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 taking too many 'uppers', let one of his girl friends jump out of a window, let his wife leave with the kid, kill off another one of his girl friends and then set the poor guy on a course trying to figure out just what we humans are and where are we going. Oh, and be sure to throw in a pink laser beam containing mysterious information and aim it at his brain, and surround him with a handful of other wacky characters. Dip into Greek mythology, gnosticism, Christianity, and an unexplained dead cat... well, it's explained how it died but not the why it died, well, according to little Sophia, the new messaih, the why is because it was stupid. Put all of this together, bring a sane, stable mind to the table (yourself I'm assuming, but I may be wrong) and watch yourself unravel.

It's fiction. It's partly autobiographical. It's a crazy new religion, if I were to use religion in a general sense that's defined as why we're here and where we're going and what we should do to go where we're going.

It confused me until Eric Lampton (Eric Clapton/Peter Frampton combination, name-wise with the mind of Jim Morrison??) and Mini (Brian Eno??) came into the picture and confirmed that all of this was indeed crazy. But then, Horselover Fat came back and I was confused again.

I really don't know what I'm saying here. I really don't know how to discuss this book. I do want to read The Chronicles of Narnia. Funny thing that this book would lead me to that book. But then nothing is really funny... except for Kevin's dead cat.

And one more thing... my number 714 was mentioned in this book. That's cool. Maybe I'll go to India now. Something needs to be found. ( )

Probably my favorite PKD book. The mix of religion and sci-fi paranoia is just right. ( )

Probably my favorite PKD book. The mix of religion and sci-fi paranoia is just right. ( )

Having only previously read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, I'm not sure I was entirely prepared for this book, but I still found it fascinating.

It's not scifi, it's mostly an autobiographical account of possible schizophrenia with some fiction thrown in. The subject of the book, Horselover Fat, has an experience in which he thinks that he has interacted not God, but "Zebra," the rational being behind the irrational world. This interaction occurs through a beam from a pink laser. The author of the book experienced the same thing, at the same time.

Fascinating, at times fantastical, and then at times so lucid in its truth that it's hard to believe. If you have an interest in Gnostic Christianity or the nature of existence, you'll probably enjoy it even more than I did. ( )

I was having immense trouble with this book, probably because I was reading it in small-ish chunks whilst on my daily commute. I could make no sense of it whatsoever.

But suddenly, one morning, I was sat on the bus and just as we passed the turn-off for the village of Breadsall in Derbyshire (England), it hit me. I understood what this book was about. It all made sense. I arrived at work a different person. Even now, the fact that I could take you to exactly where I was when it happened shows what a blinding flash of insight I had. (And no, there was no pink light.)

But I got better.

Now, years later, I remember little about it except that it demonstrated to me what a wierd place the inside of PKD's head was in his later years. ( )

VALIS is a consummate neo-Gnostic novel, written after the author’s own spontaneous mystical experience. It shows Dick at the height of his writing abilities, introspective powers, and spiritual insight. And it made me laugh out loud!

This book is weird. I mean really weird--even by Philip K. Dick’s standards. VALIS (or Vast Active Living Intelligence System) chronicles the search of Horselover Fat for truth after being contacted by God through a pink beam of light. In undertaking this spiritual, philosophic, and cosmic journey, Horselover faithfully pens his exegesis. A (VERY) tiny taste of the weirdness you are in for:

Entry 18. Real time ceased in 70 C.E. with the fall of the temple at Jerusalem. It began again in 1974 C.E. The intervening period was a perfect spurious interpolation aping the creation of the Mind. “The Empire never ended,” but in 1974 a cypher was sent out as signal that the Age of Iron was over; the cypher consisted of two words: KING FELIX, which refers to the Happy (or Rightful) King.

Exactly. VALIS is a very strange book, but it actually is straightforward (to an extent) up until the introduction of the rock star Mother Goose and his film. Then the lines of reality become a bit more nebulous. One cannot say that Horselover finds the answers he is looking for in the end, and it is dependent upon the reader’s personal interpretation as to whether this book offers Horselover a happy (or even just satisfying) ending. This is one of my favorite PKD novels--it delves into Gnosticism and various other religious esoterica, it features Philip K. Dick’s trademark paranoia, it explores the nature of reality, and it blows mental fuses with every paragraph. Come to understand the significance behind the Black Iron Prison, KING FELIX, the Dogon tribe, the plasmate that patiently slumbered at Chenoboskion for centuries…read this book.

The Empire never ended. ( )

VALIS is an enjoyable book, but very front-loaded with theology and philosophical background. It's fascinating and easy to read, but doesn't keep you turning pages. This is probably due to the way the narrative is explicitly 'broken' or irrational through the protagonist. Pretty gutsy choice. The story is intriguing, the dialogue often wry and funny, and some of the twists rather unexpected. Horselover Fat's personal theology is strangely appealing. ( )

Like most of Philip K. Dick’s novels, the main characters around which the story of Valis revolves are engaging, sympathetic, and mirrors of the social and psychological complexities faced by mankind. Unlike his other novels, however, the main characters in Valis are actually PKD himself. This results in the occasional switch from first and third person narrative, and several instances in which the author and the author surrogate interact with one another.

Valis (the name assigned by the main characters to their vision of God) is less of a novel than it is a fictionalized account of PKD’s own spiritual journey. Because of this, a good portion of the middle becomes bogged down with in depth descriptions of PKD’s theological views and theories. Anyone not well versed in Gnosticism and Metaphysical Theory will be tempted to skim several pages of text at a time, and might even debate whether finishing the book is worth the trouble. This will be especially true of readers who are only familiar with his early science fiction work and not prepared for a crash course in PKD’s exegesis. In some ways, Valis could be considered PKD’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, except the focus of this road trip isn’t the American Dream, but the True Nature of God.

Above all else, PKD is a master storyteller, and this is what saves Valis from being a stuffy and unintelligible pseudo-memoir about a spiritual journey. The uncertainty of the narrator’s true identity (both to the reader and the narrator), as well as the sympathetic nature of his plight and the conspiracy-drenched plot twists reminiscent of Robert Anton Wilson (whom PKD mentions in the book) will keep you interested enough to struggle through the denser passages. But you also find yourself riveted as you gain closer insight into the mind of one of the greatest science fiction authors of the last century.

Valis is a perfect snapshot of a time not so long ago, when there existed a movement of authors that eagerly blended the lines between science-fiction and spiritualism. It was a time when optimism regarding mankind’s future potential was almost intoxicating, and the experimental expansion of the mind and spirit were deemed as important as technological advancements. Looking back, it may seem a bit naive and fanciful, but it was also full of hope and wonder, two traits that seem to be lacking more and more with today’s sci-fi authors. ( )

http://vox-nova.com/2008/01/20/vox-no... ( )

Read by Rich, Spring 2007:
"The intended reading audience for this book I would have to assume is adult, as it is by far the most difficult read I've done for this class all semester. This was not intentional, I was simple watching a movie based on one of Dick's books--there are several of them, such as "Blade Runner," "Total Recall," "Paycheck," and "Minority Report"--and I decided I wanted to read some more of his stuff. How this book ended up being the one I did for this assignment is simple: it was the only book I had on me that was a part of a series. As far as using this as a teaching tool, this is a book of philosophy. It is also part satire and part autobiographical--based on a divine experience that Dick had near to the end of his life. It's not that often that I read a book filled with words I'm not familiar with, but I have to admit, VALIS is filled with them. The main reason for this is the fact that it is basically written like a work of philosophy and, although I thought I was pretty literate with philosophy terminalogy, Dick educated me to the fact that I was not. Also, I think a lot of it is either made up, changed to fit the plot line or the sense of humor of the novelist, is entirely of his own invention, or is sci-fi, technology terms written to feel like ancient philosophy terms. Plato and Gnosticism are the two main schools of thought that Dick draws on."

Like many other PKD novels, Valis deals with the question of reality. As usual, drugs and insanity get tied in, but the main avenue of exploration here is religion. In fact, significant sections of the book really wouldn't be classified as narrative fiction and are instead closer to be expository writing about the 'true' nature of the universe. This bogs things down towards the start of the book, but a plot does show up to carry things along.

Dick is often accused of being a bad writer (but with brilliant ideas). Reading other books of his ('A Scanner Darkly', 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep', etc), I had never really noticed this. I definitely do notice the sloppy writing in Valis.

So, in summary, if you like the idea of reading about PKD's wild (and frequently confusing) religious beliefs, then dive in. Otherwise, you'll probably want to steer clear because the expository sections and generally flat writing will wear you down. ( )

Link to a review on my personal website (might be in Swedish). ( )

http://home.comcast.net/~tonydal/wise... ( )

One of the best earthbound sci-fi books of all time. Even better: other folks say that Valis documents Dick's growing insanity -- and he says it's all true! Nonfiction sci fi, this book burns bright.
-- Evan

If you are familiar with any of Dick's work, anything I say will be superfluous. If you aren't, be aware that while he can be incredibly uneven, there is almost always something of value in his books. And while Dick's work can be truly strange, at his best he's transcendent. VALIS, one of Dick's later works, is part autobiography, part religious exegesis, and part science-fiction novel about a science fiction writer who is slowly going insane. Or is he just receiving telepathic communications from an alien spaceship? Or are they from God? And just who is God? Over-the-top and back down the other side again, this book is terrific -- indescribably compelling.

Classic, partially authobiographical book about searching for God while suffering from mental illness. ( )

A complex work of personal philosophical investigation that lunges into gnostic speculation and spacetime paradoxes, while haphazardly keeping a broken narrative going in order to at least pay lip service to framing the work. Sort of. Fascinating for fans but not recommended as a first step into PKD's world. ( )

The Gospel according to Philip ( )

I'm giving this book five stars because I really enjoyed it, not because I'm sure you will. It was a quick and gripping read for me because I was ready for all the material, but I admire those who have been unable to get through it the first time and then kept coming back until they could finish the book. It's worth the effort.

You should prepare to read this book. I hope that doesn't discourage you. All of these topics are a pleasure in and of themselves: Read up on gnosticism in your favorite encyclopedia. Understand the basic ideas and stories/parables of Christianity (if, for example, you weren't raised with them). Read some of Philip K. Dick's other works, or at least watch Blade Runner in order to understand what kind of SF author he is. This is not SF, but the author himself is a character in the book. Read the Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. Specifically, Dostoevsky's treatment of the suffering of children. At the very least understand the term Theodicy. Read Faust. Maybe more than one version. Read something with an unreliable narrator (Lolita, or Pale Fire by Nabokov come to mind, but those can be difficult works too). The point is that you have to be used to not trusting everything the narrator says. Read something more or less autobiographical by someone suffering mental illness, say The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath. For some reason, the SF movie The Man Who Fell to Earth kept coming to mind for me. There is a movie described in the book, and that's definitely NOT it, but it's the same sort of counter-culture oddball film with a rock star. Finally, look up the term 'Holographic Universe'. I think those people are out to lunch, but I find it curious that PKD had latched onto the same ideas.

The above recommendations will give you a grounding that makes VALIS even richer. You could read the book without all that, but why not go down some of the same paths PKD did first? ( )

If you're a Philip K. Dick fan, you'll recognize his ongoing questions about reality and identity in here. I will say right up front that this book is NOT for everyone. If you want a tight plotline & answers to every question, don't pick it up. If you want a book where you seriously do not have to think about what you're reading, then this is not for you. If you're ready for a challenge not only in your reading, but in your thinking, then you're going to absolutely love this book. The book is funny in an ironic sort of way, tragic in a human sense and just downright excellent.
Another thing: if you are not familiar with the work of Jung, Mircea Eliade, or the Nag Hammadi gospels, this book may throw you. So beware. And if you are above "conspiracy" type novels, then stop reading right now. And, if you can't stand postmodern literature, then you may not like this one.

It's so difficult to give you the details in a nutshell, because this book has so much depth that trying to even capture the flavor of it is impossible. It's a book that's felt by the reader or not. But I'll try my best in case someone is interested enough to try it.

Horselover Fat is a man with some serious mental issues, and we meet him after he lands in the Orange County mental hospital in Southern California. Not only did he try to commit suicide and fail, but he has been bombarded with a pink light that he knows is God (which he calls Zebra) and it came to him in a flower pot given to him by a friend. He sets forth a series of theories (exegeses) and begins his search for what he thinks is the fifth savior --and his friends sort of play along all the while thinking he's totally freakin' nuts. However, one of his friends goes to see a movie called Valis at a local theater, and one by one all of Horselover Fat's theories start to make sense.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ( )

PKD, how do i love thee... let me count the ways. ( )

Valis is at once sublime and unsettling. From the schizophrenic changes from third to first person point of view ("I am writing this in the third person to gain much-needed objectivity", the narrator reminds himself as much as the reader) through the brilliant Tractates: Cryptica Scriptura that comprise the appendix, we see a work that goes beyond mere science fiction and attempts to wrestle with the insane story of life itself. This is a novel that seeks no less than the ultimate answers to life's biggest questions. Philip Dick in attempting to make sense of his own life gives us a work that is at once thrilling, empassioned, beautiful, funny, and sad.

This is truly one of the greatest (and least appreciated) works of American literature. I can't say it gave me all the answers, but it raised many questions and new ideas as well as inspiring me in my own writing. Isn't that what great literature is about? Thank you, PKD, wherever you are. ( )