Ubik

A team of people with powers to combat those with psychic abilities are hired to battle psychics who have infiltrated a company, only to find out that they have been set up. One by one, they start dying, as elements of the world begin regressing into past forms... a TV becomes a radio, a jet becomes a propeller-driven plane. A fun story where the reader questions what is real and what isn't, like...more

A team of people with powers to combat those with psychic abilities are hired to battle psychics who have infiltrated a company, only to find out that they have been set up. One by one, they start dying, as elements of the world begin regressing into past forms... a TV becomes a radio, a jet becomes a propeller-driven plane. A fun story where the reader questions what is real and what isn't, like a Terry Gilliam film or a Michel Gondry film.   hide

Sorry, spoler warnings ahoy This is a hell of a book. PKD invents a world where people, after they die, are stored in 'half-life,' which is where the body is stored and the mind is still active, so people can go talk to their loved ones well after they're dead. Glen Runciter, the head of a large 'anti-psionic' corporation, and Joe Chip, one of his employees, along with about a dozen other...more

Sorry, spoler warnings ahoy This is a hell of a book. PKD invents a world where people, after they die, are stored in 'half-life,' which is where the body is stored and the mind is still active, so people can go talk to their loved ones well after they're dead. Glen Runciter, the head of a large 'anti-psionic' corporation, and Joe Chip, one of his employees, along with about a dozen other people, are drawn to the moon on a big job. It's a trap, and a bomb goes off. The rest of the book is spent trying to figure out who's actually alive, and who is in half-life. It's quite strange, but an amazing read.   hide

In a great page-turner, PKD manages to encourage the reader to question reality and world around them. Despite the fairly obvious plot and twists, PKD's unique humour and writing style keep this book afloat. While reading the book, I couldn't help but think how well it would suit itself to a play; which turned out to be no surprise when I found out that a screenplay had been written based on the...more

In a great page-turner, PKD manages to encourage the reader to question reality and world around them. Despite the fairly obvious plot and twists, PKD's unique humour and writing style keep this book afloat. While reading the book, I couldn't help but think how well it would suit itself to a play; which turned out to be no surprise when I found out that a screenplay had been written based on the novel. This means you can look forward to a fast-paced plot and the occasional action segment, enjoyable by virtually anyone.   hide

This is my absolute favorites of Dick's works, and I've read many. Though one of the reviewers here decided to outline the plot, that still does little to take away what this book has to offer. It can't be described, it must be experienced. It's at once funny, tragic, and of course contains the mind bending eeriness only Dick is capable of.