Just a twitch of the bottle is all it takes! Solar lottery is complete! Eagerly read across the span of numerous journeys sitting on trains and platforms with my nose stuck deep into Solar Lottery. What an interesting book! Thoroughly gripped me and like all PKD books had a few twists I never expected. Its also interesting to view the themes of the book (it being PKD's first published work) compared to later stories, and many key themes are there; synthetic life forms, space travel and illusion.
The key themes of the book develop slowly and gradually all is revealed to the reader (and the characters!) about the government and its nature.
Another highly enjoyable read! But I so desperately want to know how Ted Bentley gets on with his new position!
In other related news ... During one of my journeys accompanied by Solar Lottery I once again visited the PKD goldmine bookstall in search of some second hand gems. Much to my enjoyment I returned with 'The Game Players of Titan', 'The Cosmic Puppets' and 'Cantata-140', so I'm building up quite a PKD library on my desk!
And once again the question arises, what book next? I may ponder on that for a few days, but I am very eager to read 'I am Legend' by Richard Matheson, a move away from PKD, but I'm curious how the book compares to the various films. We shall see!
Showing posts with label Phlip K Dick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phlip K Dick. Show all posts
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Sunday, 16 May 2010
Begin at the beginning ...
Finally my reading hiatus is over! Let the Solar Lottery commence! After a long reading hiatus Ive finally picked up the paper again and squeezed in a couple of pages of Solar Lottery. Although I am still eagerly attempting to comprehend the complex plot and political system in the book which I know very little about its secrecy is intriguing. During my reading hiatus I have also acquired two more PKD additions to add to my pile of reading material; 'The World Jones Made' and 'Minority Report', both kindly purchased for me by my boyfriend from his local PKD goldmine bookstall.
Another welcomed element to my PKD collection is the Blade Runner 5 disc edition collectors box set. Although I had no real reason to purchase this, already owning a perfectly good copy of the Directors Cut, PKD fever appears to have struck, unable to resist the bargain for £6 from HMV I bought the collectible tin, mostly for the artwork cards and hologram inside.
As my summer break from university commences, still jobless apart from the odd photography commission I will use my time to indulge myself in the world of SF, unless my situation changes. Let the Solar Lottery commence!
Another welcomed element to my PKD collection is the Blade Runner 5 disc edition collectors box set. Although I had no real reason to purchase this, already owning a perfectly good copy of the Directors Cut, PKD fever appears to have struck, unable to resist the bargain for £6 from HMV I bought the collectible tin, mostly for the artwork cards and hologram inside.
As my summer break from university commences, still jobless apart from the odd photography commission I will use my time to indulge myself in the world of SF, unless my situation changes. Let the Solar Lottery commence!
Saturday, 1 May 2010
The Exegesis!
Wonderful news! PKD's Journals are going to be published! Theres still going to be quite a wait as they are scheduled to be published in autumn 2011, but Im still ecstatic that PKD is still as popular as ever and things we all want are getting published! Read the full article:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8653261.stm
Im just dropping by after what seems to have been a long Sci-Fi reading hiatus. Being incredibly busy at university and having essays (and therefore reading) about Gender Stereotypes I have had little time to pick up any PKD of late.
My collection of reading material is still continuing to expand slowly, recently I aquired 'Flow my tears, the policeman said' and 'Second Variety', so my 'To Read' pile is building ever higher!
Something I was happy to note recently during a trip to Waterstones was more reprints of SF Masterworks novels. Greeted by a large promotional stand (which I did think would look lovely in my room full of PKD books) full of slightly psychodelic reprints with white spines. I was thrilled that the demand for PKD is finally being met in some way, however I did feel a slight dissapointment that I might have to avoid these white spined monstrosities as they will look dreadfull wedged in with my blackspined collection (an aesthetic snob I know, but they were rather garish.). I just hope that all this reprinting and promotion helps bring PKD back to the masses and gets future generations aprechiating PKD (even though in the future his novels will ironically be historical fantasies).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts_and_culture/8653261.stm
Im just dropping by after what seems to have been a long Sci-Fi reading hiatus. Being incredibly busy at university and having essays (and therefore reading) about Gender Stereotypes I have had little time to pick up any PKD of late.
My collection of reading material is still continuing to expand slowly, recently I aquired 'Flow my tears, the policeman said' and 'Second Variety', so my 'To Read' pile is building ever higher!
Something I was happy to note recently during a trip to Waterstones was more reprints of SF Masterworks novels. Greeted by a large promotional stand (which I did think would look lovely in my room full of PKD books) full of slightly psychodelic reprints with white spines. I was thrilled that the demand for PKD is finally being met in some way, however I did feel a slight dissapointment that I might have to avoid these white spined monstrosities as they will look dreadfull wedged in with my blackspined collection (an aesthetic snob I know, but they were rather garish.). I just hope that all this reprinting and promotion helps bring PKD back to the masses and gets future generations aprechiating PKD (even though in the future his novels will ironically be historical fantasies).
Sunday, 21 February 2010
The Grasshopper Lies Heavy ...
Just incredible. I’ve just completed ‘The Man in the High Castle’. Utterly mind blowing. Really not the ending I was expecting. Dramatic twists in every plot strand, but no real closure with any of the story lines. The book is left incredibly open ended and much to my surprise, the different strands do not converge in the way that I had imagined. Although, as I had predicted, further involvement of Abendsen brings to book to its pinnacle.
Writing about this with virtually no spoilers is becoming an impossible task, so skip this paragraph if you don’t want any spoilers about the end of the book. I never for a second thought my brief pondering on the book being a paradox of sorts would be correct. Juliana’s meeting of Abendsen and her questioning about his book reveals the truth that ‘The Grasshopper Lies Heavy’ was in fact written by The Oracle and when The Oracle is consulted it is revealed that the book was written because it is the truth. Mind blowingly it is essentially revealed that their existence, their reality, is fake. In a bizarre way PKD has almost revealed to his characters that they are in fact that. The ‘Inner Truth’ concludes the novel, drawing together the novel within a novel and blurring the lines of reality, for the characters (and at times almost the reader too!)
There are so many questions left unanswered. Why was Edfrank jewellery so incredible? How did it possess a pure quality of Wu? What happened to Tagomi? Where does Juliana go next? What happens to Wenger?
In some ways I feel a reflective sadness that I will never know the answers to these questions, as PKD never completed his sequel.
All in all, a joy to read, a real page turner and highly recommended to any Sci-Fi fan, or indeed anybody who enjoys contemplating a very good, at times heavy, book.
Where (or when) next?
Writing about this with virtually no spoilers is becoming an impossible task, so skip this paragraph if you don’t want any spoilers about the end of the book. I never for a second thought my brief pondering on the book being a paradox of sorts would be correct. Juliana’s meeting of Abendsen and her questioning about his book reveals the truth that ‘The Grasshopper Lies Heavy’ was in fact written by The Oracle and when The Oracle is consulted it is revealed that the book was written because it is the truth. Mind blowingly it is essentially revealed that their existence, their reality, is fake. In a bizarre way PKD has almost revealed to his characters that they are in fact that. The ‘Inner Truth’ concludes the novel, drawing together the novel within a novel and blurring the lines of reality, for the characters (and at times almost the reader too!)
There are so many questions left unanswered. Why was Edfrank jewellery so incredible? How did it possess a pure quality of Wu? What happened to Tagomi? Where does Juliana go next? What happens to Wenger?
In some ways I feel a reflective sadness that I will never know the answers to these questions, as PKD never completed his sequel.
All in all, a joy to read, a real page turner and highly recommended to any Sci-Fi fan, or indeed anybody who enjoys contemplating a very good, at times heavy, book.
Where (or when) next?
Friday, 19 February 2010
Gold mine!
Eureka! After around a month of searching the shelves of charity shops and book shops I found a Philip K Dick Gold mine! In an unlikely town in Shropshire I was taken to a large book stall (by my boyfriend whom rightly knew ‘just the place’ to take me) and to my amazement there they stood! Row after row of PKD books. Early prints, reissues, even several copies of the same book! I couldn’t believe my eyes. I began picking up books in some sort of frenzy, forming a pile of books. Carrying what I could I bought ‘Valis’ ‘Solar Lottery’ and ‘A Scanner Darkly’ and took them back to Derby, squeezed into my bag. In retrospective I wish Id bought more, but my bag was already bursting at the seams.
Sadly though, I was still avidly searching for ‘We can remember it for you Wholesale’.
Sadly though, I was still avidly searching for ‘We can remember it for you Wholesale’.
Sunday, 7 February 2010
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? ...
Impatiently I waited for ‘Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep?’ and a number of days later my wait was over, the book plopped through the letter box and I tore open the packaging and began reading excitedly. Still on my Christmas holiday from university, time was in abundance, and I managed to read the book at a fair pace (largely due to the fact that I found it difficult to put down.).
Quickly I noticed a number of large differences between the book and the film, which is often the case. The book appeared to focus largely around Rick Deckard’s morals and his social standing, clearly not satisfied with his mundane life, social position and the façade of his ersatz pet he obsessively strives to achieve more. The interesting idea of relations between a human and an android is also played upon, generating questions about artificial beauty (and artificial life in general). The idea that Deckard may be an android is also played upon, which is especially interesting as the contemplation is voiced by an android. The bizarre religion of Mercism was also a key element within the novel, concluding the book in a reflective way, continuing its moral theme and Deckard’s conscience divide between ersatz and ‘real’ forms hinting at being resolved.
The film on the other hand, mostly focuses on the androids lives and how they are treated by society and Deckard’s quite ruthless (and action packed) hunting of them. Unlike the book the film focuses around humanoid androids, not predominantly animals. Like many American blockbuster movies, the ending is the exact opposite of the novel (Cujo springs to mind). The book and film are actually far more detached that I would have expected. Virtually two different stories, Dick’s characters and plot has clearly only been used as a loose basis for the film, although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I thought both the film and the book were excellent, but do need to be appreciated separately.
Quickly I noticed a number of large differences between the book and the film, which is often the case. The book appeared to focus largely around Rick Deckard’s morals and his social standing, clearly not satisfied with his mundane life, social position and the façade of his ersatz pet he obsessively strives to achieve more. The interesting idea of relations between a human and an android is also played upon, generating questions about artificial beauty (and artificial life in general). The idea that Deckard may be an android is also played upon, which is especially interesting as the contemplation is voiced by an android. The bizarre religion of Mercism was also a key element within the novel, concluding the book in a reflective way, continuing its moral theme and Deckard’s conscience divide between ersatz and ‘real’ forms hinting at being resolved.
The film on the other hand, mostly focuses on the androids lives and how they are treated by society and Deckard’s quite ruthless (and action packed) hunting of them. Unlike the book the film focuses around humanoid androids, not predominantly animals. Like many American blockbuster movies, the ending is the exact opposite of the novel (Cujo springs to mind). The book and film are actually far more detached that I would have expected. Virtually two different stories, Dick’s characters and plot has clearly only been used as a loose basis for the film, although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I thought both the film and the book were excellent, but do need to be appreciated separately.
'Electric Sheep!?' ...
Investigation into ‘Blade Runner’ and Philip K. Dick ensued. As someone who has always enjoyed reading and felt the need to strive to read more and more, soak up more ideas, more knowledge, learn all that I can, naturally I wanted to read the novel. I quickly learned that it was in fact titled ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’. The title struck me as most bizarre … ‘Electric sheep!?’ I thought, ‘I don’t recall that from the film?’ But I ordered the book regardless. Eager and excited after reading a few comments about the differences between the film and the book. I’ve always found myself preferring the book to the film, in every case, I wondered if this would prove the same.
My investigation also revealed something else which made me even more eager to delve into Dick’s SF world, ‘Totall Recall’ (A SF movie much loved by myself which ive seen many times) was an adaptation of the Dick story ‘We can remember it for you Wholesale’. The more I read about Dick’s books the more of his books I wanted to read. My mental reading list was growing rapidly, I needed to hunt for more books.
My investigation also revealed something else which made me even more eager to delve into Dick’s SF world, ‘Totall Recall’ (A SF movie much loved by myself which ive seen many times) was an adaptation of the Dick story ‘We can remember it for you Wholesale’. The more I read about Dick’s books the more of his books I wanted to read. My mental reading list was growing rapidly, I needed to hunt for more books.
Saturday, 6 February 2010
A New Dawn ...
The dawn of 2010. This year marking my presence here spanning three different decades and two millennia. An odd thought for a 19 year old Textiles Design student.
Nevertheless, life is something which requires constant thought and pondering, and in the words of Buddha; ‘The mind is everything. What you think you become.’
Science-Fiction has existed as an interest of mine throughout almost my entire life. Dominantly film has been the major creative SF input in my life thus far. Television has also played a long lasting role in my interest in SF, such as; Star Trek, Stargate, Doctor Who, Farscape, The X Files, all of which I began viewing at a young, impressionable age. But importantly my interest and enthusiasm still remains today, and in fact continues to grow.
The catalyst for my interest in SF approaching the ‘next level’ occurred around Christmas 2009 after watching ‘Blade Runner’. Curiosity about this highly acclaimed SF movie had existed for some time, but the opportunity to view it had not yet arisen. But being a fan of Harrison Ford I found myself at last with the opportunity to watch the film (as presented by BBC iPlayer). Upon its conclusion I found myself baffled yet intrigued. Elements of the film were bizarre and confusing, having sat drawing as well as watching I had missed some elements vital to the understanding of the plot. Recognising the ingenuity of the concept I watched the film a second time a few days later, things were far clearer and this time I missed nothing, finding myself caught up in the story and characters. Suddenly, I needed to know more about Philip K. Dick.
Nevertheless, life is something which requires constant thought and pondering, and in the words of Buddha; ‘The mind is everything. What you think you become.’
Science-Fiction has existed as an interest of mine throughout almost my entire life. Dominantly film has been the major creative SF input in my life thus far. Television has also played a long lasting role in my interest in SF, such as; Star Trek, Stargate, Doctor Who, Farscape, The X Files, all of which I began viewing at a young, impressionable age. But importantly my interest and enthusiasm still remains today, and in fact continues to grow.
The catalyst for my interest in SF approaching the ‘next level’ occurred around Christmas 2009 after watching ‘Blade Runner’. Curiosity about this highly acclaimed SF movie had existed for some time, but the opportunity to view it had not yet arisen. But being a fan of Harrison Ford I found myself at last with the opportunity to watch the film (as presented by BBC iPlayer). Upon its conclusion I found myself baffled yet intrigued. Elements of the film were bizarre and confusing, having sat drawing as well as watching I had missed some elements vital to the understanding of the plot. Recognising the ingenuity of the concept I watched the film a second time a few days later, things were far clearer and this time I missed nothing, finding myself caught up in the story and characters. Suddenly, I needed to know more about Philip K. Dick.
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