Pink Beams of Light from the God in the Gutter: The Science-Fictional Religion of Philip K. Dick

by Gabriel Mckee

From his earliest stories, Philip K. Dick's science fiction had strong religious and philosophical themes. In Pink Beams of Light from the God in the Gutter, Gabriel McKee gives an overview of Dick's religious experiences and his attempts at communicating them in published works, drawing on Dick's fiction as well as his private journals and personal correspondence.

Genres: Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2003

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A discussion of Phillip K. Dick's writing and mystical experiences through a Christian theological lens. I think Mckee has a valid point that a Christian paradigm served as a foundation or background to Dick's thought. However, Mckee also has a tendency to shoehorn Dick's thought into a Christian framework whether it fits or not. He consistently downplays the ways that Dick transcended standard doctrine and dogma. Dick believed in a God, but I'm not sure it was the Christian God. He believed in redeemer/Messiah figures, but he believed that Christ was only one manifestation of that archetype. Did he believe Christ was the son of God? I doubt it. Mckee seems to very much want to make PKD's theology Christian, to the point that he disregards the evidence to the contrary.

[Noah Vickstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Academic treatment of PKD's legacy of work, including pieces from his 'Exegesis'.

My brother took it out for me while I was visiting him in Tucson, close to 2 years ago. I stayed up all night to read it before I had to leave, and I'm glad my determination won out. The content, though, is a little dry for my tastes, and it's been so long that while I know it had a profound effect on me I cannot remember much about it.

That's what happens when you wait to write reviews, folks.

[Brooks]

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notes
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first ed. signed/numbered (80/100) by author.

[Bostian]

Looking for my current read of Eye in the Sky but found this interesting among the long list of books by or about PKD.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, though a little mind-boggling. Luckily it's short, because I will probably need to read it at least once more, along with some more of Dick's work.