This collection holds 12 of PKD's 121 short stories.
To be honest, these are mostly in the "just OK" and "hadn't aged that well" area, and far from his best.
Or his second best.
Or even his third best... ( )

When mechanic Jennings completes his contract with Rethrick Construction, he learns he turned down a fortunate for a number of trinkets. Since his memory of the two years he served with Rethrick has been erased, he has no idea why he gave up his paycheck. When the secret police come for him, they do not believe he has "forgotten" two years of his life and everything he knew about Rethrick. As Jennings realizes the trinkets are helping him escape from complex situations, he realizes the only way to be safe is to blackmail Rethrick into protecting him from the government. With the way the trinkets are always the perfect object at the perfect time, Jennings also realizes he was working on a machine that allowed one to view the future. He created a plan to ensure his success and survival.

SPOILERS:
The trinkets that Jennings received as payment are as follows:
-- A length of fine wire (to short out and open a police car door)
-- A bus token (to speed escape from the police)
-- A ticket stub (to locate the hidden Rethrick's building)
-- A green strip of cloth (as a worker's armband it enables him to sneak into Rethrick's building)
-- A code key (to open an exit from the Rethrick's building)
-- Half a broken poker chip (to gain entry into a gambling establishment where he hides from multiple factions)
-- A parcel receipt (to access the material he stored to blackmail Rethrick) ( )

The idea behind the story is pretty good, especially considering it came from, what, the 1940s? (And I guessed it was an older one as soon as I saw "rockets" mentioned.) But I didn't really get into it. At least "Paycheck" was a quick read and a bit interesting in parts. I have the feeling, though, that this might be one of those rare cases where the movie is better than the story/book behind it... of course, I've yet to watch the movie... ( )

Hoo-hoo, people must have been pissed when they bought this one, thinking they were getting some novelization of a movie they once half-watched on a plane. Instead they find they've bought (quelle horror!) a collection of twelve kind of/sorta related short stories, drawn from throughout Philip Dick's career. There are some good tales included but this was a pretty clever (i.e. dishonest) marketing gimmick by somebody, old stories packaged with a flashy new cover. P.T. Barnum would've approved... ( )