SF Masterworks#7- The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch

It's been a while since I did one of these, and it may be a while after this as I think I've exhausted my reading of classic Sci-Fi worthy of being on this list. I'm looking to pick up my reading pace and get some more of this great list read...but I've said that before. Anyway, you know how I am at reviews so I'm borrowing one from the great folks at SFSite

A review by Alma A. Hromic

If the world of written science fiction were ever to be translated into the language of visual art, Philip K. Dick would probably be Salvador Dali. His vision does not depend on Picassoesque transformations of the familiar into the grotesque so much as a jumbling of the familiar into sometimes deeply disturbing new combinations, whose disturbing aspect is not attenuated but rather accentuated by their very familiarity. This is the kind of landscape where heads sprout like mushrooms from blank desert sands or weird alien faces stare at each other nose-to-nose with an ethereal ballet dancer formed by the gaps between them. Nothing is what it seems. Nothing is real. Everything is real.

It's a little like being force-fed some of the hallucinatory drugs of "Palmer Eldritch" yourself, before you launch into the novel.

You'll probably know it, or of it -- The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch is a classic, after all. It starts out on the straight and narrow, and then all of a sudden the path does a Dali and you're doing a balancing act on a unicycle on a rope suspended between worlds, trying to juggle knife-sharp objects like Addiction and Responsibility and Immortality and God. Sometimes it all overwhelms me and I'm left sitting there gasping for air trying to figure out where I am -- and if the person sitting across from me on the couch in my living room is suddenly going to stare at me through stigmata eyes. Sometimes I figure it out. Sometimes, like Dick's character Anne Hawthorne, I simply wind up "...terribly, terribly confused... and everything upsets me."

But then, that's Dick.

And somehow I always wind up struggling through the morass, emerging from it on the other side with some key insight held in my mouth like the salmon of wisdom, wondering how that one mind held it all in.

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch isn't an easy read. But then, Philip K Dick never is. Whether any given reader finds in this book the salvation that Dick was talking about or merely comes out of it with glazed eyes and his or her head doing 64 revolutions a second is entirely up to the reader.

Copyright © 2003 Alma A. Hromic

SF Masterworks #26 - UBIK

Another exploration into the great Science Fiction books that I have actually read. Not to say that there aren't more, I've read some pretty fantastic Sci-Fi that as of yet hasn't appeared on this list, though I have to admit I spend too much time on tie-in fiction and graphic novels relative to the classics - anyway, UBIK is another PKD book I've laid eyes on, thanks to a five book bundle I once bought.

UBIK is perhaps my favourite of them all, though I understand it the least - I came out at the end in complete confusion about what I had read (the intention of the author I believe) and also completely satisfied at the story I had just read. Now I'm admittedly not as well read as I should be, but I don't think there are many authors who can leave you questioning everything that happened in the book yet not in the slightest bit disappointed - Christopher Priest is an accomplished head-messer, with The Affirmation and his more famous The Prestige providing similar mental journeys.

Anyhow - I'll leave the review to the professionals at SFSite.com

A review by A.L. Sirois

Glen Runciter's business is beleaguered. The telepaths his telepaths are monitoring -- to prevent them from influencing consumer trends among the population -- are vanishing, and his precogs can't find them. Not even his dead wife can help him, from her stasis tank in Switzerland. Apparently, someone doesn't like Runciter's continuing efforts to get to the bottom of his problems, because he and several of his employees are caught in an explosion that kills him.

Or does it? Before long, Runciter employees, including his right-hand man, Joe Chip, are receiving voice and data messages from the supposedly deceased boss. And their world is warping and changing around them. Is their own time running out? And who is behind it? Joe tails the disturbances past death itself, into the shadowy world where suspended people like Runciter's wife exist. Is Joe able to communicate with her -- and Runciter, or the person posing as Runciter -- because he has been killed, too? Is he himself held in the half-life of suspended animation, where only UBIK, the universal product, can save him? Meanwhile, Joe's co-workers are turning up dead, one by one.

As ever with one of Philip K. Dick's books, the plot -- crenellated though it is -- is less interesting here than the characters, the theme, and the virtuosity of the writing. Dick's explications of his fractal reality look easy to accomplish, but they really aren't. He seems to have taken A.E. van Vogt's self-referential writing a step or two further into territory that even van Vogt, with his own odd grasp on reality, wasn't equipped to explore. Only someone with a very firm grasp on and understanding of their own shifting grip on sanity could map out the less solid nearby terra incognita as successfully as Phil Dick did.

Dick was the first SF writer to really get into playing with the heads of his readers, and getting them to think about the nature of reality and their perceptions. For this reason, his books never really grow stale -- you can come back to them years after the first reading and find new signposts directing you into previously obscure pathways of your own personality. A.E. van Vogt tried to do the same, but from the inside rather than the outside -- he was perhaps too much the product of the pulp era to really be able to focus the glass of his thematic concerns on himself. Whereas that's all Dick could do, after a point.

Dick's better books are less novels than they are explorations of the relationship between reader, writer and story. His explorations became even more pointed after he suffered a mental breakdown in 1981. Whether his breakdown had anything to do with his experiments with drugs remains unclear, but subsequently it became harder to separate Dick from his work. It seems pretty clear that's what he had in mind, or, at least, it's a side effect that he would have found perfectly appropriate.

As a result, reading his stuff is at once a venture into the mind of a highly creative man, and a fictional roller coaster ride -- because Dick's work took on a slightly hysterical apocalyptic tinge as it grew darker. It may be that reading Phil Dick is as close as one can get to the world of the paranoid schizophrenic, without going too far.

It's tempting to point at Dick's work and say, "This is the key to the 21st century," but we ought to resist the temptation, at least for another ten or fifteen years. It may well be that key, but perhaps it doesn't behoove us to examine it too closely for fear of what we might find.

Which is probably what Philip K. Dick wanted.

(By the way, let me add a brief note about the cover art. I can't tell if it's a reprint from an older SF magazine -- it rather looks that way -- but the feral-faced and somewhat sallow woman pressed against what seems to be a grimy spaceport wall in the rain really suits UBIK nicely, although the artwork has nothing at all to do with the books contents.)

Copyright © 2000 by A.L. Sirois

I'd really recommend this one - if you can handle it!!

SF Masterworks #24 - The War of the Worlds / The Time Machine

One of the most recognizable titles on this list and not only because of the modern film adaptation. The giant tripods have influences a subsequent generation of alien invasion and time travel dramas all bear the hallmarks of Wells' original work.

One of the striking things about his work is the time period in which it was written, in pre-WWI Britain when modern technology and thoughts of aliens were distant dreams. With our modern gear we'd probably wipe the floor with the Martian invaders, but in a time where aeroplanes were on the verge of invention, cannonballs were still common ammunition and targeting was done by eye and skill the invaders run riot across London.

The book also covers the feverish dreams of rebellion and uprising against an unstoppable foe, and the social demolition that would occur under such circumstances is explored in depth. The way the Martians are despatched shows the quirky genius of Wells' mind and makes for a satisfying conclusion.

I'll post up the review from SFSite where I get the cover images etc. It's not as favourable to the author, though it does spend more time covering the Time Machine, with which I'm less familiar.

I suppose a series calling itself SF Masterworks really wouldn't be complete without representing the grandfather of English language SF. There can be no argument that these two stories are classics of the genre. But are they timeless classics? Absolutely not. They are, like most of Wells' works from that era, quite obviously products of late Victorian England. But Wells was certainly no Dickens or Thackeray; he was not the best of the Victorians. And as a science fiction writer, he was no Frank Herbert or even John Wyndham. Any of these boys could write Wells into a corner and leave him begging for a little character development.

Like any good speculative fiction, The Time Machine and War of the Worlds are extrapolations of existing conditions, taken to extremes and beyond into the realm of imagination. And, like much if not most good speculative fiction, there is a heavy satirical bent to them. However, the protagonists in both these stories exhibit violently aggressive behaviour and are considerably less than sympathetic, if you pause to give them any thought at all. (Although neither is quite as despicable as the murderously psychotic anti-hero of Wells' next best-known work, The Invisible Man -- a thoroughly wretched story with no redeeming value.)

Structurally, The Time Machine is one of Wells' better stories. It is, however, only moderately interesting. Darwin's theory of evolution was still fairly new and shocking when The Time Machine first saw publication in 1895. Wells' comment on human evolution is rather bleak. In his version, humans will evolve (or devolve) into two distinct branches: the child-like, graceful, but sheep-like and ultimately doomed Eloi; and their nemesis, the ugly, predatory Morlocks. Wells perceived this as the natural evolution of the English class-based system: the elegant upper crust breeding themselves into the mush-brained idleness of the Eloi; the dirty and slavish working class evolving into the amoral Morlocks who continue to work at keeping the elite in comfort, but in order to use them as a food source. Not a very hopeful future for humanity (or for the English, at any rate), but if you're willing to see the satire, you may appreciate that's probably the way the present looked to Wells. In fact, pessimists and misanthropes today may still argue along the same lines.

War of the Worlds is of historical note largely due to the widespread panic caused by the 1938 Orson Welles radio broadcast of an adaptation of this 1898 H.G. Wells classic. Many people mistook it for a news broadcast, rather than the radio drama that it was. (Hey, radio was still a relatively new thing; give them a break.) The story itself is an interesting comment on the arrogance of humankind, but it is rather pale by today's standards and the ending is a complete cop-out.

H.G. Wells is something of a disappointment today. However, his work is important to the history of the genre and it is worth reading a sampling to understand the roots of contemporary science fiction. Imperfect as these two stories are, they are probably the two best choices for a sampling of Wells -- both for their historical importance and for exemplifying his style and scope.

Copyright © 2000 by Neil Walsh

Whatever you think of the book itself, it's place in the foundation of Science Fiction makes it a 'must-read' for any geek.

SF Masterworks # 20 - A Scanner Darkly

I'm trying to catch up on some lost blogging, following up on posts I haven't done for a while in case they get lost, so I'll start off with a book review from the masterworks series, of which I have read a scant few, mostly by Philip K Dick - here is another.

















One of the most bewildering of PKD's already bewildering collection of novels, and yet one of the most powerful. This one doesn't reach as far into the future as most of his novels, there are none of the usual precogs, martian colonies and androids that are the author's hallmarks. Rather we only jump a few fictional years ahead to a future where Substance D, a narcotic in a league above all current ones available.

As last time - I'll post up a more concise summary than I'm able to conjure from a summary of the series at SFSite.com

"It follows the story of Officer Fred, an undercover narcotics agent who is so deeply undercover that even his superiors don't know his street identity, Bob Arctor. Consequently, Fred is given the task of monitoring Bob.

The problem is, Fred/Bob isn't sure which side he is on anymore, since he more than half believes in the drug culture lifestyle he has been living. Furthermore, he is so messed up on a dangerous psychotropic hallucinogen called Substance D, that he is losing touch with... well, everything. The literal scanner of the title (seeing "through a scanner darkly") is a holographic scanner set up in Bob's house. When Fred watches the replay of the scanner tapes, he is soon unable to figure out what Bob is up to, having forgotten he is monitoring himself."

This book has the most impact as it relates most closely to the author's life and the impact of drug abuse on him and his friends. It ends with a moving piece from the author detailing how they were like kids playing in the road, and no one told them about the danger, following this is a list of many of his friends from that time who are sick, in institutions or lost along the way.

Not always the most exciting read, but certainly one of the most moving.

SF Masterworks # 13 Martian Time-Slip

It's been a long time since I've read this so to attempt a review would be perhaps a little foolish, buy I've never made it my aim to be a reviewer on this site, but to write about things I enjoy and to share them with you all. One of the things I do enjoy is reading classic Sci-Fi and in particular Philip K Dick, whose gigantic presence in the Masterworks list marks him out much better than my vast appreciation could. Anyway, I do think you are entitled to a review of sorts, and so I'm going to be cheeky and borrow one from www.sfsite.com who have an excellent database of the masterworks series - hope you don't mind guys (I also pinched the image from there!)

"First published in 1964, this is recognized as one of Dick's better novels. Although he was certainly a man of vision with consistently brilliant ideas, his writing style is not at all consistent. Sometimes, it seems to me that Dick's writing reads like a translation from another language. Perhaps this aspect contributes to some of the humour in this novel, for it has some very funny moments.

Jack Bohlen is a repairman on a desolate, dry Mars, inhabited by poor colonists and the remnants of the poorer native population, the Bleekmen. Jack's bored wife is addicted to barbiturates. His father is a ruthless land speculator. His neighbour's young son, Manfred, is an autistic with untapped paranormal abilities. His new boss, Arnie Kott, has a virtual monopoly on the available water on Mars. Arnie wants Jack to devise a contraption to communicate with Manfred in order to capitalize on the boy's theoretical ability to glimpse the future.

It's an odd setup, but the payoff is stunning. The same scene in Arnie Kott's dwelling, the same moment in time, is played over and over again, each time shown from a slightly different perspective. Which interpretation of reality is really real? Are any of them? It's a chilling, haunting, beautiful piece of writing." - by Neil Walsh

A lot of the detail is foggy in my mind, but it was still an excellent read, bringing classic PKD themes such as colonisation and precognition, but giving them a fresh and original context. The Martian setting was entirely believable and I can still catch glimpses of the more memorable scenes in my head as I write this. The autism angle made it particularly interesting for me, but what really captivated me was how engrossing and believable the world and characters were - which is also a typical PKD trait. It is typically mind bending and yet easy to follow and while it isn't my favourite of the authour's works it isn't because it's bad, it's simply that some of his books manage to be even better than this one - quite an achievment considering this is a "Masterwork"

I can highly recommend this one to you, and I'll try and keep up with these posts and I'll do another book soon and...guess what? It's another Philip K Dick!!

OK, that probably says just as much about my reading...but we'll ignore that eh?

Sci Fi Masterworks #2 : I Am Legend Review

First up - sorry Figgy, beat you to it, but seeing as you did the film, it's only fair.
The book, by Richard Matheson, is a dark, compelling affair. Unlike the film it's a lot more gritty and the vampires really are Vampires (though they are explained scientifically), he doesn't have a dog, he isn't a scientist and the cause of the plague isn't really explained.
The novel is quite short, the majority of which focuses on his mentality and his slow discovery of what the vampires are. Unlike the film, it's on a smaller, more down to earth scale - he has no radio to send transmissions to other survivors, indeed he even admits there's no way he would find a survivor, unless they were less than a days drive from his house.
This is a novel that excels because of its ending. It differs hugely from the film. I won't give it away, but there's no such happy ending for Robert, although there is for the world. It also makes the title make sense.
The film has slight Christian undertones, the sacrifice Robert makes etc.
This book doesn't have that.
Although there is a very weird section of a flashback, with several infected Charismatic Christians gathered for a service, still in their clear minds, repenting and asking God to save them from the Vampires and themselves. It doesn't make this clear, but I sense some Steven KIng style mockery of Christianity.
All and all, it's a very good book. Better than the film, it's like those good books that have an author, disciplined enough to give it an unhappy ending.
But there is a cliff hanger involving pills. I'll be happy to discuss it with you.
Sam Li.

SF Masterworks #4 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

I very much doubt that anyone remember, but a while back I read and reviewed book 1 of the SF Masterworks series "The Forever War." The series reprints exceptional pieces of Science Fiction Writing from the last fifty years or so and a bit further if a book merits it. I had originally intended to go through them in numerical order, but the length of time between this post and the first (use tags to find it if interested) and the vast amount of unread books cluttering my room suggest to me that it will be a while before I get even to the very tempting I Am Legend, which is book two.

So I will press on and go through what I've got and read - which is actually quite a small amount, even more so than I'd anticipated. I've got one or two more on my shelf waiting to be read and I'll add them as I go along. This book, fourth in the series is perhaps the most famous work of Philip K Dick, more famously known as the film adaptation Blade Runner. It's been a while since I read it so I will rely a lot in wikipedia and other sources to keep my memory fresh as I write.

The book is the story of Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter living in a desecrated America affected by World War Terminus. Due to Earth effectively being a lost cause the government is busy trying to get people to move to off-world colonies ( a common theme in Dick's work) even promising them an android helper to get them started in their difficult new life. Some of these androids rebel, kill their human masters and return to Earth and go into hiding, thus providing Deckards employment.

Deckards desire is to have a real sheep of his own. Most animals have been destroyed and all are endangered and real animals are very expensive. Deckard has to make to with a robotic model, but is eager to get a real one and thus willing to take on the job. Six of the latest model androids have escaped and his job is to find out how they can be distinguished from humans and taken down. His first point of contact a rich heiress for the android manufacturer turns out to be an android herself and pushes Deckard into doubt and strange terretories where he encounters people who aren't what they seem, Mercer, the God of a new religion and those worst affected by radiation poisoning.

The novel differs significantly from the film though the basic premise is the same. I found watching the film to be a confusing process after reading the book and doubtless the process will be the same the other way round. Nonetheless both are excelent works and well worth experiencing. This story is dark, compelling and when faced with biological copies designed to think like us, it makes us question what it is to be human.

Dick's work is always out there to play with your mind, but his works truly are greats, and many more of them are on this list of Masterworks and they are well worth picking up.

SF Masterworks #1 The Forever War

A Cloverfield review, amongst other ideas, is pending but I'll give you all a chance to see it before discussing it here. This is something I've been meaning to do for a while, but I took a bit longer reading the book than I thought I would. I don't often review literature here, but this book deserves the merit.

The Series of SF Masterworks is a selection of Science Fiction books highly regarded by authors, publishers and readers. The series reprints the books they feel deserve the merit both to acknowledge their accomplishment and to ensure that worthy books remain in print. So when I spotted that the book I was reading happened to be the first included on this list I thought it was worth mentioning. I've encountered and read several of these books, but I'll probably document them as I find them in numerical order meaning the posts will be quite sporadic and spread out. If you're interested the next book on the list is I Am Legend, which I may get out of interest...if the huge stack of unread books in my room begins to dwindle.

The Forever War is a bold telling of a war that alienates the soldiers that fight in it. While especially relevant to the Vietnam War that the author experienced it is still relevant to a modern reader because it doesn't just parallel the 'Nam war but offers a commentary on warfare itself and an eye into the life of those who fight in something much bigger than themselves. The main sense you get as you read the book is not "oh war is bad it should be stopped!" but rather a sense of despair and anger at the generals who send their inexperienced troops into a situation they barely even understand themselves and who continue to have an iron hold on their troops who have done more than their fair share. And we come to a depressing conclusion that there's not much anybody can or will do about it. When forced back into active service after being promised retirement the main character shrugs and says "It's so army."

As with other succesful army SF novels (such as Starship Troopers) the reason for the success is the main character. Mandella is recruited into the army because he's a genius. They call in the best of the best to handle the extreme environments and challanges of interstellar conflict. As soon as people start dying in often meaningless ways he realises he is only as good as his trigger finger. Soon we forget about his past and get sucked into the life of a man struggling to survive, though he's not sure why.

Of course it's also succesful because it's set in a war and setting far removed from our own. We get that there's something strange from the start when army customs dictate that soldiers swear at their commanders and that female soldiers cohabit with males. Soon we move onto low gravity moons and super armoured fighting suits eqipped with "laser-fingers." But that is not the strangest thing of all the technology used to wage war means the fighting rages across both time and space.

"Time-dillation" occurs when the ships used for combat travel across the stars meaning that though the campaigns last only weeks when the crew return home decades have passed returning them to a drastically different Earth. And again he is called up, knowing that when he returns there will be nothing left of what he once knew - seperated from anything that means anything, fighting a war he no longer understands and for a world that is no longer his home will he find any meaning or happiness out there in the stars? To find out buy and read this excellent book.

Gripping from start to finish with a touch of genuine sadness that has made this book a well deserved classic this book is well worth picking up, 'cause you won't put it down!