Valis

If you are a fan of the Matrix films this is a book for you (I believe they were loosely based on the idea behind this book). It is the first book by Phillip K. Dick that I have read and it was a welcome experience. This book is about the mind, paranoia, relationships, religion - it is not like any other Sci-fi novel I have read. The author is writing about how he himself feels and about...more

If you are a fan of the Matrix films this is a book for you (I believe they were loosely based on the idea behind this book). It is the first book by Phillip K. Dick that I have read and it was a welcome experience. This book is about the mind, paranoia, relationships, religion - it is not like any other Sci-fi novel I have read. The author is writing about how he himself feels and about experiences he has had. This autobiographical aspect of the book makes it extremely interesting - you really feel that you are reading about Dick, this gives the character of Horselover Fat a completely different slant. In gereral the entire concept is enthralling to say the least, a definite must read on any Sci-fi fans list!   hide

Personally my favourite PK Dick book, but I have only read two. This is a superb, daring and touching narrative about initiation and the coming apart of the mind. The lead character, Horselover Fat, is a psuedonym for Dick himself. Philip meaning Horselover and Dick being german for Fat. It's this autobiographical aspect of the book that makes it such a treasure, especially if you've had...more

Personally my favourite PK Dick book, but I have only read two. This is a superb, daring and touching narrative about initiation and the coming apart of the mind. The lead character, Horselover Fat, is a psuedonym for Dick himself. Philip meaning Horselover and Dick being german for Fat. It's this autobiographical aspect of the book that makes it such a treasure, especially if you've had similar experiences. Highly recommended!   hide

It was sort of meandering and very introspective for the first half. Just past half it started getting pretty interesting with some physical reality being tossed in with the introspective imaginations of Dick's mind, only for it all to come tumbling down in the end. If nothing else, this is an interesting look into the mind of somebody with a strong history of drugs.

To read this book is to see the face of God. And you'll only find out what that means once you've read it, which is too late. If you're like me, you'll read the book while muttering to yourself "yeah, that makes sense!" on every other page. Only then you'll realize that it probably means you're totally nuts. Not for the faint of heart.