Nuestros amigos de Frolik 8
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- Author：Philip K. Dick
- ISBN：8445007327
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Summary
A mediados del siglo XXII， algunas personas han mutado desarrollando una inteligencia extraordinaria o poderes paranormales， lo que les ha permitido dominar al resto de la humanidad。 Nick Appleton， un humilde trabajador， ha depositado todas sus esperanzas en su hijo Bobby， que aspira a entrar en el Servicio Civil y formar parte de la maquinaria del poder。
Pero no será aceptado， lo cual suma un fracaso más en la frustrante existencia de Nick。 Sin embargo， su vida y su actitud apocada se transforman cuando se enamora de la joven subversiva Charlotte Boyer y cuando Thors Provoni， que había emprendido un temerario viaje al espacio exterior en busca de aliados para los oprimidos， anuncia su inminente regreso a la Tierra acompañado de un habitante del lejano planeta Frolik 8， que los ayudará a liberarse y establecer un nuevo orden mundial。
Pero no será aceptado， lo cual suma un fracaso más en la frustrante existencia de Nick。 Sin embargo， su vida y su actitud apocada se transforman cuando se enamora de la joven subversiva Charlotte Boyer y cuando Thors Provoni， que había emprendido un temerario viaje al espacio exterior en busca de aliados para los oprimidos， anuncia su inminente regreso a la Tierra acompañado de un habitante del lejano planeta Frolik 8， que los ayudará a liberarse y establecer un nuevo orden mundial。
Reviews
David Raz
，
Can't say I enjoyed this book。 There are some mildly interesting ideas but they are kept undeveloped。 For example， the idea of drugs vs。 alcohol， which I kept waiting to become something， ends up as nothing。 Nutrologics is another thing I didn't get。 Why did it fail so miserably？ The story pace didn't work for me， and the book seemed both too short （to develop those ideas） and too long （in reality， taking me so long to finish）。 I especially didn't like the ending， which seemed to mismatch the st Can't say I enjoyed this book。 There are some mildly interesting ideas but they are kept undeveloped。 For example， the idea of drugs vs。 alcohol， which I kept waiting to become something， ends up as nothing。 Nutrologics is another thing I didn't get。 Why did it fail so miserably？ The story pace didn't work for me， and the book seemed both too short （to develop those ideas） and too long （in reality， taking me so long to finish）。 I especially didn't like the ending， which seemed to mismatch the story and solve everything desu-ex-machine。 Two stars out of five。 。。。more
Calum Richardson
，
The central romance between a middle aged man and a child was somewhat offputting， and the book overall feels like 1984 with an added alien。 Not sure which came first but I enjoyed this less for having already read 1984。 Disappointing， because I generally love PDK as a writer， especially his short stories， but this did very little for me。
Kylan Comeault
，
I might re-adjust this rating。 It’s messy so many threads are left with little closure， but there are a lot of elements in play that did work for me and I don’t think those two facts are at odds。 Maybe after sleeping on it I will have more to say， who knows。
Doug
，
Even though my current "Goodreads Brand" is usually aimed at books with titles like Soft Yellow Stone: Seventeen Even Gentler Ghost Stories Set in the Cotswolds， there was a time only about a decade or two ago when my primary reading habit swung towards mid-2oth century science fiction with Philip K。 Dick was the prime locus。 I do not know how many books I read by him （as well as folks like Bradbury， Herbert， Heinlein， Ellison， etc） but it was a lot。 I think part of what drove me towards these g Even though my current "Goodreads Brand" is usually aimed at books with titles like Soft Yellow Stone: Seventeen Even Gentler Ghost Stories Set in the Cotswolds， there was a time only about a decade or two ago when my primary reading habit swung towards mid-2oth century science fiction with Philip K。 Dick was the prime locus。 I do not know how many books I read by him （as well as folks like Bradbury， Herbert， Heinlein， Ellison， etc） but it was a lot。 I think part of what drove me towards these guys is that their books were potboilers written to put food on the table but also explorations of the human condition。 Dick had a knack for piling on layers of meaning into what was otherwise a surreal paperback romp with drugs and lasers。Over time， my interest in such writings increasingly waned and I think it might come down to the simple fact that for all the futures and all the explored worlds， they ultimately felt like they were simply an extension of the dreams， and libidos， of mid-twenty century white males。 This book definitely hits this combination of elements。 Dick's intersection of anti-authoritarian strange futurism butts right up against his tendency to ground his futures， no matter how inventive or surreal， into working class parables about the dangers of Johnson and Nixon era politics。 All with a hefty dose of his tendency to fetishize a certain type of young， feisty female; normalize drug use as a stand in for emotional development; and play around with a decidedly new age take on religion as the ultimate goal of all science。 In this way， Our Friends from Frolix 8 is almost too Phildickian a novel。 It's all here。 Flying cars。 Fascist governmental figures who are imprisoned in their own fascism （oppressed， as it were， by the effort to oppress）。 Working class men who get brought into a struggle greater themselves due to a failed attempt at an extramarital affair。 Shrewish wives。 A Jesus Christ allegory that is so blatant that it openly identifies itself as a Jesus Christ allegory because otherwise it would be silly。 Science and philosophy blended together in a heady soup where it is nearly impossible to disentangle what is Dick's whole cloth creation versus something he once read in a fortune cookie。 Various bits of slang and tech that sound perfectly reasonable but are probably somewhat the byproduct of a fever dream。*What elevates this novel and for me makes it one of the greats that stands in its way besides such works as Ubik and A Scanner Darkly is that these old-hat elements are layered together and woven with a certain subtlety that might actually take multiple readings to properly pick apart。 What seems to be an entirely too stereotypical Dick story about an everyman， paranoia， government oppression， the return of Christ， and the failure of knowledge to elevate mankind is。。。well， a stereotypical novel about all of these things。 But done in a way that feels like Dick is actually trying to have a conversation with himself about some of his prior assumptions and statements。 It is a box of knifes with the edges filed off。 There is a missing core of definite THIS IS THE TRUTH。 Instead， human evil and human good are a fuzzy ideal and what really matters in the heart of this novel is power （over yourself and others） versus the personal feeling of safety and stability （the latter being the utter drive of the former）。 All of society becomes a toy box played with by children for a few moments of fun。 While the bullies might rule the playground and do terrible things for the sake of their own rule it is only a temporary state until the playground equipment breaks or a bigger bully from a bigger playground shows up。 To near on infinity。 It would take a lot more than this review to properly unwind the conflicting Jesus vs Nixon metaphors， the confusing state of race relations**， the very problematic handling of female characters， or even the way that Dick seems comfortable with saying that the status quo is not so much bad as inconvenient with the alternatives being potentially worse （which is very middle class of him）。 This is why I like this book。 It is uncomfortable in ways， unsettled in others， and seems almost unforgiveable。 But， it also is an exercise in the notion that most big notions are merely echoes of what really matters: a person's ability to feel comfortable and settled in the place they are， that primary drive of civilized survival that flavors nearly everything else we do。 And， like most Dick novels， I do not necessarily agree with it， I just appreciate how someone writing mostly to pay the rent found a way to work this into a romp involving drugs and lasers。==========* Dick is perhaps the king of a certain type of diegetic world building， where important cultural and technological elements are simply demonstrated as fact， often only in an immediate context。 This somewhat plays against this novel a little in that there were， in the hard- and digital copies of this book， a few typos that got passed over because presumably the editor just went， "There he goes， making up words again！"。 ** Dick was regressive in his handling of female characters， no doubt， but his handling of race is far more confusing。 While some of his statements were relatively progressive， there are other portions that paint a somewhat conservative （especially by today's standards） view。 This is something I should probably look into more。 。。。more
Phil Daniels
，
Unquestionably PKD。 Loose ends？
Mjhancock
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In the near future， the majority of humanity is ruled over by two privileged classes: telepaths and supergeniuses。 They tighten their surveillance grip on the Old Men， whose leader went into space long ago to search for a creature willing to break the current state of affairs。 And now he's coming home。。。As is typically the case for Dick， the story is both thought-provoking at some times， and wild at others。 But on the whole， I can't say I liked it very much。 The very end packed a punch and conta In the near future， the majority of humanity is ruled over by two privileged classes: telepaths and supergeniuses。 They tighten their surveillance grip on the Old Men， whose leader went into space long ago to search for a creature willing to break the current state of affairs。 And now he's coming home。。。As is typically the case for Dick， the story is both thought-provoking at some times， and wild at others。 But on the whole， I can't say I liked it very much。 The very end packed a punch and contains some interesting choices， but the last third was way too bogged down in Dick's gender hang-ups for that end to fully land。The story's protagonist is Nick Appleton， an ordinary man who finally reaches his tipping point when his son is rejected from the test to determine whether he can be accepted into government training。 Step by step， he's pushed further into rebellion， until he's deserted his wife and child and on the run with the sixteen year old Charlotte Boyer。 Gram is the obnoxious oligarch leading the planet， a telepath with a superiority complex that makes him think he's better than the Old Men， but still feeling inferiority on how he measures to the super geniuses。 When word reaches Earth that the former rebel leader is on the way back， Gram and Nick and Charlotte's paths cross， they become obsessed with each other， all while the world around them prepares for its end。Also， the leader is bringing back an immortal alien who's going to force the ruling class into submission， and could easily turn the entire world into a hive mind replica of itself， but it promises it won't。What the book does exceptionally well is a dread of feeling on two levels。 First， it presents the dread of being trapped inside a system designed to centralize power and keep you from it， while still controlling you as much as possible。 Second， it presents the dread of destroying that system， the awful uncertainty that you've done something irreversible， and you will never be able to entirely replace what you destroyed。 That works great， and it resonates at least as much now as it did in 1970。The use of Willis is。。。 fine。 He's a petulant， self-interested tyrant， but that's the point; he's there to reveal the absolute lie that the upper class are working in the good interest of anyone but themselves。 It's not particularly interesting， but he does what he should do。 Charlotte is very typical for Dick， let's put it that way。 She represents less a person than the feeling of vitality that Nick and Willis want to possess。 As such， she's depicted as animalistic， feral， incapable of reason。 And she's clearly meant as a contrast for Nick's wife， who is comparatively characterized as shrewish and shrill。 （Although proven entirely right on the money when she worries about her husband bringing home a 16 year old girl。） It feels like Nick is supposed to be the everyman type character， but his obsession with Charlotte and subsequent actions feel pretty gross。 Maybe that's the point， but it doesn't feel like that's the message Dick wants us to take， given the emphasis at the end of a possible reunion。I like the change of scope at the end， where we seem to swerve entirely from the alien arrival。 I'm a little on the fence about how the alien acts， and how people respond to the action--there's some mental disability issues there that could use more unpacking。 I like a lot of the little details of this world--alcohol is banned but any drug cocktail you can imagine is available at the closest bar。 God's corpse was found a few years ago， and you can buy a statue of his desiccated divine resemblance。 Our our friends from Frolix 8 really going to stop？ All fun ideas to play with。 But yeah， that last third seems too much a run through Dick's hangups to work with the rest。 。。。more
Francisco Paniagua
，
EL ARTE EXQUISITO DE CONTAR HISTORIAS DESCABELLADASEl siglo XXII， la Tierra: la “vieja” humanidad ha sido desplazada por hombres y mujeres “nuevos” cuya capacidad mental e IQ nos supera （y por mucho）。 Gracias a esto ha habido avances increíbles en ciencia y tecnología， filosofía， arte， y política: el “antiguo” Homo sapiens ya no gobierna su mundo， su lugar fue tomado por estos nuevos humanos de élite que están acompañados por otros “inusuales”: seres cuya capacidad cerebral se expandió hacia la EL ARTE EXQUISITO DE CONTAR HISTORIAS DESCABELLADASEl siglo XXII， la Tierra: la “vieja” humanidad ha sido desplazada por hombres y mujeres “nuevos” cuya capacidad mental e IQ nos supera （y por mucho）。 Gracias a esto ha habido avances increíbles en ciencia y tecnología， filosofía， arte， y política: el “antiguo” Homo sapiens ya no gobierna su mundo， su lugar fue tomado por estos nuevos humanos de élite que están acompañados por otros “inusuales”: seres cuya capacidad cerebral se expandió hacia la telequinesis， la telepatía y la parapsicología en general。La vieja humanidad sólo desarrolla aquellas actividades que los “especiales” no quieren。 Los disidentes son arrestados y enviados a campos de concentración en la Luna y en Utah （！） El paisaje general parece sombrío para nuestros descendientes toda vez que las leyes cada vez son más estrictas y una mayor represión segrega a nuestra especie。Afortunadamente el viajero Thors Provoni viene de vuelta de los confines del espacio para equilibrar la situación y moldear una sociedad igualitaria donde todes tengamos cabida。 ¿Sus aliados？ Una misteriosa raza alienígena de seres indestructibles provenientes del planeta Frolix 8。¿Delirante？ ¿Fantasioso？ ¿Inverosímil ？ Lo maravilloso de Philip K。 Dick y sus historias es cómo las narra， permitiéndonos reconocer nuestro presente y algunos rasgos atemporales de los seres humanos en su ficción。 En este sentido tiene la estatura de un Faulkner， un Hemingway o un Steinbeck。。。 Y no me sorprende que muchas de sus novelas hayan sido editadas como parte de la prestigiosa （y cuidada） Library of America。 。。。more
Nick Duretta
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Philip K。 Dick’s fertile imagination is on full display here but the story—of a sort of global coup on Earth in the 22nd century—was too confusing and sailed over my head。 Many of the themes regarding sex roles and the nature oh humanity seem very rooted in Sixties sci-fi pulp novels like this one。 It’s a futuristic tale with a retro feel。
Benjamin
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Mid-tier PKD， still pretty good。
David Agranoff
，
Recording the episode of Dickheads podcast soon。 Excited to talk about it。
F。 William Davis
，
This one was conceptually rich and yet I found the story was a bit weak overall。 PKD's imagination is phenomenal。 I felt a bit of an Orwellian vibe in this although set in a more technologically and biologically interesting future。 Also， I caught myself wondering if the "New Men" idea may have influenced Roddenberry's "New Humans"。The extremely dated gender misconceptions made it hard to connect with or care about the plight of the characters which gave me a detached sensation while reading this This one was conceptually rich and yet I found the story was a bit weak overall。 PKD's imagination is phenomenal。 I felt a bit of an Orwellian vibe in this although set in a more technologically and biologically interesting future。 Also， I caught myself wondering if the "New Men" idea may have influenced Roddenberry's "New Humans"。The extremely dated gender misconceptions made it hard to connect with or care about the plight of the characters which gave me a detached sensation while reading this。 Which is not to say the general plot was not interesting。 I was engaged with the events and interested in the outcomes， I wasn't completely satisfied with the conclusion but I did like that it didn't do exactly what I was expecting it to。 。。。more
Eric Stodolnik
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I really needed this kind of crazy-insane wacked out sort of novel from my favorite crazy-I same wacked out novelist， PKD。。。 LOVED this book。 Such a trip and the concepts and characters are a blast。
bookthump
，
Well， shucks。 I was enjoying where this was going， but the end fizzled。 In this story， mankind has evolved two new strains of humans: those with telekinetic abilities （New Men） and those with telepathic abilities （the Unusuals）。 Normal folk are now Old Men。 Because of their extraordinary abilities， the New Men and Unusuals rule Earth via oligarchy。 Revolution is brewing and Nick Appleton， an Old Man living in New Jersey with his wife and son， gets involved。The debate of rule by the elite few ver Well， shucks。 I was enjoying where this was going， but the end fizzled。 In this story， mankind has evolved two new strains of humans: those with telekinetic abilities （New Men） and those with telepathic abilities （the Unusuals）。 Normal folk are now Old Men。 Because of their extraordinary abilities， the New Men and Unusuals rule Earth via oligarchy。 Revolution is brewing and Nick Appleton， an Old Man living in New Jersey with his wife and son， gets involved。The debate of rule by the elite few versus a true democracy was not as in depth as I had hoped it would be。 The characters were so shallow and emotionless as to be nearly sociopathic。 I initially thought maybe this was a statement by Philip K。 Dick on the oppressed position of the Old Men， but after finishing the book， I feel the characters were just not developed。 If my first impression truly is what Dick intended， then it was not well-developed either。The novel teases the return of a hero to the Old Men， a man who left Earth a decade prior to search the cosmos for intelligent life that might return to Earth with him to help the Old Men shake free of their shackles。 The resolution of this element of the story was one of the most disappointing deus ex machinas I have experienced in a long time。One of the charming elements of reading vintage science fiction is seeing where the author the world would be during the time period they are imagining。 This story takes place in the 22nd century。 There are flying cars and interstellar space travel as expected。 There is mention of a colony on the moon。 Sometimes the things the authors imagine as probably outlandish or progessive end up being humorous when compared to what we actually have today。 I uttered a genuine laugh when a character was searching television for something and had to flip through ALL SIXTY-TWO CHANNELS！ Sixty-two！ Adorable， as we sit here with our 900 cable channels and several streaming services。This is worth a read for fans of science fiction， especially vintage sci-fi， but it probably will not be of much interest or inspiration to most other readers。 Philip K。 Dick's work has been omnipresent in my life mostly as motion picture adaptations。 This is the second of his novels that I have read and both have left me with the same sense of mild amusement but are quickly forgettable。 I am not sure if I have just been unlucky or if this is just how I feel about the man's work。 More research is required， surely。 。。。more
George Eraclides
，
This is not one of Mr Dick's best novels。 We have a future where advanced humans lord it over the rest of us。 Drugs manage social ills （a common PKD theme） and technology exists to oppress and belittle human beings。 No one is happy， not even the ruling class。 This society is brought undone by a revolutionary who brings an alien being with great powers back from space。 The characters are poorly developed and the dialogue is stilted and clichéd。 The novel is best read as high farce or low grade sy This is not one of Mr Dick's best novels。 We have a future where advanced humans lord it over the rest of us。 Drugs manage social ills （a common PKD theme） and technology exists to oppress and belittle human beings。 No one is happy， not even the ruling class。 This society is brought undone by a revolutionary who brings an alien being with great powers back from space。 The characters are poorly developed and the dialogue is stilted and clichéd。 The novel is best read as high farce or low grade symbolism， with the world's great leader as a Mel Brooks type and the protagonists juvenile and hardly worthy of the new world they will inherit。 But still， it is a PKD take on the future， which （if you haven't noticed）， we happen to be living in。 His fiction is our reality today。 Read it and reflect on your existence now。 。。。more
Sean Walsh
，
PKD is just a masterful storyteller。 This， like everything else， is brilliant。。。
Nicole
，
The whole concept was interesting， however ultimatley I found it way too white male 'gaze-y'。 I did not relate to any of the characters and didn't really connect with the way it was written。 The whole concept was interesting， however ultimatley I found it way too white male 'gaze-y'。 I did not relate to any of the characters and didn't really connect with the way it was written。 。。。more
Richard
，
Philip K Dick was one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time。 His work foresaw the future， predicted technology， and， most importantly， held up a mirror for us to see ourselves as we really are。 Dick’s 44 published novels and 121 short stories pushed the envelope as to what topics could be discussed。 He started publishing in the 1950s and his stories have withstood the test of time。 After his death several have been made into movies and television shows。 Genius is not a word I throw Philip K Dick was one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time。 His work foresaw the future， predicted technology， and， most importantly， held up a mirror for us to see ourselves as we really are。 Dick’s 44 published novels and 121 short stories pushed the envelope as to what topics could be discussed。 He started publishing in the 1950s and his stories have withstood the test of time。 After his death several have been made into movies and television shows。 Genius is not a word I throw around lightly but Dick definitely was。All of that said， I have no idea what Dick was trying to say in his book Our Friends from Frolix 8。There was a lot about politics and drugs and misogamy but other than that， I just didn’t understand what he was trying to say。 Perhaps if I had used a lot of recreational drugs before reading it that might have helped as I’m sure Dick used them while writing it。Sorry to say， this Dick book does not get my recommendation。 There are so many fantastic and genius books he has written out there that， if you are new to Philip Dick， PLEASE read them first。 。。。more
McNevin Hayes
，
Interesting， with much to recommend it。 Old Men are outmoded; New Men are brilliant， but because their minds are so advanced they might be crazy， and you can’t tell; and then there are Unusuals， who are psychic。 The world is currently being run by a power mad telepath who is also clearly mentally ill。 Meanwhile， a leader of the rebellion is on his way back from deep space with an alien he feels can correct the situation。 Things become increasingly interesting as the story progresses。 But。。。 is m Interesting， with much to recommend it。 Old Men are outmoded; New Men are brilliant， but because their minds are so advanced they might be crazy， and you can’t tell; and then there are Unusuals， who are psychic。 The world is currently being run by a power mad telepath who is also clearly mentally ill。 Meanwhile， a leader of the rebellion is on his way back from deep space with an alien he feels can correct the situation。 Things become increasingly interesting as the story progresses。 But。。。 is my ebook of this missing a chapter or two at the end？ I can’t tell。。。！ 。。。more
Jeff Mcneill
，
Oldie but goodie。
Paschalis
，
elibrary
Marsha Valance
，
In the 22nd century， the Earth is ruled by the genius "New Men" and the "Unusuals"， who possess psionic abilities such as telepathy， telekinesis and precognition。 Thors Provoni， who has gone deep into space to find help for his resistance to the ruling groups， is returning with a sentient protoplasmic alien being， a "Friend from Frolix 8" known as Morgo Rahn Wilc， to fight for the "Old Men"， human beings who have none of the rulers' powers。 When Provoni lands， Morgo Rahn Wilc protects him from a In the 22nd century， the Earth is ruled by the genius "New Men" and the "Unusuals"， who possess psionic abilities such as telepathy， telekinesis and precognition。 Thors Provoni， who has gone deep into space to find help for his resistance to the ruling groups， is returning with a sentient protoplasmic alien being， a "Friend from Frolix 8" known as Morgo Rahn Wilc， to fight for the "Old Men"， human beings who have none of the rulers' powers。 When Provoni lands， Morgo Rahn Wilc protects him from an assassination attempt。 Provoni is actually a "New Man" and an "Unusual" at the same time， and， with the assistance of his alien companion， he strips all Unusuals of their psionic abilities， and all New Men of their advanced cognitive abilities， rendering the New Men intellectually disabled and capable only of childlike cognition。 A Science Fiction Book Club selection。 。。。more
Chiara Zito
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Comprato più di un anno fa， non ho mai avuto molta voglia di leggerlo。Invece， durante la quarantena， ho divorato il tutto in pochi giorni portandomi fuori dalle mie quattro mura。 È una strana storia e un finale che non lo è davvero。 Dopo aver finito puoi interpretare il tutto come vuoi e dare il finale che più ti si addice。 Lo consiglio vivamente。 Ho scoperto un altro grande scrittore。
Alficus Edwards
，
Good world building and theming but end is a bit philosophical and less of a conclusion to a single person's story。 Good world building and theming but end is a bit philosophical and less of a conclusion to a single person's story。 。。。more
Sonic
，
This was hard for me to pay attention to。 Flat characters and not a lot of action or humor。
Mike
，
"We may all be that soon。 Unhatched eggs sat on by a cosmic chicken。"A great title。 A repressive government made up of two groups of elites who pretend to be opposed to each other。 Said government sends dissidents to labor colonies in southwestern Utah and on Luna。 Telepathic dictator of said government subjects his flunkies to monologues about his acrimonious divorce and convoluted plots to assassinate his former wife （incidentally， during the time he wrote this novel， 1968-69， Phil was on his "We may all be that soon。 Unhatched eggs sat on by a cosmic chicken。"A great title。 A repressive government made up of two groups of elites who pretend to be opposed to each other。 Said government sends dissidents to labor colonies in southwestern Utah and on Luna。 Telepathic dictator of said government subjects his flunkies to monologues about his acrimonious divorce and convoluted plots to assassinate his former wife （incidentally， during the time he wrote this novel， 1968-69， Phil was on his fourth marriage）， berating them when he detects （telepathically） that they're bored， rather than focusing on an imminent alien invasion。 Said invasion composed of single entity， one （1） inconceivably powerful Frolixian， on his/her/its way to Terra with only the most benevolent of intentions， namely to end the tyranny of the New Men and the Unusuals。。。or so he/she/it claims。 Said Frolixian recruited in the first place by Undermen leader Thors Provoni， absent from Terra for the last ten years， having promised all Undermen that he would return from the far reaches of the galaxy with help。 Undermen are radicalized Old Men， the majority-population underclass。 Main character a member of said underclass who works a dead-end job， dreams of his son passing the （rigged） civil service exam， and feels belittled by his wife。 A dark-haired girl。 Her samizdat-dealing boyfriend， "a gutter Dionysius。" Quotations from a Yeats poem。 TVs that turn themselves on for government announcements。 A man with no eyelids。 The unhatched eggs of a cosmic chicken。 Put it all together and you've got a novel with a lot of familiar Philip K。 Dickian elements， almost satirically so， not too bad but unlikely to stick in my memory。 In an appendix at the end of Divine Invasions， Lawrence Sutin's biography of Phil， he tells us that "Phil dismissed Frolix as a potboiler"， and that sounds about right。 There are some good moments， it cracked me up a few times， but it's not nearly as thought-provoking as his best work。 There's a reason that no PKD fan has ever told someone trying to get into Phil's work to start with Our Friends from Frolix 8。But I've read a fair number of Phil's novels at this point， and I've started to get the same feeling that I had about halfway through the third season of the original series of Star Trek。 The third season was as bad as I'd heard， and it occurred to me that there were no more cities on the edge of forever， amok times， wolves in the fold or squires of gothos- no more great episodes that I hadn't seen。 I think I may have gotten to that point with Phil's novels- no more androids dreaming of electric sheep， no more scanners darkly。 But last night I remembered that Sutin's appendix offers a short synopsis and rating for each of Phil's novels， so I read through it to refresh my memory。 Sutin is an astute and occasionally quite funny guide through Phil's bibliography。 Here's how he begins to describe Dr。 Futurity: "The medical skills of a twenty-first-century physician are needed to save the life of a twenty-fifth-century rebel leader who would topple the sterile world dystopia。 Ahem。" On Vulcan's Hammer: "In the post-nuclear holocaust future， white-collar technocrats and their power-crazed computer Vulcan 3 keep the blue-collar Healers' Movement in check。 Turns out the Healers were founded by former big cheese Vulcan 2。 Vulcan 3 bites the dust in a scene that defines anticlimax。 Phil never set out to write a bad book， but anyone who has tried to make a living at SF has cranked out dreck like this to pay the bills。 Okay？ Okay。" Sutin rates both of those novels 1/10。 On The Simulacra， which he gives a 7 and describes as containing the "most complex" of all Phil's plots: "To say that a German drug cartel manufactures simulacra presidents who hold figurehead power while beautiful Nicole Thibodeaux， the first lady， really runs the show is only to hint at its intrigues and capers。" On The Unteleported Man， or Lies， Inc。， which gets a 5: "damn weird。" Phil also wrote a novel called The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike， which I could have sworn was a Jim Incandenza title。 Frolix gets an appropriate 4 from Sutin。 In any case， here are the Dick SF novels that I haven't read。 I think I've got my eye on that early-to-mid 60s stretch， from The Game-Players of Titan to The Zap Gun。 Any recommendations？The Cosmic PuppetsSolar LotteryThe World Jones Made Eye in the SkyThe Man Who JapedDr。 FuturityVulcan's HammerWe Can Build YouThe Game-Players of TitanThe SimulacraClans of the Alphane MoonThe Crack in SpaceThe Zap GunThe Penultimate TruthThe Unteleported Man or Lies， Inc。Galactic Pot-HealerThe Divine Invasion 。。。more
Alex James
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How I attained this book？In HMV there was a sale。 Dozens of dystopian books surrounded me， and I took time choosing which I wanted， to my family member’s chagrin。 I thought I’d settle with a Philip K Dick book alongside another that had been recommended to me – Fahrenheit 451。 I could trust Philip K Dick could write a good novel from when I read much of him in 2010 and 2011。How does it start？When Nick Appleton’s son， Bobby， finally takes the civil service test， and fails， as everybody told him h How I attained this book？In HMV there was a sale。 Dozens of dystopian books surrounded me， and I took time choosing which I wanted， to my family member’s chagrin。 I thought I’d settle with a Philip K Dick book alongside another that had been recommended to me – Fahrenheit 451。 I could trust Philip K Dick could write a good novel from when I read much of him in 2010 and 2011。How does it start？When Nick Appleton’s son， Bobby， finally takes the civil service test， and fails， as everybody told him he would because they’re biased， we don’t even know what he’s truly feeling， but he’s changed。 His wife is now an agent of conformity bent on using Nick to perpetuate their family’s survival instead of the notion of real love。Is OFFF8 typical Dick？In some ways， yes， it’s typical of author Philip K Dick。 Main protagonist Nick Appleton loses affection for his wife， distrusts her even， and then goes looking for a rebellious young female who can teach him something new about life， allow him to be a bit naughty， and explore his ‘human’ side and the revolution-in-works。 In this sense it’s a bit like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep。In other ways， it’s not so typical。 There aren’t any conspiracy theories， and the tables don’t turn on the main protagonist in quite as dramatic a way as they do in Total Recall or Minority Report。 We’re looking at a fight against a dystopian system， but it’s not one that can be sought from the protagonist searching for clues， as in Paycheck。 Instead we’re anticipating news from the character Thors Provoni who had abandoned Earth on a ship and seeks to elude destruction， before deciding to make a return and change things for the better， this time accompanied by a giant protoplasmic slime alien。 As far as the establishment is concerned， Thors Provoni is a villain， and I’m sure the medication-reliant majority on Earth agree， except those daring enough to sell rebel preacher material。What flavour of dystopian are we in for？Our Friends From Frolix 8 （OFFF8） shows what happens when those in power are victim to the fear and pressure they exert on the population on a daily basis， and likens those certain people to children in their eagerness to possess， and proclaim the absolute certainty of things。Very much a vision of a future where population control， enforced conformity， ‘relocation camps’ as punishments， surveillance， and biased two-party political systems are the norm。 It makes you appreciate that from a time long ago authors such as Philip K Dick could see disadvantages with the current political model。 We see news broadcasters underplaying revolutionary events to support the system in power， and their paid positions， twisting fact with fiction in a way that’s reminiscent of every time there is a real election。I was beginning to get the feeling I was reading the solution to a problem we’re seeing emerge in modern day of increased surveillance and infringement of privacy that comes with technological advancement， and of severe measures taken against minorities or any who don’t conform to the standard majority mode of living。 Is it good？OFFF8 is possibly the best PKD book I’ve read， and the most relevant to read now。 Though it bears similarity to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep， there isn’t anything much more original than a protoplasmic slime alien， and it was fun reading how the tyranny struggles to react to this。 I kept talking about the book。 Must read！ 。。。more
Ralph Jones
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It’s not a Philip K。 Dick’s kind of book if there’s no special abilities that the characters in his book have。 So， in Our Friends from Frolix 8， the new humankind called ‘New Men’ and ‘Unusuals’ have these special powers。 They have telekinesis， telepathy; the psychic abilities and the like， which， the former humankind called the ‘Old Men’ doesn’t have。 Because of these powers， the New Men rules the 22nd century society and they are not great rulers。 Here comes our hero， Thors Provoni （not Thor， It’s not a Philip K。 Dick’s kind of book if there’s no special abilities that the characters in his book have。 So， in Our Friends from Frolix 8， the new humankind called ‘New Men’ and ‘Unusuals’ have these special powers。 They have telekinesis， telepathy; the psychic abilities and the like， which， the former humankind called the ‘Old Men’ doesn’t have。 Because of these powers， the New Men rules the 22nd century society and they are not great rulers。 Here comes our hero， Thors Provoni （not Thor， the God of Thunder in Germanic mythology）， who goes on a quest into deep space to find help for his resistance group to fight against the New Men。His quest found him bringing back an alien to which he called ‘A Friend from Frolix 8’ to planet Earth。 Meanwhile， on Earth， the rulers knew about Thors’ plans so they set up a defense fleet and strategized an attack towards Thors to kill him。 Thors managed to evade the defense but almost crash-landed。 When the rulers found out about this， they were very scared and what they fear came true: Thors stripped off their psychic abilities as he is more powerful than the New Men （apparently）。 Thors is both a New Men and an Unusual， to which he has both the superhuman mental and psionic abilities。 The New Men and Unusuals were reduced to mere intellectually disabled people after that， leaving Thors and his Frolix 8 friend to rebuild society。 。。。more
Daniel Corral
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What a fantastic tale of the distant future。Philip K。 Dick introduces us into the 22d century in which humans have evolved to a superior kind。"The new humans" who now rule the world have 50 times more intelligence than the "Ancient Humans" （us）。 The ancient humans with normal intelligence now are considered less， a low class， along with "Subhumans" who are now persecuted and locked on concentration camps called "Re-educational camps"。There are also the "Peculiar" humans who are of pretty much th What a fantastic tale of the distant future。Philip K。 Dick introduces us into the 22d century in which humans have evolved to a superior kind。"The new humans" who now rule the world have 50 times more intelligence than the "Ancient Humans" （us）。 The ancient humans with normal intelligence now are considered less， a low class， along with "Subhumans" who are now persecuted and locked on concentration camps called "Re-educational camps"。There are also the "Peculiar" humans who are of pretty much the same intelligence as Ancient Humans but they have Precognitive abilities way far superior to anything the world has even seen， they are able to read minds and influence people。In this twisted， Futuristic Neo-Nazi World we meet Nick Appleton who is a normal （Ancient） human being who works at a car-repair shop， He wants his son to become a New Human， so he can be able to get a proper， dignified job and have a good quality of life。One early morning Nick goes to work and hears about the assassination of a famous revolutionary figure that opposed to the tyrannic government named Cordon， This resistance writer wanted justice for all types of people， specially the sub and old humans。 Everything in the life of Nick is about to change as he finds out his former boss is a follower of the resistance and Cordon's literature。Even thought the novel is set upon a distant future and in a very utopia world。 The Realism in which Philip K。 Dick manages to tell the story submerges into it perfectly。 His very well known style is present throughout the whole novel from beginning to end。 A delightful piece of Science Fiction that any die-hard fan of Pulp Fiction would certainly appreciate a lot。 。。。more
Paul Muad'Dib
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Za humor， i za relacje
Patrik Sahlstrøm
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