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VALIS
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
Dick is one of the ten best American writers of the twentieth century, which is saying a lot. Dick was a kind of Kafka steeped in LSD and rage.Roberto Bolao What is VALIS? This question is at the heart of Philip K. Dicks ground-breaking novel, and the first book in his defining trilogy. When a beam of pink light begins giving a schizophrenic man named Horselover Fat (who just might also be known as Philip K. Dick) visions of an alternate Earth where the Roman Empire still reigns, he must decide whether he is crazy, or whether a godlike entity is showing him the true nature of the world. VALIS is essential reading for any true Philip K. Dick fan, a novel that Roberto Bolao called more disturbing than any novel by [Carson] McCullers. By the end, like Dick himself, you will be left wondering what is real, what is fiction, and just what the price is for divine inspiration.
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Patchshank
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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Forced myself to get out of the house today.

Returning to Philip K. Dick. I'm really enjoying reading about this period of his life from his perspective. Such an odd experience he had. I'm glad he was able to eventually recover from it.

I like how he created himself and his personia both in the book. Reminds me of Vonnegut and Trout.

Bklover This just made my mouth water! 12mo
Patchshank It was really good. Ate way too much though. Im still full. It was a taco, a sope, and a enchilada with beans and rice. 12mo
57 likes2 comments
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Patchshank
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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Fruts, cheerios, and Philip K. Dick.

I've been wondering if PKD fans are referred to as Dickheads. If not theyre not, then why?🤔

Brooke_H I think they are! 12mo
Patchshank @Brooke_H Good! Such a wasted opportunity if they weren't. 12mo
Ruthiella 😂😂😂 12mo
KathyWheeler If not, it‘s really too bad! 😄 12mo
Bookwomble We are. My wife takes great delight in it! 12mo
46 likes5 comments
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Bibliobear
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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“It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.“

Remembering Philip K. Dick on his birthday.

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claudiuo
VALIS | Philip K. Dick

This is very painful for me to admit but have to be truthful: I love Philip K. Dick, he is one of my favorite authors but this book was too much for me. As much as I tried, I couldn't get it all. There are tons of great ideas that I liked but I found out lots of it went over my head and I just couldn't focus. I felt it is better to stop reading half way through than to just skim and finish it without doing it justice. Still a pick, even if DNF!

claudiuo @PuddleJumper This was my #100 picked up so many times, in April, August, October, also my November substitution.
(edited) 1y
claudiuo @TheAromaOfBooks my June #BookSpin, sadly my first DNF spin. 1y
TheAromaofBooks I have only read Man in the High Castle, and my husband actually really likes the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I keep meaning to check out more of his writing, but I may give this one a pass 😂 1y
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claudiuo @TheAromaofBooks Do Androids Dream... is one of the books I would take with me on the island 😁 Thanks for mentioning Man in the High Castle, it is on my TBR shelf for so long, it is time to get to it. (edited) 1y
TheAromaofBooks I had mixed feelings about Castle. There isn't a lot of action, so it's more of a thoughtful kind of book. I don't know whether or not this was Dick's point, but I took away from it how the winners always write history, and those winners also write the alternate history - they tell us what WOULD have happened if they hadn't won (and it would have been BAD). But the question is... how much would really be different if the losers had won? ⬇ 1y
TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) So I enjoyed the thinking aspect of the book, but the story itself didn't do much for me haha 1y
PuddleJumper That's a shame! 1y
Bookwomble The Man in the High Castle is one of my favourite PKDs. There's lots of ideas about reality and unreality, intrinsic and extrinsic value. Famously, when he got to a decision point in his writing of this book, he used the I Ching oracle as a prompt, which explains it's unconventional structure. I do like VALIS, but it is a difficult book. There's a fair bit of autobiography in it, so knowing something of PKDs life and associates can help 🙂 1y
claudiuo @Bookwomble Thank for noting The Man in the High Castle as well, I really need to get to it. As for Valis, I knew it has some autobiographical stuff, it is one reason I wanted to read it. And I liked it a lot, I saved quite a few quotes. I stopped reading it cause I felt I am not understanding everything he says and I don't like skipping parts especially from a book I like. It is more like ISCILI (I stopped cause I liked it 😁), not plain DNF. 1y
20 likes1 stack add9 comments
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jen_hayes7
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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Doing a buddy read of the tagged book and it is WEIRD. Being Philip K. Dick I expected weird but this is even stranger than I could have prepared for. It‘ll definitely lead to some interesting book chats. #huey #catsoflitsy

review
Mistermandolin
Valis. Philip K. Dick | Philip K Dick
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Pickpick

Dick stack

TheNeverendingTBR Love these editions!! 👌 4y
59 likes1 comment
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Bookwomble
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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“This is a mournful discovery.
1) Those who agree with you are insane
2) Those who do not agree with you are in power.”

Mistermandolin Brilliant book. Funny, baffling, complex. Autobiographical, too. My favourite of his after A Scanner Darkly. 4y
Bookwomble @Mistermandolin Scanner is one of my favourite books by PKD. Also semi-autobiographical, which makes it all the funnier and all the sadder. 4y
Mistermandolin @Bookwomble Yep; the author‘s note at the end is the saddest thing I‘ve read in any of his books. Yet overall it‘s a very funny book too. The heads‘ dialogue is completely spot-on. They goof around and riff on nothing at all, while all the time the tragedy builds and builds. 4y
15 likes3 comments
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Linda_Bloodworth_Author
VALIS | Philip K. Dick

Valis

Author: Philip K. Dick
Year: 1981
"It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane."

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RealLifeReading
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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(Picture from article of an Android Philip K Dick in 2005)
An article about top 10 genre-twisting novels makes me wonder if this is what the #booked2019 category for #genrebusting has in mind? Because I‘ve been wondering what it means!
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/feb/13/top-10-genre-twisting-novels-alan-...

Cinfhen Thanks for sharing ❣️❣️❣️Yes; #GenreBusting means you can‘t pigeonhole a book into one specific genre 😉 I‘ve been told this book will work 5y
67 likes1 comment
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dystopianaut
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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finally finished VALIS! 💖 it took me longer than i thought- lotssss of information to process... and unfortunately it takes longer to intake & process information via reading versus just receiving it from a pink beam. 😏 but i loved every second of it! 😍 also, the sign of a good book = lots of post-it flags. 😂 now onto the divine invasion... can‘t wait! 👽💕 #myPKDjourney

17 likes1 stack add
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dystopianaut
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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finally started reading this beauty! 😍 boy, oh boy, was it worth the wait. i‘m in love already! 👽💕✨ #philipkdick #myPKDjourney

readordierachel That cover! 5y
dystopianaut @readordierachel i know!!! i just loveeee the mariner editions of PKD books. 😍😍😍 5y
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dystopianaut
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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happy 90th birthday, philip k. dick! 👽💕 thank you for all you‘ve brought to the world & to my life. 🖤 #myPKDjourney

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dystopianaut
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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alright, dickheads! here‘s what i have waiting in the wings. which one should i read next?! 👽💕 *i‘m planning on saving the valis trilogy until the very end of my #PKD journey, but i‘m open to suggestion. 🙂 #myPKDjourney

Creadnorthey Man who japed- haven‘t read it but was always intrigued by the title. 5y
Bookwomble I'd recommend going with The Man in the High Castle next - love that story and it's many layers. 5y
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dystopianaut @Creadnorthey very intriguing indeed! the general premise sounds slightly similar to eye in the sky. have you read that? 5y
dystopianaut @Bookwomble i can‘t wait to read the man in the high castle! have you watched the amazon series? 5y
Bookwomble @dystopianaut Yes, I've seen it. It takes the main elements of PKD's book and does its own thing with it, but it does that very well. Rufus Sewell is fantastic, isn't he? The book is interesting in itself, but also because Dick used I Ching readings to dictate the course of the narrative. 5y
dystopianaut @Bookwomble rufus sewell is AMAZING in it. such a great actor! i‘ve heard it diverges from the book quite a bit after the first season (which i also think was the best season). so i‘m interested to see how much it differs. and that‘s fascinating! i didn‘t know that! 5y
Creadnorthey Inspired to continue on my journey with PKD police tears next on my list! After I finish the epic Deaths End- highly recommend! 5y
dystopianaut @Creadnorthey that‘s so great!! flow my tears is one of my absolute favorites- definitely in my PKD top 5. can‘t wait to hear what you think of it! 🖤 and i‘m going to have to look up death‘s end! thanks for the recommendation. 🙂 5y
Creadnorthey The 3 body problem trilogy is great so far- be warned though it‘s “hard” sci-fi much of the time- not a usual prerequisite for me- so a sight different than PKD who leaves some of the science behind for a better possible story 5y
23 likes10 comments
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jouzy
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
Pickpick

Sometimes the appropriate response to reality is to go insane.

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vivastory
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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@Bookwomble here is my Philip K. Dick t-shirt I mentioned. I also have an Ubik t-shirt.

2BR02B Is it the Ubik shirt from @outofprint? 6y
vivastory @2BR02B Yep! Jonathan Lethem has a tattoo of it on his arm. 6y
2BR02B I've contemplated buying that shirt, but my inner design snob objects to a pale grey print on heather grey fabric. I've even contacted them and suggested printing it on navy or charcoal, but no dice. 6y
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vivastory @2BR02B I'm not crazy about the grey fabric. There's some interesting designs on redbubble. 6y
dystopianaut i love this shirt!!! 😍😍😍 if you don‘t mind me asking, where did you get it?! 6y
vivastory @dystopianaut Thanks! I bought it from Strange Company website. It looks like they don't offer it anymore, unfortunately. 6y
dystopianaut dang! i‘ll have to keep an eye out for it. thanks for letting me know! i love it! 😍 6y
CatLass007 😻😻😻😻😻 6y
Bookwomble That's fantastic - love it 😀 6y
readordierachel Amazing 6y
61 likes11 comments
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Bookwomble
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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“Just tell me why; why the fucking why?" To which the universe would hollowly respond, "My ways cannot be known, oh man." Which is to say, "My ways do not make sense, nor do the ways of those who dwell in me.”

vivastory "Why the fucking why?" is a great life motto 6y
Bookwomble @vivastory THAT would look good on a t-shirt! 6y
12 likes2 comments
review
Bookwomble
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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Pickpick

Dizzyingly layered; demands to be re-read, but not until my head has stopped swimming. Whether you buy in to PKD's religious/philosophical position or not, there's certainly lots to think about and, if you make it through to the end, it will stay with you for a long time. As is usual with PKD, there's much here about the nature and perception of reality and what it is to be human. There's a big chunk of auto-biography and painful honesty. 👇🏻👇🏻

Bookwomble Where PKD deals with characters, they are by turns funny, infuriating, warm, pitiful and frightening. There's also big chunks of religious and philosophical exposition (much of which went over my head, hence the need to re-read), so it's not a book I'd recommend for everyone. If you haven't read PKD before, it's probably better to start with something else and come to this in 5 to 10 book's time.

6y
DivineDiana This sounds crazy good, but as I have not read anything by him yet, I‘ll take your advice and wait until I have read others first! 6y
Bookwomble @DivineDiana Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, The Man in the High Castle, Flow My Tears the Policeman Said, Ubik, and/or A Scanner Darkly would be good starting points. He's often criticised for poor characterisation and hack writing, but I personally don't feel that when I read his stuff. I've probably got poor character myself! 😂 6y
Bookwomble @DivineDiana He wrote VALIS after having a vision in which he was contacted via a beam of pink light by an alien entity/artificial intelligence (Vast Active Living Intelligence System) he called Zebra. This convinced him that the last 1600 years of human history is a mass delusion and we're all still living in the Roman Empire. The book novelises this experience, so it's a blend of autobiography, fiction and mystic vision. Dive in! 😜 6y
DivineDiana Thank you for all the info! Sounds like a wild ride! 🤪 6y
14 likes5 comments
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Bookwomble
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.

saresmoore A painful truth. 6y
Bookwomble @saresmoore Or, possibly, a liberating realisation? I guess it depends on where you're at 😀😣 6y
saresmoore Just been reading the news this morning, after a night of blissful ignorance through sleep, so I think you make a good point! 6y
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Bookwomble @saresmoore I'm taking news coverage in small doses - it's bitter medicine! 6y
Bookwomble @saresmoore There is that other quote from VALIS which might seem apposite: "It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane" ? 6y
saresmoore 😂 6y
9 likes6 comments
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elihpoilbib
VALIS | Philip K. Dick

"It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane."

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bohemian_yogini
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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Can‘t help it... apparently I must always have a sci-fi book in my “currently reading” stack... 💁🏻‍♀️😍

#BooksWithBohemianYogini #GuiltyPleasure

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GoneFishing
VALIS | Philip K. Dick

It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.

TheBookgeekFrau Yes. Yes, it is 😉 6y
Cathythoughts 👍🏻❤️❤️ 6y
LitsyOwl Great to know 😅 6y
72 likes3 comments
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AnahataTaoPtah
VALIS | Philip K. Dick

Salvador Salvandus

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manifestsanity
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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The best, and possibly oddest, character name I can think of is Horselover Fat from Philip K. Dick's VALIS. Horselover Fat is Dick's schizoid alter-ego. Philip in Greek means "horse lover," Dick is German for "fat." I love this character and his beautifully delusional escapades.

"I am not a character in the novel; I am the novel." - PKD

#bestcharactername #booktober

44 likes1 stack add
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GoneFishing
VALIS | Philip K. Dick

It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.

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snowdrop
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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Welp. 😂 This certainly beats cramming organic chemistry (both seem to take long rambling detours! Madness~)

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Mattypus
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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Philip K. Dick, of all people, recognising and sneering at the pay-gap.

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Mattypus
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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"If mockery were the only antidote to his malady, he was palpably better off as he stood."

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Mattypus
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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It's been a while since I read a PKD novel. I forgot about the nonsense words.

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manifestsanity
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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This is my favorite book by PKD. One of the last novels published before his death from a stroke in 1982. The best, most sincere depiction of mental illness I have seen in any novel. Whereas his earlier books are warped, paranoid fantasies, "VALIS" is a mystical quest for spiritual awakening, acceptance, and transcendence. It is a philosophical work that questions the nature of reality and what we might call God. I love this book. #recommendsday

Hobbinol Thank you for the recommendation. I've added it to my stack. Sometimes I need a good hallucinogenic. 8y
23 likes5 stack adds1 comment
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SGJ
VALIS | Philip K. Dick
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I got so many PKD stacks all scattered around. Them and Conan and Lem and Lansdale and King and rare little Pynchon paperbacks: I could build a fort, and live in it. Also? That's pretty much what I've been doing, my whole life. It's a good fort.

jeff That is awesome. 8y
djm001 I've only read A Scanner Darkly. Will eventually get to The Man in the High Castle. 8y
SGJ Both excellent. My favorite is maybe Ubik. His short stories are all kinds of fun, too. 8y
19 likes3 stack adds3 comments