Dr. Bloodmoney: Or, How We Got Along After the Bomb

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Dr. Bloodmoney: Or, How We Got Along After the Bomb

by Philip K. Dick, Tom Weiner (Narrator)

3.63 · rating details · 1,625 ratings · 102 reviews

Dr. Bloodmoney is a post-nuclear-holocaust masterpiece filled with a host of Dick’s most memorable characters: Hoppy Harrington, a deformed mutant with telekinetic powers; Walt Dangerfield, a selfless disc jockey stranded in a satellite circling the globe; Dr. Bluthgeld, the megalomaniac physicist largely responsible for the decimated state of the world; and Stuart McConch...more

MP3 CD, 1 pages

Published May 1st 2008 by Blackstone Audiobooks (first published 1965)

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Feb 02, 2012

Stephen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: award-nominee-nebula, audiobook, 1954-1969, post-apocalypse, science-fiction, cyber-punk-prep-and-post, world-in-the-shitter, reality-sucks

I have absolutely no idea how this book lost its fourth star and ended up as a very strong 3. Ironically, in one respect, this was a breakthrough novel for me because something about PKD’s reality-blurring narrative style of addled consciousness really clicked with me for the first time. Now I loved The Man in the High Castle and thought that A Scanner Darkly was both original and very moving. However, my enjoyment of those works occurred despite his confused/warped non-reality form...more

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Apr 13, 2008

D_Davis rated it

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Shelves: philip-k-dick, science-speculative-fiction

If you've ever wondered what kind of stories Garrison Keillor might write if he were a drugged-out, paranoid new-wave science fiction author living in Berkley, California, during the 1960s, well I reckon old Phil Dick's Dr. Bloodmoney is a close approximation.

It's a post-apocalyptic home companion.

A slice of this post-nuclear American life.

It has a pastoral feel to it, bringing to mind the works of William Saroyan and John Steinbeck, if, of course, these autho...moreIf you've ever wondered what kind of stories Garrison Keillor might write if he were a drugged-out, paranoid new-wave science fiction author living in Berkley, California, during the 1960s, well I reckon old Phil Dick's Dr. Bloodmoney is a close approximation.

It's a post-apocalyptic home companion.

A slice of this post-nuclear American life.

It has a pastoral feel to it, bringing to mind the works of William Saroyan and John Steinbeck, if, of course, these authors wrote about deformed characters with powerful mental abilities, mutant animals, botched space flight, and nuclear war.

It's among Dick's richest books in terms of character; it is quite “literary” in the way it deals with the drama. This book is not driven by a thrilling plot or any kind of strong SF impetus beyond the end of the world scenario and some mutant-like things born from the destruction. Instead, Dr. Bloodmoney is entirely character driven, and each character, out of a very large cast, is given the time and room to grow.

Dr. Bloodmoney is a post-apocalyptic novel, although one that is as different from Mad Max and other more mainstream examples as is Walter M. Miller Jr.'s A Canticle for Liebowitz. It is most definitely a product of its time; the fear of the Cold War hangs heavy over Dick's narrative, and the constant threat and promise of nuclear devastation is demonstrated expertly. Dick creates a frightening sense of chaos and destruction once the bombs start dropping, and he also illustrates his post-apocalyptic society with an equal amount of skill.

While Dick's version of the scenario is bleak and rife with turmoil, he does not predict a total breakdown of human society. Instead, he takes a decidedly optimistic approach to the tragedy of a nuclear-war torn world. Dick presents a group of survivors who retain their humanity towards one another even when faced with outlandish and dire circumstances. Not all of the characters are as eager to get along as the best of them, but enough are that I would place the book among Dick's more hopeful and positive works. There is actually a gleam of hope in the book, one that rings with strong emotional truth.

Many of Dick's more important works (which this is) deal with God, religious mysticism, and Gnosticism. I find it strange that here, in one of his only truly post-apocalyptic offerings, Dick seems to skirt the subjects all together - he focuses only on humanity, not offering any kind of divine intervention. It is as if in Dick's mind, the destruction of the world has divorced his characters from any kind of Godly influence - the characters never even mention God; out of sight, out of mind. The characters in this novel seem to be in some kind of purgatory, one where only their physical bodies have survived.

The closest thing we get to a God-like figure is in Walt Dangerfield, an astronaut stranded in high-atmosphere orbit who witnesses the near destruction of the planet. Walt represents a God-like presence even if he does not posses any divine powers. He is “out there” looking down on humanity, and he speaks to the characters through a disembodied voice via radio waves (the God-in-a-satellite motif was something important to Dick: see VALIS and Radio Free Albemuth). As a cosmic deejay, Walt reads books and plays records and broadcasts the audio down to the Earth's survivors; he becomes an important link to humanity's past.

Hoppy Harrington, a phocomelus (a “flipper-baby,” born with no arms and legs) with telekinetic powers, and the novel's true antagonist, tries to usurp control of Walt's satellite and use it for his own selfish desires. Here Dick illustrates how mankind tries to co-opt God and religion, and has thus used these good and benevolent forces for our own selfish and unrighteous desires. This is as close as Dick gets to any kind of religious or spiritual metaphor.

Dr. Bloodmoney is an anomalous book. It doesn't neatly fit in with any of Dick's other books. It's not about drugs or personal paranoia; it is not about technology run amok; it is not about depression or mental disorders; and it does not deal with simulacra or the authenticity of human emotion. Most of Dick's work can be categorized into different periods, each with its own central theme. Dr. Bloodmoney is a unique book from an author with a unique body of work. It is a powerful work of character-driven science fiction that demands to be read.(less)

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Aug 21, 2011

mark monday rated it

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Shelves: futuristik, philip-k-dick

Dick places his absurdist situations, bleak scenarios, and quirky characters within an almost pastoral post-apocalyptic san francisco-bay area. the setting is primarily a small town in marin, with everyday people slowly trying to rebuild themselves and their world. the writing is typically loose and off-kilter. results are sublime. and very strange, per usual. two oddly endearing yet threatening characters stood out for me amongst the compellingly diverse cast: Hoppy Harrington - cringing, delud...more

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Feb 02, 2012

Simon rated it

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Shelves: sf-masterworks, sf

This is probably the weakest PKD book I've read. Not that it was especially bad, it just didn't really work for me on any level.

At no point did I find myself particularly engrossed and enjoying the story. The narrative, fragmented by numerous points of view of the disparate characters whose futures eventually become loosely entwined later on in the novel, and punctuated by random time intervals between chapters, it didn't flow well at all, especially for the first half of the novel....more

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Mar 29, 2009

Jason rated it

· review of another edition

Dick is a noted Sci Fi author who likes to weave in elements of pulp fiction into reality bending sci fi. While he seems to have died more or less penniless, he is now recognized as one of the foremost science fiction writers of the 20th Century. The prescience of his work may explain why such enormous films as Bladerunner, Minority Report, Total Recall, Screamers and Scanner Darkley were all based on his writings.

In particular, his interest in the interplay between artificial world...moreDick is a noted Sci Fi author who likes to weave in elements of pulp fiction into reality bending sci fi. While he seems to have died more or less penniless, he is now recognized as one of the foremost science fiction writers of the 20th Century. The prescience of his work may explain why such enormous films as Bladerunner, Minority Report, Total Recall, Screamers and Scanner Darkley were all based on his writings.

In particular, his interest in the interplay between artificial worlds seems to have captured post-modern reality very nicely. Between Second Life, MMORPGs, the Sims etc. etc., the line between context of reality continues to blurr. It was that blurr that seemed to so interest him.

In Dr. Bloodmoney, we encounter a post-apocolyptic world. But this is what we might call a light apocalypse. There was a nuclear exchange, but it didn't go all the way. There is still a government, people are working to restore earlier luxuries like electricity. Commerce is slowly coming back online. But simplicity and self-sufficiency are the hallmarks of the new world. Specialized knowledge, like what mushrooms are safe to eat, is highly valued.

Mutations of all sorts have occured. Some of them preceeded the current nuclear exhange and can be traced back to an earlier error that detonated a nuclear weapon in the high atmosphere over the United States.

Hoppy Harrington, is such a victim. He has deformed arms and legs, but has developed psychokenisis as an alternative. He is also a mechnic, called a "handy" in this brave new world. Only his extended power will ultimately cause him to be feared and killed.

Dr. Bloodmoney himself, seems to be a mad Hungarian atomic scientist known as Professor Bluthgeld. He had taken responsibility for the high altitude incident upon himself and it had driven him mad. He know imagines that he has the power to command the destruction of manking with nuclear weapons. Oddly, as the story pans out, he does have this power. It is the mutant Hoppy, with his psychokenisis who stops him. Of course, that makes people fear Hoppy, and you know where that goes.

The overall story here seems to move into the surreal a little too glibly for my taste. It is amazingly engaging at the start following all of the unimagined consequences of a less technological, but modern life thrust upon a little Northern Californian community. But ultimately I found it unsatisfying. It is not Dick's most highly regarded work, but given my ongoing fascination with the post-apocalypse, I was drawn to it. Plus, it was on sale at audio books. I will probably give Dicks work another try, but will look for something a little better regarded.
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Nov 22, 2011

Felix Zilich rated it

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Shelves: post-apocal

Весной 1973 года на Земле вспыхнула ядерная война, и три четверти поверхности планеты стали совершенно непригодными для человеческой жизни. Легко можно догадаться, что война эта закончилась довольно быстро, а вот спасение остатков цивилизации затянулось на долгие и долгие годы.

Спустя семь лет на планете остался всего лишь один человек, способный дать людям хоть какую-то веру в завтрашний день. Это заточенный на орбите космонавт Уолт Дэнджерфилд, который на протяжении всех этих лет в...more

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Oct 27, 2011

Julie rated it

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One of the better Dick books I've read. I actually might even go so far as to recommend this one as one of his classic Must-Read novels. I think this could easily be mentioned in the same breath as his more famous ones, such as Ubik, Electric Sheep and A Scanner Darkly. How funny that it never gets mentioned. Anyway, I thought this book was pretty brilliant. It contains all the genius flashes of black Dick humor that I just simply adore. I will never get over how brilliant Dick is at taking simp...moreOne of the better Dick books I've read. I actually might even go so far as to recommend this one as one of his classic Must-Read novels. I think this could easily be mentioned in the same breath as his more famous ones, such as Ubik, Electric Sheep and A Scanner Darkly. How funny that it never gets mentioned. Anyway, I thought this book was pretty brilliant. It contains all the genius flashes of black Dick humor that I just simply adore. I will never get over how brilliant Dick is at taking simple, mundane situations and then building upon them until they are twisted and dark and unforgettable. Take the little girl in this book, for instance, who starts out talking to her little brother as an imaginary friend and then we eventually learn that it is actually a wizened old man growing inside her, parasite-style, a result of the nuclear fallout. Talk about seriously disturbing. The armless and legless guy (Hoppy Harrington) doesn't just have one of the best names of any of Dick's characters, he's also one of the most memorable. He would make a seriously evil villain, as well as an interesting topic of discussion for how Dick treats the theme of mechanization of human beings. All in all this is classic--CLASSIC, I tell you!--vintage Dick. Usually post-apocalyptic novels are so boring. Brilliant, but boring. Murakami said it best when he was talking about "The Road" in that recent NY Times interview: it's a good book, well-written, but it's, well, kind of boring. The apocalypse happens and then you just kind of walk around trying to avoid getting eaten by people. Anyway, this is one of the best examples of a post-apocalyptic novel that I've ever read. I would seriously recommend it to just about anybody, even folks who are new to Dick. The part of the book that made me laugh the hardest is when Stuart (one of his main characters) is being taught how to play chess by his friend who's dying of radiation sickness and has to keep asking "Which way does the bishop move again?", shortly after having eaten a dead rat raw. Vintage Dick. Love it. Love the book, Love Dick, love, love, love.(less)

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Oct 02, 2011

Williwaw Wilson rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: PK Dick fand; supernaturalists

I could not decide whether to award this book 3 or 4 stars. Because I'm a Philip K. Dick fan, I decided to go ahead and give it 4 (even though this book doesn't really measure up to Dick's best work, like The Man in the High Castle, or VALIS, or A Scanner Darkly, or Flow My Tears). So you can decide whether or not you'd like to take that last star seriously. You could just as well discount it on grounds of evangelism.

If nothing else, "Dr. Bloodmoney" keeps the reader engag...moreI could not decide whether to award this book 3 or 4 stars. Because I'm a Philip K. Dick fan, I decided to go ahead and give it 4 (even though this book doesn't really measure up to Dick's best work, like The Man in the High Castle, or VALIS, or A Scanner Darkly, or Flow My Tears). So you can decide whether or not you'd like to take that last star seriously. You could just as well discount it on grounds of evangelism.

If nothing else, "Dr. Bloodmoney" keeps the reader engaged by offering a cast of varied and well-developed characters. Among them are: a black TV salesman; an atomic scientist; a phocomelus (congenital quadriplegic) with telekinetic powers; a young girl whose "brother" lives inside her abdomen and communicates with the dead; and an astronaut stuck in orbit around the earth indefinitely, who becomes the world's favorite d.j./story-teller.

These characters populate an alternate 1970's, in which civilization is rebuilding itself after a nuclear holocaust. (The book was published in the mid-60's, so Dick meant for it to be prophetic in a short-term sense.) The eponymous Dr. Bluthgeld, responsible for the first nuclear scourge, has assumed a new identity ("Mr. Jack Tree") and sought the help of a psychiatrist. But suddenly, a new wave of nuclear explosions rocks the globe and destroys San Francisco, just after a failed Mars mission strands the astronaut/d.j. character. Dick describes the blasts very convincingly, from the perspectives of various characters. Some of the characters survive, and some don't.

Out of the wreckage, communities begin to gather and rebuild. The focus of the narrative is several such communities in Northern California. Dick provides many interesting details of their low-tech survival methods and primitive economies. He seems very interested in commercial enterprises: for example, a firm that builds "homeostatic" rat traps; and an entrepreneur who creates an instantly legendary tobacco and liquor company from scratch.

The phocomelus, whose name is Hoppy Harrington, is in many ways the dominant character. His telekinetic powers start on a small scale, but become increasingly potent and destructive. The central conflict of the story concerns Hoppy. He saves the world from a third (and potentially terminal) nuclear rampage by Dr. Bluthgeld, but Hoppy himself is mentally unstable and could easily go on a rampage of his own.

The central conflict is resolved quite fantastically. If you are turned off by fabulism, metempsychosis, or other utterly supernatural events, don't bother with this book. This is certainly not hard science fiction. It's more like modern-day mythology.

Anyway, this book is a wild ride for those who don't mind having their imaginations stretched. For those who do, you have been forewarned. (less)

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Jul 13, 2011

Charles Dee Mitchell rated it

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Shelves: mid-century-sf

Thank God for editors. PKD proposed two titles for this post-nuclear apocalypse novel: In Earth's Diurnal Course and A Terran Odyssey. Donald Wolheim at Ace come up with Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb. Wolheim's title might have been a flagrant effort to cash in on Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, but at least it did not include the word "diurnal," and it did give some hint to what the book is about.

This is one of the dozen or so novels PKD wrote in 1963...moreThank God for editors. PKD proposed two titles for this post-nuclear apocalypse novel: In Earth's Diurnal Course and A Terran Odyssey. Donald Wolheim at Ace come up with Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb. Wolheim's title might have been a flagrant effort to cash in on Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, but at least it did not include the word "diurnal," and it did give some hint to what the book is about.

This is one of the dozen or so novels PKD wrote in 1963/64, but due to the build up of back inventory, it was not published until 1965. It is surprisingly idyllic given the subject matter and the amount of amphetamines the author was ingesting at the time. There had been two post-nuclear bestsellers in the late 1950's, Pat Frank's Alas, Babylon -- still I understand a favorite for middle school book reports -- and Neville Shute's On the Beach, which as both a novel and film seemed determined to prove just how tedious it would be to wait for death from radiation poisoning. PKD gets in a sly dig at the latter in his own novel. Walt Dangerfield, a would-be Martian colonist stuck in eternal earth orbit, broadcasts music and readings for survivors on Earth. One of their most requested songs is Waltzing Matilda, the traditional Australian ballad that served as theme music to On the Beach.

As is his habit, PKD has little interest in what might be the actual effects of an atomic war. His characters go about their lives in Marin County pretty much as they would pre-holocaust. They hold town meetings, they have affairs, they gather mushrooms. They have a resident psychiatrist. They mostly walk or ride bicycles rather than use wood-burning or horse-drawn automobiles. As a community they are insular and suspicious of outsiders, but they should be since jealous outsiders might want to "nap" some vestiges of the good life they maintain. They are also blessed with the best handyman around, Hoppy Harrington, a "phoce," a diminutive for phocomel, those with a congenital deformity that produces flipper-like arms and legs. But Hoppy more than makes up for his shortcomings with his mobile machine and some very special powers. In an early scene, he fixes a turntable by healing it. He gets more dangerous later on.

I just finished this book yesterday, and I am trying to remember if it has a plot. I don't think it does. It really is a sort of pastoral -- with mutants. Rats have learned to play the nose-flute. Cats have developed their own secret language, and dogs make a pitiful attempt at speaking English. By the novel's end, mail routes are opening again, and some of the characters feel the lure of the big city. They plan to go into the cigarette manufacturing business.(less)

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Dec 24, 2010

Matt rated it

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Shelves: science-fiction

"Dr. Bloodmoney" is slightly bogged down by far too many characters, but is still a great book. It isn't on the level with his masterpieces "The Man in the High Castle" or "Do Androids Dream of Electirc Sheep?" but there is a lot of good to write about.

This may be a mild spoiler, but I will argue that since it happens in the first third of the book, it isn't really a spoiler, and it is mentioned in the Goodreads blurb about the book. It is the only sci-fi ...more"Dr. Bloodmoney" is slightly bogged down by far too many characters, but is still a great book. It isn't on the level with his masterpieces "The Man in the High Castle" or "Do Androids Dream of Electirc Sheep?" but there is a lot of good to write about.

This may be a mild spoiler, but I will argue that since it happens in the first third of the book, it isn't really a spoiler, and it is mentioned in the Goodreads blurb about the book. It is the only sci-fi book I have ever read that takes place for a good portion in a regular society, and then an apocalypse happens and the story continues in a post-apocalyptic world. I thought it was quite brilliant as a literary device, and I'm surprised that it isn't done more often. It was interesting to see the world through the eyes of characters that were around before it happened, and continued to survive after the disaster.

There are a few particularly interesting characters. Among them, Hoppy Harrington, a mutant with telekinetic powers to go along with lack of hands or feet. Stuart McConchie, an African-American who worked for a television repair business before the nuclear war, and works in rat traps after. Also among the characters are an incognito Dr. Bluthgeld, the physicist largely responsible for the apocalypse, and Walt Dangerfield.

Dangerfield's story is particularly interesting; he and his wife were en route to becoming the first humans on Mars, with the intentions of starting a base. While they were still in orbit around Earth, however, the war came and they became stranded in orbit. Using his radio equipment on board the ship, Dangerfield began broadcasting a radio show to the world to give hope and entertainment to the people planet side who were trying to make ends meet in the post apocalyptic wasteland that Earth had become.

Overall, I think "Dr. Bloodmoney" is the strangest book I have read so far of Philip K. Dick, and as such wouldn't recommend it as a first read. If you have read a few of his novels, however, and enjoy his style, "Dr. Bloodmoney" is a very rewarding and interesting read. Dick is yet to disappoint me in the slightest.(less)

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Aug 12, 2010

King Dinösaur rated it

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Shelves: re-reading, science-fiction, speculative-fiction

One of PKD's weirdest novels, and that's really saying something.

In the not too distant future (the 1980's!) atomic war devastates the Earth, or more to our purposes, northern California, and a rag-tag group of citizens try to pick up the pieces. Except this group of citizens also contains Hoppy Harrington, a phocomelus - just a head and torso - stuck in his phocomobile, with mechanical extensors for arms. Hoppy also has strange mental powers that figure into the plot. Another c...more

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Aug 04, 2011

Rob added it · review of another edition

It took me a while to get into this book, but after E-Day I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, it ends a bit abruptly without fully developing the characters or finishing the plot. I see where he's going with it (sort of a glimpse into the life and then things just keep going), but I like stories to be wraped up a little more than that. Still, it was a fun read that challenged my vision of what things might be like if the bombs all went off and people had to start over.

The mutant aspect of the no...more

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Feb 24, 2011

Mohammed rated it

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Shelves: philip-k-dick, science-fiction

I dont think this book is among my fav PKD books or that is one of his best written. The storytelling was not as strong as the characters.

What made it good was the regular people cast of characters that he wrote so well,so flawed, so realistic. His take on post apocalyptic was also was very strong,very weird,depressing.

Another weakness is that it felt dated at times which is unsual for PKD.

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Sep 26, 2010

Jerry Dazzlepants rated it

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Shelves: sci-fi, utopia-dystopia, apocalypse, nuclear-holocaust, psychic-abilities

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I loved the post-apocalyptic/dystoptian storyline in this book, but the jumpy chronology and lack of explanation left a bit to be desired.

As far as the chronology goes, I really disliked how it jumped from the start of the war to several years after, because I couldn't keep track of who the new and old characters were. The new characters were pretty unmemorable and served to just fill out the community, but I also lost track of who the old characters were purely because they were forg...moreI loved the post-apocalyptic/dystoptian storyline in this book, but the jumpy chronology and lack of explanation left a bit to be desired.

As far as the chronology goes, I really disliked how it jumped from the start of the war to several years after, because I couldn't keep track of who the new and old characters were. The new characters were pretty unmemorable and served to just fill out the community, but I also lost track of who the old characters were purely because they were forgotten for a hundred pages.

I would have liked to have seen how people acted and reacted in the days immediately following E-Day, not only so I could keep track of the characters, but because I fucking love a post-apocalyptic storyline! The world was practically decimated, and it would've been cool to see how they rebuilt from nothing, rather than just showing a bit then skipping to 7-8 years into the future when they'd already rebuilt.

I also wish Philip K Dick had bothered to describe the fight between Bill Keller and Hoppy more thoroughly, because it was a letdown to hear about it after the fact when Bill had already invaded Hoppy's body. It's all well and good to hear that there was a struggle, but I want to see the struggle! Philip K Dick is so wonderfully descriptive with the rest of his world, so that was disappointing.

It would also have been nice to find out exactly how Hoppy removed Bill from Edie's body without gouging a hole in her stomach, and how he'd managed to unleash the powers of his mind rather than being bound by his body (or lack thereof).

I also REALLY wanted some clarification on Bruno Bluthgeld's abilities - it seemed like he really didn't have the ability to do anything, but then the last set of explosions threw me off. I'm inclined to believe it was Hoppy setting things up so he could simultaneously usurp Dangerfield and kill Bluthgeld, but I like shit to be a bit clearer.

That being said, I did really enjoy parts of the text. I loved the post-apocalyptic theme, particularly that it was a nuclear holocaust. I've read a few post-apocalyptic and dystopian texts, but the only other one with a similar theme that I can recall is the Watchmen graphic novel. Usually I just go for the biblical apocalypse or the alien destruction of the human race.

This is one of the texts where you can really see Philip K Dick's government paranoia shining through, and although it might sound sadistic it's really interesting to watch/read. He really was brilliant inspite of his insanity. Or perhaps he was brilliant because of his insanity.

I also loved the "abilities" that the phoces had, because they were never fully explained scientifically, but it wasn't completely disregarded as magic either. It just was. Philip K Dick didn't bother with any complicated mythology, he just left it up to the reader. I usually like things to be clear as hell to me, but I really appreciated that.

I also loved how the 'bad' characters really were despicable. Stephen King does a similar thing in creating characters that I absolutely loathe, who are so evil that I just want to stab them through the text. Philip K Dick did a really good job of showing Hoppy's delusions of grandeur and narcissism, and I couldn't wait for him to meet his end. I also liked how cold and heartless he made Bonny Keller, though I wish she'd met an unforunate demise.

So overall, if you're a fan of Philip K Dick, post-apocalyptic, dystopian or nuclear holocaust fiction, you might like this book. It's littered with holes and the chronology is a bit hard to get used to, but it's a decent read if you're into the genre. Not one of his best, but I still enjoyed reading it. (less)

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Jan 06, 2010

Alfonso rated it

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I usually come to decisions during long showers… I run all this scenarios in my head… and eventually end up picking the one that “feels” better for me… I haven’t got time to take long showers lately… anyway the other night when my so call “friend” decided to delete me from his goodreads friend list I was hurt! I mean I was actually hurt! There I am thinking that this guy is just joking around and being funny when he said all those horrible things to me… I was laughing at this guy’s wits thinking...moreI usually come to decisions during long showers… I run all this scenarios in my head… and eventually end up picking the one that “feels” better for me… I haven’t got time to take long showers lately… anyway the other night when my so call “friend” decided to delete me from his goodreads friend list I was hurt! I mean I was actually hurt! There I am thinking that this guy is just joking around and being funny when he said all those horrible things to me… I was laughing at this guy’s wits thinking he was the coolest… but right there when I saw that It hit me! He was not joking! He actually meant all those things! Now that is funny! (for me maybe not others*) anyway back to the book! I was thinking about reading this one cuz I promised him to read it… even tho it sucks I did promise a friend I was gonna read it! And besides he always recommended some really good shit… maybe it was going to get better on the last 40 pages I had to read of it… but you know what? Fuck it! I aint finishing this piece of crap! The characters are boring, the plot feels retarded to me… I think this shit was in part inspired by some drug that I remember the used on the 70 or 60 I don’t remember! That made a lot of people give birth to disfigured people… I remember watching some videos of the devices they try to built for little kids who didn’t have arms and legs… (just in case I don’t think this is funny) and bla bla I don’t care! Anyway the reason why I said what I said first… is because I don’t want nobody to think that I’m giving this book that I’m not even going to finish a bad review just to hurt somebody to hurt me… I don’t roll like that! This book is crap and I can’t think of a good reason to torture myself with it… so there! This book sucks and I don’t like it but it has nothing to do with the fact that Seth thinks he is better than everyone else and do a lot of shit that actually hurts people when he is feeling like he is better than us because of the amount of pages he manages to add a week. There I said it!

p.s. seriously dude… that was a bitch move!
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Sep 04, 2010

Matus rated it

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I liked the rich cast of characters. It was particularly interesting when a number of characters would describe the same thing--they would choose to highlight different things, sometimes completing ignoring what had been big to other characters, to the extent that similar scenarios/things could become nearly unrelated. (most epic ones are bloodmoney's mouth according to stuart, and bonny's 'omission' from her first meeting with Gill.) These 'filters' define the characters to an extent, and m...more

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Aug 18, 2010

Sal rated it

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My problem with this book lies with the characters. PKD is well known for his flawed, everyman-type characters that, despite their misgivings, the reader can empathize with. Not so for me in this book. With the exception of one somewhat minor character (Andrew Gill, the cigarette man), I disliked every character in here (even the six year old girl) and therefore, I found it difficult to vibe with PKD’s “faith in humanity” viewpoint, simply because I didn’t care, and if humanity was to be carr...more

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Dec 14, 2011

Ian St.germain rated it

· review of another edition

enter a world of a few average people and a few absolute maniacs dealing with the aftereffects of a neutron bomb attack in the 60's
where simple lives are as important as the lives of the man who caused the war or the limbless phocomelus who can move things with his mind
who is more important than the tv salesman who becomes a mutated-vermin trap salesman, and all he wants it to get out of the city, move to the country and have a better life?
the astronaut who's satellite never felt ...more

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Jun 06, 2009

Scott rated it

· review of another edition

This was just weird, even for PKD standards. Doctor Bluthgeld, a physicist purportedly responsible for some terrible tragedy that aversely effected the world, develops a psychological complex similar to schizophrenia and, fearing that everyone is out to get him, wills a nuclear apocalypse to happen somehow. The story mainly follows the aftermath of this Emergency Day through a handful of characters centering on a little outoftheway suburb. The characters are diverse enough, but never reasonably ...more

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Oct 05, 2011

Roberta rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

Io continuo a preferire i libri 'mainstream' di Dick (a parte qualche eccezione, come La svastica sul sole o I giocatori di Titano) eppure questo romanzo mi è piaciuto moltissimo. La storia è ambientata in uno scenario postatomico, e indaga non solo le paure del fallout, ma anche il disagio di una società che ha raggiunto un grande benessere ma non la felicità. Le tematiche sono moltissimo, e sarebbe riduttivo elencarle semplicemente, bisogna leggere il libro, che inserisce in un mondo "mut...more

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Sep 21, 2011

Lbrt rated it

· review of another edition

Analisi lucida e spietata di una possibile societ� post-atomica: cosa succederebbe se il benessere e lo sviluppo tecnologico improvvisamente venissero a mancare ? Esisterebbe ancora il razzismo ? Quelli che prima della bomba erano considerati "diversi", minorati e dunque e destinati a rimanere "indietro", avranno un ruolo diverso nella nuova societ� ? Nascerebbero nuove religioni ? O ci si accontenterebbe di idolatrare entit� pi� terra-terra, cui rendere grazie con doni e offerte...more

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Dec 04, 2011

Giacomo Boccardo rated it

· review of another edition

La vicenda si svolge in un 1988 che ha visto la Terra ed i suoi abitanti radicalmente mutati in seguito all'impiego di ordigni nucleari, senza una ben chiara motivazione o addirittura come risultato di un secondo errore umano, dopo il fallout atomico causato qualche anno prima dagli esperimenti del fisico Bruno Bluthgeld. I protagonisti sono gli abitanti di una ben circoscritta comunità californiana intenti a ricostruire una civiltà in un clima di costante apprensione dovuto alla mancanza di sov...moreLa vicenda si svolge in un 1988 che ha visto la Terra ed i suoi abitanti radicalmente mutati in seguito all'impiego di ordigni nucleari, senza una ben chiara motivazione o addirittura come risultato di un secondo errore umano, dopo il fallout atomico causato qualche anno prima dagli esperimenti del fisico Bruno Bluthgeld. I protagonisti sono gli abitanti di una ben circoscritta comunità californiana intenti a ricostruire una civiltà in un clima di costante apprensione dovuto alla mancanza di sovrastrutture sociali condivise. Il Paese è frazionato in quelle che possono paragonarsi a delle comuni distopiche, ciascuna governata dalle proprie leggi e in costante lotta per la sopravvivenza con le altre.

L'unico collante, ed astuto espediente narrativo, è l'astronauta Walt Dangerfield, lanciato in orbita il giorno stesso della catastrofe nucleare, il giorno dell'Emergenza. Grazie alle apparecchiature di bordo è in grado di ricevere e trasmettere comunicazioni audio, potendo così dialogare coi sopravvissuti e svolgere sia la funzione ricreativa di un DJ, sia quella pedagogica dell'ultimo tramite con la società precedente. Dalla lettura di un romanzo a qualche dritta per costruire manufatti o riutilizzare in modo differenti quelli del passato, le comunicazioni di Dangerfield rappresentano un fondamentale momento di aggregazione per le migliaia di persone isolate dal resto del mondo.
Nella piccola comunità di Marin County portano avanti la civiltà umana i personaggi di questa storia: Stuart McConchie, un venditore di trappole per animali mutanti in visita per affari, Jack Tree, dal passato poco chiaro e in preda a psicosi, il Dr. Stockstill, psichiatra prima del conflitto, Bonny Keller, ex-collega di Jack Tree, il marito Andrew Gill, produttore di sigarette, e la figlia Edie Keller, che nasconde dentro di sé un grottesco segreto.

L'elemento di rottura del precario equilibrio della mini-società è rappresentato da Hoppy Harrington, focomelico da prima dell'Emergenza a causa del talidomide, privo di tutti e quattro gli arti, ma dotato di poteri indistinguibili dalla magia e tali da compensare abbondantemente il deficit. Diventato in breve tempo il loro factotum, mostra la sua vera natura sfoggiando comportamenti antisociali e spesso infantili e distruttivi. Pur volendo il bene della comunità, segue unicamente le proprie regole morali fino a costituire un pericolo tale da dover essere fermato.

Le storie post-apocalittiche mi hanno sempre attirato e questa non è da meno. È affascinante vedere come l'uomo possa ricostruire una società e come possano scaturire i peggiori comportamenti dalla necessità di sopravvivere. È grottesco sia per i suddetti personaggi, sia per curiose trovate quali animali dotati di intelligenza superiore, ma deformi, capaci di suonare un flauto o biascicare parole umane.

Lo consiglio proprio agli amanti del genere perché lo rappresenta appieno e non scade mai nel ridicolo.

Dal mio blog: http://www.jhack.it/blog/2011/12/04/cron...(less)

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Aug 21, 2008

Tony rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

Dick, Philip K. DR. BLOODMONEY, or How We Got Along After the Bomb. (1965). ***. Actually, there was more than one bomb. Who bombed who was not made clear, though it didn’t really matter, only that there was profound destruction around the world. It might have even been a mistake on our part. Someone hit the wrong button and we bombed ourselves and everyone else. The scene is the Bay Area just before the bomb hits. Dr. Bluthgeld (Bloodmoney) is seen sneaking into the office of Dr. Sto...more

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Jul 15, 2008

Jeremy Adam rated it

· review of another edition

I've been reading through PKD slowly, slowly, procrastinating against the day when I will have no PKD to read. This is the most recent book of his I read, shortly before a sojourn at the Mesa Writers' Refuge in Point Reyes. Dr. Bloodmoney is really a series of character studies, taking place in a post-apocalyptic Point Reyes, each one marked by PKD's usual level of psychological insight. The moral dynamics between the characters are wonderfully drawn. PKD is popularly thought of as being a "...more

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Oct 12, 2008

Drake rated it

· review of another edition

Dr. Bloodmoney is a mediocre piece, filled with brief moments of Philip K. Dick’s genius. As usual for Dick, the ideas far transcend the storyline and characters, which are average at best. Written during his amphetamines craze, it feels rushed and undeveloped. Likewise, it is dated to the cold war, and the post nuclear accident/war apocalyptic world doesn’t translate well into today’s society. Ironically, Dr. Bloodmoney (Bruno Bluthgeld), by far the most interesting character in the story, ...more

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Jul 04, 2009

John rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, sf-fantasy

This is probably my favorite PKD so far. Doctor Bloodmoney reads like a reflective, sincere, homespun mainstream novel, except for the fact that it is set in post-nuclear fallout USA, where animals have acquired creepy advanced cognitive abilities, society has degenerated into semi-sovereign communes, and a few people walking around may have supernatural control over the physical world and dangerous psychological delusions to boot. It might sound bleak, but the amazing thing about this book is...more

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Jan 01, 2009

Lee rated it

· review of another edition

This book is very 20th century - moral ambivalence, most of the characters are thinking only of themselves. You follow several different characters and learn about their hopes, dreams, weaknesses. It's by equal terms sad, funny, disturbing, and horrific.

Phillip K Dick brings up many questions in this book - I think the primary one is what makes us human? Also- what makes life worth living for? Is it our actions that define us as human or monster or our appearance?

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Jul 03, 2011

Tristan Palmer rated it

· review of another edition

Like always, Philip K. Dick is insane. He prose is plain and unassumingly, but the man's ideas are far beyond that of any sane writer I've read yet. But the characters in all of their dysfunction, even after a nuclear holocaust are all fun and extremely insane. Most have you doubting their actions and thoughts as insanity until, in fact, other characters in the book witness the surreal in real life. It definitely takes you out of convention.

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Jan 16, 2009

Ilia rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: shawn

This is classic Philip K. Dick.

Paranoid, selfish people are trying to survive in twisted world, although it is often hard to tell whether it is warped by destruction or delusion. The book sucks you in psychologically, which is weird because the characters are almost impossible to empathize with. The whole world is completely unreal, but somehow made believable through the craft of the writer.

Highly recommended.

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Oct 30, 2011

Josh rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: library, read-2011

Top-tier PKD. This book isn't without it's plot holes— "Okay, that is NOT how seven-year-olds talk." and "If this is a post-apocolyptic society, why the HELL are there PTA meetings?"— but this is one of the most enjoyable novels I've read by Mr. Dick. So many plotpoints, so little- er, no, it all fits into 300 pages quite nicely.

I wouldn't mind if Mariner printed a copy of this book with the cover I made... just saying...

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About Philip K. Dick

Philip K. Dick was born in Chicago in 1928 and lived most of his life in California. He briefly attended the University of California, but dropped out before completing any classes. In 1952, he began writing professionally and proceeded to write numerous novels and short-story collections. He won the Hugo Award for the best novel in 1962 for The Man in the High Castle and the John W. Campbell Memo...more

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Quotes from Dr. Bloodmoney

“I'm tired and I want to rest; I want to get out of this and go lie down somewhere, off where it's dark and no one speaks. Forever.” — 4 people liked it

“phocomelus Hoppy Harrington generally wheeled up to Modern TV Sales & Service about eleven each morning. He generally glided into the shop, stopping his cart by the counter, and if Jim Fergesson was around he asked to be allowed to go downstairs to watch the two TV repairmen at work. However, if Fergesson was not around, Hoppy gave up and after a while wheeled off, because he knew that the salesmen would not let him go downstairs;' they merely ribbed him, gave him the run-around. He did not mind. Or at least as far as Stuart McConchie could tell, he did not mind.” — 1 person liked it

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