The Game-Players of Titan

This review is for people that know P.K.D. It's not about the plot ,because plotwize ,it's typical; Paranoid protagonist ,reality-distorting drugs ,telepaths ,pre-cogs ,unexpected plot-twists ,and the usual unusual originality.What makes this book stand out ,EVEN in P.K.D's portfolio is the excellent balance: The protagonist is very well-drawn ,as well as his surroundings in a paranoid-enaugh way yet somehow the book is NOT too dark and gloom. It's a trait that I cannot explain easily. But if you've read more than one P.K.D book ,you know what i'm reffering to.Earth ,described through the subjective reality of the protagonist ,is in a bad shape ,yet ,in all ,the FEEL is'nt pessimist. In that aspect ,the book reminds me of "our friends from frolix 8". I think you'll agree with me ,that when finishing a P.K.D book ,you can't really put the finger on what made it SO good ,in this case ,I think Have come close ,not to what makes it Excellent in itself ,but to what makes it better than others. If it was possible ,i'd give it 10 stars.

This book has it all: the usual PKD's theme about the nature of reality and the human perception of it and the fragility of the human mind, plot twists that keep you from putting the book down, interesting characters and character interaction -everything that shuold be in a great book can be found in "The Game-Players of Titan." If you are new to PKD, I suggest you start with this book or "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich." Both are must-reads.

There are certainly seven, and maybe a dozen, books that have rightfully made PKD's reputation (THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, MARTIAN TIME-SLIP, THE THREE STIGMATA OF PALMER ELDRITCH, DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP, UBIK, A SCANNER DARKLY, VALIS, and to a slightly lesser extent, EYE IN THE SKY, TIME OUT OF JOINT, CONFESSIONS OF A CRAP ARTIST, DR. BLOODMONEY, and THE TRANSMIGRATION OF TIMOTHY ARCHER). But many of the others are nearly as fine. This is one of those, a wild, out-of-control, often very funny exercise in paranoia that reads like a warm-up for THE THREE STIGMATA. And it has a moment near the end -- when our hero sees our planet from the enemy alien's point of view -- which is perhaps the clearest and most powerful statement of one of Dick's central themes, the subjective nature of perception (and hence reality). Having your world-view challenged has seldom been so much fun.

It's one of my favorite books ever. I've just read it a second time, and it was just as good as the first. A fast paced and thought provoking thriller, it ranks as one of Dick's masterpieces (Androids, Flow my Tears, Castle). A great page-turner; you've driven over speed bumps slower than you'll read this book.

One of my favorite Dick novels. I'm surprised more people haven't reviewed it. Very strange, very funny, and you can confuse the hell out of your friends and family by calling them "vug sticks."