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A review by acaskoftroutwine
Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick by Philip K. Dick
4.0
A pretty great collection of stories, starting from early in Philip K. Dick's career all they way to near the end. You really get to see his development as a writer as it goes along, and his transition from more classic sci-fi all the way to his later, more experimental works. Even from the beginning though you can see his themes of reality, personhood, and the nature of authority even from early on in his career.
Even if you aren't going into this as a starting point with Philip K. Dick's writing, it's a fun read and there was only one story I didn't like near the end. Be aware though, a lot of these stories were written on tight deadlines to keep the heating on and put food on the table, so the writing itself can be a bit rough at points, especially near the beginning. I never found it too distracting, and I don't feel that the stories suffer because of it. Dick's ideas are strong enough that even when the writing can be a bit overly terse or detached, the story itself is still a fascinating read.
I'd recommend Roog, Foster, You're Dead!, Autofac, The Days of Perky Pat, Faith of Our Fathers, The Exit Door Leads In, and I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon if you just want to flip through to a few of them, but all of them are great and are recommended.
Even if you aren't going into this as a starting point with Philip K. Dick's writing, it's a fun read and there was only one story I didn't like near the end. Be aware though, a lot of these stories were written on tight deadlines to keep the heating on and put food on the table, so the writing itself can be a bit rough at points, especially near the beginning. I never found it too distracting, and I don't feel that the stories suffer because of it. Dick's ideas are strong enough that even when the writing can be a bit overly terse or detached, the story itself is still a fascinating read.
I'd recommend Roog, Foster, You're Dead!, Autofac, The Days of Perky Pat, Faith of Our Fathers, The Exit Door Leads In, and I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon if you just want to flip through to a few of them, but all of them are great and are recommended.