Depressing and dystopian, but some stories are the source of a few major movies (Total Recall and Minority Report at least) so I wanted to read before watching. Well-written and interesting but way too depressing for me. ( )

Several good stories in this batch, but nothing that really blew my mind. I've also just read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and feel like based on these two books of Dick's (the only two I've read), he works much better in longer form prose. Still, it was need to read. ( )

Absolutely amazing. I've always meant to read some of his stuff, so a book full of short stories seemed perfect. It contains most of the stories which have been adapted into movies.

I found it fascinating from a psychology perspective too. I had heard that Dick may have been schizophrenic, and I can absolutely see where that comes from, now. So many of the stories involve paranoia, warping of reality, or a complete disbelief in reality. That he is able to tackle those themes on such a deep level and still construct fascinating stories all around it shows how much skill he had.

Ratings:- ( )

Before reading this, I was awfully worried I wouldn't like these PKD stories as much (or even a fraction of the amount) of the movies that they were made into. And so I put it off, and with the help of another procrastinator, we put it off some more.

But then it finally happened. I read them. And all my worries melted away.

The core stories are all fantastic. The details in the movies flesh it out a lot, but the core stories are fantastic. :)

I won't mention all, but I will mention a few of my favorites.

Beyond Lies the Wub - a great sarcastic, meaty philosophical treat.
Paycheck - Almost play-by-play the same as the movie. Fun.
Second Variety - Screamers movie, perhaps BETTER than the movie. :)
Imposter- One of my favorite unknown PKD movies, same fundamental twist.
The King of the Elves - Funny and sad at the same time, and I would love to see this turned into a full movie.
Adjustment Team - On the fence. Probably as good as the movie.
Autofac - A great dystopia, post war, crazy.
The Minority Report - I really got into the subtleties of the *three* minority reports, this time.
The Days of Perky Pat - Creepy because we're already here.
A Game of Unchance - Carnie fun on outposts.
We Can Remember It for You Wholesale - Total Recall, anyone?
Faith of Our Fathers - Communist China has taken over the world, but who took over the Chinese?
The Electric Ant - A fantastic perception/reality fable featuring an android PoV. :)
The Exit Door Leads In - Perfect for all of us who just want to rebel. The MC is a weenie tho. :)

I definitely enjoyed these. The ones I didn't mention were not bad, mind you, after all, this is PKD. :) ( )

I got this out to read a sampling of Dick's early work and Jonathan Lethem's essay. The strength in his intro is qualifying the man Dick was, his ambitions and how he never felt accepted. It sets up the chronological ordering of the stories and the intention to showcase the writer Dick was and became over his career. A number of these I was already familiar with from the audiobook of his short stories Mason burned for the car years ago.

New fav: "The King of the Elves"

I should note I didn't read all of the stories and I will return to this collection. Best overall selection of his shorter works I've come across.