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betweenthembooks's review against another edition
5.0
short, realistic, and sweet. thinking about reality makes me have an existential crisis. so thank you Philip.
spookysoto's review against another edition
3.0
Update JAN 2022 I re-read it because I didn't remember much.
New rating: 3/5 l liked it but the ending isn't the best.
2020's ATY in 52 books: 15. A book without a person on the cover
Original Rating: : 3.5/5 I liked it
Very good short story. This's the story that inspired Matt Damon's movie The adjustment bureau . I really liked the movie and wanted to read this. The movie takes some things but is completely another story.
Phillip K Dick's writing is engaging and creative. If you don't know, many (a ton) of sci-fi movies are based or inspired on his works: Blade runner, total recall, minority report, next, paycheck, a scanner darkly, impostor, the man in the high castle, among others. He is an important figure in sci-fi, and often explored the question about what's real and identity.
I liked this very much, is interesting, creative, intriguing, it puts your imagination to fly. I recommend it.
From wikipedia
man called the Clerk approaches a talking dog, and explains in businesslike manner that "Sector T137" is scheduled for "adjustment" at 9 o'clock. He instructs the dog to bark at exactly 8:15, which the Clerk explains will summon "A Friend with a Car", which will take real estate salesman Ed Fletcher to work before 9, but while the Clerk is preoccupied, the dog falls asleep and as a result barks a minute too late. Inside Ed's house, while he is getting ready for work, Ed is accosted by a door-to-door insurance salesman and doesn't leave for work until 9:30. Ed arrives at his office building, but upon stepping onto the curb, finds himself in a sunless version of the world where everything and everyone is immobile, ash-grey, and crumbles at his touch. Ed is accosted by white-robed men, who talk about "de-energizing" him with a hose-like piece of equipment, but he flees outside and across the street, back to the everyday world, fearing he's had a psychotic episode.
The Clerk is brought to the top-level Administrative Chambers to explain what went wrong to someone referred to only as "the Old Man", who decides to personally deal with this unusual situation and orders Ed "brought up here". Meanwhile, Ed has found his wife Ruth and told her about the experience. With Ruth accompanying him for moral support, Ed returns to his workplace to prove he has not experienced a full psychotic breakdown or seen behind the fabric of reality, as he still fears. Things seem normal at first, and Ruth leaves, but he soon realizes people and objects have changed in their appearance, location, age, and countless other subtle differences. Panic stricken, he runs to a public phone to warn the police, only to have the phone booth ascend heavenward with Ed inside.
Meeting the Old Man, Ed first thinks he is dead, but is informed he is only visiting. The Old Man tells him that a correction was being made, it was a very serious error, he was not changed, and his revealing to others what he saw is a grave threat, explaining, "the natural process must be supplemented—adjusted here and there. Corrections must be made. We are fully licensed to make such corrections. Our adjustment teams perform vital work." In this instance, the adjustment is to bring about a chain of events that will lessen Soviet–Western Bloc war tension. Ed is allowed to return without being de-energized and adjusted, on the condition that he tell no one the truth he has learned, and convinces his wife that everything he has already told her was due to a temporary psychological fit. The Old Man threatens him that should he fail doing so, he will have a terrible fate when they meet again, and adds that every person eventually meets the Old Man.
On Ed's return, Ruth catches him lying about where he spent the afternoon and demands he tell her the truth, while he tries to stall her long enough to come up with a story she will believe. A bark is heard and a vacuum cleaner salesman rings the doorbell. While Ruth is distracted by the salesman's demonstration, Ed escapes to the bedroom, where he shakily lights a cigarette and gratefully looks up, saying, "Thanks ... I think we'll make it—after all. Thanks a lot."
New rating: 3/5 l liked it but the ending isn't the best.
2020's ATY in 52 books: 15. A book without a person on the cover
Original Rating: : 3.5/5 I liked it
Very good short story. This's the story that inspired Matt Damon's movie The adjustment bureau . I really liked the movie and wanted to read this. The movie takes some things but is completely another story.
Phillip K Dick's writing is engaging and creative. If you don't know, many (a ton) of sci-fi movies are based or inspired on his works: Blade runner, total recall, minority report, next, paycheck, a scanner darkly, impostor, the man in the high castle, among others. He is an important figure in sci-fi, and often explored the question about what's real and identity.
I liked this very much, is interesting, creative, intriguing, it puts your imagination to fly. I recommend it.
Spoiler
From wikipedia
man called the Clerk approaches a talking dog, and explains in businesslike manner that "Sector T137" is scheduled for "adjustment" at 9 o'clock. He instructs the dog to bark at exactly 8:15, which the Clerk explains will summon "A Friend with a Car", which will take real estate salesman Ed Fletcher to work before 9, but while the Clerk is preoccupied, the dog falls asleep and as a result barks a minute too late. Inside Ed's house, while he is getting ready for work, Ed is accosted by a door-to-door insurance salesman and doesn't leave for work until 9:30. Ed arrives at his office building, but upon stepping onto the curb, finds himself in a sunless version of the world where everything and everyone is immobile, ash-grey, and crumbles at his touch. Ed is accosted by white-robed men, who talk about "de-energizing" him with a hose-like piece of equipment, but he flees outside and across the street, back to the everyday world, fearing he's had a psychotic episode.
The Clerk is brought to the top-level Administrative Chambers to explain what went wrong to someone referred to only as "the Old Man", who decides to personally deal with this unusual situation and orders Ed "brought up here". Meanwhile, Ed has found his wife Ruth and told her about the experience. With Ruth accompanying him for moral support, Ed returns to his workplace to prove he has not experienced a full psychotic breakdown or seen behind the fabric of reality, as he still fears. Things seem normal at first, and Ruth leaves, but he soon realizes people and objects have changed in their appearance, location, age, and countless other subtle differences. Panic stricken, he runs to a public phone to warn the police, only to have the phone booth ascend heavenward with Ed inside.
Meeting the Old Man, Ed first thinks he is dead, but is informed he is only visiting. The Old Man tells him that a correction was being made, it was a very serious error, he was not changed, and his revealing to others what he saw is a grave threat, explaining, "the natural process must be supplemented—adjusted here and there. Corrections must be made. We are fully licensed to make such corrections. Our adjustment teams perform vital work." In this instance, the adjustment is to bring about a chain of events that will lessen Soviet–Western Bloc war tension. Ed is allowed to return without being de-energized and adjusted, on the condition that he tell no one the truth he has learned, and convinces his wife that everything he has already told her was due to a temporary psychological fit. The Old Man threatens him that should he fail doing so, he will have a terrible fate when they meet again, and adds that every person eventually meets the Old Man.
On Ed's return, Ruth catches him lying about where he spent the afternoon and demands he tell her the truth, while he tries to stall her long enough to come up with a story she will believe. A bark is heard and a vacuum cleaner salesman rings the doorbell. While Ruth is distracted by the salesman's demonstration, Ed escapes to the bedroom, where he shakily lights a cigarette and gratefully looks up, saying, "Thanks ... I think we'll make it—after all. Thanks a lot."
tmleblanc's review against another edition
3.0
After watching The Adjustment Bureau I picked the short story it was based on up from Amazon for 99 cents. I was intrigued by how a short story could be woven into such an intricate movie plot.
a_o's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
eososray's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting premise but a short story wasn't enough to fully realize its potential.
rebeccazh's review against another edition
I happened to be watching the film, The Adjustment Bureau, which prompted me to pick this short story up. And it's a chilling story -- there are times when I've wondered if chance events like spilling your coffee, or missing the bus, or finding 50 cents, are actually not chance encounters, but events that work together to create a ripple-effect to cause certain things to happen -- in other words, every event, from the smallest to the largest, happens according to some unseen plan/structure. A world of determinism where human free-will/autonomy is quite nonexistent, since even our impulses/thoughts/actions are predicted.
The creepiest part for me was that the Adjustment Team (the Clerks, the Summoners, the Old Man) are alluding to angels/God/Heaven. I was once religious, and the thought of a technocratic Heaven/God/angel is kind of chilling, since it seems to be the antithesis of peace/love/warmth, etc.
But anyway, this was such a fantastic read.
The creepiest part for me was that the Adjustment Team (the Clerks, the Summoners, the Old Man) are alluding to angels/God/Heaven. I was once religious, and the thought of a technocratic Heaven/God/angel is kind of chilling, since it seems to be the antithesis of peace/love/warmth, etc.
But anyway, this was such a fantastic read.
nakedsushi's review against another edition
3.0
Adjustment Team was the first Philip K. Dick story I read. I went through this quick story in preparation for the movie. The setting and characterization was sparse, but I gather that's the norm for a Philip K. Dick short story. I couldn't help thinking of scenes in Dark City when I read about the adjustment hours. I probably would have liked this story better if I hadn't known what it was about.
elenab_elless's review against another edition
3.0
Too short..
Even though the story is very brief, it is quite mind-bending.
The idea that hidden manipulators controlling our lives is the main focus of the story.
The lack of free will and the existence of a Plan for every person or a global master Plan is unbearably poignant and there are multiple ways of interpreting and develop upon that idea: fate, destiny, religion, true love?
Who was adjusting the adjustment team and the Old Man?
Also, the talking dog - really?!
Our methods may seem strange and indirect. Even incomprehensible. But I assure you we know what we're doing.
Even though the story is very brief, it is quite mind-bending.
The idea that hidden manipulators controlling our lives is the main focus of the story.
The lack of free will and the existence of a Plan for every person or a global master Plan is unbearably poignant and there are multiple ways of interpreting and develop upon that idea: fate, destiny, religion, true love?
Who was adjusting the adjustment team and the Old Man?
Also, the talking dog - really?!
Our methods may seem strange and indirect. Even incomprehensible. But I assure you we know what we're doing.