Your favorite minor PKD?

[J-Sun]

There may be some dispute on this but I think most of us have a good idea of what constitutes "major" PKD. While not exactly corresponding to my list, the selections in the Library of America[1] can serve as the bulk of a pretty good list of them.

So what are people's favorite PKD novels aside from those? The quirky personal favorites that may have no general consensus.

I have many more of his novels yet to read but my example so far might be Clans of the Alphane Moon. I think the functionalism of the dysfunctions is intriguing and this is actually more literal or 1:1 than most PKD books, which often have a "melting" aspect and a many-to-one or many-to-many relation.

Another nominee might be Solar Lottery, his first published book, as it features an early form of some of his favorite themes and is probably one of his more van Vogtian works. Indeed, LoA has skipped his early work altogether so far.

Anyway - curious as to what others think are PKD's "hidden gems".

---
[1] The volumes/contents are:
1. The Man in the High Castle • The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch • Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? • Ubik
2. Martian Time-Slip • Dr. Bloodmoney • Now Wait for Last Year • Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said • A Scanner Darkly
3. A Maze of Death • VALIS • The Divine Invasion • The Transmigration of Timothy Archer

 

[Fried Egg]

Well, I've only read two books not in that list: "The Penultimate Truth" and "The Simulacra". Out of these two, I preferred the former.

 

[AE35Unit]

Any fans of Galactic Pot Healer? There's a good story in there hidden amongst the dross

 

[Connavar]

A Maze of Death is not a major PKD unlike most of his books in library america list. Its one of the weakest PKD books. It was bad to be a PKD and i have seen many who dislike it.

Its a shame its in SF masterwork series when there are so many better books of his.

 

[AE35Unit]

A Maze of Death is not a major PKD unlike most of his books in library america list. Its one of the weakest PKD books. It was bad to be a PKD and i have seen many who dislike it.

Its a shame its in SF masterwork series when there are so many better books of his.

Hmmm I just looked that one up on Fantastic Fiction. Sounds interesting.

 

[J-Sun]

Any fans of Galactic Pot Healer? There's a good story in there hidden amongst the dross

I have that on my shelf (found it in a free bin without a cover - not like "marked destroyed" but like "entire cover just fell off") but I haven't read it yet.

A Maze of Death is not a major PKD unlike most of his books in library america list.

I'm not so sure that's the consensus opinion. I've heard good things about it - to quote Brian Stableford/John Clute: it "has been described as his single finest work" (though that, in turn, is surely an overstatement) - and have been interested in tracking that one down and reading it. And now it's being in the LoA volumes only enhances that impression. While Lethem should hardly be considered an infallible editor I do get the idea that he's trying to be representative more than idiosyncratic.

So - with Fried Egg going for The Penultimate Truth, we have zero overlap so far.

 

[Connavar]

Being in Library America doesnt enhance anything about the selection of his books. They take books not on how important they are. Look at SF masterworks series they have many PKDs because they were out of print then. Thats what the publishers care about choosing a book that isnt realesed by several other publishers.

A Man in the Maze is practicly unknown compared to the major PKDs. I dont think many would put it in top 5 or even top 10.
There are prolly someone out there that think Man in the High Castle is PKD finest work while i have read many times people saying its wierd how it won Hugo and not the other books of his that are seen as better.

So Stableford overstatement doesnt prove anything that there is one PKD fan atleast who thinks highly of it.

I could say Galactic Pot Healer is his finest work and a major work of his but that would be untrue since most PKD fans know there are 5-6 books that are his major works and its not among them.

The only minor PKD book i have read it is A Maze of Death. The other books i have read are his best works. I rated it 3/5 stars cause i couldnt bring myself to rate a PKD lower and it had good ideas but real bad execution .

 

[J-Sun]

Either way, this isn't on topic. I started out by saying there could be debate about what consituted a major work which was meant to forestall such debate since I was simply asking people if they wanted to elevate works that they felt weren't generally discussed or esteemed in a major way but which they felt were still worth looking into - not to tear down works which someone has discussed or esteemed. I was using the LoA ToC as an example of the general sort of thing I had in mind. As I also started out saying, I didn't agree with all of them but the bulk of it could give an idea of the sort of thing I meant.

 

[Connavar]

Yeah we got sidetracked.

I cant vote for a quality minor PKD yet. The only minor according to PKD fans in general wasnt a good one. I buy his books by how they sound in the synopsis story wise not if they are the big or the smaller PKD works. Im a newer PKD fan who have read less than 10 books of his.

I do have The Man Who Japed which i havent read yet. I hope its good enough that in the near future i can praise it in this thread.

 

[J-Sun]

Okay. Hope you enjoy it.

 

[Connavar]

I do have Dr.Bloodmoney unread too but thats far from a minor PKD and i want to give the underdog in The Man Who Japed a chance before it

 

[gully_foyle]

We can build you, which I assume is a bit of a precursor to Do Androids... and The Simulacra. I quite enjoyed the complexities of the lead character and his muse.

 

[Fried Egg]

I've just read Dr. Futurity and really enjoyed it. Quite a clever story involving lots of time travel and trying to change the past but finding out whatever he does has no effect and only helps fulfill his fate.

Interesting also because a doctor travels to a time in which saving lives is no longer looked upon kindly...

 

[Connavar]

Which is why i added as my next PKD read. Time traveling doctor is just too good of idea in the hand of PKD.

 

[woodsman]

Dr Futurity and The Man Who Japed are both good minor reads.

Galactic Pot Healer is my favourite of all his work but, also liked The Penultimate Truth and Maze of Death, to a lesser extent.

 

[Diggler]

Dr Futurity and The Man Who Japed are both good minor reads.

Galactic Pot Healer is my favourite of all his work but, also liked The Penultimate Truth and Maze of Death, to a lesser extent.

I've been meaning to read Galactic Pot Healer for a while. The Penultimate Truth I enjoyed. I have to get Dr Futurity, The Man Who Japed and Maze of Death : /

 

[jojajihisc]

The only two I've read not on that list were The Penultimate Truth and The Zap Gun. I liked the former a bit better.

 

[Diggler]

The Penultimate Truth I really enjoyed. The only book of his I have not been too keen on was The Ganymede Takeover. Though that was a combined effort between himself and Ray Nelson.

 

[Fried Egg]

I just read "We can build you" and whilst quite good (even occaisional flashes of brilliance), it seemed to be lacking direction in direction and so I can see why it is not considered one of his best novels.

 

[Diggler]

I read Galactic Pot Healer a couple of weeks ago. Very interesting little fantasy/adventure story with fair dabs of philiosophy, though not overdone. The one thing that irritates me with Dick is his moody male leads...