I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon by Philip Dick is a collection of stories firmly declaring Dick's aversion to reality. You may say "But that's what Dick does!" But I've only read two novels by him, and in those his love of the unreal is rather diluted.

Dick starts the collection with an introduction to pre-Socratic philosophy, and the stories somewhat follow that type of reasoning. I don't mean to imply by this review that I dislike Dick's works, but now I'll know enough to avoid his short stories.

I have also read The Man in the High Castle and Dr. Bloodmoney by Dick, and can recommend both of them. The Man... is about an alternate timeline where the axis has won World War II, and is one of the most well known of this form. Dr. Bloodmoney is a peaceful, post-holocaust setting peopled by some unreal creations which serve to enhance the message of the book. Despite some people considering Dick their favorite sf author, I can't call him one of my favorites. Personally I would call his works fantasy, but everyone knows definitions are arbitrary.

Click here to return to the SIGMA mainpage.

This page maintained by Greg Armstrong