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| Topics | | messages | Last message | | | 50 Book Challenge : colinflipper's book list | | 67 | colinflipper, Today 7:17pm |  |
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| Literary Snobs : More modern music. part 2 | | 188 | geneg, Monday 1:15pm | |
| Le Salon Litteraire du Peuple pour le Peuple : Your personal top 10 all time favorites list(s) | | 296 | tomcatMurr, November 22 | |
| 50 Book Challenge : nannybebette---the 4th inning | | 301 | nannybebette, October 28 | |
| 50 Book Challenge : chuckzak's 50 or so books fer 2009 | | 38 | jintster, October 14 | |
| Literary Snobs : Unreliable narration | | 92 | kswolff, October 4 | |
| Book talk : Books you just couldn't finish | | 25 | jayd808, July 31 | |
| 999 Challenge : Boookywooky's 999 challenge | | 44 | boookywooky, May 19 | |
| Science Fiction Fans : Religion and Science Fiction | | 61 | LucasTrask, April 26 | |
| History at 30,000 feet: The Big Picture : What if? / Would we have been better off if...... | | 70 | Feicht, April 9 | |
| SF & Fantasy : Pire bouquin, mauvais bouquins | | 7 | yannrosko, April 6 | |
| Science Fiction Fans : What are you reading? ( February 2009 ) | | 117 | bobmcconnaughey, March 11 | |
| Library of America Subscribers : Forthcoming in LoA: PKD, Volume II | | 10 | kupus, March 11 | |
| Science Fiction Fans : What are you reading? (Q4) September-December, 2008 | | 308 | sgtbigg, January 6 | |
| Book talk : Most influential book. | | 88 | sorell, December 2008 | |
| Pro and Con (Religion) : So what happens after Mr. D comes to call? | | 158 | Richard., November 2008 | |
| Science Fiction Fans : alternative political sci-fi | | 45 | RobertDay, September 2008 | |
| 50 Book Challenge : bj2211's | | 20 | bj2211, September 2008 | |
| Science Fiction Fans : the first sci-fi musical ?? | | 28 | LucasTrask, July 2008 | |
| Science Fiction Fans : You don't know Dick! (Phil, that is...) | | 113 | jargoneer, July 2008 | |
| What Are You Reading Now? : What You're Reading the Week of 3 Mayl 2008 | | 158 | ellevee, May 2008 | |
| What Are You Reading Now? : First Line Game Chapter 6 | | 199 | thekoolaidmom, May 2008 | |
| Science Fiction Fans : The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - SF Movies... and forget the Good | | 429 | CliffBurns, April 2008 | |
| Dormant: Science Fiction Fans : What are you reading Q1 '08? | | 305 | rojse, April 2008 | |
| Dormant: What Are You Reading Now? : What You're Reading the Week of 22 March 2008 | | 145 | thekoolaidmom, March 2008 | |
| Dormant: Science Fiction Fans : Advice re Classic SciFi | | 30 | hyperpat, December 2007 | |
| Dormant: Science Fiction Fans : Teaching ScFi to twelfth graders | | 21 | guildencrantz, September 2007 | |
| Dormant: Book talk : I hate Harry Potter: the hyping of books | | 41 | LadyN, July 2007 | |
| Dormant: Inklings : Message Board | | 35 | MyopicBookworm, January 2007 | |
81. Valis by Philip K. Dick
I'm not sure how to rate this book. It was good, at times tedious (I'm really not into theological debates or philosophical musings)... but, I liked Horselover Fat aka Philip Dick aka the insane guy.
So take one crazy guy slightly twisted in the head due to ... 81. Valis by Philip K. Dick
I'm not sure how to rate this book. It was good, at times tedious (I'm really not into theological debates or philosophical musings)... but, I liked Horselover Fat aka Philip Dick aka the insane guy.
So take one crazy guy slightly twisted in the head due to ... ... both, of course, but I feel like Eco put a great deal more of himself into Pendulum.
Top 10 Sci-Fi:
Dune: Herbert
VALIS: PKD
Snow Crash: Neal Stephenson
The Shadow Out of Time: H.P. Lovecraft
Illuminatus!: Shea & Wilson
Sirens of Titan: Vonnegut
The Moon is a Harsh Mistres ... ... think I'd be in this group if I wasn't?
Good point with the Gnostics. It is worth examining the schizoid genius of VALIS by PKD. In the novel, there is Philip K. Dick and Horselover Fat, and both discuss Gnosticism and limits of knowledge. Trippy as hell.
You Bright and Risen Angel ... What about the modern opera that was created based on Philip K. Dick's VALIS? I betcha that one would grab people's attention... ... a bit mind blowing, great characters, ideas that could leave you quivering... well, you'd have to read him to understand. valis is next on my list.
just a suggestion 'mad bess flint'... arrr! #24 Valis
A very different book than Dick's earlier novels. Far more philosophical. I'm still not sure what I think about it exactly. ... Suicides spend their whole time trying to understand the girls but never even scratch the surface.
I tried reading Valis because I like a lot of Philip K. Dick's work and I've often heard it described as a work of genius, but I can't get more than 30 pages in.
I've also never finished ... ... that dealt with religion in any depth were Philip K. Dick and Cordwainer Smith (Paul Linebarger). Dick's Valis trilogy (Valis, The Divine Invasion, and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer) dealt most specifically with his struggles with Christianity, but several of his other books, ... ... fiction based on some of the "what ifs" of history. Here are some examples.
'The Man in the High Castle' by Phillip K. Dick is based on the premise that the Axis won World War II and that Japan and Germany divided North America amongst themselves.
'The Yiddish Policemen's Uni ... ... Three, titled VALIS and Later Novels (no touchstone yet), due out July 30, 2009, will include:
A Maze of Death
VALIS
The Divine Invasion
The Transmigration of Timothy Archer
edited to play with touchstones... You are off to a great start! What kind of book is Valis? I have never read anything by Philip K. Dick before. I looked at some reviews, but could not really figure it out. Is this mainly a philosophy book? Thanks.
--BJ 3. Valis Philip K. Dick
Deep thinking weirdness full of human emotions and theological obsessions. Overheats by the end, but tons of interesting ruminations on religion in general and Gnosticism in particular by a disintegrating narrator. I finished Valis, I have a headache.
The problem is whenever I finish a Phillip K. Dick book I think about them to much.
Now back to A Fire upon the Deep. Valis made me want to read all of Dick's "Exegesis" (if one could survive the nuttiness) - selections available in In Pursuit of Valis. Wacky and wonderful. Found a copy of Valis at the library sale for a quarter. Up to chapter 2. I have put everything else on hold.
So far, kooky, in a good way, like most of his books. >15 - Well, last year as an attempt to read something that would enlighten me I chose Valis and Slaughterhouse-Five. Maybe not the best book choices for clarity... :-) I'm planning on reading Bad Twin for the first book in that category this year. Valis, by Philip K Dick - I wouldn't pretend to understand most of what was going on, but it was extremely interesting - particularly enjoyed the three different Dicks in the book - the author, the narrator, and Horselover Fat. Isn't that precisely what VALIS was supposed to be? 25. Valis by Philip K Dick (Finished 8/29/08) - Rating: 6/10 There's an opera version of PKD's VALIS. When I think of alternative political SF, I think of Phil Dick's VALIS and RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH. Those babies still put the whammy into me--Ferris Fremount as the dictator/president of the US of A... ... Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I'm really enjoying it, though the footnotes are really hard to follow on audio...
Valis by Philip K. Dick (not sure if I like it or not)
Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien
I started both of these last week, but it's That Time in the semester, and I ... ... It was returned to him by Bantam who asked for a rewrite. That's an indication of something wrong, don't you think? That Valis, quite arguably his best novel, comes out of the ashes of that thing is extraordinary.
I suspect if you found Dhalgren daunting, you were stopped in the first 50 ... I'll be honest -I love Valis.Once I read Valis my entire perspective on him up to that point changed. That book IS a hallucinogenic. At the time of reading it I became a little PKD obsessed and I don't think that's an unusual experience with that book. It was only some time later, after reading ... ... felt in the story and leaves unanswered questions. That's why it's necessary for him to be the central character in Valis, which almost functions like Fellini's 8 1/2. At that point in Dick's career the narrative was becoming about being Phil Dick. Don't deny it when people are building D ... ... or useful to me personally. The themes about the divided self are expressed more eloquently elsewhere, such as in Valis, and I'm just not interested in the story of a bunch of witless speedfreak stumblebums knocking over mail boxes for postage stamps. And Dick does not, for me, manage ... ... the movie. Mia Farrow's first film. Tom Courtney and Peter Cook costar.
I like Do Androids dream, Martian Time slip, Valis, and have a special fondness for Now Wait for Last year and We Can Build You.
And we wont go into Lies Inc again. ;)
I like most of Dick's novels that I've ... ... The Man Who Japed, The Man in the High Castle, Martian Time-slip, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Ubik, Valis, Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, A Maze of Death. Also some short story collections - The Little Black Box, and... er... I don't remember the titles of the ... I just put Valis on top of my TBR pile. Funnily enough, I was thinking about Valis just before I read your posting, mainly because I'd been reading your comments about the conspiracy nut books in another thread and I was reminded of when I first read it.
I struggled with 'Valis' until I was about half-way through; when suddenly I ... ... DARKLY
DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP
THE THREE STIGMATA OF PALMER ELDRITCH
UBIK
THE MARTIAN TIMESLIP
VALIS
RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH
GOLDEN MAN (short stories)
& twenty (or so) tales from his 5-volume COLLECTED SHORT STORIES OF PHILIP K. DICK
...and here's one of ... VALIS is correct, marvas! The name Horselover Fat is probably one of the stranger names I've come across in reading. I've read the first couple pages, but it's about four books down the list, so :sigh: I must wait.
You're up, marvas! It's Valis by Philip K. Dick ... be after that. Spring Break without my two older kids have been peaceful and I've got caught up with my reading.
VALIS will probably be next, since it's the book Ben is reading in the tv show LOST. I wonder if there's a LOST reading list... I should check into that... ... prenait énormément de drogues et qu'il trouvé la "Lumière". Avec La transmigration de Timothy Archer et la Trilogie Siva. Là il faut s'accrocher pour suivre son délire.
C'est en cela que Dick est un auteur extra-ordinaire. Il exploré toutes les possibilités de la science-fiction en ... ... to any notion of "good"-it doesn't, but because it's so absolutely unhinged. I probably like Ubik the best. I also think Valis is a fascinating novel. I could see people picking that as his best.
Then, High Castle, Do Androids Dream, Martian Time-Slip...
I really like Now Wait For Last Year ... ... The 70's -what an exciting time for film!
Incidentally, did everyone know that the film that's the subject of inquiry in Valis is The Man Who Fell to Earth? ... ...
1. Fragile Things = 386 pages
2. The Boy Detective Fails = 323 pages
3. Notes of a Native Son = 181 pages
4. Valis = 233 pages
5. McSweeney's 25 = 200 pages
6. Motherless Brooklyn = 311 pages
That makes a total of 1634 pages in 62 days, for a pace of 9619.5 pages in a ... ... I'm counting February 29).
I've got a 4+ hour plane flight today, so I should be able to make some good headway with Valis by Philip K. Dick. Valis blew my mind. I think I still need to read it 10 or 12 more times before I can give you any more detail than that.
t zero made me realize you can write fiction based on mathematical concepts. Ballard's War Fever contains a story in the form of an alphabetical index, another ... Personally I think Kindred by Octavia Butler would be a great book for seniors. I've seen it described as a modern slave narrative like Toni Morrison's Beloved, but it is by a respected SF author and involves time travel. It could be a great hook for kids who aren't too excited about ... ... still be himself if he is no longer autistic? ...etc. It's a very thought-provoking story.
As mamajoan has mentioned, Kindred uses a non-technical time travel to explore such themes. The time-travel, if I remember correctly, is never explained, comes on the young woman with no warning...tri ... ... choices, but I'd particularly suggest:
The man in the high castle
Ubik
The three stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Valis
A scanner darkly
Do androids dream of electric sheep ("Bladerunner") And dick is German for fat.
In fact Philip K Dick named his narrator in his novel VALIS "Horselover Fat" based on his name: Philip comes from the Greek for lover of horses. ... in terms of origin sect) than by the version of Christianity that has survived today. In contrast with Philip Dick's Valis, which actually does an okay job of re-interpreting the gnostic mythos.
And while I would be reluctant to recommend the books to my younger sister, that's not ...
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