Ubik is grossly caricaturistic – a smart projection of contemporary absurdity into the future… In this colourful dystopia the future is rather preposterous than bleak… Gorgeous madness…Abilities and counter abilities… Talents and anti-talents… Opposites must be balanced…The anti-psi factor is a natural restoration of ecological balance. One insect learns to fly, so another learns to build a web to trap him.There are psionic talents possessing paranormal abilities of all sorts and there are inert...

“He felt all at once like an ineffectual moth, fluttering at the windowpane of reality, dimly seeing it from outside.”Many PKD fans refer to Ubik as his strangest novel. That's saying a lot! With the pervasive advertisements for Ubik intruding into reality (or what passes for reality in the character's world), I too found Ubik bizarre in a compelling and absolutely relentless way. It's somewhat nightmarish too for our protagonist as he races to understand the messages from his former boss. And s...

The idea of the one wonder-substance, superdrug, holy grail, dietary supplement,… to rule or enhance them all is an old one, but it needed Dicks´tendency to integrate mental illness, illusion, conspiracy, different realities and madness in the mix to make it a new one. So what to think about this?I like this one more than „Do androids dream of electric sheep.“, because the plot is so dense, the ideas wrapped around it ingeniously and probably because Dick had so many drug experiences that writin...

“He felt all at once like an ineffectual moth, fluttering at the windowpane of reality, dimly seeing it from outside.”― Philip K. Dick, UbikOver-the-top zany madness, Philip K. Dick’s 1969 acclaimed work of science fiction opens in the year 1992, by which time humanity has colonized the Moon aka Luna and individuals having various psychic powers are commonplace, so much so some companies hire men and women (called “telepaths” or “precogs”) based on their power to predict the future and other com...

"Yo soy Ubik. Antes de que el universo fuera, yo soy. Hice los soles. Yo hice los mundos. Creé las vidas y los lugares que habitan; los muevo aquí, los pongo allá. Hacen lo que les digo y luego hacen lo que les digo. Yo soy la palabra y mi nombre nunca se pronuncia, el nombre que nadie conoce. Me llamo Ubik, pero ese no es mi nombre. Soy. Siempre lo seré".Ahora comprendo por qué Philip K. Dick es uno de los grandes dioses de la ciencia ficción. Ubik no es un libro. Es toda una película. Todo en ...

I began reading some of Philip K. Dick’s short stories and quickly became hooked. His style and imagination have left an indelible mark on science fiction since and his influence is unmistakable. His novels are genius, and Ubik may be the best one I have read yet. Telling an inventive sci-fi tale that is entertaining on its surface, this is also a theological metaphor that keeps the reader thinking and trying to figure out what in the world PKD is getting at. His brilliance is compelling and his...

“I am Ubik. Before the universe was, I am. Philip K. Dick, UbikI made the suns. I made the worlds. I created the lives and the places they inhabit; I move them here, I put them there. They go as I say, then do as I tell them. I am the word and my name is never spoken, the name which no one knows. I am called Ubik, but that is not my name. I am. I shall always be.” ― Philip K. Dick, UbikFriends, this wild review is 100% PKD approved. Ubik the review is only seconds away! Ubik the review is easy-t...

Phillip K Dick's Ubik flirts with perfection. I inhaled this novel over three days when one of my kids was sick and Christmas break was ending. I started the book on the couch during a Mythbusters marathon. By page fifty I wanted to shut the door and leave my kids to forage in the refrigerator for Gatorade and string cheese. And on Sunday night, when I closed the book, I felt satisfied and excited with a novel in a way that doesn't happen much. Ubik is fun, smart, and exhilarating. Ok, let me ...

2.5

SF Masterworks #26: What a cover... Love it! Written in 1969; a team of battling psi-powered agents go to war, would have seemed an innovative ground breaking idea, but that's just the opening gambit. Holy mackerel PKD is a monster! This multi layered psi-powers suspense mystery thriller is a joy to behold. It's hard to talk about the plotting without giving away spoilers... the plotting is delicious. Another PKD gem - 8.5 out of 12, a Four Star read.

2019 read; 2010 read