Unabridged Audiobook
I recommend this audiobook to those who like PKD, because fans of his work would probably be able to better deal with the reader. But for first-timers, it woud be better to read the stories on your own. The reader really distracts from the stories - he uses corny, emphasized accents and his woman's voice is TERRIBLE, even insulting at times. I enjoyed the stories a lot, but my reason for writing this review is to warn about the reader. I would hate to see people turned off of PKD because of the weirdo they have reading his stories.
These are truly classic stories. It's fascinating to see the liberties taken by Hollywood when making them into movies. My ONLY complaint is that there are only one or two tracks per CD. If you happen to miss a section, or hit the wrong button on your stereo, this can be a major pain to backtrack, especially on a car stereo that has no fast forward.
Woohoo - this is a buried treasure - I had forgotten how many of the popular movies were based on Philip K Dick's vision. In particular - loved "recognizing" "We can remember it for you wholesale" as the basis for "Total Recall" - but this original version is better. Definitely worth it.
After reading the other reviews, I wasn't sure how I would like this production. The narration, however, was not bad at all. I was surprised how much fun this one was, actually. PK Dick has a reputation as a great dystopian; the stories here were - dare I say it- downright optimistic and somewhat sentimental, in their way. I had no idea he had such a soft spot for happy endings....
Even better than the movie... and I was surprised by the differences from this story and the movie.
An interesting collection of stories by one of the greats of literary SF. Though some of the plots are worn thin by time, it's worth remembering that Dick was the one who came up with many of these much copied ideas in the first place. Narration was solid, though accents were a weak spot. The choice of places to break stories into discs, however, seemed odd and disconcerting.
This is short science fiction at its best. A great blend of fascinating stories and speculative 'science'. What puts these stories over the top is how quickly we're through the setup and into the action. Philip Dick doesn't waste any time. He grabs your attention and doesn't let go. It's no wonder three of these stories have been very loosely adapted into major films.
I was looking forward to hearing Minority Report and We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, those both being the basis of movies and titles I'd heard for a long time. Unfortunately, I found them to be minor stories, marred by some amateurish writing and characterization that hasn't aged well, and without satisfying conclusions. The surprise here was the longest story of the bunch, Second Variety. Clocking in at a bit over 90 minutes, this is a gripping suspense story that has a unique twist on the idea of machines taking over the world. It's hard to discuss much without spoiling it, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story and only guessed at the resolution moments before reaching the end. Keir Dullea does reasonably with male voices, but his female voices are disappointing and often confusing. This particularly mars the first two stories, but doesn't get in the way of Second Variety.
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