gingerreader99's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed Vulcan's Hammer so much i simply could not put it down. Only doing so when absolutely necessary. It was fantastic. Although it moved very quickly and was not very in depth. In some respects it felt more like a short story that was quite long. However it was still very interesting and other than an abrubt ending an overall fantastic story and read.
jonathan_lee_b's review
5.0
Vulcan's Hammer is metaphorically a hammer smashing metaphors into your face.
arctor59's review against another edition
5.0
an interesting look at humanity and our relationship with machines
david_agranoff's review
3.0
Not nearly as bad as I braced myself for...
PKD's 7th novel Vulcan's Hammer is considered by many, including Dick himself, to be his worst. But one of our three Dickeads counts it as his favorite so far. Can you guess which one? Plus: Salty ass supercomputers. Bread & Butter Sci-Fi. And a walking simulator.
https://soundcloud.com/dickheadspodcast/episode15vulcanshammer
PKD's 7th novel Vulcan's Hammer is considered by many, including Dick himself, to be his worst. But one of our three Dickeads counts it as his favorite so far. Can you guess which one? Plus: Salty ass supercomputers. Bread & Butter Sci-Fi. And a walking simulator.
https://soundcloud.com/dickheadspodcast/episode15vulcanshammer
glenmowrer's review
4.0
Re-read for the umpteenth time but not for a few years. This 1960 pulp is a remarkably timely anticipation the present US political mess. Basically a warning about the power of data collection by computer and the politics of populism as well as a protest about intellectualism's dismissiveness toward people doing manual work. Facebook/Trump? I can see why Hollywood is proposing to make a film of it. On a separate plane, the story is a mild Dick narrative. Less religious/psychological/absurd themes. Nonetheless it is fun to see the idea of a car system that allows the vehicle to locate a residence in an area unknown to the driver or his discussion of the concept that single family residential properties would be a sign of extreme affluence (in a time when sfr tract homes were being built at a record level).
bartmac's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
b_niki's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0