The Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick, Vol. 1

Product Description<br/><br/>This collection of Philip K. Dicks outstanding short works includes The Minority Report, recently adapted to film by Steven Spielberg, as well as Progeny, The Exit Door Leads In, and six more short stories.<br/><br/>About the Author<br/><br/>Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) was a writer of extraordinary vision and imagination whose works reflected a strong interest in metaphysics, theology, and speculative politics. In his work, the individual is often pitted against authoritarian governments or monopolistic corporations. He also drew from his own experiences of altered states, paranoia, and mystical reveries. In 2007, Dick became the first science fiction writer to be included in the Library of America series. In addition to his dozens of published novels, he wrote over 120 short stories, many of which appeared in science fiction magazines. At least eight of his stories have been adapted for film.<br/><br/>From AudioFile<br/><br/>[Editor's Note: This is a combined review with THE SELECTED STORIES OF PHILIP K. DICK, Volume 2.]--From time travel to perceived reality, these wonderful collections feature 16 of Dick's most celebrated and thought-provoking short stories. Among the standouts are Anthony Heald's calm, engaging reading of the reality-examining "Electric Ant," in which Garson Poole discovers he's actually a robot; Tom Weiner's taut narration of "The Variable Man," which challenges the purported dangers of time travel and Paul Michael Garcia's delivery of "Faith of Our Fathers," about a party bureaucrat in a future communist Vietnam. While the stories' dystopian (but all-too-familiar) vision of the world will keep the listener engaged, it's the excellent matching of story to narrator that makes this collection an outstanding listen. The stories are certainly fascinating in themselves, but it's the narrators' skilled readings of them that will keep the listener enthralled. A.H.A. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine