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darkskybooks's review against another edition
3.0
PKD is primarily known these days for his sci-fi. The Cosmic Puppets is probably his only attempt at a fantasy novel. One of his earlier and less well known works, the immaturity of the prose is definitely evident, but the wild 'what if' ideas that characterize his best sci-fi works is absolutely present.
Here we are playing with the ideas of creation. The whole story steeped in heavy Zoroastrian imagery - the cosmic battle between light and dark - this time played out in a kind of urban fantasy setting. The idea of 'what is real?' is something that PKD plays with a lot over the years. It is intriguing to see his early ideas on this front. The concepts have evolved into much more well fleshed out examples in his later works, but seeing how he has previously explored them is definitely interesting.
This is certainly not one of his best books. His prose is weak, the setting dated. However, seeing where some his more famous ideas started being developed is certainly fun for people who like his works.
Here we are playing with the ideas of creation. The whole story steeped in heavy Zoroastrian imagery - the cosmic battle between light and dark - this time played out in a kind of urban fantasy setting. The idea of 'what is real?' is something that PKD plays with a lot over the years. It is intriguing to see his early ideas on this front. The concepts have evolved into much more well fleshed out examples in his later works, but seeing how he has previously explored them is definitely interesting.
This is certainly not one of his best books. His prose is weak, the setting dated. However, seeing where some his more famous ideas started being developed is certainly fun for people who like his works.
ratgrrrl's review against another edition
3.0
CN: Spiders, Rats, Snakes (Full on swarms and attacks), Moths, Bees
This is absolutely bonkers and not PKD's finest outing, what with their being a couple of weird racial terms, some unfortunate imagery, and a too much fixation on the body-parts of an ostensibly thirteen year old girl...
However, it is a truly fascinating and immensely readable story I devoured in one day.
Originally a short story publisjed on Satellite Science Fiction Magazine in 1956 and then released as a short novel in 1957, The Cosmic Puppets is a story about a guy going back to his hometown and realising that everything is different and feels wrong. You'll never guess why...
I genuinely don't want to spoil anything, but the sheer scale, biomass, and clay involved are staggering.
I really went back and forth on what to give this with its faults and phenomenally bizarre concepts, but I have settled on a very low four with an acknowledgement that the issues I had with it aren't OK ever, but I am taking in the context of this novel with all it's faults, ideas, and concepts being published in the 1950s.
Edit:
Coming back to know this down to a decent three because the misogyny and stuff stayed with me.
I also can't believe I forgot to mention that it literally ends with a joke that the Naked Gun movies used when Frank is talking about his divorce lmfao.
This is absolutely bonkers and not PKD's finest outing, what with their being a couple of weird racial terms, some unfortunate imagery, and a too much fixation on the body-parts of an ostensibly thirteen year old girl...
However, it is a truly fascinating and immensely readable story I devoured in one day.
Originally a short story publisjed on Satellite Science Fiction Magazine in 1956 and then released as a short novel in 1957, The Cosmic Puppets is a story about a guy going back to his hometown and realising that everything is different and feels wrong. You'll never guess why...
I genuinely don't want to spoil anything, but the sheer scale, biomass, and clay involved are staggering.
I really went back and forth on what to give this with its faults and phenomenally bizarre concepts, but I have settled on a very low four with an acknowledgement that the issues I had with it aren't OK ever, but I am taking in the context of this novel with all it's faults, ideas, and concepts being published in the 1950s.
Edit:
Coming back to know this down to a decent three because the misogyny and stuff stayed with me.
I also can't believe I forgot to mention that it literally ends with a joke that the Naked Gun movies used when Frank is talking about his divorce lmfao.
kerrygold's review against another edition
3.0
The Cosmic Puppets, published in 1957, is Philip K. Dick’s fourth novel. Unlike the first three, it does not concern a dystopian world government; unlike the first two, it has no mention of aliens. The Cosmic Puppets is a new direction for PKD.
Instead, PKD tells of the implications for a small American town of the cosmic battle between the two Zoroastrian gods, Ormazd and Ahriman, Order and Chaos, respectively. The story tells of a situation where the town has been replaced by a false version of itself, in which the two deities themselves are human-like inhabitants, though with special powers.
The story reads like a thriller, with armies of rats, spiders, snakes, golems, bees, moths and so on involved. However, there is something lacking. Why is all of this happening? Why just this town? Why moths and rats rather than butterflies and mice, for example? How do the shadowy original inhabitants, the Wanderers, subsist? How is it that a few of the original inhabitants have not become Wanderers? And so on ….
Otherwise, PKD does dabble with the nature of reality—a signature quality of his work—through the distinction between the original and changed town. The distinction, however, is not clearly explained and developed.
The Cosmic Puppets is fun to read, with perhaps a more developed writing style than his earlier three novels, and it is unusual in its representation of the two gods. However, The Cosmic Puppets is not one of the great PKD books, in my opinion.
Instead, PKD tells of the implications for a small American town of the cosmic battle between the two Zoroastrian gods, Ormazd and Ahriman, Order and Chaos, respectively. The story tells of a situation where the town has been replaced by a false version of itself, in which the two deities themselves are human-like inhabitants, though with special powers.
The story reads like a thriller, with armies of rats, spiders, snakes, golems, bees, moths and so on involved. However, there is something lacking. Why is all of this happening? Why just this town? Why moths and rats rather than butterflies and mice, for example? How do the shadowy original inhabitants, the Wanderers, subsist? How is it that a few of the original inhabitants have not become Wanderers? And so on ….
Otherwise, PKD does dabble with the nature of reality—a signature quality of his work—through the distinction between the original and changed town. The distinction, however, is not clearly explained and developed.
The Cosmic Puppets is fun to read, with perhaps a more developed writing style than his earlier three novels, and it is unusual in its representation of the two gods. However, The Cosmic Puppets is not one of the great PKD books, in my opinion.
mallorn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
the_sunken_library's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first Philip K Dick I have ever read and I have to admit, I was a little disappointed by the style. Poor grammar and sentence structures made it feel a little lazy.
Although I enjoyed it (it was easy to read and interesting enough) the story was a little predictable; God and the devil go to war, God wins with the help of his daughter Mother Nature pitching in. I also found the acceptance of the main protagonist of some incredibly bizarre and disturbing revelations a little hard to swallow. But he just seems happy to go along for the ride.
I would like to give this author another go as I feel this probably wasn't the best he has to offer.
Although I enjoyed it (it was easy to read and interesting enough) the story was a little predictable; God and the devil go to war, God wins with the help of his daughter Mother Nature pitching in. I also found the acceptance of the main protagonist of some incredibly bizarre and disturbing revelations a little hard to swallow. But he just seems happy to go along for the ride.
I would like to give this author another go as I feel this probably wasn't the best he has to offer.
ladypalma's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
robfarren's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this one, even though it's his strongest. Apparently it was written before Solar Lottery and the World Jones Made, but who knows. It's got a lot of gnosticism and even some Zoroastrianism in it, plus a golem, if I remember correctly. I bought a UK import of it, since it wasnt in print in the US at the time...I lent it to this chick I was seeing and she never gave it back. She probably didn't even like it. If you're reading this, please give it back.
jakelovesbooks1000's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
An exponentially wild roller coaster ride that starts with the familiar and ends in the stars.