The intro--How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later is brilliant--spanning theories that blow the mind. He covers his beloved pre-Socratics, the strange experience of Acts--well that's a long story only he can tell... It is worth the time to listen. Why do I love Dick? His take on Christianity, his Libertarian politics, his absolutely insanely paranoid, schizo, psychotic stories that reveal truths unseen. Besides the Introduction by Dick, there were 10 of his short stories. "The Short Life of the Brown Oxford" was a cute little story that hides its depth. "Explorers We" was a sad look at our suspicious and frightened selves. "Holy Quarrel" was surprising in that Genux-B had found Satan and was reluctant to tell anyone because of disbelief--though it was willing to exterminate the Evil incarnation along with a city. "What'll We Do with Ragland Park?" was an example of how political powers are retained. "Strange Memories of Death" really stood out as a gem. Don't miss it. "The Alien Mind" is a mirror image of "I Hope We Shall Arrive Soon" which is like looking into Dick's and yes, your own tormented soul. It will remind you of horrors fogotten, I assure you--and it is, as the title affirms, the gold of the collection. "The Exit Door Leads In" reminds us that authority cannot trust slaves to do it's bidding, it can only truly trust those outside of it's authority that answer to a higher authority. I am reminded of Cervantes--he got in through the out. "Chains of Air, Web of Aether" was another gem. I completely understand it. To be human is to die. It is a very deep story. "Rautavaara's Case" was very strange. I believe Dick was theorizing the why of we. We end with "I Hope I shall Arrive Soon". My hand hurts, where is the Bactine? ( )

A ragbag collection of ten stories - four from early in his career, six from the last few years - and an essay.

Like most of the sf writers of his generation Dick produced a plethora of stories and novels, meaning that the quality of his work varies widely.
There is nothing really terrible here but there a few five finger exercises - usually light-hearted stories that end with jokey twist. Take the first story in the collection, The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford (1954), about a scientist that invents an "animator" and ends up giving life to a brown oxford shoe, which then outwits the scientists in order to gain a mate; or, The Alien Mind (1980), in which aliens who decide to punish a human trader for killing a cat. These stories aren't bad, they are merely instantly forgettable - in most cases they were written as filler for the many sf magazines that used to exist.

Of the early stories, Explorers We (1959) is probably the best - at first we see a group of explorers returning to earth, only for the story to reveal that they are perceived as invaders, being the 21st time these astronauts have returned. In typical Dick style we are forced to wonder whether the fakes actually know they are fakes: are they so good that they have become real.

I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon (1980) is the pick of the later stories - a man emigrating to a distant planet wakes mid-journey, and the computer attempts to keep him from madness by replaying his memories. Memories and reality blend so that once the traveller arrives he can no longer tell what is real and what is fake.

This two stories highlight the strength of Dick - he is one of the most interesting writers on the nature of reality: that is one of the reasons he has been embraced by non-sf audience, his interest in fakes coincided with the rise of post-modernism. (There is not a great gap between Dick and philosophers such as Baudrillard). They also highlight the weakest of reading a batch of Dick stories in succession - once you know the trick, you are waiting for him to do it; therefore the stories stop challenging your perception of reality, but rather reinforce your perception of PKD.

The most interesting piece in the collection however, is the essay. Initially Dick discusses his where his ideas about fakes come from but slowly it changes into a discussion of Dick's religious ideas, which are a little strange. It is like meeting someone at a bar who appears sober, and rational, at first but gradually reveals themselves as a little drunk and slightly mad.

One for the PKD fans. **½ ( )

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