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jgscherber's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
ecl05002's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
cellardoor10's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed several of the stories - short stories are not my favorite medium, generally, but Philip K. Dick definitely specialized in the short story/novella/novelette length, and uses it to good effect. Just enough detail and background to whet to the appetite, to satisfy some curiosity, to feel realized and thoughtful, but still tight and to the point. Minority Report is quite good, and I enjoyed the comedic final story of the collection, a 7 minute comical meditation on idiomatic phrases. I also found the premise of Second Variety very familiar, satisfying and intriguing, thought the twist ending was obvious to me from very early on.
I also enjoyed that this collection had a bit of a theme - thought in the past tense (memory), and thought in the future tense (The Minority Report and Pre-Crime). It helped it hang together nicely. One story about a man waning more interesting memories to feel fulfilled, one story about a man realizing he has no memory of the past 2 years of his life and what he did for work.
I went in suspicious of all the accolades for Philip K. Dick - this is the first time I've directly read his work, and I came out pleasantly surprised - he's still never going to be my favorite speculative writer, but his writing and creativity are better than I expected, and I found myself more interested in the stories than I expected.
One criticism of the audiobook - on Libby, the tracks are just labeled "Track 1, Track 2" etc., so it's quite difficult to tell when you've started a new story. Since Dick's narrator style is pretty consistent, and the audiobook reader remains the same, it's a bit of a challenge to tell what story you're in.
I also enjoyed that this collection had a bit of a theme - thought in the past tense (memory), and thought in the future tense (The Minority Report and Pre-Crime). It helped it hang together nicely. One story about a man waning more interesting memories to feel fulfilled, one story about a man realizing he has no memory of the past 2 years of his life and what he did for work.
I went in suspicious of all the accolades for Philip K. Dick - this is the first time I've directly read his work, and I came out pleasantly surprised - he's still never going to be my favorite speculative writer, but his writing and creativity are better than I expected, and I found myself more interested in the stories than I expected.
One criticism of the audiobook - on Libby, the tracks are just labeled "Track 1, Track 2" etc., so it's quite difficult to tell when you've started a new story. Since Dick's narrator style is pretty consistent, and the audiobook reader remains the same, it's a bit of a challenge to tell what story you're in.
harlando's review against another edition
4.0
PKD had an amazingly fertile imagination. I have read a lot of his books and and find that may of his ideas age very well and remain interesting far longer than most sci-fi writers.
I did see the Tom Cruise move many years before reading the story. It wasn't a great movie, but I think it is one of the exceptions to the rule that the book is always better than the movie. The story is a little terse and is also showing its age a little. In the film the pre-cognitive psychics at the heart of pre-crime are inoffensive and one is attractive. In the story they are monstrous drooling mental defectives disdained by everyone. It isn't that the story isn't good, its just harsher and less polished than the movie.
I also enjoyed the story 'the second variation,' which is a dystopian tale of humans building robots to kill humans, the robots getting too good at that, and eventually reaching such a high level of development that the robots try to kill each other.
I did see the Tom Cruise move many years before reading the story. It wasn't a great movie, but I think it is one of the exceptions to the rule that the book is always better than the movie. The story is a little terse and is also showing its age a little. In the film the pre-cognitive psychics at the heart of pre-crime are inoffensive and one is attractive. In the story they are monstrous drooling mental defectives disdained by everyone. It isn't that the story isn't good, its just harsher and less polished than the movie.
I also enjoyed the story 'the second variation,' which is a dystopian tale of humans building robots to kill humans, the robots getting too good at that, and eventually reaching such a high level of development that the robots try to kill each other.
kieranmgarvey's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
immorafray's review against another edition
3.0
Bardzo nierówne te opowiadania, zmęczyły mnie szczerze mówiąc.
mylhibug's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.5
kyra_joy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I think that this book is almost a perfect example of what short stories should be. They had just enough detail to keep you interested and to make sure you understand the world while not getting too bogged down in unnecessary details. They were a great length as well none felt like they over stayed their welcome and at the same time managed to have enough breathing room to feel like like a full story.
Very enjoyable set of stories that all feel like they shared a general theme and feeling. Can’t wait to read more of his work.
Very enjoyable set of stories that all feel like they shared a general theme and feeling. Can’t wait to read more of his work.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and War
jen52's review against another edition
4.0
I think I need to stop listening to books that are read in a certain fashion. The reader for this one has an old fashioned store that makes the story less interesting and enables me to let my mind wander. While I really enjoyed the stories, I think they'd have been much better if I had read the book with my eyes.
davefilkins's review against another edition
5.0
Incomparable. The work of PKD is timeless and epic. This collection of incredible short stories shine a spotlight on moral truths that remain pertinent today - in some cases 60+ years after the initial publication. No other sci-fi author has that longevity of relevancy.