Asking for help from Philip K. Dick fans

[Onceuponalife]

I just got a Kindle and want to download some PKD books. I've always been fascinated by Dick but never got around to reading anything of his. I'm a huge SF fan and Dick's work sounds like something I would be very interested in. Please tell me which of his books I should read first and why. Thanks.

P.S. No spoilers, please!

[eppur_se_muova]

1. I'd recommend reading them in the order they were written -- see Wikipedia

for bibliography.

It makes you more aware of how an author's work changed over his career to read them in chronological order. Dick definitely went through some changes in life, and not all of the usual variety.

Be aware that "Radio Free Albemuth", his last novel, is semi-autobiographical.

I read all of Dick's short fiction (a 4-vol. collection was published when I was in grad school) before reading his novels, so I was familiar with his life story and his, uh, unusual outlook(s). Even forewarned, I found many of his novels disappointing, and his obsession with religion just plain tiresome.

[Onceuponalife]

2. Thanks

That's what I usually do with new authors. Go to the first book. I notice a lot of the time that the early books are better, then get tiresome.

[klook]

3. I recommend "Eye in the Sky"

It happens to be the first P.K. Dick novel I read, but that's not the reason I recommend you also read it first. It's a really interesting read -- the story of a round-robin series of extremely subjective worldviews shared in succession by a group of characters, and is orderly in structure. This one is an excellent introduction to Dick's fascinating kind of psychological surrealism.

Another one I'd recommend highly as an introductory Phil Dick novel is "Time Out of Joint." The delirious disorientation I felt as Ragle Gumm saw a lemonade stand shimmer and disappear before his eyes, and found himself standing with a scrap of paper in his hand reading "lemonade stand" was a hint of the delights to come in this strange story.

"Man in the High Castle" is also a great story, one in which the U.S. has lost World War II and the country is divided between Japanese (west of the Mississippi) and Nazi (east) occupations. The character of Mr. Tagomi is one of the most interesting and complex in Dick's writing. It's also fascinating to know that Dick consulted the I Ching (completing with tosses of the yarrow sticks) for guidance as he began each chapter. Dick once wrote that as he was working on this novel, he was so immersed in his own fictional creation that he took a break and walked out on his driveway one evening, and had a conversation with what seemed to be a very real Mr. Tagomi.

"Ubik" would also be a good first choice -- the humorous "ads" at the beginning of each chapter are a nice treat. (Dick had a sardonic wit, something that's not often as appreciated as it should be.) And in "Ubik" you have a story that's simultaneously a mystery, a wild surrealistic ride, and a heroic struggle.

I've read a lot of his stuff, so I could give you more, but these are excellent first choices.

I envy you as you embark on the many fantastic discoveries that await you in the worlds of Philip K. Dick!

[Odin2005]

4. "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", great book.

[DavidDvorkin]

5. Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.

I love most of his stuff, but I think those two are a good litmus test. If you like those, you'll like the rest. If you don't, you won't.

[cthulu2016]

6. I would start with The Penultimate Truth & Time Out of Joint

They are relatively minor but both give a real sense of all of Dick's themes while still in a tight genre framework.

His best book is Ubik (IMHO) so read that at some point, but I wuldn't start with it.

Man in the High Castle, for which he won the Hugo, is about the least Dick-esque of his major novels so put that one off for a while.

This not a spoiler, but a funny theme running through most of his work. The woman with very large breasts is connected to a higher power and someone to be trusted. (And any woman described as flat-chested is unreliable.)

When Dick went mad and decided he was a first century Christian experiencing the modern world as a satanic delusion the proximate trigger was a small fish necklace a young woman (who was delivering a pain-killer prescription) was wearing.

The mental picture of Dick looking down the front of the girl's shirt and everything snapping into place is hilarious if you've read enough Dick because that's pretty much how it had worked in his books for 20 years before he got the Zap. I would bet large money as to the delivery girl's build.

[Codeine]

7. The Man in the High Castle was the first thing of his I ever read.

Seemed a good intro.

[Dr. Strange]

8. Here are some free short stories of his.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search.html/?default_prefix=author_id&sort_order=downloads&query=33399

These can give you a flavor of Dick's work before you jump into a novel. A lot of good suggestions in the thread above. My favorites:
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Eye in the Sky

[sonias]

9. Scanner Darkly

Hard not to spoil it if you've seen the movie. Either way it's a good read. Knowing the plot line does not diminish the read in my opinion. At least on this one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Scanner_Darkly

Happy reading!

[SheilaT]

10. Do keep in mind that

all of his books were written at least thirty years ago, and not all of them have stood the test of time that well. I won't say more, because then I'll get into spoiler territory. Just take this as a heads up that if you find his work to be, well, overrated, then it may be that their age is showing.

But follow the advice of others, and I hope you enjoy everything you read.

[PufPuf23]

11. Ten recommended SF PKD novels

Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Transmigration of Timothy Archer
Ubik
Radio Free Albemuth
A Scanner Darkly
Time out of Joint
Dr. Bloodmoney
The Martian-Timeslip
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Flow my Tears, The Policeman Said

[Pterodactyl]

12. The Man in the High Castle.

[FSogol]

13. Read "Ubik" first!

It's his best work, IMHO.

[eppur_se_muova]

14. His short fiction was collected in five volumes ...

http://www.themodernword.com/scriptorium/dick_stories.html

You might want to read these before the novels. I found most of his novels disappointing, with only a few standouts.

[TransitJohn]

15. Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said would make a good introduction point

to the Dickian worldview. We are all Jason Taverner.