Our Friends From Frolix 8

by Philip K. Dick and Kim Dick, Philip K., and Whitesides

Book Overview

This satirical adventure from Philip K. Dick deals with issues of power, class, and politics, set in a world ruled by big-brained elites. In Our Friends from Frolix 8, the world is run by an elite... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B00507M4IY
• Release Date: January 1970
• Publisher: Ace
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Underrated gem!

Another fine work from my favorite guy that's got great action, pacing and, above all, characterizations. The people in this story were very real to me and the society in which they live seemed very plausible. The meandering and intersection of the characters' fates is set against an impending climax that we know is coming from the beginning of the story and when it arrives, it's thrilling and very moving. I loved this one.

someday I think every thing will fly or anyhow trudge or run

this book is excellent and definetily underrated. i felt it is so much better than many PKD "classics" like UBIK or even Martian Time-SLip. To understand the art of PKD is to understand that all his best works deal with the quest for identity of Human and understanding of Absolute. The message of this book is most strongly felt in last pages, when two evil characters are transformed by the mysterious power of "friend from frolix8" and proceed to explain to the reader first the meaning of human life and then the idea of God. The beauty and subtelty of the way in which PKD expresses his complex views on life can be somewhat surrealistic & challenging for general reader ("incomprehensible weirdness" etc), but some people (like me) will just be unable to forget these wonderful passages that emerge from and illuminate PKD's strange stories of Everyman in the evil technocratic world, searching for salvation. Must-read! Also essential: "Do androids dream of electric sheeps?", "Divine invasion", "Three stigmata of Palmer Eldrich" and of course his self-confessed masterpiece "Scanner Darkly".

PKD sparkles even in minor works

In the body of PKD's works this is not a masterpiece, but neither is it insignificant. My review is based on rereading the Ace book edition of 1970, a paperback plagued by misprints. Mostly these don't matter but I struggle to make any sense of the third paragraph of page 140 - perhaps someone else can resolve it for me. I was also a bit confused about New Men - sometimes they seemed to be marked by huge heads, but at other times their identity as New Men was obscure as in the case of Thors Provoni, the returning astronaut bringing, well, was it God - our friend from Frolix 8. But then another character (it had to be Nick) was involved in this dialogue:'God is dead,' Nick said. 'They found his carcass in 2019. Floating out in space near Alpha.''They found the remains of an organism advanced several thousand times over what we are,' Charley said. 'And it evidently could create habitable worlds and populate them with living organisms, derived from itself. But that doesn't prove it was God.''I think it was God.'Of course Thors is the name of a god, albeit a Norse one and he is supposed to be bringing salvation for Old Men (and Under Men, the underground resistance) against New Men and Unusuals. But nothing is simple in the worlds of PKD. The ending is magical as characters entwine in unexpected interactions, the last few pages seem to go on forever - there is so much potential and I kept wondering how can I be so close to the end of the novel - so much could still happen, and what does happen is so unexpected - like Beethoven introducing a new theme to the last movement of the fifth just before the symphony ends - opening further possibilities. Of course, just like life, things are rarely resolved and even if one thread of life does resolve, it can only do so in the presence of an infinite variety of other ongoing threads.

As usuall ,totally original ,and brilliant.

22 century ,Man evolved into the "unusuals" ,which posses psi powers ,and "new man" with I.Q's that go off the scale. Regular people are called "old man" ,and although 90% of the populance ,they are being ruled by two political factions of the "new man" and the "unusuals". A fine work from the master. the book has a sense of tension to it ,like you know something's going to explode. The human society is pictured in the clear ,grim ,even psychodelic colors of P.K.D.Although not one of his hit masterworks ,"Our friends from frolix 8" has one of the most vivid and interesting future societies ,that P.K.D wrote. Very recommended.

Typical PKD--Brilliant

This book has the typical PKD characterizations and plot devices. The 'feel' is similar to The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, with a world that is falling apart waiting for a savior. The savior is indeed returning from space--with mysterious entities from Frolix 8. This in turn is very threatening to the authorities--the social establishment that fears loss of control and power if humanity finds something better than what is offered. The usual drug usage, interpersonal relationships, and bizarre plot twists that make PKD so unique in the science fiction genre are all present in this highly underrated work. Worth the money if you can find it.