Valis

by Philip K. Dick

English language

Published Nov. 8, 1992 by Grafton.

ISBN:: 978-0-586-09201-9

View on OpenLibrary

(65 reviews)

22 editions

Zivan reviewed Valis by Philip K. Dick

Review of 'Valis' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

An unreliable naraiter in an unreliable universe, in VALIS P.K.D perforates the boundaries between reality, fantasy, hallucination and mental illness. Breaking the wall between the author and the protagonist, between the imagined and the real.

Seeking the truth, he ventures into madness, conspiracy theory, technobabble, religion and mysticism.

As a skeptic, I've encountered many a theory intended to explain unusual phenomena, with motivated reasoning, cherry picking, anomaly hunting, religious overtones and a good dose of mental instability to boot.

It is interesting to see the building blocks of this type of thinking so familiar to me in the 2000nds thriving in P.K.D's mind in the 1970s.

You can see his characters looking for clues in 1970s media as todays conspiracy nuts parous the internet for clues of the machinations of the illuminati.

Reading VALIS was a very interesting experience.

Adrián Astur Álvarez reviewed Valis by Philip K. Dick

Review of 'Valis' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I'm not sure what I just read. I still don't know why the cat died, who made it an idiot, whether or not the three eyed beings were responsible, or whether I'm even typing this review out on my phone. It is distinctly possible I am tapping my finger against an empty water bottle in a psych ward. It is Thursday but it might be next Thursday, possibly next year.

The more I read late PKD the more I'm convinced it isn't healthful to sync up with a schizophrenic mind and yet I can't stop.

For the brave, pair this with the second part of Thomas Bernard's Gargoyles, add Foucault's Madness and Civilization and boom you've got yourself a seminar.

Sarja reviewed Valis by Philip K. Dick (Valis, #1)

Review of 'Valis' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I loved the beginning, was mildly impressed with the middle and found the last parts of this great piece of literature an absolute delight.

While it is by no means a prerequisite, the prospective reader would do well to research the author's life in order to get the most out of this book.

cherold reviewed Valis by Philip K. Dick

Review of 'Valis' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I liked this for the first few pages. It was a really odd book and the craziness appealed to me. But it pretty quickly drifted into philosophy, and I got the impression after awhile that it wasn't going to drift back, that the entire book was made up of the religious philosophy of a smart schizophrenic. Which is not a book I can get into. Probably made it through 50 pages before giving up on it.

outofrange reviewed Valis by Philip K. Dick

Review of 'Valis' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

A mind bender for sure, and a gripping exploration of mental turmoil. I suggest going in blind like I did and letting the book reveal what is going on in its own way.

Michael P reviewed Valis by Philip K. Dick

Review of 'Valis' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This is an exceptionally trippy novel by the master of the unusual story. I have read this volume several times and I get new depths to the meaning behind it every time.