|
Post by happydancer4 on Dec 26, 2006 18:51:38 GMT -5
I'm reading A Scanner Darkly. I like it.
I've read:
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I liked it a lot. (basis of the film Bladerunner)
Flow My Tears the Policeman Said (not one of his best in my opinion)
I've also read a lot of short stories, which are my favorite works of his. Some have twists reminiscent of Twilight Zone stories. I wish I could locate the short story Impostor, on which the film was based.
|
|
|
Post by member727 on Dec 26, 2006 21:18:41 GMT -5
I've been meaning to see the film version of Scanner Darkly. It's supposed to be pretty good, though it's been ages since I read the novel. Personally, I prefer his earlier stuff, when he still had that 50s vibe going on. Though the later novels are equally good
|
|
|
Post by happydancer4 on Dec 29, 2006 13:04:21 GMT -5
I want to see the movie of A Scanner Darkly, too. It looks unique, using the animation layer on top of the actual filmed scenes to make reality/illusion less distinguishable. While I know it's popular to hate Keau Reeeves, I like him, not just for his looks. He doesn some interesting stuff.
What's PK Dick's earliest stuff? The ones you mentioned with the 50s vibe.?
|
|
|
Post by member727 on Dec 29, 2006 16:45:06 GMT -5
Um, short stories mostly. I got hold of an anthology of 'em somewhere a few years ago from the library. Until I remember which library, or what the volume was entitled, that's all the info I can give, sorry.
|
|
|
Post by Sirenna on Dec 29, 2006 17:57:25 GMT -5
Yeah, I like Keanu Reeves too. He has very vulnerable, poetic quality to him which he never loses not even when he kicking the bejeesus out of whatever bad guy. It's always done with a thoughtful zen-like air.
|
|
|
Post by member727 on Jan 2, 2007 3:22:06 GMT -5
Just saw it today Good stuff, but I should reread the novel again sometime for a refresher
|
|
|
Post by happydancer4 on Jan 2, 2007 12:21:10 GMT -5
Thanks for the response about PK Dick's early stuff, member 727. I think I may have read some of his early stories. I hope I can finish A Scanner Darkly by the weekend and rent the movie.
**slight spoiler for Lake House *** You're right, Sirenna, about Keanu Reeves. He always looks vulnerable -- I notice it in the eyes. I got a lump in my throat when I watched his character mourn in The Lake House; that was in spite of my low opinion of the movie. Another scene in the last Matrix film when something happened to Neo was also upsetting; I won't reveal anymore.
My weakness -- if there be one -- in men is what I call the wounded puppy. Keanu Reeves is a very attractive example of that. So, he'd probably be completely wrong for me -- as if there was a chance. ;D
|
|
|
Post by gibbsfandan on Feb 21, 2007 20:41:11 GMT -5
I really, really got into "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" I saw Blade Runner first, and thought that was an excellent movie (except for a fairly predictable and slightly melodramatic ending); but when I read Do Androids, etc., I found that Dick had made his novella much richer than I could've imagined from the movie. The backstory for the world he's created is fascinating, and complexities of all sorts abound in the North America depicted in the novella. (Apologies for the lack of specifics, but it's been a long time since I've read this. I should read it again.)
Blade Runner had a very dark feel (familiar to anyone who's seen it), but my recollection of DADES is that it's even more intense in its darkness. It was eerie to read, but for me, mesmerizing at the same time — I suppose largely because it was so eerie and foreign, while being set in a time that seems all too close (as with Impostor). Dick pays a great deal of attention to atmosphere, like someone who's accustomed to screenwriting, and I appreciate that element — it seems to be neglected or done half-heartedly in a good man other works of fiction.
As expected from Blade Runner, the novella also tackles some very thorny issues of morality that may be coming up sooner than we expect — maybe not in any of our lifetimes; but it seems pretty clear that Dick wants people to think about these things (and teach their children well) long before research and technology make them possible, so that people will make informed decisions about the ethical issues involved. And thoughts about the issues he presents can be generalized to other ethical issues, etc.
If that all sounds like "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" has a pedantic tone, it really doesn't, IMO. It reminds me of LOCI in its ability to present the reader with a great deal of information, and with many situations having moral ambiguity, all in a masterfully intriguing and entertaining way. The reader is left to draw his/her own conclusions.
One conclusion I came to from reading this story is that in a lot of situations, you can develop some guiding principles; but you might still wind up at the end of the day having tortured your brain to learn more and more, and to develop sound judgment, all to find out that intellect isn't nearly enough, and judgment is often relative no matter how strongly one might feel a need for at least some moral certainties.
— That's all just my impression, but I'll never forget how very much this story made me think. And want to be prepared intellectually, plus having consulted my conscience thoroughly, for certain issues that will undoubtedly become hotbeds of debate in my lifetime.
I've watched Impostor, and would also like to find the story on which it's based.
Finding this thread and reading everyone's recommendations has me pumped to find more by Philip K. Dick, even if not all his work is as good as the one work of his I've read. And I'm looking forward to watching/reading A Scanner Darkly.
|
|