The Simulacra

Philip K. Dick is my favorite science fiction author, a writer who transcends that label. I have read all of his short stories and 15 of his novels. As an author, he was unafraid to go where others wouldn't, to use his own illnesses and foibles as the basis for many of his works. I even introduced my schizophrenic nephews to his work as a form of therapy, which they greatly enjoyed. That was before I read The Simulacra. Although I enjoyed some of this book, it has so many loose threads I could weave a blanket. Characters are introduced and we follow them to a certain point and then they simply disappear. Much is made of the time travel device but it is merely used as a simplistic plot gimmick. And why all the fuss over bringing back Herman Goerring just to shoot him because he wasn't Hitler? My biggest objection is that Nicole is portrayed as the leader of the USEA but it turns out that she is just a puppet of a ruling board of governors - so how does she have any real power to do some of the things she does before this piece of trivia is revealed to us? The "plot" is all over the place, and the final chapter in Jenner, introducing yet another blind alley with the Chuppers, just doesn't fit in with anything before it. I honestly feel that there are at least three different novels going on here and if any of them had been fully developed they would be much better than this hybrid. Even the title is misleading because this work has little to do with the simulacra that is the actual President or the simulacra that are manufactured for Mars. Although it is a weak entry in my Philip K. Dick collection, it still has his great dialog, offbeat characters, and humorous asides. It's not a bad book, it just isn't up to his usual standard. When it comes down to it, however, the money would be better spent on Flow My Tears The Policeman Said or The Man In The High Castle for works that handle similar themes with greater artistry.

This is in my opinion Philip K. Dicks masterpiece. My copy has spelling mistakes and I assume that the publishers thought it was just another trashy penny dreadful but it is more than that. It sums up the pre post apocalyptic future very nicely and illuminates the characters in a way that supposed 'literature' cannot or will not do. The Simulacra used to be a staple of second hand bookshops but has almost gone now which is a real shame as it is one of the top ten books of the twentieth century!

The Simulacra by PKD is in many ways different from other works.On a ravaged laden Earth we are introduced to several main characters, all of them lonely, depressed, a little whacky, yet mostly wanting nothing more than to leave Earth and live on Mars. Richard Kongrosian is a middle aged musician with telekinetic powers, who is able to play the keyboard like a God, with his mind only. Yet he only wants nothing more than to be left along. Nat Flieger is a music recorder who intends to record Kongrosion, yet the old man is gone, missing, and a journey through a wasteland of rotted life and mutation, can he learn the truth? Believe me, there are many more characters, all with significant problems, some sick, delusional, even a time traveler gets involved. Dicks character development was really on point here. You could really get into some of these peoples lives and problems. The backdrop, set in an post apocalyptic setting as well as a police state really intensified the story. The story? Well, that's up to you. For me, this is a book about people who want out from under, to escape and be free...somewhere else, somewhere different.Its the journey with these characters that makes for an exciting read. The story for me was mundane and I didn't really care, I just wanted to know where these people would wind up in the end. It will surely, spin your mind.

I'm a huge PKD fan (not physically big; my admiration of his work is huge), but this novel was a disappointment. There's no real plot to speak of; the whole thing is too fragmented. From the title, I thought it would address issues of reality, as did Blade Runner, but simulated humans play a distinctly minor role in the book. There are many characters, each of whom has problems and challenges to face, but nothing really ties it together, and the characters interact on an ad hoc basis. There are the classic PKD science fiction elements of "time travel, psychotherapy, telekinesis, androids, and Neanderthal-like mutants," conspiracies paranoia, oppressive government, and a future setting; but it seems like he threw together all the leftover characters and plot devices from a dozen novels and patched them together into this.

There's no pretension that he was writing particularly serious literature here. This is a fun multi-faceted pulp paparback science fiction story, full of ideas and vividly written. It reminds me particularly of "The Man in the High Castle" if written with less pretension, and I rank this book pretty closely to that one.

OK, I love Phillip K. Dick, even when I don't understand himSimulacra is one of those books you can read many times and every time explore a new avenue. Dick is one of the rare authors whose works are so complicated, so many tangents, yet always a good story. Science Fiction for the thinking person.

an enjoyable read about an all-too-plausible future in the United States of Europe and America.

This book really was fun and engaging. Couldn't quite decide if I like the last few pages... I guess I just wanted there to be more..Thank you Dick.

When he is good he is the best .... in this one he is very good.Lines like:"How are you going to work an event like that into your Weltanschauung?"Some of his perennial themes present here:⏺ Bogus Leaders [Androids/Holograms/Simulacra]⏺ Synthetic vs real⏺ Deep State [Corporations]⏺ Manipulation of the masses⏺ All-pervading drone ads [no doubt another other bit of the future he "knew" about in 1960]⏺ Psychotherapy/analysis⏺ Neanderthal throwbacks [also in The Man Whose Teeth...]Dick on fire.

"A few years from now the President of the USA will be an android and his entire government a fraud. Everyone in the country is maladjusted. Doesn't seem possible, does it? Welcome to the world of Dr. Superb, the sole remaining psychotherapist. Philip K. Dick tells a story of desperate love, lethal body odour and an attempted fascistic takeover of the USA and shows that there is always another layer of conspiracy beneath the one we see."-- from the back coverWritten in 1963 and published in 1964, The Simulacra (Dick's twelfth published novel) explores a number of themes Dick had an abiding interest in, totalitarian police states, paranoia, psychic abilities, false realities, conspiracy etc..As with all PKD's works this novel makes you marvel at his imagination but also (if you are of a philosophical turn of mind) brings you to question and consider the themes he raises for yourself."[Dick] sees all the sparkling and terrifying possibilities. . . that other authors shy away from."--Paul Williams, Rolling Stone"The most consistently brilliant SF writer in the world"--John Brunner"Dick quietly produced serious fiction in a popular form and there can be no greater praise"--Michael Moorcock"One of the most original practitioners writing any kind of fiction, Philip K. Dick made most of the European avant-guarde seem navel-gazers in a cul-de-sac"--Sunday TimesIf you are new to Philip K Dick's work I would also recommend the following novels (which generally seem to be regarded as among his best): The Man In The High Castle (S.F. Masterworks) Ubik (S.F. Masterworks) A Scanner Darkly (S.F. Masterworks) Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? (S.F. Masterworks) That said, though some of PKD's works are better than others, to my mind they are all well worth reading. I would also recommend his short story collections: Beyond Lies The Wub: Volume One Of The Collected Short Stories Second Variety: Volume Two Of The Collected Short Stories The Father-Thing: Volume Three Of The Collected Short Stories Minority Report: Volume Four Of The Collected Short Stories We Can Remember It For You Wholesale: Volume Five of The Collected Short Stories Also of interest may be the fine biography of Philip K Dick by Lawrence Sutin  Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick (Gollancz S.F.)The Man In The High Castle (S.F. Masterworks)Ubik (S.F. Masterworks)A Scanner Darkly (S.F. Masterworks)Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? (S.F. Masterworks)Beyond Lies The Wub: Volume One Of The Collected Short StoriesSecond Variety: Volume Two Of The Collected Short StoriesThe Father-Thing: Volume Three Of The Collected Short StoriesMinority Report: Volume Four Of The Collected Short StoriesWe Can Remember It For You Wholesale: Volume Five of The Collected Short StoriesDivine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick (Gollancz S.F.)

First of all, the story is fantastic and the book itself is brilliant, but the editing for this Kindle version is poor.I'm not sure how you go about converting a book to Kindle, and I don't think the publishers were either. There are a lot of mistakes. Words merge together, the punctuation is all over the place and the paragraphs look like they've been hacked and thrown onto the page. It makes for a difficult and sometimes frustrating read.Good story, but probably better editions out there.

Incredible book from an incredible mind.

I wonder. Did the disco group get their name from one of the characters from this book ? What more can i say about a Philip K. Dick book ? Nearly all of them are highly recommended and a must read for the pschydelic sci fi reader. And love, there is always love involved.