Hol

I could bore you all with excuses as to why I have never picked up a Philip K Dick novel before, but I won’t, because there isn't one that’s good enough! Apart from an attempt to listen to an abridged audio recording of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, that for some reason only lasted an hour, I stupidly neglected this author.

Well...all that’s changed now! I intend to pick up another Philip K Dick novel very shortly, because I loved this one.

As a review I had read before I began this said, it is quite an uneven book. For the first hundred or so pages, not a-lot happens. But that wasn’t a problem for me, as the protagonists (Jason) character was being explored. The first part may prove a little lack-lustre to some, but as I’m sure you know by now, I’m a character junkie, so I feel that without this character development, I wouldn’t have been as emotionally involved in Jason’s plight. Jason wasn’t the most sympathetic character I’ve ever come across, but that doesn’t really matter to me, as long as they’re multi-layered. This was mostly achieved and is why, when I came across various plot-holes, I continued to plod along. If I reach an implausible development in a novel where I don’t feel this attachment, I give-up on it.

What I loved most about this book, was the ability of Dick to weave a level of philosophy into the narrative. For example, one particular observation resonated with me, where Jason is having coffee with a recently made acquaintance. He explains how fear prohibits us from embracing life to its fullest. It may seem obvious, but it did make me think, which brings me onto my next point.

I love a book that makes me actively think. Don’t get me wrong, I love a light  read as much as the next person, but it’s nice to pepper that experience with a more taxing reading experience. That’s not to say that this was a complicated read, because it wasn’t. It did however make me think,which I really enjoyed.

Finally, all questions were resolved, but this caused another slight problem for me because the answers were revealed within the last few pages. I loved the scope of Dicks ideas, but I would have preferred the reveal slightly earlier so that there was more time for exploration of the said ideas.The novel was nicely tied up at the end and we were privy to the fate of all those concerned. I like it when an author does this, because I feel it ties things up nicely.

Anyway, I’m now a confirmed Philip K Dick fan and have already acquired another of his books, A Scanner Darkly, which I intend to start shortly.