megatza's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Well...that was very Dick-ian in style for sure. A few weird plot threads that have found their way into the same novel and an ending to shock you.
drewreadsintherain's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
adperfectamconsilium's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
'Doctor, something terrible is happening to me. I'm becoming invisible. No one can see me. They can only smell me; I'm turning into nothing but a repellent odour!'
Heck, Richard Kongrosian is completely losing it I thought after previewing him on my von Lessinger apparatus.
The trouble with time travel equipment like this is that I can't be sure I haven't already written a review for The Simulacra.
I sipped my ersatz coffee as I pondered the problem. Maybe I'm becoming paranoid but all the possible near futures I've visited seem to point to the United States of Europe and America as being rife with conspiracy and fraud.
Some high level Ges know the truth that the president is merely an android, a simulacrum. The real power lies with the First Lady, Nicole. Would it make a difference if the Bes knew? After all, everyone seems to love her.
That pianist, Kongrosian, is one of her favourites. Going to the White House to perform without hands. Using his psi powers instead.
He's more maladjusted than everyone else or maybe my paranoia is reaching new levels.
I'd better make an appointment with Dr Egon Superb. He's the last psychiatrist after the big pharma company got them all banned.
Perhaps I should just look out for Loony Luke's Jalopy Jungle and get a ride. Emigrate to Mars. Farm some land.
Probably safer with the simulacra companies fighting over government contracts, the Strikerock brothers working for them and fighting over Vince's ex-wife.
Ian and Al were getting a Jalopy but are they too hung up on their jug band? And why are Nazis involved? Is there a fascistic takeover of the USEA about to happen? And what's up with the Neanderthals? I thought the chuppers were extinct? Perhaps I have lost my mind already.
Better make that call.
Hello, can you put me through to Dr Superb?
Heck, Richard Kongrosian is completely losing it I thought after previewing him on my von Lessinger apparatus.
The trouble with time travel equipment like this is that I can't be sure I haven't already written a review for The Simulacra.
I sipped my ersatz coffee as I pondered the problem. Maybe I'm becoming paranoid but all the possible near futures I've visited seem to point to the United States of Europe and America as being rife with conspiracy and fraud.
Some high level Ges know the truth that the president is merely an android, a simulacrum. The real power lies with the First Lady, Nicole. Would it make a difference if the Bes knew? After all, everyone seems to love her.
That pianist, Kongrosian, is one of her favourites. Going to the White House to perform without hands. Using his psi powers instead.
He's more maladjusted than everyone else or maybe my paranoia is reaching new levels.
I'd better make an appointment with Dr Egon Superb. He's the last psychiatrist after the big pharma company got them all banned.
Perhaps I should just look out for Loony Luke's Jalopy Jungle and get a ride. Emigrate to Mars. Farm some land.
Probably safer with the simulacra companies fighting over government contracts, the Strikerock brothers working for them and fighting over Vince's ex-wife.
Ian and Al were getting a Jalopy but are they too hung up on their jug band? And why are Nazis involved? Is there a fascistic takeover of the USEA about to happen? And what's up with the Neanderthals? I thought the chuppers were extinct? Perhaps I have lost my mind already.
Better make that call.
Hello, can you put me through to Dr Superb?
galro's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
cythera15's review against another edition
4.0
Still don't like PKD but have to accept he is interesting
david_agranoff's review against another edition
4.0
Yeah, so we have A Russian telekinetic piano player Time travel, Robot presidents and actresses cast in the role of the ultra-powerful First lady, hyper packed apartment buildings with class-organized populations and a Jug-band with a Martian pet with the power of suggestion. Oh don't for the dudes build and Martian shuttle Jalopies and a political revolution.
Our episode of Dickheads podcast about it...We were lucky enough to have author Cody Goodfellow stop by and give his thoughts on this wacky post-apocalyptic book with a whopping 56 named characters. This one is packed with highbrow humor along with all the regular Dickian elements. Plus: Dick's Divorcepedia. The Japanese Linda Ronstadt. And I finally hates some things (fortunately none of them is this novel.)
https://soundcloud.com/dickheadspodcast/episode-23-the-simulacra-with-cody-goodfellow
Our episode of Dickheads podcast about it...We were lucky enough to have author Cody Goodfellow stop by and give his thoughts on this wacky post-apocalyptic book with a whopping 56 named characters. This one is packed with highbrow humor along with all the regular Dickian elements. Plus: Dick's Divorcepedia. The Japanese Linda Ronstadt. And I finally hates some things (fortunately none of them is this novel.)
https://soundcloud.com/dickheadspodcast/episode-23-the-simulacra-with-cody-goodfellow
isd's review against another edition
4.0
As it often happens, I had no idea what I was stepping into when I started reading the Simulacra. For a while I expected it to be more about settling Mars than the weird house-complex stuff and this very peculiar more-than-half-German system.
Then we got psychokinetics, nuclear war -produced unpeople, supreme state secrets splitting the United States of Europe and America (I guess that's what USEA stood for) into pretty much two castes of people: those who knew the secret(s) and those who didn't and were worse people for that. Somehow pleasing the president's wife was the goal for everyone and while the president, der Alte, served terms, Nicole, the wife was always there and clearly in charge.
I'm not going to pretend to analyze the story or even summarize it, enough people have done it already - and much better than I could. The very beginning of the book was a bit strange, didn't quite sink its hooks into my sci-fi -starved mind, but at some point the complicated storylines started flowing and kicked into gear.
One of the key strangenesses that bothered me heavily in the early part was the brothers Strikerock arguing about which of them gets to live with Julie - neither giving no thought to the fact that it's not up to them to decide. That bothered me even if I'm usually pretty good with accepting that this sort of shit worked a bit differently 57 years ago.
Most of the von Lessinger -related plots could've been explored further, I was expecting at least a minor disaster with the Germans from the Age of Barbarism. All that dwindled away without a puff, which was kind of disappointing because I would've really welcomed even more surreal events.
All in all, I highly enjoyed this, even or especially if it took my expectations and threw them into the bin.
Then we got psychokinetics, nuclear war -produced unpeople, supreme state secrets splitting the United States of Europe and America (I guess that's what USEA stood for) into pretty much two castes of people: those who knew the secret(s) and those who didn't and were worse people for that. Somehow pleasing the president's wife was the goal for everyone and while the president, der Alte, served terms, Nicole, the wife was always there and clearly in charge.
I'm not going to pretend to analyze the story or even summarize it, enough people have done it already - and much better than I could. The very beginning of the book was a bit strange, didn't quite sink its hooks into my sci-fi -starved mind, but at some point the complicated storylines started flowing and kicked into gear.
One of the key strangenesses that bothered me heavily in the early part was the brothers Strikerock arguing about which of them gets to live with Julie - neither giving no thought to the fact that it's not up to them to decide. That bothered me even if I'm usually pretty good with accepting that this sort of shit worked a bit differently 57 years ago.
Most of the von Lessinger -related plots could've been explored further, I was expecting at least a minor disaster with the Germans from the Age of Barbarism. All that dwindled away without a puff, which was kind of disappointing because I would've really welcomed even more surreal events.
All in all, I highly enjoyed this, even or especially if it took my expectations and threw them into the bin.
princessvee's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5