Eye In The Sky

I'm about 60-years-old and have been a fan of Philip K. Dick's fiction ever since I was a teen and bought a paperback of his Dr. Bloodmoney from a local news stand.Of all the books of his that I've read, Eye in the Sky is my favorite. Here's why:Nobody played the alternate universe (or reality) theme better than he did.Eye in the Sky brilliantly explored our reality through the eyes of several different people who each had their own viewpoint (sometimes clouded by mental illness) and, with a grim humor, he elucidated those realities and the terrors that the others protagonists -- trapped in such alternate universes -- felt, went through.While this book wasn't as subtle about alternate realities as others of his were (Man in the High Castle, Three Stigmata, Martian Time-Slip), it is in many ways more enjoyable because you know what is about to occur - a new reality - but not what idiosyncrasies it will contain because of the neurosis of the "creator" of that reality.A great novel.Okay, my only gripe and also the only reason I didn't give it five stars instead of four: It's overpriced. Charging almost $10 dollars for a half-century-old book is just greed on the part of the publisher or Dick's legatees. Having said that, well, I still paid the price of admission because I had sold my old Ace paperback version of it a few years ago when I needed some money and since then . . . I've wanted to read it again. That says a lot about a novel. I guess I'm a hypocrite!So, aside from price, this is a wonderful read.

Jack Hamilton is about to start his dream job in nuclear physics, when things begin to go wrong. Seems his wife is accused of having "communist" sympathies. Remember, this was in the 1950s. Before that can be resolved, disaster strikes--some type of accident at the Belmont Bevatron particle accelerator. Jack and Marsha and six others are involved in a freak accident, and wake up in a strange new world--an alternate reality. And not only that, but a succession of other alternate realities. And each of these explores some profound questions about reality itself. What is reality? Do we create it in our own image? Is there really a God out there? Is Marsha really a communist? Will Jack get the job? Will he survive? You have to read the book to find out.A string of unlikely and disturbing episodes illumines these and other deep questions. Things get more than scary. The issues of the 1950s are a little different from those of the 2000s, or are they? A novel of ideas, Eye In The Sky will make you think. What would Jack experience today in the same unlikely situation? How would you fare in these unimaginable worlds?Author PKD is a classic sci fi author from the golden age of the genre. His writing is straight-forward, punchy, unpretentious. If you like novels that make you think, if you've always wondered about where your own reality comes from, you will love this little book. I'm glad it's been reissued and I recommend it highly. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber.

To be as precise as possible, this novel rocked! For years, I was only reading post-50s novels by Philip K Dick. Everything from THE THREE STIGMATA OF PALMER ELDRITCH to FLOW MY TEARS, THE POLICEMAN SAID, and rarely, was I disappointed. The man was the most reliably brilliant sci-fi writer of his times. His sci-fi was always different, too. He took on social issues, race issues in America, international affairs, all crossing over into the classic elements of science-fiction. I finally gave his 1950's catalogue a try, and once again, I've read something I love.EYE IN THE SKY. This book was great, and feels so under-appreciated. How did PKD manage to keep his work dark, yet compelling? Hilarious, yet nerve-wrecking? undreamed of, yet educational? Not only do you learn a lot when you read any PKD novel, be it about history or physics, or German (even Latin, at times), but you can completely grasp the images he punches into his typewriter. He never really revised his work, just went with his gut, and told the story as precisely as possible. A method which has its pros and cons, but for Phil, it managed to work out perfect, because his stories are a joy to read. His criticism of America for its time is very edgy, and his curiosity for science and its way of bringing us together (and in this novel's case, you can't get much closer!) was ahead of its time.I plan on reading more of Philip K Dick's 50s work. And I already know I'll be rereading EYE IN THE SKY in the distant future.Also, a plus for the gorgeous cover by MARINER publishing. There were a few typos here and there, but they weren't big enough to stray any reader away.

As readers know, what fascinated Dick were the questions: Why is man here? What registers the reality that sparks man to act? or put another way: Is there a cosmic puppeteer pulling man's invisible strings. With EYE IN THE SKY the reader sees the bare bones of Dick's questions which he later polished in later novels.By presenting scenes in which the seven other characters were forced to live in the pleasant or horror fantasy version of one character, Dick vividly illustrates the old philosophical question of solipsism. Is reality constructed within each and every person's brain? The illusory worlds that his characters were forced to live in would seem to answer that question in the positive. Is man's reality merely a projection of the deity's eye in the sky? Is man living in the dream world of a god?Beneath all the surplus of words in this story, of too many virtual worlds, was the stark suggestion of solipsism -- that each and every mind, given the power, could construct its own world to live in. As an aside, the mere recitation of the story elements of a book is hardly helpful in deciding if there was any "take home" value. Such a review shows zero creative content

OK, so basically what we have here is a group of folk who are affected by an explosion whilst they are touring a scientific laboratory and all end up inside a series of universes that have been created inside each of the groups heads, thereby existing according to the rules, bigotry, point of view of each of the group in turn. Of course there is no telling if the final universe that they end up in is the real thing.........Fascinating, thought provoking and potentially a superb, if not somewhat confusing, film.

having seen all of the films of books,not knowing that they were written by philip.k.dick ,i decided to try and delve into his mind and what a trip that was.at first i struggled with the theological aspect, but soon realised that p.k.d was not just a sf writer, but was a master of suspense,comedy, and horror, one of the most important and skillfull writers of our generation,but also every generation to come! 5 stars are not enough for this man. Eye In The SkyEye In The Sky

One of my favourite PKD books.... just loved viewing the world through other people's mind. A good pace to the story

My first PKD, but not my last. Reads like a combination of detective and SF with a touch of fantasy.

I have read this before, but I couldn't find it in my collection. I will read it again. An observation bridge collapses at the LBL cycletron and we read through a series of alternative worlds, never knowing how the story will end. Fantastic!