Product Description

In the field of science fiction, the work of Philip K Dick is unparalleled. His novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? became the classic science-fiction film Blade Runner. His short story, "The Minority Report," was recently adapted for the screen by Stephen Spielberg and stars Tom Cruise. Dick’s appeal and influence has reached the world over, creating the standard for the literary science fiction novel.

In November of 1982, six months before the author's death, journalist Gwen Lee recorded the first of several in-depth discussions with Philip K. Dick that continued over the course over the next three months. These extraordinary interviews are filled with the wit and aplomb characteristic of Dick's writing, helping make What If Our World Is Their Heaven? not only an engaging read, but a unique and compelling historical document. It will be a must read for anyone interested in the field of science fiction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #799649 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 204 pages

From Publishers Weekly
With his Hugo Award-winning The Man in the High Castle (1962), Philip K. Dick commenced his reign over literary sci-fi, presiding with innovative, philosophical narratives. At 53, the cult figure was verging on Hollywood celebrity with Blade Runner, adapted from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968), but he died in 1982, before the film's release. Sauter, whose introduction describes their friendship, introduced him to Lee, who recorded Dick weeks before his death. After 18 years, these transcripts bring fresh insights notably, into the imaginative biotech plot line of the unwritten The Owl in Daylight. (Lawrence Sutin culled the novel's prospectus from Lee's tapes for his Dick biography, Divine Invasions.) Dick also discusses music, writing, philosophers and his 1974-1975 mystical visions, when the revelation of his son's undiagnosed birth defect "down to anatomical details" saved the child's life. He lived to see 20 minutes of Blade Runner scenes, and responds enthusiastically and extensively to features like the "400-story police building that dominates the landscape" and the punk rock extras ("these are not actors. Nobody looks that sinister. Except the people who are that sinister"). Several misspelled names are a minor annoyance amid the exuberant thought processes ricocheting around this book, deemed in a foreword by SF novelist Tim Powers (The Anubis Gates) a "vivid portrait" of a writer who chose creative intensity over healthy blood pressure, and ultimately "killed himself" through overwork for his art. (Mar. 19) Forecast: Fans will rejoice. Dick's ever-growing reputation will get a big boost from the forthcoming film version of his 1956 story "Minority Report," starring Tom Cruise and directed by Steven Spielberg (filming begins in March).
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Author of numerous novels, short stories, and other works, including Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968), basis of the movie Blade Runner, and "I Can Remember It for You Wholesale," basis of Total Recall, Dick is known worldwide as a science fiction master. Shortly before his death, on March 2, 1982, journalist Lee, a longtime friend of Dick's, recorded several interviews with him. Among the topics discussed were details of Dick's writing process, his thoughts on Blade Runner (which he never got to see as a finished film), and preliminary plot and background information about the novel he was writing, The Owl in Daylight. Dick's fans will enjoy seeing how he formulated his ideas and reading about his never-finished novel. At times a bit repetitious, as extemporaneous interviews are wont to be, Lee's conversations with Dick provide a unique glimpse of one of sf's pantheon writers. Bryan Baldus
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"An affecting and elegiac portrait of Philip K. Dick at the end of his life." -- Science Fiction Studies

"The text consists of the virtually unedited transcript of conversations recorded a few months before Dick's death. Anyone who has been drawn into the paranoid, hallucinatory premises of Dick's fiction-a 'what if?' history in which the Japanese occupy America after winning World War II, a race of manufactured people who believe they're human-will enjoy spending time with one of science fiction's most unconventional minds. " -- Gerald Jonas, The New York Times

"These conversations reveal [Dick] as possessing a superbly rational and erudite mind capable of wonderful insights and curiosity, His plotting of a new novel, Owl in Daylight on tape is a revelation of writing skills and high intelligence." -- Science Fiction Chronicle

Customer Reviews

Fascinating- It's like being in a room with Philip K. Dick!
Reading this book is like sitting down to a one-on-one conversation with Philip K. Dick. His unique and surprisingly upbeat personality shines though more here than in any biography. Despite personal trials and delusions Philip K. Dick retained a sense of humor and it's fascinating to hear that come through in his own words. I appreciate the fragmented sentences and "and um's" left intact because they truly convey the atmosphere of being in a room listing to Philip K. Dick. One of the most interesting things about reading this book is seeing Philip K. Dick's momentum and thought progression as he plots out a story idea (tragically one that he never had time to finish.) His interpretation of the well-known interferences in his life from either extraterrestrial or divine sources is fascinating but somewhat brief, it seems not to overshadow his existence, but merely become another accepted aspect of it. This book brings this sci-fi legend into human terms. For those interested in Philip K. Dick's personality this book is probably the most authentic and enlightening available.

Like having a time machine and going back to talk to Phil
I love this book! If you are a PKD fan, you have to get this! I've read everything the man has written and this last conversation gives you a unique insight into the sometimes hilarious, and always genesis mind of this century's (or I guess it was last century's) great writers and visionaries.Whether you're a would-be writer or a Sci-Fi fan, this book is such a fun ride, full of wit and aplomb that only Phil could rattle off.

Astoundingly little content for the price
PKD is fascinating as always, but at $17 I expect a lot more than 20 pages worth of content clumsily spread across 200 pages via narrow paper, wide margins, huge type, blank pages and double-spacing. This is a magazine article pretending to be a book! For your best bang-for-buck PKD insights, save your pennies for Sutin's excellent Divine Invasions.