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samdalefox's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-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? No
2.25
Strong start, weak ending, not up to the standards I expect from Philip K. Dick. The narrative is easy to read and fast paced. The themes are actually really interesting, but Dick doesn't develop them at all! The ending is rushed and cheesy in that it is unsubtle and inauthentic. The whole Adam and Eve thing repopulating the species is so incredibly dull, cliche, conveniently quick, Western-colonial-focused, and HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE MUCH BETTER BY OTHER SUPERB AUTHORS, notably Jame Tiptree Jr (Alice Bradley Sheldon) . It would have been much more interesting if Dick had pursued the themes introduced (e.g., nature of man as violent/tendancy towards war, is this innate or a learnt habit?, and the nature of human conciousness, thinking and being) rather than present an 'elegant solution' via the ending.
Content Warnings
Minor: Terminal illness and War
sean67's review against another edition
4.0
PKD writes another classic of the genre in this short tale, from his early days. Hav ing until this year never read him before I really am enjoying these short pieces. More please!
PKD #6
A number of PKD books were on Serial Reader - the app I use that releases books in episodes so I decided to re-read them.
PKD #6
A number of PKD books were on Serial Reader - the app I use that releases books in episodes so I decided to re-read them.
carlkrantz's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting idea, as so often with Mr. Dick, just not very well executed. Not his best short story.
djotaku's review against another edition
3.0
Another Philip K Dick story from the 1950s. This one falls squarely in the pop SciFi of the magaines of the times. The science is so bad it's hilarious. What was a lot more fun was all the anachronisms from that time. Yes, we have spaceships that can travel to other systems in no time, but people don't have portable computers - they take paper files around. And the battle displays are clearly analog. It's definitely in that very old Asimovian storytelling style where the story is a bit of a mystery that the reader and protagonist have to solve. Of course, it's also incredibly a product of its time when it comes to women. The story ends with the protagonist's wife (who divorced him) essentially being kidnapped and forced to repopulate a planet with him. And, after a passionate kiss it's all good.
The story was a quick read, but not my favorite of the PKD short stories I've read.
Also, I've had this file for a while and so it's interesting to come across it after having just read Ancillary Justice.
The story was a quick read, but not my favorite of the PKD short stories I've read.
Also, I've had this file for a while and so it's interesting to come across it after having just read Ancillary Justice.
jjwalter2001's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting read from Philip K. Dick - a short story about embedding a human brain into an inanimate object. In the usual Philip K. Dick way, the story was well-written. A little bit of a corny ending, but still an interesting premise.
johhnnyinla's review against another edition
3.0
Earth is at the losing end of a war with an alien race, called Yuks, who are able traverse the universe without spaceships. To turn tides, Earth's military engineer Kramer devices a method of installing a human brain into a man made mechanical spaceship.
Professor Thomas, who is in the declining years of his life, volunteers to transplant his brain into the spaceship and to strike at the emeny. However, after brain transplant, Professor Thomas kidnaps Kramer and Kramer's ex-wife Dolores.
Instead of war, Professor Thomas decided a regenesis of the human race, with Kramer and Dolores cast as "Adam & Eve", on a far away planet would reevolve the human race sans the cultural proclivity to war.
Other than the ending of the story feeling a bit rushed and "cheesy", it is short and straight forward, and the story is a enjoyable read in-between longer novels.
My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5 stars)
http://shortbookreview.blogspot.com/2012/07/mr-spaceship-by-philip-k-dick-1953.html
Professor Thomas, who is in the declining years of his life, volunteers to transplant his brain into the spaceship and to strike at the emeny. However, after brain transplant, Professor Thomas kidnaps Kramer and Kramer's ex-wife Dolores.
Instead of war, Professor Thomas decided a regenesis of the human race, with Kramer and Dolores cast as "Adam & Eve", on a far away planet would reevolve the human race sans the cultural proclivity to war.
Other than the ending of the story feeling a bit rushed and "cheesy", it is short and straight forward, and the story is a enjoyable read in-between longer novels.
My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5 stars)
http://shortbookreview.blogspot.com/2012/07/mr-spaceship-by-philip-k-dick-1953.html
sloshydolphin's review against another edition
2.0
Short Story that is not up to PK Dicks usual standard. It is hard to describe much here without giving away the plot totally. The story did not have much in terms of surprise except the reason for the final decisions and theses seemed rather silly. Not one of his best works by a long way
tome15's review against another edition
4.0
Dick, Philip K. Mr. Spaceship. 1953.
This early short story from PKD has been published all over the place. I read it most recently as a standalone e-book. An aged professor’s brain has been transplanted into a spaceship to help fight an interstellar war against the (I’m not kidding about the name) Yuks. But he has his own ideas. Two things I just realized this time around—(1) that PKD beat Anne McCaffrey’s Ship Who series to the punch by eight years, and (2) that PKD, even at this early stage in his career was having fun with the censors. They need the professor’s brain because the old Johnson drive was inadequate as a tactician. I totally missed that in my innocent youth.
This early short story from PKD has been published all over the place. I read it most recently as a standalone e-book. An aged professor’s brain has been transplanted into a spaceship to help fight an interstellar war against the (I’m not kidding about the name) Yuks. But he has his own ideas. Two things I just realized this time around—(1) that PKD beat Anne McCaffrey’s Ship Who series to the punch by eight years, and (2) that PKD, even at this early stage in his career was having fun with the censors. They need the professor’s brain because the old Johnson drive was inadequate as a tactician. I totally missed that in my innocent youth.
venkyloquist's review against another edition
3.0
Mankind and outer space are at a constant and embittered war and as a result of superior technology and artificial intelligence the beings from Proxima Centauri are close to bringing the earthlings down to their knees. Since the ships of Mother Earth relying on a mechanical control termed Johnson's Control are being shot to submission by thought triggered space mines, a radical solution needs to be found, and found quickly.
The ideal man to devise a solution is the intelligent Kramer, a divorced space researcher and an intellectual. Goaded by the head of security, Gross, Kramer arrives at a singularly unique solution - a spaceship manned by a conscious human brain that is separated from the body. Kramer's elderly and ailing Professor, Mr.Thomas acquiesces to 'donate' his brain to the 'save-Earth-project'. Post completion of all the essential formalities, Gross and Kramer get on board a spaceship in which Thomas's brain is installed for the first test run.
What happens next is a bizarre and unpredictable sequence of events as the ship is totally at the mercy of the disembodied Professor Charles!
Mr.Spaceship - 'A wake-up call for humanity's unfettered ambitions'
The ideal man to devise a solution is the intelligent Kramer, a divorced space researcher and an intellectual. Goaded by the head of security, Gross, Kramer arrives at a singularly unique solution - a spaceship manned by a conscious human brain that is separated from the body. Kramer's elderly and ailing Professor, Mr.Thomas acquiesces to 'donate' his brain to the 'save-Earth-project'. Post completion of all the essential formalities, Gross and Kramer get on board a spaceship in which Thomas's brain is installed for the first test run.
What happens next is a bizarre and unpredictable sequence of events as the ship is totally at the mercy of the disembodied Professor Charles!
Mr.Spaceship - 'A wake-up call for humanity's unfettered ambitions'
satanicangel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: War