Clans of the Alphane Moon in Philip K. Dick

Oct 05, 2016 Cliff Jr. rated it really liked it

I wouldn't recommend this one as an introduction to the world of PKD, but for die-hard fans, heck yeah, quite a ride! I had to qualify my praise because I don't think the main character is particularly likable... Or likable at all, really.

Also, a lot of people might be turned off by the fact that a lot of the book centers on a very dated understanding of psychological disorders, but come on. Classic sci-fi. For me at least, it's easy to forget just how old most PKD books are because everything f ...more

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Aug 21, 2017 David rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: philip-k-dick

From start to finish, 'Clans' is an intriguing and worthy delivery from Dick despite it being somewhat underwhelming through the 3rd act.

In classic Dick fashion, he grabs you right from page 1, and throughout the first half-dozen chapters, has you occupied enough in connecting the dots from the various sets of characters all placed in various locations. These characters include an assembly of moon-dwelling 'special' people (not to spoil anything) who belong to their own particular clan, a Califo From start to finish, 'Clans' is an intriguing and worthy delivery from Dick despite it being somewhat underwhelming through the 3rd act.

In classic Dick fashion, he grabs you right from page 1, and throughout the first half-dozen chapters, has you occupied enough in connecting the dots from the various sets of characters all placed in various locations. These characters include an assembly of moon-dwelling 'special' people (not to spoil anything) who belong to their own particular clan, a Californian simulacrum operator who lives next to a talking psionic slime mold, and a psychotherapist bent on divorcing her husband. On the surface, this would seem to be a properly bizarre scenario, and it almost is, however Dick manages to use the logic of this world to his advantage, giving every character a fairly valid purpose and having fun with it at the same time.

The book is comical enough at times and, on a more serious level, offers up some interesting ideas on mental health--being one of the central themes to the story. This is unsurprising as Dick explores mental illnesses and mental health consistently through his body of work, since he himself was also beleaguered by a form of schizophrenia in the latter years of his life. Seemingly, these personal issues provided inspiration to his writing, which certainly leaves its mark in 'Clans'. My main criticism is that these ideas lose steam 3 quarters of the way through the book, and beyond this point I find the novel struggling to resolve itself with any climactic interest. At this point, there is little substance but rather a chain of events that conveniently clean up all the loose ends.

In the end, I was surprised by the note of optimism, right down to the last page, and the last sentence. Having read over a dozen Dick novels, "Clans" certainly renders as a lighter, more positive experience than most of his other works. Should it be noted that Dick was in the midst of his career, prior to his darker years? Is it pure chance? Or does he genuinely feel optimistic of humans, in our ability to reconcile? ...more

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Jun 24, 2008 Themistocles rated it liked it

Shelves: scifi, p-k-dick

This is from Dick's hyper-active, hand-to-mouth period. Yet it's very interesting, funny but tragic at the same time - something that probably reflects Dick's outlook at the time. ...more

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