Vulcan's Hammer

This is kind of my favorite type of Dick novel: a story where he’s so ahead of his time, but also hilariously dated. In this book a super computer controls the world, basically pre-dating any concept of Artificial Intelligence. But at the same time, this all powerful computer gets its data from people manually entering in punch cards. It physically exists. So while this book is very modern in one sense, could easily hold its own with contemporary sci-fi, in an other it’s almost laughable how different it would be if it had our modern technology.What made me consider this, and why I read the book when I did, is because it was just announced they’re turning this into a movie. If anything the plot has probably already been done a million times (although I will say the twist here is particularly unique) but it really begs the question on how they’ll handle what the computer is made of - because it’s very vital to the plot. Without spoiling anything, a modern super computer intelligence wouldn’t really “exist” in a central spot, or certainly it would eventually find its way to be just within the internet itself. It would be able to take over phones, connected home devices, auto driving cars, etc. This Vulcan 3 has none of that.Now I’m not expecting Dick to have predicted the internet, it’s honestly it’s a little odd he didn’t. It’s like he’s so close here. And if he had, it would change this book completely.But is this book really about a super computer that controls the world? Of course not. It’s about people and power and what a post war world would be like if man all agreed that this little experiment we’ve called society and government is a failure. You know, timeless stuff.

Disclaimer: I am a PKD fanatic, but do not have a problem giving fair reviews of his work. I hadn't picked this one up for some time after browsing mediocre reviews of the novel online. To me, this ended up being extremely enjoyable and far ahead of its time. Exploration of the faults and cold calculations of a supercomputer running a world governing body, in addition to the complexities and contradictions of AI in such a position bring this world to life. While others seem to regard Vulcan's Hammer as a quick read that lacks originality or sufficient detail, I found to it be spectacularly engaging and could not put it down even once! Although not his best work, I would recommend this novel to anyone who has read and enjoyed a single PKD creation.

You asked me to rate my purchase. Checking 5 stars is not enuf. I have to write something. I am not using profanity now but enjoy this review cos it's my last.

Decent early PKD.

The novel has the elements that make PKD a great narrator an novelist, but it fall short in comparison with Ubik.

My husband knew Philip Dick back in the 50s when they both worked at Art Music in Berkeley.This was the only book he hadn't read, so he was tickled pink to get it.

Another of PKD's great stories that envision a world in the future from when this was written! And yet it contains some insights that are quite accurate.

I read this short novel pretty quickly. It clocked in around 170 pages and I spent maybe three hours or so reading it. I have to say that it does have some of the trademark Philip K Dick elements, but is a more compact, more superficial style of story. It was very entertaining, and while not as deep as many of his other works, it made for a nice read between larger books.The story starts off with a mob surrounding and murdering a Director of the world ruling organization Unity. Unity is run by a computer, namely Vulcan 3. The human Directors (mainly the head director) feed information into the computer and it sets policy, laws, taxes, etc... The only problem is that somewhere along the chain of command, there is a break down. Events began to unravel quickly and the line between right and wrong and good and evil becomes blurred.I rather enjoyed the brisk pace of the plot. It really reads like it would make a good feature film. The characters are not complex, but they are interesting in their own ways. The plot has a few twists, but nothing really too surprising. There is an unhealthy level of paranoia between the upper management of Unity, and this leads to much plotting and finger pointing. When it comes down to it though, everyone seems to be pointing fingers at someone else, just not at the true culprit(s).The ending is fast paced, but it kind of turns into pretty big battle sequence. I did find it a little hard to swallow near the end, but the actual ending was a nice payoff. The action packed finale though seemed a little different from the first 2/3 of the novel which was more a political intrigue and diabolical plot kind of feel. Still, I enjoyed it and am happy to have read it. Would I reread it again? Perhaps later in life. Many of the little science fiction elements are eerily accurate (like the vidscreens that turn on and off with a swipe of the thumb across the screen). It's often remarkable that novels like this were written in 1960. I think that's the real eye opener with this and many other PKD novels.Final thought: Well worth reading for fans, or those new to PKD, just don't use this as a barometer of his style.

Excellent Book.

Very good contact , but i ordered a hardcover book and got a softcover book , i already have 2 copies of !!