A classic science fiction tale of artifical worlds by one of the great American writers of the 20th century
Glen Runciter is dead.
Or is he?
Someone died in the explosion orchestrated by his business rivals, but even as his funeral is scheduled, his mourning employees are receiving bewildering messages from their boss. And the world around them is warping and regressing in ways which suggest that their own time is running out.
If it hasn't already.
Readers minds have been blown by Ubik:
'Sheer craziness, a book defying any straightforward synopsis . . . a unique time travel adventure that could only be concocted from the fertile psychedelic imagination of the incomparable PKD' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'This pre-cyberpunk gigglefest was an absolute joy to behold . . . I would bill it as a Truman Show-Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy-Barbarella-type of sci-fi' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'If you have not read PKD before I highly recommend Ubik as the gateway into his wonderfully weird fiction. I kind of envy you' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'UBIK is much stranger and more darkly humorous than Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep . . . although there are many humorous elements, overall the story is dark, philosophical, and just plain disorienting. I found the book impossible to put down' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'A darkly humorous blurring of lines between reality and illusion and a concomitant degree of paranoia' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'About eighty decades ahead of its time, only Ubik can help to process the overwhelmingness of the contemporary age. Chock full of post-death theology, psionics, proto-cyberpunk, and retro-retro-retro future nostalgia' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'We spend a great deal of it unsure of what is real and what isn't and some of the ideas Dick manages to throw in as the story progresses had me grinning and shaking my head at the crazy logic of it all' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
In the overcrowded world and cramped space colonies of the late twenty-first century, tedium can be endured through the use of the drug Can-D, which enables the user to inhabit a shared illusory world.
But when industrialist Palmer Eldritch returns from an interstellar trip, he brings with him a new drug, Chew-Z, which is far more potent than Can-D. But could the permanent state of drugged illusion it induces be part of something much more sinister?
The definitive editions of Philip K. Dick's short stories, containing some of the most defining works in the Science Fiction genre.
This stunning new edition of Philip K Dick's work includes the influential 'Beyond Lies the Wub' and 'Second Variety', as well as a litany of mind-expanding other works. Work your way through some of the most influential stories from the 20th century, which have had a massive impact on popular culture.
'One of the most original practitioners writing any kind of fiction' Sunday Times
'No other writer of his generation had such a powerful intellectual presence' Brian Aldiss
'Thought-provoking,original,deeply moving. HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Very fun. Classic PKD' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Wow. Every single story in this book could be made into a contemporary movie' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Absolutely brilliant . . . Strongly recommend to everyone (even those who normally do not like science fiction)' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
It began with a blinding light, a divine revelation from a mysterious intelligence that called itself VALIS (Vast Active Living Intelligence System). And with that, the fabric of reality was torn apart and laid bare so that anything seemed possible, but nothing seemed quite right.
It was madness, pure and simple. But what if it were true?
Ragle Gumm is an ordinary man leading an ordinary life, except that he makes his living by entering a newspaper contest every day - and winning, every day. But he gradually begins to suspect that his life - indeed his whole world - is an illusion, constructed around him for the express purpose of keeping him docile and happy. But if that is the case, what is his real world like, and what is he actually doing every day when he thinks he is guessing 'Where Will The Little Green Man Be Next?
Jason Taverner has a glittering TV career, millions of fans, great wealth and something close to eternal youth. He is one of a handful of brilliant, beautiful people, the product of top-secret government experiments forty years earlier. But suddenly, all records of him vanish. He becomes a man with no identity, in a police state where everyone us closely monitored. Can he ever be rich and famous again? Or was that life just an illusion?
The definitive editions of Philip K. Dick's short stories, containing some of the most defining works in the Science Fiction genre.
This stunning new edition of Philip K Dick's work includes the influential 'Minority Report' and 'Sales Pitch', as well as a litany of mind-expanding other works. Work your way through some of the most influential stories from the 20th century, which have had a massive impact on popular culture.
'First time I have read Philip K. Dick and I thoroughly enjoyed his stories and the suspense that he puts into them' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Most of the stories had something to say about society. It was interesting to see how 50 years later so many of the fears and criticism was still relevant. Highly recommended' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Dick's stories are often surprising and spin a captivating yarn, but they are also teeming with fascinating ideas which ensure their ability to age well and keep modern readers interested' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Each tale is filled with twists and turns, and it's a total pageturner' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
The definitive editions of Philip K. Dick's short stories, containing some of the most defining works in the Science Fiction genre.
This stunning new edition of Philip K Dick's work includes the influential 'Adjustment Team' and 'The Father Thing', as well as a litany of mind-expanding other works. Work your way through some of the most influential stories from the 20th century, which have had a massive impact on popular culture.
'I am bowled over. I am so impressed by the variety in stories, and how interesting the individual story ideas are' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Philip K. Dick is a master of messing with your head in a story' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'Enter the Mind of a Genius . . . This collection of short stories by Philip K. Dick are great, thought provoking, funny, and some really frightening' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'This blew my mind, and then some. The ideas and concepts alone need five stars. What an amazing man' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
The fifth and final part of the complete collected stories shows Philip K. Dick at the very height of his outstanding powers. The twenty-five tales were written between 1963 and 1981, just a few months before he died, and include two stories which have been turned into box office smashes: the title story, filmed as Total Recall, and "The Little Black Box", which grew into his masterpiece Blade Runner.
*****
'Absolute masterpiece! The story is short and is entirely encapsulated in few conversations in just a single day. But the tension of what is real and what is not is great. This is a psychological masterpiece.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'I love this story - in just a few pages it is a prime example of Philip K. Dick's inexhaustible inventiveness and wittiness. Here especially I was delighted by the story twist(s). Although paranoia as an omnipresent theme of his stories sometimes enervates, in this story that didn't bother me an iota.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'This book is easily the best ever short story I have ever read. The story contains hardly 30 pages. But, it pulls off being one of the best ever edge-of-the-seat thriller.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'This is a dangerous book, and I mean that in the best way possible. Dick's own introductory quote about the revolutionary nature of science fiction writing sets the tone for everything to follow. Avoid it if you don't feel comfortable descending into the mind of an actual madman.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
A few years from now the President of the USA will be an android and his entire government a fraud. Everyone in the country is maladjusted. Doesn't seem possible, does it? Welcome to the world of Dr. Superb, the sole remaining psychotherapist.
Philip K. Dick tells a story of desperate love, lethal body odour and an attempted fascistic takeover of the USA and shows that there is always another layer of conspiracy beneath the one we see.
Joe Fernwright works as a pot-healer, a repairer of ceramics, in a dull future where there isn't much call for his skills. He's broke and bored when the offer from the Glimmung comes along. It might just be the answer to both his financial and spiritual problems, even if it does mean working on a strange project on Plowman's Planet with other assorted odd creatures. The only thing is that the Glimmung may just be divine and ask for more than Joe's commitment to the job . . .
The definitive editions of Philip K. Dick's short stories, containing some of the most defining works in the Science Fiction genre.
This stunning new edition of Philip K Dick's work includes the influential 'We Can Remember It For You Wholesale' and 'The Electric Ant', as well as a litany of mind-expanding other works. Work your way through some of the most influential stories from the 20th century, which have had a massive impact on popular culture.
'A great collection, showcasing Dick's evolution' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'my reason for giving the book a five-star rating has to do with my emotional state I felt when I closed the last page. I feel that I delved into a more extensive realm of PKD's mind by reading this collection' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'An amazing collection of downright bizarre fiction. So many excellent stories that it would be hard to pick a favorite' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Imagine a future where crimes can be detected before they are committed, and criminals are convicted and sentenced for crimes before committing them. This is the scenario of Philip K. Dick's classic story, now filmed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Cruise.
In addition to MINORITY REPORT, this exclusive collection includes nine other outstanding short stories by the twentieth century's outstanding SF master, three of which have been made into feature films.
Fourteen people arrive on the strange planet of Delmak-O; they have nothing in common other than a desire to make a fresh start. And they have no idea why they are there and no way of escaping. And then the first murder takes place ...
The operating principle was random selection: positions of public power were decided by a sophisticated lottery. Everyone had a chance, everyone could live in hope that they would be chosen to be the boss, the Quizmaster.
But with the power came the game - the assassination game - which everyone could watch on TV. Would the new man be good enough to avoid his chosen killer? Which made for fascinating and exciting viewing, compelling enough to distract the public's attention while the Big Five industrial complexes run the world, the solar system and the people, unnoticed and completely unopposed. Then, in 2203, with the choice of a member of a maverick cult as Quizmaster, the system developed a little hitch...
Mars is a desolate world. Largely forgotten by Earth, the planet remains helpless in the stranglehold of Arnie Kott, who as boss of the plumbers' union has a monopoly over the vital water supply.
Arnie Kott is obsessed by the past; the native Bleekmen, poverty-stricken wanderers, can see into the future; while to Manfred, an autistic boy, time apparently stops. When one of the colonists, Norbert Steiner, commits suicide, the repercussions are startling and bizarre.
A masterly tale of political deception from the most significant SF writer of the 20th century
World War III is raging - or so the millions of people crammed in their underground tanks believe. For fiteen years, subterranean humanity has been fed on daily broadcasts of a never-ending nuclear destruction, sustained by a belief in the all powerful Protector.
Now someone has gone to the surface and found no destruction, no war. The authorities have been telling a massive lie. Now the search begins to find out why.
Bruce Stevens is a young buyer for a big discount house when he meets the recently divorced Susan Faine. She suggests that he might like to manage her ailing typewriter store and he leaps at the suggestion. Then he realizes that Susan was his teacher when he was in fifth grade. In spite of that, they are married within days. And then the odd compulsions and instabilities start to interfere with their plans. Milton Lumky, the paper salesman in whose area they live, is uneasy about their future ...
PAYCHECK, originally written as a short story by Philip K. Dick and first published in 1953, centres on an electrician who wakes up to discover his employer has erased his memory of the past two years -- as a security measure. When he tries to collect his paycheck, he finds he has previously signed a release replacing the money with a bag of random objects.
Previous film adaptations of Dick's short stories have included the box office smash hits MINORITY REPORT, TOTAL RECALL and BLADE RUNNER, released shortly after Dick died in 1982.
Drawn from the five volumes of his complete short stories (also published by Gollancz) this volume represents the very cream of Philip K. Dick's output.
It serves both as a celebration of his work, in the 25th year since his death, and as the ideal introduction to his unique take on the world for new readers.
As our culture becomes ever more fluid, as fact is fictionalised, as documentary gives way to reality-TV, as our identities are digitised, as globalism runs wild, as drugs become ever more ubiquitous the world is finally catching up with even the most bizarre of Philip K. Dick's imaginings.
25 years after his death we are living in Philip K. Dick's world, this new authoratitive collection of his best short fiction shows us why.
Dreams, nightmares and realities: a classic by the author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
What begins as an ordinary laboratory visit turns into a bizarre and apocalyptic experience when a particle-light beam slices across the visitors' paths, plunging them into different worlds constructed from their innermost dreams and fears. As emergency works scramble to free them from the wreckage, their minds begin an incredible journey through one fantastic shared world after another.
THE FATHER THING contains the stories written in 1956, just before the publication of Dick s first novel, SOLAR LOTTERY. The stories are a mix of the previously uncollected and some of his most famous pieces such as Foster, You re Dead a powerful extrapolation of nuclear war hysteria, and The Golden Man , a very different story about a super-evolved mutant human.
Imagine a future where crimes can be detected before they are committed, and criminals are convicted and sentenced for crimes before committing them. This is the scenario of Philip K. Dick's classic story, now filmed by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Cruise.
In addition to MINORITY REPORT, this exclusive collection includes nine other outstanding short stories by the twentieth century's outstanding SF master, three of which have been made into feature films.
Written in the late 1950s but unpublished until after his death, this is one of Dick's greatest realistic novels
When Roger and Virginia Lindhal enroll their son Gregg in Mrs Alt's Los Padres Valley School in the mountains of Southern California, their marriage is already in deep trouble. Then the Lindhals meet Chic and Liz Bonner, whose two sons also board at Mrs Alt's school.
The meeting is a catalyst for a complicated series of emotions and traumas, set against the backdrop of suburban Los Angeles in the early 1950s. As Roger, Virginia, Chic and Liz orbit each other in ever-decaying circles, their lives threaten to run out of control.
This is a realistic novel filled with details of everyday life and skilfully told from three points of view. It is powerful, eloquent, and gripping.
Winner of both the HUGO and JOHN W. CAMPBELL AWARDs for BEST NOVEL, Philip K. Dick is widely regarded as the premiere science fiction writer of his day. The object of cult-like adoration from his legions of fans, Philip K. Dick has come to be seen in a literary light that defies classification in much the same way as Borges and Calvino. With breathtaking insight, he utilizes vividly unfamiliar worlds to evoke the hauntingly and hilariously familiar in our society and ourselves.
