The Simulacra

I've read a host of Philip K Dick novels in my time, and have for the most part found them profoundly troubling, extremely original yet for the most part bitty and incomplete. The Simulacra, on the other hand, brings out all the classic Dickean themes -- paranoia, totalitarianism, alternative universes, etc. -- and wraps them beautifully in a coherent and finished work. The cartels and the Chuppers -- with the themes they bring up -- are particularly satisfying. Read it, and contemplate a reranking of Dick's novels.

Set in the middle of the twenty-first century, The Simulacra is the story of an America where the whole government is a fraud and the President is an actor whose wife is an android, running America. Within this setting, Dr. Superb is the sole remaining psychotherapist a world gone wrong. This feels too real to be fiction.

Nichole Thibodeaux is the First Lady who through her Martha Stewert type personality has remained in control of the government for over 70 years with daily White House television shows that have transfixed a nation conditioned by automatic advertisements that have the ability of thought control, meaning that the last line of defense, Dr. Superb, a psychotherapist, must try to maintain his capicity in society, even though his business has been outlawed by drug companies like A.G Chemie, who sponsor the mind control adverts and influence the government who have a time machine and are able to control the future somewhat except for the precogs in society who can tilt the balance. There is no hope left for humanity in a world that is becoming ever maladjusted to the electronic conditioning, their love for Nichole and conforming to what she likes, except to grab a Loony Luke Jalopy and head off for mars for an alternative life. Luke has a sales papoola, a synthetic man made alien lifeform from mars that can influence people to like whatever the owners wants. One of Lukes workers steals the papoola to impress Nichole at the White House only to uncover a sinister plot where all is not as it seems and the Presidential executive all might be actors and Simulacra robots. A secret policeman ND, Pembroke, has allowed Dr. Superb to work as a psychotherapist, so that he will meet someone who the doctor will fail to treat, as the time machine Lessinger apparatus predicted, unless the person seeks chemical treatment from A.G Chemie, become cured, and put the whole fabric of society in jeopardy. While all this is happening special mutant musician, Richard Kongrosian, who can play the keyboard with his mind, is having an emotional breakdown and believes he is becoming both invisible and smelly, only to start finding out things about himself that makes the government afraid of him. Philip K. Dick conjures a frightening realistic world where people adore leaders based on image, are afraid to think outside of the norm or else are reduced in status... while living in a time where entertainment, coporate drugs companies and shadow governments control the world... all written back in 1964... over thirty years ago... and more is relevant than ever today. The Simulacra is strong on dialogue given that this is one of his Philip K. Dicks early works. There are references to characters in his award winning book The Man in the High Castle with the same sort of everything comes home type of surreal adventure... the endings are both somewhat similar, although The Simulacra has a much more black humerious one. Like we have said, given the current times, this book stands out as more important than ever. Sci Fi comes true yet again. This book is listed as number 57 in science fiction masteroworks released by Orion publishers. I recommend if new to Dick that you start with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, The Man in the High Castle, Ubik and then this one. I will be moving

OK, I love Phillip K. Dick, even when I don't understand himSimulacra is one of those books you can read many times and every time explore a new avenue. Dick is one of the rare authors whose works are so complicated, so many tangents, yet always a good story. Science Fiction for the thinking person.

Neanderthols, The Third Reich and Time Travel; I really liked this book. There's a schizophrenic quality in every page. The book leaves you with more questions as the last page comes to a close. No one seems very sure of anything from the very beginning up until the last page, the last word. Is the official schizophrenic in this book simply being more honest to himself? Maybe so in the world Mr. Dick has created for Simulacra.I noticed all the female characters come off very cold, at first it annoyed me a bit, but then I felt it actually added to the emasculated and schizophrenic reality of almost all the main male characters.Definately recommended, especially for the psychotic at heart.