The Early Science Fiction of Philip K. Dick (vol. 2) by Philip K. Dick

Published by Dover Publications on February 17, 2016

In his early years, the quality of Philip K. Dick’s ideas often exceeded the quality of his prose. He churned out fiction quickly, eking out a living as a paid-by-the-word writer who didn’t have time to rewrite and polish. I therefore expected these stories to be rough (like some of his early novels) and was pleasantly surprised to find that only a couple of the stories show evidence of hasty writing.

This volume is worth acquiring for “The Turning Wheel,” a sendup of various religious beliefs that takes place in a post-apocalyptic future that is class-based and Asian-centric. The story pokes fun at religions that brand pleasure as sinful, but it’s particularly noteworthy for its references to a revered individual named Elron Hu, a name that is suspiciously similar to L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer who founded an imaginary but lucrative religion that has been embraced by Hollywood.

Most of the other stories are also entertaining, although none are as mind-blowing as his later work. Most follow the pattern of developing a science fiction theme and then giving it a surprise twist at the end.

“Prominent Author” deals with an ordinary worker who is testing a form of instantaneous transportation from his residential community in Pennsylvania to his office in downtown New York City. Taking the trip gives him a glimpse of another universe and the feeling that, by interacting with it, he may be changing it. The nature of the universe and the worker’s impact on it are the surprises that Dick delivers at the end. While this is a story that could have been fleshed out in greater detail, it’s a classic example of Dick’s clever imagination.

“Small Town” is about a model railroad enthusiast who has spent years making an exact replica of the town he hates -- until he decides to turn it into a town he can love. The story might be a bit predictable, but it would have been a good Twilight Zone episode.

In “Exhibit Piece,” a twentieth century museum exhibit becomes the reality of the man who curates it. The story ties into some current theories about the nature of reality, but those theories had not yet been popularized when Dick played with the idea. The ending has a twist that again would have made this a fun Twilight Zone episode.

Former Terrans who now consider themselves a “superior mutant race” are convinced that their colony is subjected to constant attacks by an unknown enemy. “Shell Game” considers how paranoia destroys the paranoid and how the paranoid destroy everyone else.

“Adjustment Team” is one of several works by Dick that inspired Hollywood films -- in this case, The Adjustment Bureau. The story is quite short, providing only the starting point for a movie, but it introduces a theme to which Dick often returned -- the nature (and manipulation) of reality.

“Meddler” is a time travel story. Two observations of the same point in the future reveal vastly different results. A man from the present is sent to the future to find out what went wrong. The twist at the end again has a Twilight Zone feel.

“Progeny” is about a future in which parents aren’t given the opportunity to mess up their kids. Instead, children are raised by robots, a fact that is upsetting to a father who has been off planet for some time. The ending is deliberately ambiguous and a little chilling.

“Upon the Dull Earth” is a quasi-supernatural story about a woman who “crosses over” and regrets her decision. Crossing back turns out to be a bad thing for human existence. The story has some of the religious overtones of Dick’s later work, but it’s the weakest story in the volume.

“Foster, You’re Dead” is a pointed criticism of the military-industrial complex. The characters in the story are fueled by the same paranoia that drives modern-day preppers (along with the desire to buy cool prepper gear). In Dick’s story, the desire (and peer pressure) is to buy cool bomb shelters. The story effectively conveys the idea that the threat of disaster is more often a marketing gimmick than an actual threat.

“Human Is” is an “alien mind takes over human body” story. Dick gives it a predictable but fun twist.

This isn’t by any means a “Best of” collection but it isn’t meant to be. For a PKD completist, it is an essential acquisition. For a reader who is new to PKD, I would recommend a “Best of” collection, but I suspect most science fiction fans would enjoy these stories, even if Dick’s earliest work wasn’t always his best work.

RECOMMENDED

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick

First published in 1962; published by Mariner Books on January 24, 2012

The Man in the High Castle is a skillful blend of abstract and concrete, of political theory and the impact of fascism and colonialism on a formerly free people. The novel is many things at once: a story of personal growth; a meditation on the nature and purposes of art; a deconstruction of political doctrine; an exploration of moral philosophy. I don't think I fully appreciated it when I first read it, about ten years after it was published. It still isn't my favorite Philip K. Dick novel (Ubik holds that distinction) but, after rereading it, I have a better grasp of what Dick was trying to accomplish. It is probably the best alternate history I've encountered.

As is true of the best Philip K. Dick novels, The Man in the High Castle is intricately plotted. The first half of the story establishes characters and sets up the intrigue. It isn't immediately clear where the story is headed. The second half weaves together the various storylines, all taking place in a world where Germany and Japan prevailed in World War II. Not every story is nicely resolved, but that's a reflection of life.

The cast of characters includes an Italian fascist, a Nazi, a Japanese bureaucrat, a divorced Jewish couple, and American forgers and dealers in Americana, both antiquities and kitsch. Dick made the inspired decision to write a book within a book: although it is banned in some places, everyone is reading a novel that imagines the US and Britain had defeated Germany and Japan. The device allows characters to compare life in Dick's alternate history to life as it more-or-less exists in post-war America.

To some extent, The Man in the High Castle is more interesting for the questions the characters ask than for the events that shape their lives. Would anyone but Philip K. Dick imagine a German, victorious after World War II, thinking: "We do not have the ideal world, such as we would like, where morality is easy because cognition is easy. Where one can do right with no effort because he can detect the obvious." If there is any context in which doing what is "right" is "obvious," it is Nazi Germany. Yet even in that context a soldier who wants to challenge the leadership of the Reich finds himself wondering whether he is following the right path. It is fashionable to condemn "moral relativism" in modern America, but Dick masterfully portrays the difficulty of viewing life through the lens of absolutism. That is one of many respects in which Dick encourages the reader not just to read and enjoy the story, but to think. This is a novel that benefited from a second reading; I think it would easily bear a third.

RECOMMENDED