Showing results by author "Philip K. Dick" in All Categories

"Human Is" is a science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was first published in Startling Stories, Winter 1955. The plot centers on the crisis facing a woman whose cold and emotionally abusive husband returns from a survey mission to the dying planet Rexor IV, changed for the better—his psyche was replaced by a Rexorian, glad to have escaped the confines of its dying planet. The story was adapted by Jessica Mecklenburg for an episode of the 2017 TV series, Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams.

First published in 1954, this classic short story blends science fiction, paranoia, and metaphysical suspense, laying the foundation for themes that would later inspire the acclaimed 2011 film “The Adjustment Bureau.” Perfect for fans of speculative fiction, hidden conspiracies, and Philip K. Dick’s signature explorations of identity, free will, and the fragility of perceived reality.

Do we control our destiny, or do unseen forces manipulate us? Ed Fletcher is a real estate agent with a normal life, until one day he leaves the house for work a few minutes later than he should have. He arrives at a terrifying, grey, ash world. Ed rushes home and tells his wife, Ruth, who goes back to the office with him. When they return, everything is normal. But he soon realizes people and objects have subtly changed. Panic-stricken, he runs to a public phone to warn the police, only to have the phone booth ascend heavenward with Fletcher inside....

Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928-March 2, 1982) was an American author who wrote 44 novels and about 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his lifetime. His fiction explored varied philosophical and social questions such as the nature of reality, perception, and identity, and commonly featured characters struggling against alternate realities, illusory environments, monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments, and altered states of consciousness. This recording is from a speech Dick gave in France in 1977.

What if...a machine could murder one person while implicating another for the crime? An alien being looked like livestock but spoke like a philosopher? Earth was ruined by war, and Mars was humanity's only hope? Robots were created to wage an unending war on the ravaged surface of Earth while man hid underground? Peeking into the future showed a worse result with each look?

In "Follia per sette clan" Dick si tramuta, in quanto scrittore di fantascienza, in psicologo/ psichiatra che utilizza la sua creatura letteraria come atto terapeutico sia per i suoi personaggi che per i lettori, organizzando un viaggio dentro le psicosi della mente, o meglio – grazie alla duttilità della fantascienza – su Alfa III L2, una luna ospitante i ‘lunatici’, vale a dire, non coloro colpiti da malattia provocata (come una volta si credeva) dal mutamento dei cicli lunari, bensì coloro che, diagnosticati ‘folli’ sulla terra, sono stati allontanati (allunati?) su un satellite remoto e isolato.

"L'uomo dai denti tutti uguali" è un romanzo non di fantascienza. Scritto nel 1960, in uno dei migliori momenti creativi di Philip K. Dick, è stato scoperto solo nel 1984, quando è stato pubblicato per la prima volta in Gran Bretagna. Vi si narra la storia di una vendetta crudele e paradossale, ambientata nell'America falsamente innocente degli anni Cinquanta, mentre è in pieno sviluppo un grande cambiamento sociale, la popolazione inizia a spostarsi nei sobborghi urbani e la Guerra Fredda fa sentire il peso ossessivo delle sue nevrosi.

Explore Philip K. Dick’s thought‑provoking novelette The Last of the Masters, set 200 years after an anarchist revolt dismantles governments. Hidden in a remote valley, a benevolent robot ruler maintains humanity’s last functioning state—until insurgents challenge the fragile balance. This intense clash of anarchism and authoritarianism delves into themes of technology, empathy, and political power.

Además de novelista, Philip K. Dick fue un prolífico autor de cuentos, muchos de los cuales han sido llevados al cine en los últimos tiempos. Él mismo reunió su producción breve en cinco volúmenes que recuperamos en una edición revisada. Esta primera entrega recoge 25 relatos escritos entre 1951 y 1952, auténticas joyas literarias que destilan la magia propia de Dick y donde quedan patentes sus constantes obsesiones: la muerte, la alienación, la locura, la religión y la represión, y la naturaleza esquiva de la realidad.

Twenty-four of the greatest science fiction stories of all time in this fourth sci-fi short story collection, including works by Jerry Dunham, Emmett Dowell, James Causey, Gordon Randall Garrett, James A. Cox, Phyllis Sterling Smith, Richard A. Sternbach, Robert Sheckley, E. G. Von Wald, Keith Laumer, Jerome Bixby, Frederik Pohl, Roger Dee, Arnold Marmore, James H. Schmitz, Lester del Rey, Cordwainer Smith, Ray Bradbury, and Philip K. Dick.

Of Withered Apples by Philip K. Dick is a hauntingly symbolic short story that blends dreamlike imagery with unsettling undercurrents of fate and desire. In this surreal tale, Dick draws readers into a world where ordinary objects—such as withered apples hanging on a tree—take on an ominous significance, suggesting temptation, decay, and the fragility of human will.

Step into the golden age of speculative imagination with Classic Science Fiction: Selected Short Stories, a masterfully curated collection from some of the most influential voices in science fiction history. This volume brings together visionary tales by Philip K. Dick, Murray Leinster, William Tenn, Robert Sheckley, Lynn Venable, E. E. Smith, and Fredric Brown—authors who shaped the genre with bold ideas, sharp wit, and unforgettable concepts.

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE AND DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? Nick and his family are forced to leave Earth in order for him to keep his cat, Horace - because all pets are now banned, as they use up badly needed resources. They settle on Plowman's Planet...

Dive into the thought-provoking world of Philip K. Dick’s science fiction classic, Variable Man. Originally published in 1953 in Space Science Fiction, this captivating tale unfolds in a future Earth shackled by a relentless obsession with war and an overreliance on mechanical calculators. What happens when an unpredictable variable—a man from the past who can mend not just appliances but also the very fabric of destiny—enters this rigid world? As he challenges the limitations of technology, he becomes both humanitys greatest hope and its inevitable downfall. Experience a ...

Dive into two captivating tales in the unmistakable style of Philip K. Dick. First, meet the Wub‚Aîa 400-pound, slovenly creature that resembles a bizarre mix of walrus and hog. The hungry crew of a spaceship sees it as a potential meal for just 50 cents, but the Wub has its own ideas about fate. The second story, The Skull, weaves a gripping narrative of time travel intertwined with unscrupulous governments, prisoners, and religious undertones, all featuring a cunning assassin. Prepare for an exhilarating journey through imagination and thought! (summary by Phil Chenevert)

Dive into a visionary collection of science fiction from two of the genre’s most influential minds, Philip K. Dick and Frank Herbert. This anthology of 22 short stories explores the boundaries of reality, identity, technology, and the human condition through gripping, thought-provoking narratives. From mind-bending alternate realities to vast, immersive worlds shaped by politics and power, each story delivers a unique glimpse into the future and beyond. Perfect for fans of classic science fiction, this collection brings together timeless tales that continue to inspire modern sci-fi.

Dopo la catastrofe che ha messo fine alla terza guerra mondiale, due Chiese si disputano i pochi sopravvissuti e i loro discendenti, flagellati dalle mutazioni. Una delle Chiese, quasi una proiezione del Vecchio Testamento, venera Deus Irae, il dio della collera, colui che ha causato nel mondo l'orrore atomico. Un Michelangelo senza braccia né gambe, Tibor McMasters, viene incaricato di realizzare il suo ritratto per rianimare la fede dei seguaci.

Come sarebbe, si domanda Philip Dick, un mondo nato dalla vittoria dell'Asse nella Seconda guerra mondiale? Chi governerebbe il Reich? Cambierebbe qualcosa? Cambierebbe qualcosa per lui, Phil Dick, scrittore proletario e depresso, residente a Point Reyes, nella Contea di Marin? Partendo da quest'idea, poi divenuta un classico della letteratura, Dick non immagina un ipotetico futuro quanto un diverso passato e il presente che ne deriva.

In a 1978 interview, Phillip K. Dick said "I've always had this funny feeling about reality. It just seems very feeble to me sometimes. It doesn't seem to have the substantiality that it's suppose to have." Fortunately for us, Dick translated his feelings about reality into some of the greatest science fiction writing of all time. This collection features five stories from early in his career, when he found his voice as a writer.

Explore classic retro-futurist storytelling in Golden Age Science Fiction Short Stories Vol. 5, featuring unforgettable works by Ray Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, and Fredric Brown. This collection delivers suspense, imagination, and thought-provoking adventures from the golden age of science fiction.