Minority Report

This anthology groups several of Dick's short stories. As the preface indicates, the theme running through the stories is not so much technology as it is the human condition. More specifically, he asks: what is existence? the only thing that we have yet to prove scientifically. Dick explores this playing with memories, the senses, perceptions - anything that we conclude are tangible and yet can easily be manipulated. How easy it is to lose our sense of identity when nothing is what it seems!
Some stories feel repetitive but overall they are ageless, even 60 years after their writing.

This is a collection of 9 short science fiction stories 4 of which have been adapted into movies so I feel okay about including this title in this category.

The first of these is the titular story. I was surprised how much was crammed into so few pages (about 40 iirc). It's quite different from the movie with just the idea of Precrime and the three precogs being pretty much the same. Will the head of Precrime try and kill a man he's never heard of or is the system not quite so fallible as it seemed. Commissioner John Anderton goes on the run to try and prove his innocence But if he does then that will mean an end to a system he's believed in for thirty years.

Imposter is a quirky tale where an alien species has sent a machine that doesn't show more realise it's a machine to replace a human. Or is it the machine that was destroyed when its spacecraft was destroyed on landing? Second Variety is a Terminator style tale where war and machines have all but wiped out the human race on Earth with only small pockets of soldiers left. What's left of the Russian and Americans decide to call a truce and see if they can get together before the infiltrating machines get to them. Both of these tales have been made into movies and I'd not even heard of Impostor though I had of Screamers but didn't realise the original story was by PKD.

War Game has a testing facility checking on imported games from Ganymede. With a threat of military action in the air trust is in short supply especially as the main toy in question is a war game where the consequences are not completely known. What the Dead Men Say is the longest of the stories in this collection (a meaty 60 pages) but has been my least favourite so far. Tycoon dies but has left instructions for his body to be preserved in a half-life state which allows his descendants to communicate with him at specified times in the future. Something goes wrong with the process however and he can't be revived. Then a voice comes over the airwaves from out beyond the solar system. Could this somehow be a communication from beyond? Oh to be a Blobel features an inter-species relationship where both partners spend time in each others natural form. One is a human and the other an amoeba-like alien. Can this possibly work out for all concerned and what about the kids?

The Electric Ant once again returns to the question of identity when after an accident a man finds out he's not a human but a machine designed for the purpose of running a large company. Can he continue on with this existence knowing what he does or can he find a way to be free?

Faith of Our Fathers sees a Chinese communist way of life with a Party member rising through the ranks. He's given an anti-hallucinogenic drug and sees The Leader for what he is. Is it an alien or is it God?

We Can Remember it for You Wholesale was adapted into the movie and subsequent TV series Total Recall. Those familiar with the movie version will be surprised that while the start of the story remains the same there is no actual trip to Mars or mutant revolution in the short story. After discovering the memory he wants implanted is actually true, Quail escapes from the government agents sent to kill him but realises there is no real escape for him. He makes a deal and gives himself up in return for having his greatest wish fulfilled by memory implant. Once more something goes wrong with the procedure and what have the technicians discovered this time around?

Overall this is a decent set of stories which explore the notions of identity and reality. Favourites of the nine were Second Variety and The Electric Ant. show less

I was hoping that this one would be better than the movie based on it, but some of the explanations and hand-waving near the end just got a bit burdensome. I was also somewhat distracted by the unexplained age difference between the police chief and his wife - she was stated as being young and beautiful (I'm guessing in her 20's), but the police chief has been in charge for at least 30 years.

This anthology of short stories is a little variable on quality.

About half the stories are outstanding. Roughly half are mediocre, and at least one was so poor I couldn't bare to finish it.

Worth reading for the good ones though.

This book gathers some short stories by Philip K. Dick, one of the best known sci-fi authors. We can find here the usual issues tackled by such authors, such as identity problems, reality and its perception, or the conflict between man and technology.

"Minority Report", which includes the short story with the same title, loosely adapted by Spielberg to the screen, and "We can remember it for you wholesale", also adapted, and also loosely, to the screen as Total Recall, is a much readable and enjoyable book. Most tales are really captivating and thought provoking, setting the bar higher enough for the reader who looks simultaneously for deepness and distraction.

Besides "Minority Report" and "We Can Remember it For You Wholesale", short show more stories such as "Impostor", "Second Variety", "The Electric Ant", and "Faith of our Fathers" stand out. Philip K. Dick has a talent for creating relatable characters, in spite of his occasionaly feeble writing style.

I would give it a 4 out of 5. show less

If you can see the future and predict a crime is it OK to arrest someone when they haven't done anything... yet?

Very different from the film and (in my opinion) superior