Reviews and Comments

Really interesting piece of alternate history. This book, by far, is one of Phillip K. Dick's least sci-fi themed works, instead it builds a credible world based on what would have happened if Germany and Japan had won WWII. Very unique and interesting characters fill the book and drive the story at different times. The story focuses on the different things each character believes about reality, and how each character is able to cope living in a totalitarian society. As per usual PKD, the story starts to go off the rails a bit toward the end, however it is definitely still worth a read. I think the overall meaning of theme of the book is that reality is both always plural and always mutable.

Truly messed up, often hilarious and sometimes quite insightful. I was not expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. It's like a existential and nihilistic version of Calvin and Hobbes.

The book kinda starts out a bit slow and the pacing is REALLY uneven. But there are some moments that really shine and gives you a neat perspective of Fahey's thoughts but also a fascinating look at what it meant to be a musician during many different decades. I really enjoyed the Antonioni story and the fishing story with Bukka.... Hell, even the Hank Williams story was a interesting read. Lots of German words and references to the occult. I was not much of a fan of his music before reading this, but now having a new perspective on the author has given me an urge go to revisit his discography.

Awesome glimpse into the weird and eccentric parts of America.

Started off a little slow.... but the book really grabbed me about halfway through. I think I read the last 150 pages of the book in one sitting. Really interesting exploration of mono-theocracies and the social implications they bring. Not quite sci-fi, but definitely dystopian. I really enjoyed piecing together the new world of 'Gilead' based upon the bits of information Offred knew. Very unique twist to the 1984 and Brave New World versions of the future we've seen over and over again.

Yet another interesting sci-fi piece from PKD. Even though I felt like I 'figured' out what was happening rather early on, the book was still quite engrossing and satisfying to read. Dick really does a good job at setting up a strange and believable future without creating a complex and exhausting backstory. There were a few parts where the book seems to come of the rails, but for the most part is a very solid story. Would recommend if you are a fan of existential sci-fi.

Fascinating look at the often unheard birth of the personal computer. The book does a great job of painting a realistic picture of what the Bay Area tech scene looked like during the social revolution of the 1960s. My only gripe was that it was a bit long winded and referenced too many people that may or may not have been important to the overall story. If you are interested in computers and social movements then this book is perfect for you!

Pretty good book exploring the differences/similarities between rationalism and creativity. I enjoyed the conversations between the two title characters explaining their points of view both at the beginning and the end of the story. It was also fun to see how similar Goldmund's ideas matched my own during my early 20s. I also enjoyed Narcissus's explanations of how a thinker applies their use of logic towards daily life. Goldmund is really a dirtbag and uses people for his own gains, however I felt I couldn't dislike his character. Overall it was a great read and possibly some of Hesse's best written prose.

I really enjoyed the short stories. Some of Burrough's journals and travel writing are hilarious and provide some interesting insight into the evolution of his writing. The longest part of the book is the final section,"Word". It was pretty difficult to get through... a bunch of free associations and words that sound nice when paired together. Some of it was funny, but its kinda that same stuff he did (much better) in Naked Lunch.

Definitely an entertaining and unique read... well, 2/3rds of it at least. The book moves along at a really odd pace and sometimes I felt like the author was wasting paper, trying to shove his wit down the reader's throat. Regardless, the story of Sissy Hankshaw and her hitchhiking thumbs was amusing and kept me turning the page. I really wish Robbins would have expanded on the whole 'Clockwork People living in the caves waiting for time to end' stuff and left out all the useless crap in the end. It seemed like the author suddenly realized that the story had run on too long, decides to waste some pages explaining that the story has run on too long, and then abruptly tries to tie all loose ends.

Recently read through the Trimalchio Dinner section after watching the Fellini film. It's an interesting read from a historical perspective....but it gets a little cut and dry if you're not familiar with alot of Roman culture.

Pretty good book.... started off really strong and held its speed until about 3/4ths of the way into the book. Then it just kinda lost its steam and focused on what I considered to be pretty trivial arguments. The book does show alot of the problems within modern Academic communities, but it doesnt really have any solutions to offer.

awesome!! im pretty sure i read the last 100 pages in about a day. never read crichton before this, but i am really impressed by jurassic park. i grew up watching the movie close to a billion times and yet the book offered a more exciting and in-depth look at the jurassic park story. i would definately reccomend this to other readers.... its a fun, quick read that covers alot of big topics.... plus lots of dinos and destruction!