Valis

by Philip K. Dick

Overview

VALIS is the first novel in a mesmerizing, science-fiction philosophical trilogy by Philip K. Dick, the Hugo Award–winning author of The Man in the High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?—the basis for the film Blade Runner.

“Dick is one of the ten best American writers of the twentieth century, which is saying a lot. Dick was a kind of Kafka steeped in LSD and rage.”*

What is VALIS?

When a beam of pink light begins giving a schizophrenic man named Horselover Fat (who just might also be known as Philip K. Dick) visions of an alternate Earth where the Roman Empire still reigns, he must decide whether he is crazy, or whether a godlike entity is showing him the true nature of the world.

“More disturbing than any novel by [Carson] McCullers,” (*Roberto Bolaño), by the end, like Dick himself, you will be left wondering what is real, what is fiction, and just what the price is for divine inspiration.

Also in the VALIS Trilogy:
The Divine Invasion
The Transmigration of Timothy Archer

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547572413
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/18/2011
Series:	Valis Trilogy , #1
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	114,194
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 12.10(h) x 3.60(d)

About the Author

Over a writing career that spanned three decades, PHILIP K. DICK (1928–1982) published 36 science fiction novels and 121 short stories in which he explored the essence of what makes man human and the dangers of centralized power. Toward the end of his life, his work turned to deeply personal, metaphysical questions concerning the nature of God. Eleven novels and short stories have been adapted to film, notably Blade Runner (based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Total Recall, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly, as well as television's The Man in the High Castle. The recipient of critical acclaim and numerous awards throughout his career, including the Hugo and John W. Campbell awards, Dick was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2005, and between 2007 and 2009, the Library of America published a selection of his novels in three volumes. His work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages.

Editorial Reviews

The quest for God is the binding theme of this trilogy. The ``funny and painful and sometimes brilliant'' VALIS(anagram) finds protagonist and Dick alter-ego Horselover Fat unable to reconcile human suffering with his belief in God. Invasion is a ``fascinating and highly readable'' vision of Armageddon, blending New Testament, Kabbalah and Dick's own worldview. In Transmigration , Angel Archer reminisces about her father-in-law, Timothy, an Episcopal bishop obsessed with a set of ancient scrolls that shed faith-threatening new light on Jesus: ``This finely crafted, odd but compelling book demonstrates Dick's great erudition, keen human insight and subtle ironic sense of humor,'' said PW. (July)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

One of Philip K. Dick's later and less-memorable novels proves to be a challenging listen. Tom Weiner helps listeners make sense of it with a solid cadence, strong projection, and much-needed inflection for the often-long tangential philosophical meanderings throughout. The story follows Dick's alter ego, Horselover Fat, as he engages friends and others in trying to make sense of the universe through drugs, inane theories, and specious truths. Weiner's female voices often sound just like a man whispering loudly, and he has a habit of drawing out the last word in a sentence. However, his stern and direct voice helps ground listeners as they make their way through this production. L.E. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2009 - AudioFile