An alien race is trying to take over earth but this isn't the human race's biggest problem. The leader of the strongest human dissident group has got his hands on a hell weapon, guaranteed to wipe out all sentient life - alien and human. Meanwhile a small town megalomaniac is attempting to use the conflict to establish himself as supreme ruler on earth, using technology designed by a psychotic psychologist to create nightmare images and phantom fighters who remain even after the machinery is switched off. Fans of Philip Dick will recognise his familiar themes that question what is reality, the motives of therapists, simulators that are indistinguishable from humans and excessive drug use. While the book gives the impression of being dashed off while Dick was on an LSD trip and published before the editor could do his/her job properly, devotees of Dick's unique perspective will not be disappointed.
Don't skip this one-- it's good PKD
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Others have said this is lesser Dick-- not so, really. I read all the biggies many years ago but couldn't find this at the time, and I've just now finished it. It's full of ideas, as are all Dick's novels, and worthy of much study and thought. Yes, it's an "aliens attack and attempt to subdue Earth" novel, but it's atypical (and superior) due to Dick's odd and unique worldview. What a pleasure to enter his brain again-- all of his quirks are on view, with his enjoyable neologisms and snuff-taking and port-drinking protagonists fully engaged in a completely unpredictable plot. If you're a Dick fan, you've been here before and will enjoy the ride. If you're new to PKD, try it and see. You'll want to read more, as much to ty to figure out what made the author tick as to savor the intricate and neurotic works he wrote over the years. Dick was a singularity, often imitated and mocked, but ultimately a set of one. "The Ganymede Takeover" is a good read-- not first-class Dick, perhaps, but five-star SF. PS: some of this is a bit un-PC, but sophisticated readers will have no problem with the racial stereotypes.
A pure masterpiece! Dick is really deep inside this one!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Hello. My name is Albert Godphrey and I love Phillip K. Dick. Dick uses basic writing techniques for this book, yet something about it grasps me. He really gets deep inside the human mind and shows why we act the way we do. He shows that some people will never give up and they will do whatever they need to survive, yet it also shows the meek and the weak. This book is also humorus. I was cracking up when Dick made Percy X, the leader of a rebellion from an alien invasion of earth, used the mind machine to imagine killer girl scouts tearing apart the alien troops. Then he imagined killer boy scouts. Then the boy scouts raped the girl scouts! That was classic. The amount of time he put into this book is so obvious! He uses futuristic devises that we have now! Phillip K. Dick is amazing. My hands were literaly glued to this book. I couldn't put it down, I didn't sleep for 2 1/2 days because I was reading this. I really am glad that I met Phillip K. Dick before he died. I remember we listended to the clasical music together while we discussed his books. He was ingenius. The day he died, i cried. It was a sad day for science fiction lovers, for they lost the king... DAMMIT!!!! Not Elvis!!!!
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