Philip K. Dick is dead, alas

Rating:
Summary: FAILED SEANCE
Review: Alas, Bishop climbed aboard the PKD Express without a destination in mind. His attempt to contact the ghost of PKD only produced some raps on the ceiling. Using bumper sticker brevity, there was too much of this and not enough of that. Alas, too many of his characters had nothing to do but fester in their boring world. Dick, himself, usually gave his quirky characters an alternate world to escape into. This story's tacked on Brave New World ending, the "redemptive shift," a gift from super aliens, didn't quiet work.

Admittedly, it is difficult to develop character for a ghost. But giving him a craving for strong coffee doesn't quite do it. And it was hard for the other characters to react to the command, "Don't touch me." There were some interesting characters drawn. Cal Pickford, who idolized PKD much as the author Bishop must have, was very well developed. But most of the others were but wheels to keep the story moving, that alas, kept falling off. Still, not a bad read when you're snowed in for the winter.


Rating:
Summary: This book is Not Dead, Alas!
Review: Excellent pastiche on P.K. Dick and some of his characters. Though undeniably liberal and anti conservative in political overtones, it can be forgiven because the story is cute.

Rating:
Summary: This book is Not Dead, Alas!
Review: Excellent pastiche on P.K. Dick and some of his characters. Though undeniably liberal and anti conservative in political overtones, it can be forgiven because the story is cute.

Rating:
Summary: Is PKD really dead?
Review: Somewhere somewhen PKD is morphing into Michael Bishop, classical music rolling into words on the keyboard. If you've read all of PKD's works and are jones-ing for more, check this out. And as our media crazed society increasingly resembles one of PKD's novels, don't we need all the help we can get?

Rating:
Summary: Good but still somehow lacking
Review: This book is defenately worth reading but I do feel the need to write a slightly more critical review. Having read a lot of Dick's work this by comparison is disturbingly sane. I understand Michael Bishop was not trying to emulate, Dick, but, in that case, I would have liked to have seen something a little more original, something that explored and pushed the boundries of the way we see the world. Dick had a way of writing things that would toy with the reader and provoke them, of building up to something with logical and intelligent insite and then going right off the deep end. I miss that.

Rating:
Summary: Good but still somehow lacking
Review: This book is defenately worth reading but I do feel the need to write a slightly more critical review. Having read a lot of Dick's work this by comparison is disturbingly sane. I understand Michael Bishop was not trying to emulate, Dick, but, in that case, I would have liked to have seen something a little more original, something that explored and pushed the boundries of the way we see the world. Dick had a way of writing things that would toy with the reader and provoke them, of building up to something with logical and intelligent insite and then going right off the deep end. I miss that.

Rating:
Summary: If you like PKD, read this book now!
Review: This is not only a tribute to Philip K. Dick - my favorite author - but also written in his exact style. It's uncanny.