A Maze of Death in Philip K. Dick

Oct 26, 2009 Andrew Walter rated it liked it · review of another edition

I hate to say it, as this book had some wonderfully bizarre themes, but this is the first PKD I read that me question the "he-can-do-no-wrong" stance I'd previously held, but given I'd probably read a good 10 or so of his before getting to this one, I'd say that's a pretty good hit rat so far. I'm reviewing it first out of the PKD I have added because it is the most recent one that I've read, not because I bear his work any particular animostiy. Quite the contrary, I'm with the "he was a near ge I hate to say it, as this book had some wonderfully bizarre themes, but this is the first PKD I read that me question the "he-can-do-no-wrong" stance I'd previously held, but given I'd probably read a good 10 or so of his before getting to this one, I'd say that's a pretty good hit rat so far. I'm reviewing it first out of the PKD I have added because it is the most recent one that I've read, not because I bear his work any particular animostiy. Quite the contrary, I'm with the "he was a near genius" camp. You'll find us over there, saying Gubble.

Essentially the book deals with a group of colonists being assigned to a strange, mostly featureless planet, almost all of them after having their "prayers" granted- for in this particular PKD vision we have a universe in which a God is an indisputable truth, and you can submit your prayers to it in a sort of galaxy wide wireless system. God makes its prescence felt in a variety of manifestations, which people will go out of their way to boast out having direct experience of in polite company-as I said, just one example of a brilliant theme that I wish had been developed further.

The colonists all arrive in their new jobs, each fulfilling a separate role within the group, but with no idea of why they are there, and soon, it becomes apparent, with no way of finding out why. Then, as the somewhat lame title has already disclosed, people start to die, one by one.

As mentioned, there are moments of greatness here. The visit to the mysterious Building in the planets barren landscape, with each colonist convinced they know what it's purpose is, is the sort of thing you feel Stephen King would have based a bestselling housebrick on, and I found the undisguised contempt of the characters for each other to be as amusing as in many of his other, better novels. I particularly enjoyed the marriage ruining nymphomaniac girl, and the lummox character's interpretation of what the thebuilding is for. Hippery Hoppery.

Ultimately I think what I felt most about this book was disappointment in the ending, and annoyingly there is no way you can really criticise Mr. Dick for it, because it does actually make sense given what has gone before, and I'm probably a bit jaded by having seen it used in countless other stories, not to mention endlessly spoofed. Perhaps thats just a sign of the times today, or my age, or of PKD's influence, or of so many storytellers lack of originality.

Worth a rent from the library. Special "anti-points" for possibly the worst, most irrelevant Gollancz Sci-Fi Masterworks front cover I've yet seen, and that's saying something. ...more

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Jun 24, 2008 Themistocles rated it liked it

Shelves: scifi, p-k-dick

Mind bending indeed. It's not a GREAT novel, but it's so outworldly compared to Dick's other works (and this should say something) that it'll keep you coming back for more. ...more

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