Books

All 25 stories from PKD’s ‘Collected Stories, Vol. 5’ (1987), ranked

Because the five volumes of “The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick” have been reprinted many times under many different names, I’m referring to them here

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‘Counter-Clock World’ (1967) so absurd that it’s funny

“Counter-Clock World” (1967) starts with a healthy dose of vintage Philip K. Dick absurdism, as an old woman pleads to be freed from her coffin

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PKD’s ‘Ubik’ (1969) packed with fascinating ideas

The aspect I most remembered from my first read of “Ubik” (1969) is the inventive, chilling and comforting notion that people exist in a “half-life”

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‘Man in the High Castle’ (1962) shows things could be worse

I remember disliking “The Man in the High Castle” (1962) on my first read, and the Amazon Prime adaptation (2015-present) – so bleak that I’d

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‘The Eternity Brigade’ (1980) critiques the inherent slavery of a military state

Inspired by Joe Haldeman’s “The Forever War” (1974) but not copying it, Stephen Goldin delivers a lesser-known but still great treatise on the dangerous intersection

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‘Buffy’ flashback: ‘One Thing or Your Mother’ (2008) (Book review)

Ironically, the “Buffy” book line ends its 1997-2008 run with a couple of firsts: “One Thing or Your Mother” (March 2008) is the debut entry

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‘The Forever War’ (1974) illustrates the futility of war

Joe Haldeman’s “The Forever War” (1974 original edition, 1997 definitive edition) is one-third of what I consider to be the trifecta of classic anti-war (or

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‘Buffy’ flashback: ‘Dark Congress’ (2007) (Book review)

In the penultimate “Buffy” book from the original run, Christopher Golden takes a noble stab at linking the books up with Joss Whedon’s comics (which

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‘The Old Religion’ (1997) goes into the mind of a wrongfully accused man

David Mamet is known for writing great dialog, but “The Old Religion” — his 1997 novel about the murder trial and conviction of innocent Jewish

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‘Buffy’ flashback: ‘The Deathless’ (2007) (Book review)

“The Deathless” (May 2007) might not rank No. 1 among all Buffyverse books – although it deserves consideration – but it’s definitely the best book

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