VALIS

published	July 2nd 1991 by Vintage
first published	1981
binding	Paperback
isbn	0679734465 (isbn13: 9780679734468)
pages	240
description	The first of Dick's three final novels (the others are Divine Invasion and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer). Known as science fiction only for...more [close] The first of Dick's three final novels (the others are Divine Invasion and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer). Known as science fiction only for lack of a better category, "Valis" takes place in our world and may even be semi-autobiographical. It is a fool's search for God, who turns out to be a virus, a joke, and a mental hologram transmitted from an orbiting satellite. The proponent of the novel, Horselover Fat, is thrust into a theological quest when he receives communion in a burst of pink laser light. From the cancer ward of a bay area hospital to the ranch of a fraudulent charismatic religious figure who turns out to have a direct com link with God, Dick leads us down the twisted paths of Gnostic belief, mixed with his own bizarre and compelling philosophy. Truly an eye opening look at the nature of consciousness and divinity. [close]
date added	03-01-07 edit book

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D_Davis rated it:

01/05/08

bookshelves: philip-k--dick

VALIS is truly a fascinating novel, and may be one of the most “meta” novels ever written. The novel, written by Philip K. Dick, is about Philip K. Dick, only in the narrative his name is Horselover Fat (Philip means “caretaker of horses” in Hebrew, and Dick, in shortened German form, means “fat”). So, in the book we have PKD, the author, writing about his own life as a character, named Horselover Fat, in order to put some distance between himself and the events that transpire during...more VALIS is truly a fascinating novel, and may be one of the most “meta” novels ever written. The novel, written by Philip K. Dick, is about Philip K. Dick, only in the narrative his name is Horselover Fat (Philip means “caretaker of horses” in Hebrew, and Dick, in shortened German form, means “fat”). So, in the book we have PKD, the author, writing about his own life as a character, named Horselover Fat, in order to put some distance between himself and the events that transpire during the narrative. Fat, however, is losing touch with reality, or perhaps reality doesn’t really exist at all. Fat is in contact with God (VALIS, or ZEBRA), and suddenly learns a great deal about the universe. He also discovers that he is actually two people sharing the same body, although in two vastly different space-time continuums. Fat is living in California in 1974, and this other person, Thomas, a secret Christian trying to bring forth the downfall of the Roman Empire, is living in Rome circa 100 C.E. (A.D.).

Since we know that Fat is indeed Philip K. Dick (he states so in the first couple of chapters), and we know that Fat may be schizophrenic, or perhaps he is telling the truth, then we, the reader, must also assume that the narrator, Philip K. Dick, could be going crazy, and, in fact, he is – or again, he may be experiencing the real truth. Throughout most of the book, Dick writes of Fat in the third person, and relays the story about his life in normal fashion. Every so often though, Dick, the narrator, peaks through the fourth wall and addresses the reader in first person. However, even stranger still, sometimes Dick is a character in the story, and one who talks to Fat – Dick and Fat have conversations about what is happening to them, and Fat often discusses his Gnostic understandings to Dick in the form of a massive, mind-altering journal called an exegesis.

...

So, in VALIS, what we have is an author and a character, who may be schizophrenic, or who may be living in more than one time and one place, or who may be experiencing visitations from God, or aliens, or who may be just a complete and utter lunatic, trying to rationalize, justify, and detect just what the hell is happening to his own life. However, as good as it may be (and it is amazing) VALIS is not a book for the PKD-neophyte, but is instead a book that should be read after the reader has digested as much information about the author as possible. While sifting through legend, fact, fiction, rumor and hearsay about Philip K. Dick, one begins to wonder if any of it is true. Just how could one man be so utterly fascinating, disturbed, and creative? But then while reading VALIS, with all of this information in mind, the reader is able to connect the dots and see the connections that are present in all of Dick’s work and in his life: the rumors, legend and myth of Philip K. Dick the author are in fact true, or at least as “true” as the theories, ideas, and theology presented in the book allow themselves to be.

VALIS is fascinating because it allows the reader to glimpse the mind of an author that has removed himself from the narrative of his own life. VALIS is at once an autobiographical account of Dick’s journey to try and grasp an understanding of the universe around him, and is an equally interesting science fiction narrative that astounds the reader at every turn as it dives deeper and deeper into a world made of layers, information, spiritual conspiracy and Gnostic theology. The prose is eloquent, and the “meta” nature of the work does convey the feelings of confusion present in the author's mind. As the perspective shifts, and the walls between the reality of the novel and the reality of the author deteriorate, the reader is left feeling both entertained and enlightened.

full review @ www.genrebusters.com
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