Philip K Dick
Selected Short Stories
[Folio Society]
I consider myself a sci-fi book nerd. Or at least I used to be. A new job can be a stressful thing. So much so that I haven’t read any books this year…period. At one point I was reading 50 a year! What happened to me? Oh, yeah, the new job. I read this a few years ago and just now am getting around to reviewing it.
But back when I had the time, I sure loved me some old-timey sci-fi. Asimov was my dude, and to be honest, Philip K Dick should be as well. I thought The Man in the High Castle was just OK, so maybe that’s why I didn’t dive any deeper. I should really read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? But any good sci-fi author writes good short stories as well, and these selected short stories compiled by Folio seemed like a good place to start.
Boy, are these good!
I don’t know if the short story might be my favorite format for sci-fi, but this collection might be a good argument for that. Philip K Dick knows how to write a compelling story and interesting characters in sometimes just a few dozen pages. Maybe it’s because his characters and their personalities are instantly recognizable. Maybe it’s because the stakes are so high in all these stories. It’s so fun to dive into one of these interesting little worlds and move to the next one like satisfying appetizers. It’s easy to make a meal out of them too. Also, the old-timey retro-futuristic backdrop just adds more character to these stories. What a heavy hitter this guy was! These are backbones for Total Recall and Minority Report, y’all!
This Folio edition is gorgeous and damn-near over the top, with a beautiful thick binding, lush paper and gorgeous art for every story. It’s a heavy thing to slog around, so maybe it’s better to get in a cozy chair with a fez and dig in.
I loved it! YOU should love it!
