Valis

by Philip K. Dick

Overview

Valis is the first book in Philip K. Dick's incomparable final trio of novels (the others being are The Divine Invasion and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer). This disorienting and bleakly funny work is about a schizophrenic hero named Horselover Fat; the hidden mysteries of Gnostic Christianity; and reality as revealed through a pink laser. Valis is a theological detective story, in which God is both a missing person and the perpetrator of the ultimate crime.

"The fact that what Dick is entertaining us about is reality and madness, time and death, sin and salvation—this has escaped most critics. Nobody notices that we have our own homegrown Borges, and have had him for thirty years."—Ursula K. Le Guin, New Republic

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9786155438868
Publisher:	Agave Könyvek Kiadó Kft.
Publication date:	04/21/2020
Sold by:	PUBLISHDRIVE KFT
Format:	eBook
Pages:	244
File size:	2 MB
Language:	Hungarian

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