011
I'll be honest, I didn't really get it. As a huge fan of a lot of his other work (I'll resist the urge to suggest I'm a fan of Dick). And, I wanted to love it, I really did. I just didn't get it.
Maybe I'll give it another go sometime...
Maybe I'll give it another go sometime...
March 17, 2023
Insights how a tyranny reacts to an external threat.
We follow how society and the government are in anticipation of the long awaited return of the “saviour” of the common people. This saviour, Thors Provoni, left 10 years ago with the promise that he would bring alien help to overthrow the world rulers. And now it seems he actually is arriving soon…
During Provoni’s absence, a whole cult developed. The promise of a new society, free of the oppressors. In the months and days before his arrival we follow Nick Appleton as the exemplary specimen of the oppressed people. Via his interactions with the “secret” underground and the government we get a hilarious and comical insight in these last days of the old world order.
Surreal. Of course, It’s PKD!
I decided to view this as a satire on tyranny.
The way Chairman Willes Gram, talks and decides about the population made me wonder how governments around the world think about their people. Considering what happens these days (2023) it look pretty bleak.
Although the conversations in the “office” are hilarious, they are chilling at the same time. The matter of fact, nonchalant way, are chilling. People are numbers. Manipulated. Only under threat from an outside, seemingly stronger force, things are set in motion. But only with the ultimate goal of preserving power for their own.
The conversation about a planned (very far fetched) assasination is very funny. The fact that Gram is a telepath and that he reacts on thoughts make for comical conversations. Those are the best parts of the book.
I felt that in the end the plot fell flat and the story fizzled out. But overall an entertaining read.
What do people really want, p104: ”it is not the cause, the ideology, that motivates them. If they do enter a cause it is to get back something in their personal lives, such as dignity or meaning. Like better housing, interracial marriage -“
The most famous line of the book (p.151), as far as I am concerned is: ”We may all be that soon. Unhatched eggs sat on by a cosmic chicken."
Which says it all…
We follow how society and the government are in anticipation of the long awaited return of the “saviour” of the common people. This saviour, Thors Provoni, left 10 years ago with the promise that he would bring alien help to overthrow the world rulers. And now it seems he actually is arriving soon…
During Provoni’s absence, a whole cult developed. The promise of a new society, free of the oppressors. In the months and days before his arrival we follow Nick Appleton as the exemplary specimen of the oppressed people. Via his interactions with the “secret” underground and the government we get a hilarious and comical insight in these last days of the old world order.
Surreal. Of course, It’s PKD!
I decided to view this as a satire on tyranny.
The way Chairman Willes Gram, talks and decides about the population made me wonder how governments around the world think about their people. Considering what happens these days (2023) it look pretty bleak.
Although the conversations in the “office” are hilarious, they are chilling at the same time. The matter of fact, nonchalant way, are chilling. People are numbers. Manipulated. Only under threat from an outside, seemingly stronger force, things are set in motion. But only with the ultimate goal of preserving power for their own.
The conversation about a planned (very far fetched) assasination is very funny. The fact that Gram is a telepath and that he reacts on thoughts make for comical conversations. Those are the best parts of the book.
I felt that in the end the plot fell flat and the story fizzled out. But overall an entertaining read.
What do people really want, p104: ”it is not the cause, the ideology, that motivates them. If they do enter a cause it is to get back something in their personal lives, such as dignity or meaning. Like better housing, interracial marriage -“
The most famous line of the book (p.151), as far as I am concerned is: ”We may all be that soon. Unhatched eggs sat on by a cosmic chicken."
Which says it all…
Read
June 23, 2021Even though my current "Goodreads Brand" is usually aimed at books with titles like Soft Yellow Stone: Seventeen Even Gentler Ghost Stories Set in the Cotswolds, there was a time only about a decade or two ago when my primary reading habit swung towards mid-2oth century science fiction with Philip K. Dick was the prime locus. I do not know how many books I read by him (as well as folks like Bradbury, Herbert, Heinlein, Ellison, etc) but it was a lot. I think part of what drove me towards these guys is that their books were potboilers written to put food on the table but also explorations of the human condition. Dick had a knack for piling on layers of meaning into what was otherwise a surreal paperback romp with drugs and lasers.
Over time, my interest in such writings increasingly waned and I think it might come down to the simple fact that for all the futures and all the explored worlds, they ultimately felt like they were simply an extension of the dreams, and libidos, of mid-twenty century white males.
This book definitely hits this combination of elements. Dick's intersection of anti-authoritarian strange futurism butts right up against his tendency to ground his futures, no matter how inventive or surreal, into working class parables about the dangers of Johnson and Nixon era politics. All with a hefty dose of his tendency to fetishize a certain type of young, feisty female; normalize drug use as a stand in for emotional development; and play around with a decidedly new age take on religion as the ultimate goal of all science. In this way, Our Friends from Frolix 8 is almost too Phildickian a novel. It's all here. Flying cars. Fascist governmental figures who are imprisoned in their own fascism (oppressed, as it were, by the effort to oppress). Working class men who get brought into a struggle greater themselves due to a failed attempt at an extramarital affair. Shrewish wives. A Jesus Christ allegory that is so blatant that it openly identifies itself as a Jesus Christ allegory because otherwise it would be silly. Science and philosophy blended together in a heady soup where it is nearly impossible to disentangle what is Dick's whole cloth creation versus something he once read in a fortune cookie. Various bits of slang and tech that sound perfectly reasonable but are probably somewhat the byproduct of a fever dream.*
What elevates this novel and for me makes it one of the greats that stands in its way besides such works as Ubik and A Scanner Darkly is that these old-hat elements are layered together and woven with a certain subtlety that might actually take multiple readings to properly pick apart. What seems to be an entirely too stereotypical Dick story about an everyman, paranoia, government oppression, the return of Christ, and the failure of knowledge to elevate mankind is...well, a stereotypical novel about all of these things. But done in a way that feels like Dick is actually trying to have a conversation with himself about some of his prior assumptions and statements. It is a box of knifes with the edges filed off. There is a missing core of definite THIS IS THE TRUTH. Instead, human evil and human good are a fuzzy ideal and what really matters in the heart of this novel is power (over yourself and others) versus the personal feeling of safety and stability (the latter being the utter drive of the former). All of society becomes a toy box played with by children for a few moments of fun. While the bullies might rule the playground and do terrible things for the sake of their own rule it is only a temporary state until the playground equipment breaks or a bigger bully from a bigger playground shows up. To near on infinity.
It would take a lot more than this review to properly unwind the conflicting Jesus vs Nixon metaphors, the confusing state of race relations**, the very problematic handling of female characters, or even the way that Dick seems comfortable with saying that the status quo is not so much bad as inconvenient with the alternatives being potentially worse (which is very middle class of him). This is why I like this book. It is uncomfortable in ways, unsettled in others, and seems almost unforgiveable. But, it also is an exercise in the notion that most big notions are merely echoes of what really matters: a person's ability to feel comfortable and settled in the place they are, that primary drive of civilized survival that flavors nearly everything else we do. And, like most Dick novels, I do not necessarily agree with it, I just appreciate how someone writing mostly to pay the rent found a way to work this into a romp involving drugs and lasers.
==========
* Dick is perhaps the king of a certain type of diegetic world building, where important cultural and technological elements are simply demonstrated as fact, often only in an immediate context. This somewhat plays against this novel a little in that there were, in the hard- and digital copies of this book, a few typos that got passed over because presumably the editor just went, "There he goes, making up words again!".
** Dick was regressive in his handling of female characters, no doubt, but his handling of race is far more confusing. While some of his statements were relatively progressive, there are other portions that paint a somewhat conservative (especially by today's standards) view. This is something I should probably look into more.
Over time, my interest in such writings increasingly waned and I think it might come down to the simple fact that for all the futures and all the explored worlds, they ultimately felt like they were simply an extension of the dreams, and libidos, of mid-twenty century white males.
This book definitely hits this combination of elements. Dick's intersection of anti-authoritarian strange futurism butts right up against his tendency to ground his futures, no matter how inventive or surreal, into working class parables about the dangers of Johnson and Nixon era politics. All with a hefty dose of his tendency to fetishize a certain type of young, feisty female; normalize drug use as a stand in for emotional development; and play around with a decidedly new age take on religion as the ultimate goal of all science. In this way, Our Friends from Frolix 8 is almost too Phildickian a novel. It's all here. Flying cars. Fascist governmental figures who are imprisoned in their own fascism (oppressed, as it were, by the effort to oppress). Working class men who get brought into a struggle greater themselves due to a failed attempt at an extramarital affair. Shrewish wives. A Jesus Christ allegory that is so blatant that it openly identifies itself as a Jesus Christ allegory because otherwise it would be silly. Science and philosophy blended together in a heady soup where it is nearly impossible to disentangle what is Dick's whole cloth creation versus something he once read in a fortune cookie. Various bits of slang and tech that sound perfectly reasonable but are probably somewhat the byproduct of a fever dream.*
What elevates this novel and for me makes it one of the greats that stands in its way besides such works as Ubik and A Scanner Darkly is that these old-hat elements are layered together and woven with a certain subtlety that might actually take multiple readings to properly pick apart. What seems to be an entirely too stereotypical Dick story about an everyman, paranoia, government oppression, the return of Christ, and the failure of knowledge to elevate mankind is...well, a stereotypical novel about all of these things. But done in a way that feels like Dick is actually trying to have a conversation with himself about some of his prior assumptions and statements. It is a box of knifes with the edges filed off. There is a missing core of definite THIS IS THE TRUTH. Instead, human evil and human good are a fuzzy ideal and what really matters in the heart of this novel is power (over yourself and others) versus the personal feeling of safety and stability (the latter being the utter drive of the former). All of society becomes a toy box played with by children for a few moments of fun. While the bullies might rule the playground and do terrible things for the sake of their own rule it is only a temporary state until the playground equipment breaks or a bigger bully from a bigger playground shows up. To near on infinity.
It would take a lot more than this review to properly unwind the conflicting Jesus vs Nixon metaphors, the confusing state of race relations**, the very problematic handling of female characters, or even the way that Dick seems comfortable with saying that the status quo is not so much bad as inconvenient with the alternatives being potentially worse (which is very middle class of him). This is why I like this book. It is uncomfortable in ways, unsettled in others, and seems almost unforgiveable. But, it also is an exercise in the notion that most big notions are merely echoes of what really matters: a person's ability to feel comfortable and settled in the place they are, that primary drive of civilized survival that flavors nearly everything else we do. And, like most Dick novels, I do not necessarily agree with it, I just appreciate how someone writing mostly to pay the rent found a way to work this into a romp involving drugs and lasers.
==========
* Dick is perhaps the king of a certain type of diegetic world building, where important cultural and technological elements are simply demonstrated as fact, often only in an immediate context. This somewhat plays against this novel a little in that there were, in the hard- and digital copies of this book, a few typos that got passed over because presumably the editor just went, "There he goes, making up words again!".
** Dick was regressive in his handling of female characters, no doubt, but his handling of race is far more confusing. While some of his statements were relatively progressive, there are other portions that paint a somewhat conservative (especially by today's standards) view. This is something I should probably look into more.
April 3, 2021
Recording the episode of Dickheads podcast soon. Excited to talk about it.
April 7, 2019
I began reading this book just as the "Operation Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal story broke, and in confirmation of the unspoken rule that "all politics is in Philip K Dick somewhere", the very first chapter involves the main character's son having his score on an admissions test invalidated so that the rule of the elite can continue unabated. Fittingly, this is one of his more political novels, and yet one of the few with a happy ending. I liked it, but with the caveats appropriate to its minor-tier status.
The basic setup of the novel involves a future Earth with 3 types of people: the Old Men, who are normal humans; the New Men, who have much higher IQ; and the Unusuals, who have mutations like telepathy. The latter two groups, though vastly outnumbered by ten thousand to several billion, rule society via a combination of natural superiority and outright fraud, such as changing test scores to lock even promising Old Men out of the upper echelons of power. Protagonist Nick Appleton, a more-or-less typical PKD stand-in, is an Old Man with the almost Onion-esque crap job of "tire regroover"; when the tires of flying cars get low on tread, he etches new grooves on them, which also cuts them dangerously thin. Life sucks in this class-stratified society with omnipresent government surveillance where both alcohol and subversive literature are banned, but there is hope - one dual New Man/Unusual, Thors Provoni, stole a prototype FTL spaceship 10 years ago and is rumored to be returning to Earth in the company of an alien power who will upend the corrupt social order.
I hadn't read any PKD in a while, so it was striking to see the relative absence of reality-questioning and simultaneous increase in politics here, especially against such a relevant backdrop as the college scam stuff. Anti-government themes are to PKD as murders are to Agatha Christie, of course, but there's an uneasy model of politics here, as developed in the plot: both an alien and a renegade Unusual/New Man were required to break up the oligarchic tyranny of the New Men and the Unusuals (who are so entitled that one government official spends an inordinate amount of time trying to steal the protagonist's side chick), but the alien itself, the titular Friend from Frolix 8, is a pure MacGuffin, a sideshow who doesn't even show up until the second half of the book, and vanishes almost immediately after landing on Earth and shifting the balance of power by psychically removing the powers of the elites (excepting Provoni?). The book ends with the Old Men establishing rehabilitation camps for the newly depowered and infantilized Unusuals and New Men, but it's not a very satisfying ending, since we don't see what the new future is actually like. Is the alien going to swallow up all independent life on Earth or not? Childhood's End this isn't. I won't torture the novel to produce allegories for the real world, but I was struck by the helplessness of the majority to change anything about their world, and subsequent reliance on the mutant and the alien.
Also notable for me were PKD's trademark issues with pacing (major life decisions are made almost instantly for odd and seemingly implausible reasons, meanwhile important backstory is delivered in expository chapters while nothing is happening) and his equally signature idiosyncrasies with women. There's an uninentionally revealing internal monologue late in the book delivered by Police Commissioner Gram, the aforementioned official trying to steal Nick's side chick Charlotte, who Nick suddenly abandoned his wife Kleo and several children for after having known her for several minutes:
"You brought Charlotte to your apartment, made up a lie as to how you got involved with her, and then Kleo found the Cordonite tract, and blam, that was it. Because it gave her what a wife likes best: a situation in which her husband has to choose between two evils, between two choices neither of which is palatable to him. Wives love that. When you're in court, divorcing one, you get presented with a choice between going back to her or losing all your possessions, your property, stuff you've hung onto since high school. Yeah, wives really like that."
And a few chapters later, Gram reflects further on his sudden lust for this young woman, who like Nick he has known for essentially no time at all:
"That's the trouble with being that age, he reflected. You idealize the whole woman, her self, her personality… but at my age it's simply how good a lay they'd make and that's that. I'll enjoy her, use her up, teach her a few things she probably doesn't know about sexual relations – even though she's 'been around' – that she hasn't dreamed up. She can be my little fish, for example. And once she learns them, does them, she'll remember them the rest of her life. They'll haunt her, the memory of them… but on some level she'll be yearning for them again: they were so nice. Let's see what Nick Appleton, or Denny Strong, or whoever gets her after me, will do to gratify that. And she won't be able to force herself to tell him what it is that's the matter."
Hmm. Somewhat redeeming all this is the presence of perhaps the best awful sex scene in all of PKD's oeuvre a few chapters later. Immediately after the police have murdered her ex-boyfriend Denny Strong, Charlotte takes Nick to Central Park in Denny's car and flatly tells him they're going to have sex. She starts removing his clothes at the verbal equivalent of gunpoint, he tells her she has small breasts, and he starts babbling about Yeats, statutory rape, and Denny while trying to put his clothes back on. Didn't he just abandon his entire family for her, and hasn't he been fighting the equivalent of the head of secret police for the entire planet over this girl? Clearly PKD was working through some of his own marriage issues via Charlotte (the very year after this book was published his wife left him), but it's distractingly unsubtle to read. Additionally, the focus on police reminded me of the far superior treatment he would provide 5 years later in Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said; this is essentially the last of the amphetamine-fueled pulp novels that he cranked out at unhealthy velocity.
And yet throughout you're reminded constantly why you're reading PKD, who can transform even the roughest pacing, plotting, and characterization into a memorable science-fiction vision of desperate politics and thought-provoking prognostication. The book's recurring conceit that in the future alcohol will be all but outlawed yet pharmaceutical cocktails are eaten like candy and opium is universally consumed is funny, and there's an interesting throwaway reference to J.W. Dunne's An Experiment With Time, a 1927 discussion of precognitive dreams which obviously had a large influence on PKD's own work as well as several other famous sci-fi authors. The horror of the power of the alien is delivered with a nearly Stephen King intensity, yet as the potential of the alien power to transform human society into an equitable, open, and loving world are delightful passages that show his gift for the right imagery at the right time:
"Your race is xenophobic. And I am the ultimate foreigner. I love you, Mr. Provoni; I love your people… insofar as I know them through your mind. I will not do what I can do, but I will make them know what I can do. In your mind's memory-section there is a Zen story about the greatest swordsman in Japan. Two men challenge him. They agree to row out to a small island and fight there. The greatest swordsman in Japan, being a student of Zen, sees to it that he is last to leave the boat. The moment the others have leaped out onto the shore of the island he pushes off, rows away, leaving them and their swords there. Thus he proves his claim for what he is: indeed he is the finest swordsman in Japan. Do you see the application to my situation? I can outfight your establishment, but I will do so by not-fighting... if you follow my thought. It will be in fact be my refusal to fight – yet showing my strength – which will frighten them the most, because they cannot imagine such power held but not used."
A hopeful vision of power like that is all too rare in PKD's novels, and so while this is neither his most technically accomplished nor intellectually adventurous novel, it is a worthy entry all the same.
The basic setup of the novel involves a future Earth with 3 types of people: the Old Men, who are normal humans; the New Men, who have much higher IQ; and the Unusuals, who have mutations like telepathy. The latter two groups, though vastly outnumbered by ten thousand to several billion, rule society via a combination of natural superiority and outright fraud, such as changing test scores to lock even promising Old Men out of the upper echelons of power. Protagonist Nick Appleton, a more-or-less typical PKD stand-in, is an Old Man with the almost Onion-esque crap job of "tire regroover"; when the tires of flying cars get low on tread, he etches new grooves on them, which also cuts them dangerously thin. Life sucks in this class-stratified society with omnipresent government surveillance where both alcohol and subversive literature are banned, but there is hope - one dual New Man/Unusual, Thors Provoni, stole a prototype FTL spaceship 10 years ago and is rumored to be returning to Earth in the company of an alien power who will upend the corrupt social order.
I hadn't read any PKD in a while, so it was striking to see the relative absence of reality-questioning and simultaneous increase in politics here, especially against such a relevant backdrop as the college scam stuff. Anti-government themes are to PKD as murders are to Agatha Christie, of course, but there's an uneasy model of politics here, as developed in the plot: both an alien and a renegade Unusual/New Man were required to break up the oligarchic tyranny of the New Men and the Unusuals (who are so entitled that one government official spends an inordinate amount of time trying to steal the protagonist's side chick), but the alien itself, the titular Friend from Frolix 8, is a pure MacGuffin, a sideshow who doesn't even show up until the second half of the book, and vanishes almost immediately after landing on Earth and shifting the balance of power by psychically removing the powers of the elites (excepting Provoni?). The book ends with the Old Men establishing rehabilitation camps for the newly depowered and infantilized Unusuals and New Men, but it's not a very satisfying ending, since we don't see what the new future is actually like. Is the alien going to swallow up all independent life on Earth or not? Childhood's End this isn't. I won't torture the novel to produce allegories for the real world, but I was struck by the helplessness of the majority to change anything about their world, and subsequent reliance on the mutant and the alien.
Also notable for me were PKD's trademark issues with pacing (major life decisions are made almost instantly for odd and seemingly implausible reasons, meanwhile important backstory is delivered in expository chapters while nothing is happening) and his equally signature idiosyncrasies with women. There's an uninentionally revealing internal monologue late in the book delivered by Police Commissioner Gram, the aforementioned official trying to steal Nick's side chick Charlotte, who Nick suddenly abandoned his wife Kleo and several children for after having known her for several minutes:
"You brought Charlotte to your apartment, made up a lie as to how you got involved with her, and then Kleo found the Cordonite tract, and blam, that was it. Because it gave her what a wife likes best: a situation in which her husband has to choose between two evils, between two choices neither of which is palatable to him. Wives love that. When you're in court, divorcing one, you get presented with a choice between going back to her or losing all your possessions, your property, stuff you've hung onto since high school. Yeah, wives really like that."
And a few chapters later, Gram reflects further on his sudden lust for this young woman, who like Nick he has known for essentially no time at all:
"That's the trouble with being that age, he reflected. You idealize the whole woman, her self, her personality… but at my age it's simply how good a lay they'd make and that's that. I'll enjoy her, use her up, teach her a few things she probably doesn't know about sexual relations – even though she's 'been around' – that she hasn't dreamed up. She can be my little fish, for example. And once she learns them, does them, she'll remember them the rest of her life. They'll haunt her, the memory of them… but on some level she'll be yearning for them again: they were so nice. Let's see what Nick Appleton, or Denny Strong, or whoever gets her after me, will do to gratify that. And she won't be able to force herself to tell him what it is that's the matter."
Hmm. Somewhat redeeming all this is the presence of perhaps the best awful sex scene in all of PKD's oeuvre a few chapters later. Immediately after the police have murdered her ex-boyfriend Denny Strong, Charlotte takes Nick to Central Park in Denny's car and flatly tells him they're going to have sex. She starts removing his clothes at the verbal equivalent of gunpoint, he tells her she has small breasts, and he starts babbling about Yeats, statutory rape, and Denny while trying to put his clothes back on. Didn't he just abandon his entire family for her, and hasn't he been fighting the equivalent of the head of secret police for the entire planet over this girl? Clearly PKD was working through some of his own marriage issues via Charlotte (the very year after this book was published his wife left him), but it's distractingly unsubtle to read. Additionally, the focus on police reminded me of the far superior treatment he would provide 5 years later in Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said; this is essentially the last of the amphetamine-fueled pulp novels that he cranked out at unhealthy velocity.
And yet throughout you're reminded constantly why you're reading PKD, who can transform even the roughest pacing, plotting, and characterization into a memorable science-fiction vision of desperate politics and thought-provoking prognostication. The book's recurring conceit that in the future alcohol will be all but outlawed yet pharmaceutical cocktails are eaten like candy and opium is universally consumed is funny, and there's an interesting throwaway reference to J.W. Dunne's An Experiment With Time, a 1927 discussion of precognitive dreams which obviously had a large influence on PKD's own work as well as several other famous sci-fi authors. The horror of the power of the alien is delivered with a nearly Stephen King intensity, yet as the potential of the alien power to transform human society into an equitable, open, and loving world are delightful passages that show his gift for the right imagery at the right time:
"Your race is xenophobic. And I am the ultimate foreigner. I love you, Mr. Provoni; I love your people… insofar as I know them through your mind. I will not do what I can do, but I will make them know what I can do. In your mind's memory-section there is a Zen story about the greatest swordsman in Japan. Two men challenge him. They agree to row out to a small island and fight there. The greatest swordsman in Japan, being a student of Zen, sees to it that he is last to leave the boat. The moment the others have leaped out onto the shore of the island he pushes off, rows away, leaving them and their swords there. Thus he proves his claim for what he is: indeed he is the finest swordsman in Japan. Do you see the application to my situation? I can outfight your establishment, but I will do so by not-fighting... if you follow my thought. It will be in fact be my refusal to fight – yet showing my strength – which will frighten them the most, because they cannot imagine such power held but not used."
A hopeful vision of power like that is all too rare in PKD's novels, and so while this is neither his most technically accomplished nor intellectually adventurous novel, it is a worthy entry all the same.
March 5, 2017
Definitely one of Dick's better novels--maybe even top 10. Reads like a more religion-obsessed "1984". Read my full (if brief) review here: https://never-stop-reading.com/2017/0...
January 9, 2021
Well, shucks. I was enjoying where this was going, but the end fizzled. In this story, mankind has evolved two new strains of humans: those with telekinetic abilities (New Men) and those with telepathic abilities (the Unusuals). Normal folk are now Old Men. Because of their extraordinary abilities, the New Men and Unusuals rule Earth via oligarchy. Revolution is brewing and Nick Appleton, an Old Man living in New Jersey with his wife and son, gets involved.
The debate of rule by the elite few versus a true democracy was not as in depth as I had hoped it would be. The characters were so shallow and emotionless as to be nearly sociopathic. I initially thought maybe this was a statement by Philip K. Dick on the oppressed position of the Old Men, but after finishing the book, I feel the characters were just not developed. If my first impression truly is what Dick intended, then it was not well-developed either.
The novel teases the return of a hero to the Old Men, a man who left Earth a decade prior to search the cosmos for intelligent life that might return to Earth with him to help the Old Men shake free of their shackles. The resolution of this element of the story was one of the most disappointing deus ex machinas I have experienced in a long time.
One of the charming elements of reading vintage science fiction is seeing where the author the world would be during the time period they are imagining. This story takes place in the 22nd century. There are flying cars and interstellar space travel as expected. There is mention of a colony on the moon. Sometimes the things the authors imagine as probably outlandish or progessive end up being humorous when compared to what we actually have today. I uttered a genuine laugh when a character was searching television for something and had to flip through ALL SIXTY-TWO CHANNELS! Sixty-two! Adorable, as we sit here with our 900 cable channels and several streaming services.
This is worth a read for fans of science fiction, especially vintage sci-fi, but it probably will not be of much interest or inspiration to most other readers. Philip K. Dick's work has been omnipresent in my life mostly as motion picture adaptations. This is the second of his novels that I have read and both have left me with the same sense of mild amusement but are quickly forgettable. I am not sure if I have just been unlucky or if this is just how I feel about the man's work. More research is required, surely.
The debate of rule by the elite few versus a true democracy was not as in depth as I had hoped it would be. The characters were so shallow and emotionless as to be nearly sociopathic. I initially thought maybe this was a statement by Philip K. Dick on the oppressed position of the Old Men, but after finishing the book, I feel the characters were just not developed. If my first impression truly is what Dick intended, then it was not well-developed either.
The novel teases the return of a hero to the Old Men, a man who left Earth a decade prior to search the cosmos for intelligent life that might return to Earth with him to help the Old Men shake free of their shackles. The resolution of this element of the story was one of the most disappointing deus ex machinas I have experienced in a long time.
One of the charming elements of reading vintage science fiction is seeing where the author the world would be during the time period they are imagining. This story takes place in the 22nd century. There are flying cars and interstellar space travel as expected. There is mention of a colony on the moon. Sometimes the things the authors imagine as probably outlandish or progessive end up being humorous when compared to what we actually have today. I uttered a genuine laugh when a character was searching television for something and had to flip through ALL SIXTY-TWO CHANNELS! Sixty-two! Adorable, as we sit here with our 900 cable channels and several streaming services.
This is worth a read for fans of science fiction, especially vintage sci-fi, but it probably will not be of much interest or inspiration to most other readers. Philip K. Dick's work has been omnipresent in my life mostly as motion picture adaptations. This is the second of his novels that I have read and both have left me with the same sense of mild amusement but are quickly forgettable. I am not sure if I have just been unlucky or if this is just how I feel about the man's work. More research is required, surely.
July 16, 2019
Fairly good read. Kind of a treatise on class structure. Perhaps a bit too ambitious for the result. Dick appears to digress and get lost and bogged down in too many directions to ultimately tie them all together for a brilliant finish. Just one of his middling efforts in my experience.
March 27, 2022
This is among the most relevant older books in the current Black Lives Matter moment. Looking at history with an eye to getting down to a granular exact moment that racism and white supremacy might have been extinguished before they spread, the scope of Philip K Dick‘s vision is enormous and the story is a page turner.
November 20, 2011
What a quirky little oddity. I haven't read Philip K Dick before - a somewhat embarrassing thing to admit - yet I'll certainly be reading him again, even though, I somewhat suspect, this isn't the finest example of his sci-fi genius. While certainly entertaining, this book is a bit like two hundred pages or so of extended foreplay. By the time the real excitement starts, it's all over in a hail of brainwaves. What I loved most was the telepathic Council Chairman Willis Gram, a hilarious villain, whose casual cynicism and poorly conceived scheming had me laughing out loud in places, and I have no doubt that Dick intended him to be funny. Gram's dialogue was delightfully un-villainous, which served to make him particularly memorable for me. I greatly enjoyed Charlie, too, although her end rather bewildered me. It seemed all a bit pointless after everything that had come before. Oh, and her violent drunk boyfriend Denny was most definitely sexy. Loved him. But overall, 'Our Friends From Frolix 8' promises rather more than it quite delivers. It lacks some decent pay-offs. For all the obsession with Provoni, and the absolutely marvellous return that he makes, we never really know him and he never really goes anywhere. Has he been absorbed by the big blob of an alien? Is he merely a husk now? I suspected that he was by the end, but it didn't seem to matter much. Another vague disappointment was the big-headed Amos Ild. It was a marvellous scene when it became clear that Gram would have to follow his lead, but this never quite amounted to anything before his bulbous pear-shaped scone had been fried off screen. That aside, his final cretinous chat with hero Nick was absolutely terrific.
May 23, 2016
I have really mixed feelings about this one. The main character is a bit of a scumbag. But you're seeing everything through his eyes, so you wind up feeling kind of dirty, like you're not supposed to think he's a scumbag. If you can keep those feelings at bay and maybe care still care what happens to the guy anyway, then this is a great story.
In classic PKD fashion, this one sets up a situation that's very clearly unjust, infuriatingly so. Then he proceeds to pick at the complexities of the situation, and then when it's resolved, you're left with a lot to think about. You can see your initial gut reaction to the situation was naively simplistic. And the whole thing ends on a note of compassion and empathy, which is good.
As in most PKD novels, a lot of crazy stuff happens, and nobody's ever 100% sure what's going on and why. The far-out sci-fi premises do a good job of making you feel like you're finding your way in an indecipherable universe, gradually making your way up that Mercerian hill. This is what regular, day-to-day life feels like to me, so it's nice to find somebody who gets it.
In classic PKD fashion, this one sets up a situation that's very clearly unjust, infuriatingly so. Then he proceeds to pick at the complexities of the situation, and then when it's resolved, you're left with a lot to think about. You can see your initial gut reaction to the situation was naively simplistic. And the whole thing ends on a note of compassion and empathy, which is good.
As in most PKD novels, a lot of crazy stuff happens, and nobody's ever 100% sure what's going on and why. The far-out sci-fi premises do a good job of making you feel like you're finding your way in an indecipherable universe, gradually making your way up that Mercerian hill. This is what regular, day-to-day life feels like to me, so it's nice to find somebody who gets it.
December 16, 2021
1,5. Énorme déception que ce "Message de Frolix 8" de notre Philip international. C'est un beau loupé, et je comprends pourquoi on parle assez peu de ce roman quand on aborde l'oeuvre de l'écrivain.
On suit dans cette histoire une dystopie ressemblant fortement à "1984" de Georges Orwell : ici ce sont en revanche les Hommes Nouveaux et les Exceptionnels qui gouvernent cette tyrannie, les Ordinaires qui la subissent et les Résistants, eux, résistent. Les Exceptionnels sont dotés de pouvoirs télépathiques, et les Hommes Nouveaux d'une intelligence hors-norme qui leur permet de théoriser une science qui va au-delà de la compréhension des Ordinaires (et même de certains Exceptionnels).
Lorsque Thors Provoni (un Résistant Ordinaire parti chercher de l'aide dans l'espace) annonce son retour sur Terre, cela bouleverse pas mal de choses, notamment la vie de Nick, Ordinaire tout ce qu'il y a de plus ordinaire, et Gram, le président de cette adorable tyrannie.
Point peu positif, mais surtout très peu original : j'ai eu l'impression de lire un copier-collé de "1984", tant dans l'organisation de l'histoire que dans celle du gouvernement établi ici. Seuls les éléments "sf" apportent une nouvelle vision de l'ensemble, sans être hyper originaux non plus.
Durant les 70 premières pages, j'étais assez intrigué par l'histoire, et j'avais envie de savoir ce qu'allait devenir Nick et Gram, ainsi que Thors Provoni. Mais en fin de compte, plus on avance dans le roman, plus ce qui se passe n'a strictement AUCUN sens.
Et ici je tiens à dire que cela n'a rien à voir avec le côté "expérimental" de la plume de Philip K. Dick, non c'est simplement un mauvais roman, avec une histoire bancale et des intrigues qui se décousent au fur et à mesure de la lecture. La fin n'a aucun sens, rien n'est résolu et surtout je n'ai pas compris l'intérêt et l'enjeu de cette histoire.
Je ne vais finalement pas plus m'étendre sur cette grosse déception, car je n'ai pas grand-chose à ajouter : ce n'est ici pour moi que "l'ébauche" d'un roman, et loin d'être une réussite. Je me tournerais donc vers un des grands classiques de l'auteur quand il s'agira de le relire.
On suit dans cette histoire une dystopie ressemblant fortement à "1984" de Georges Orwell : ici ce sont en revanche les Hommes Nouveaux et les Exceptionnels qui gouvernent cette tyrannie, les Ordinaires qui la subissent et les Résistants, eux, résistent. Les Exceptionnels sont dotés de pouvoirs télépathiques, et les Hommes Nouveaux d'une intelligence hors-norme qui leur permet de théoriser une science qui va au-delà de la compréhension des Ordinaires (et même de certains Exceptionnels).
Lorsque Thors Provoni (un Résistant Ordinaire parti chercher de l'aide dans l'espace) annonce son retour sur Terre, cela bouleverse pas mal de choses, notamment la vie de Nick, Ordinaire tout ce qu'il y a de plus ordinaire, et Gram, le président de cette adorable tyrannie.
Point peu positif, mais surtout très peu original : j'ai eu l'impression de lire un copier-collé de "1984", tant dans l'organisation de l'histoire que dans celle du gouvernement établi ici. Seuls les éléments "sf" apportent une nouvelle vision de l'ensemble, sans être hyper originaux non plus.
Durant les 70 premières pages, j'étais assez intrigué par l'histoire, et j'avais envie de savoir ce qu'allait devenir Nick et Gram, ainsi que Thors Provoni. Mais en fin de compte, plus on avance dans le roman, plus ce qui se passe n'a strictement AUCUN sens.
Et ici je tiens à dire que cela n'a rien à voir avec le côté "expérimental" de la plume de Philip K. Dick, non c'est simplement un mauvais roman, avec une histoire bancale et des intrigues qui se décousent au fur et à mesure de la lecture. La fin n'a aucun sens, rien n'est résolu et surtout je n'ai pas compris l'intérêt et l'enjeu de cette histoire.
Je ne vais finalement pas plus m'étendre sur cette grosse déception, car je n'ai pas grand-chose à ajouter : ce n'est ici pour moi que "l'ébauche" d'un roman, et loin d'être une réussite. Je me tournerais donc vers un des grands classiques de l'auteur quand il s'agira de le relire.
March 3, 2024
I really enjoyed this one, and I breezed through it too (by my own standards, at least). It lands in the same 'absurdist sci-fi' territory as some of the Vonnegut I've read - the closest comparable is probably "The Sirens of Titan".
This is the third book I've read by PKD, after "Do Androids Dream" and "Ubik" - and this one's probably my favorite of the trio. It felt a bit less heavy or dark.
The one downside was the casual yet persistent misogyny, which showed both in the plot and the characters themselves. This is unfortunately not the first 'classic era' sci-fi book I've read that depicts a love affair between a grown (married) man and a teenage girl as being consensual and unproblematic.
This is the third book I've read by PKD, after "Do Androids Dream" and "Ubik" - and this one's probably my favorite of the trio. It felt a bit less heavy or dark.
The one downside was the casual yet persistent misogyny, which showed both in the plot and the characters themselves. This is unfortunately not the first 'classic era' sci-fi book I've read that depicts a love affair between a grown (married) man and a teenage girl as being consensual and unproblematic.
February 14, 2023
Didn't realize I was already reading the last page! Why do you do this to us, Philipppp. 🤣
Evolved intelligent new men have overthrown us, so now we need the help of our slimy friends from outer space to create a new world order. Exciting plot but a bit anticlimactic. Then again, the loose end might be part of the charm?
Evolved intelligent new men have overthrown us, so now we need the help of our slimy friends from outer space to create a new world order. Exciting plot but a bit anticlimactic. Then again, the loose end might be part of the charm?
Read
January 25, 2019I enjoyed three quarters of this book. Unfortunately the end wanders off and the plot loses cohesion and focus.
August 4, 2013
The main thing I remember about this book is that I got it from my ex-wife when we split up (she had read it and wasn't interested in keeping it) and that I read some other science fiction writer's denunciation of it right about the same time. I can't recall who it was (possibly Thomas Disch?), but it was in the context of a general discussion of PKD's work, and I recall the wording as, more or less, "...of course, no writer is perfect, and even Dick had his bad days. Could anything possibly be worse than _Our Friends from Frolix 8_?" So, I went into this book with pretty low expectations.
But, I didn't really feel that Disch (or whoever it was) was fair in lambasting it so cruelly. It may not be on quite the same level as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? or VALIS, but it seems to be equal to a lot of the work Dick was putting out by the late-60s and early-70s. In fact, this strikes me as sort of a dress-rehearsal or early draft for Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, which came out a few years later. Since Dick never edited anything, it's possible to sometimes watch him develop ideas over time through the published works, and it seems to me that a lot of what he explored in Flow... has its basis in Frolix 8. We get a similar shift from viewing a victim of an ultra-powerful totalitarian society to perceiving it from the p.o.v. of one of its chief enforcers, and we get a similar tepid love story (Dick was terrible at romance). Frolix 8 may shock some folks because the older men are all interested in a 16-year-old girl, but that's sort of par for the PKD course.
The aliens are the main thing that differs Frolix from Flow... They seem like an attempt to consider some of the same aspects of Weltanschauung that Heinlein was working with in "Stranger from a Strange Land" - without all the sex, of course. Also that the Earth tyrants are supposedly mental mutants who dominate due to their evolved intellects, but when we get inside their p.o.v.'s, it never really seems to me that they are all that clever, and they are very petty gods by comparison to the Frolixians. Although Dick seems to be interested in discussing the nature of God (or the gods) in this book, I'll admit that he never quite makes it, but I'd say it's an interesting ride for Dick fans.
But, I didn't really feel that Disch (or whoever it was) was fair in lambasting it so cruelly. It may not be on quite the same level as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? or VALIS, but it seems to be equal to a lot of the work Dick was putting out by the late-60s and early-70s. In fact, this strikes me as sort of a dress-rehearsal or early draft for Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, which came out a few years later. Since Dick never edited anything, it's possible to sometimes watch him develop ideas over time through the published works, and it seems to me that a lot of what he explored in Flow... has its basis in Frolix 8. We get a similar shift from viewing a victim of an ultra-powerful totalitarian society to perceiving it from the p.o.v. of one of its chief enforcers, and we get a similar tepid love story (Dick was terrible at romance). Frolix 8 may shock some folks because the older men are all interested in a 16-year-old girl, but that's sort of par for the PKD course.
The aliens are the main thing that differs Frolix from Flow... They seem like an attempt to consider some of the same aspects of Weltanschauung that Heinlein was working with in "Stranger from a Strange Land" - without all the sex, of course. Also that the Earth tyrants are supposedly mental mutants who dominate due to their evolved intellects, but when we get inside their p.o.v.'s, it never really seems to me that they are all that clever, and they are very petty gods by comparison to the Frolixians. Although Dick seems to be interested in discussing the nature of God (or the gods) in this book, I'll admit that he never quite makes it, but I'd say it's an interesting ride for Dick fans.
May 2, 2017
This isn't my favorite PKD (it sits pretty low in the pack), but it's still PKD which means I had a ton of fun reading it. I'll list a few things I enjoyed.
- Wives criticizing their husbands in a manner described as 'wifewise' (lol)
- A gov organization called THE EXTRAORDINARY COMMITTEE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY
- A world where alcohol is illegal (punishment is one year mandatory confinement without possibility of parole) but where drugs are legal and used casually;
- Society's equivalent to street pushers are pamphlet dealers, who pick up their goods from secret 'printing stations' and who tend to be volatile, aggressive, and abusive to their young girlfriends.
- Genderless police officers who have had all their sexual organs removed;
- more insights into Philip K Dick's wandering eye, infidelity, and his obsession with young black-haired girls;
- people who are so intellectually advanced they have huge bobbleheads and need neck braces;
- protoplasmic aliens who become fretful and anxious when humans do that weird sleep thing once every 24 hours, where our minds 'disintegrate' into deeper interior levels and we interact with archetypes and primordial entities we've never met. That IS kinda creepy when you think about it.
- A ship-encompassing alien who wants a pet dog when he reaches Earth because his analysis has shown him cats are insincere hypocrites.
These, and many more brilliant explosions of imagination, are why I love PKD's writing and why this book is still very good, even though it's not one of his greatest.
A deeper review/discussion will appear on the SFF Audio podcast where I join Jesse Willis and Paul Weimar to chat about this book. Will post the link when the episode drops.
*edit - Here it is! SFF Audio Episode 406
Long live Dick.
- Wives criticizing their husbands in a manner described as 'wifewise' (lol)
- A gov organization called THE EXTRAORDINARY COMMITTEE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY
- A world where alcohol is illegal (punishment is one year mandatory confinement without possibility of parole) but where drugs are legal and used casually;
- Society's equivalent to street pushers are pamphlet dealers, who pick up their goods from secret 'printing stations' and who tend to be volatile, aggressive, and abusive to their young girlfriends.
- Genderless police officers who have had all their sexual organs removed;
- more insights into Philip K Dick's wandering eye, infidelity, and his obsession with young black-haired girls;
- people who are so intellectually advanced they have huge bobbleheads and need neck braces;
- protoplasmic aliens who become fretful and anxious when humans do that weird sleep thing once every 24 hours, where our minds 'disintegrate' into deeper interior levels and we interact with archetypes and primordial entities we've never met. That IS kinda creepy when you think about it.
- A ship-encompassing alien who wants a pet dog when he reaches Earth because his analysis has shown him cats are insincere hypocrites.
These, and many more brilliant explosions of imagination, are why I love PKD's writing and why this book is still very good, even though it's not one of his greatest.
A deeper review/discussion will appear on the SFF Audio podcast where I join Jesse Willis and Paul Weimar to chat about this book. Will post the link when the episode drops.
*edit - Here it is! SFF Audio Episode 406
Long live Dick.
January 11, 2019
‘Nick Appleton is an Old Man, an anxiety-ridden pill-popping menial labourer, whereas Council Chairman Willis Gram is the psionically gifted, despotic oligarch is a planet ruled by the super intelligent New Men. Nicks prospects look bleak, until things take a decidedly unusual turn when Thors Provoni, the revolution’s leader, returns from ten years of intergalactic hiding with a ninety-ton protoplasmic slime that is bent on creating a new world order...’
This was my first ever Philip K. Dick novel and I must admit I thought the book would be a cheesy sci-fi read after scanning the blurb! But this book was a lot more than a cheap space futuristic adventure thing - it was very much a dystopian novel that has more social relevance than the blurb lets on. It felt very much like if 1984 was set far, far in the future with more aliens and shit. I really love a dystopian novel so now I can add this to the dystopians I enjoyed!
Now, however, not a con for me but for people who hate an open ending you will not enjoy the end of this book. It reached its climax and provided next to no answers as to how the *thing* played out. Personally, I love that. Especially with the tone of the whole novel considered - it felt very much intentional to leave the ending like that. The book centres on how unpredictable the event taking place is - the whole government system in the book lacks any kind of closure so it’s only fitting to me that we don’t really find out the conclusion.
Overall, a fab book. I would 100% read more Philip K. Dick after finishing this one so it’s a win win situation!
This was my first ever Philip K. Dick novel and I must admit I thought the book would be a cheesy sci-fi read after scanning the blurb! But this book was a lot more than a cheap space futuristic adventure thing - it was very much a dystopian novel that has more social relevance than the blurb lets on. It felt very much like if 1984 was set far, far in the future with more aliens and shit. I really love a dystopian novel so now I can add this to the dystopians I enjoyed!
Now, however, not a con for me but for people who hate an open ending you will not enjoy the end of this book. It reached its climax and provided next to no answers as to how the *thing* played out. Personally, I love that. Especially with the tone of the whole novel considered - it felt very much intentional to leave the ending like that. The book centres on how unpredictable the event taking place is - the whole government system in the book lacks any kind of closure so it’s only fitting to me that we don’t really find out the conclusion.
Overall, a fab book. I would 100% read more Philip K. Dick after finishing this one so it’s a win win situation!
July 16, 2021
Can't say I enjoyed this book. There are some mildly interesting ideas but they are kept undeveloped. For example, the idea of drugs vs. alcohol, which I kept waiting to become something, ends up as nothing. Nutrologics is another thing I didn't get. Why did it fail so miserably? The story pace didn't work for me, and the book seemed both too short (to develop those ideas) and too long (in reality, taking me so long to finish). I especially didn't like the ending, which seemed to mismatch the story and solve everything desu-ex-machine. Two stars out of five.
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