How To Read Dick (PKD, that is)

[Sir Thursday]

Last night my girlfriend and I watched A Scanner  Darkly, and we were both fascinated by the perspective and atmosphere of the film. Since I'm led to understand it's one of the few PKD adaptations that's true to his writings in tone, it made me think that it might be worth giving his books a try.

The trouble is that he was insanely prolific, so I've no idea where to start. What are his best works? Which ones should I avoid? Which ones are good to start on? I'd be interested to know what the board thinks. Anyone care to share?

ST

[The Marquis de Leech]

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is best known for being the source material for Bladerunner. I think it'd make a good starting point, at least in comparison with some of the others I've read (Dick is never light reading).

[Jo498]

I have only read a fraction, maybe a 10 novels/novellas and shorter stories each and there are some books that lose steam or peter out towards the end. The ideas are almost always brilliant and thought-provoking. In addition to Electric Sheep I'd probably recommend to start with a short story collection, incl. e.g. "Minority Report" (there are a few more fairly well known ones). "The man in the high castle" is quite different from the "typical" ones, probably more readable but wit the downside that it hardly prepares you for the weird psychedelic stuff (like Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch or whatever - Dick also has about the coolest titles in SF, I'd say).

[matt b]

I'd second the recommendation to find a short story collection. If you can track them down, there are 3 Library of America editions that each combine a number of his novels together. Here's a link to a boxset of all of them: https://www.amazon.com/Philip-K-Dick-Collection/dp/1598530496/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472911878&sr=8-2&keywords=dick+library+of+america

Even if you can't find those specific editions, all of the stories contained in those volumes are worth reading. You might just want to take a trip to a used book store or a library and grab whatever PKD they have at the moment, I have yet to read a story of his I absolutely hated. But I'm biased, I started raiding my dad's bookshelf of PKD novels when I was still in elementary school.

[maarsen]

I would start with the ones you can find. When he was alive  PKD was never that much of a bestseller and his books were hard to find.  He was way ahead of his time. 

[Larry of the Lawn]

Drugs and coffee help

[3CityApache]

I'd start with one of his short stories collections as well, he was brilliant in short form. As for novels, there are at least several real gems, among which Ubik, The Man in the High Castle, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, The Divine Invasion, and Flow my Tears, the Policeman Said, really stand out, IMO. And another dozen or so really worth reading. Admittedly, he's written some crap as well.

[maarsen]

2 hours ago, 3CityApache said:

I'd start with one of his short stories collections as well, he was brilliant in short form. As for novels, there are at least several real gems, among which Ubik, The Man in the High Castle, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, The Divine Invasion, and Flow my Tears, the Policeman Said, really stand out, IMO. And another dozen or so really worth reading. Admittedly, he's written some crap as well.

He was trying to write his way out of poverty. I can forgive him for the substandard stuff he wrote.

[3CityApache]

Why, of course, I was just stating the fact, that one might want to avoid some of his works. It doesn't change the fact he was a great writer, and has written some amazing stuff.

[Durckad]

4 hours ago, 3CityApache said:

I'd start with one of his short stories collections as well, he was brilliant in short form. As for novels, there are at least several real gems, among which Ubik, The Man in the High Castle, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, The Divine Invasion, and Flow my Tears, the Policeman Said, really stand out, IMO. And another dozen or so really worth reading. Admittedly, he's written some crap as well.

Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said was my first taste of Dick (wait, that sounds wrong) a few years ago. I think I read it a couple of years ago but my thoughts on it were largely... negative. The first half is great and seems to hint at all sorts of ideas that the story might develop into, but somewhere in the middle, it starts to peter out and it ultimately does not really go anywhere all that interesting. Characters and storylines stop or just disappear and the ending just seems to happen with little to no buildup to it. It's just a huge case of literary blue balls. It actually kind of put me off of reading anything more from him.

[Gasp of Many Reeds]

Usual suggestions of Androids, Ubik, Three Stigmata, Scanner, etc. Underrated in my view: Time Out of Joint and Counterclock World. Quite a few fan favourites haven't read still, including Man in the High Castle, VALIS and Flow My Tears.