Books

PKD’s ‘Solar Lottery’ (1955) a messy, fascinating SF debut

“Solar Lottery” (written in 1954, published in 1955) isn’t too bad considering it’s Philip K. Dick’s first-published sci-fi novel, and it’s fun to see early

READ MORE

‘The World Jones Made’ (1956) examines absurdity of laws

“The World Jones Made” (written in 1954, published in 1956) is among the least clunky of Philip K. Dick’s 1950s sci-fi novels. It blends the

READ MORE

Troubled hero navigates weird sci-fi in PKD’s ‘We Can Build You’ (1972)

Philip K. Dick melds three ideas into one book in “We Can Build You” (written in 1962, published in 1972), but it flows better than

READ MORE

‘X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate’ (2017) explores Scully

Jonathan Maberry delivers an amazing Dana Scully story in “X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate” (2017) that not only shows what our favorite red-headed agent is like

READ MORE

PKD’s career starts (sort of) with ‘Gather Yourselves Together’ (1994)

“Gather Yourselves Together” (written about 1950, published in 1994) is a 373-page novel with no plot, and whether that’s a feature or a bug depends

READ MORE

‘X-Files Origins: Agent of Chaos’ (2017) explores Mulder’s past

Despite the fact that “The X-Files” lends itself to standalone mystery novels, the franchise went 18 years between “Skin” (1999) and “Origins: Agent of Chaos”

READ MORE

‘The Terror’ (2007) an illuminating mix of horror, history

Dan Simmons’ “The Terror” (2007) mixes horror and history, fiction and fear. If you’ve seen the 2018 TV miniseries, a lot of the book will

READ MORE

‘Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch’ (1965) among PKD’s darkest, best

“The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch” (written in 1964, published in 1965) has been described as dark and brutal and haunting, but I think that’s

READ MORE

Mental illness seems like a sane response in ‘Clans of the Alphane Moon’ (1964)

“Clans of the Alphane Moon” (1964) has everything I love about a Philip K. Dick novel. It grabbed me from the moment when Chuck Rittersdorf

READ MORE

PKD’s ‘Broken Bubble’ (1988) isn’t SF, but it is predictive

“The Broken Bubble” (written in 1956, published in 1988) isn’t a science fiction novel, but it is a predictive novel from Philip K. Dick. Jim

READ MORE