I’ve been reading some random short stories by Philip K. Dick on my Kindle these last few days. They are all public domain and originally appeared in Science Fiction Stories Magazine is 1953. I’ve not read Dick before though I have seen several movies made from his writings. These are all early, beginning of career stories, his first story having been published in 1951. What’s fun about them is that they are quite varied and a couple of them, one especially I will get to shortly, have some good humor in them.
The stories all start in the middle of something but Dick is quite good at orienting the reader right away as to where we are and what is going on. These are straightforward old-fashioned science fiction stories.
There is “Behind the Door” in which cuckoo clocks have a “real” cuckoo in them. It’s not a living bird but it is a bird that has character and if it likes the owner it comes out and sings every fifteen minutes. If it doesn’t like you, then, let’s just say you don’t want the cuckoo to not like you.
In “The Defenders” the United States and Soviet Union launched nuclear missiles at each other and humankind has retreated underground where they live under artificial light, making weapons for the war that goes on and on. Humans have employed “leadys,” humanoid robots who can live on the surface and not be affected by the radiation, to continue fighting the war for them. The humans ship the weapons they build in their underground factories to the surface and the leadys deploy them. The leadys send regular news reports of the war’s progress as well as photos of the devastation. Humans have been living underground for over eight years and are growing very weary of it, when they discover that one of the leadys who has come underground to provide a direct report is not radioactive. A group of humans goes to the surface to investigate and finds that the leadys, programed not to hurt humans, have been following their directive all along and have a plan for saving humanity from themselves.
“Beyond Lies the Wub” is one that has surprise humorous turn at the end. Some men loading up a ship of supplies on Earth to take to Mars buy a wub, a huge, pig-like creature that they think will eventually make a nice meal. But the wub has other plans. It turns out the wub is a sentient being with telepathic abilities and it enjoys discussing literature. The ship’s captain, however, wants his wub steak and orders his men to kill it. But the men can’t bring themselves to kill a creature that talks to them and asks to be spared. So the captain decides to kill the wub himself. Does he get his wub steak? I’m not saying.
The funniest story I have read, I mean laugh-out-loud funny, is “The Eyes Have It.” It’s about a man who accidentally discovers that Earth has been invaded by lifeforms from another planet. His discovery came one day when he was sitting in his chair and reading a paperback book that someone had left on the bus. The realization of the invasion came over him when he read this line in the book:
“… his eyes slowly roved about the room.”
Our narrator gets chills down his spine. He
tried to picture the eyes. Did they roll like dimes? The passage indicated not; they seemed to move through the air, not over the surface. Rather rapidly apparently. No one in the story was surprised. That’s what tipped me off. No sign of amazement as such an outrageous thing.
As our narrator reads on, he becomes more and more alarmed. What, after all, is he supposed to think when “…presently his eyes fastened on Julia.”? And then, “…slowly, calmly, his eyes examined every inch of her.” Imagine our narrator’s horror as he continues to read and finds that Bibney has lost his head and Bob has not guts, and someone else is lacking brains! And poor Julia gave her heart to somebody who then gave her his hand. Lifeforms from another planet indeed!
I have a few more Dick stories on my Kindle to read but I think I will take a break from them for a bit so as not to ruin too much of a good thing, and, I know I’ll have some good stories to look forward to. Monday morning I will leave my Kindle at home and take Jasper Fforde’s Shades of Grey with me. My coworkers will be happy to be able to see what I am reading, at least for a week or so.
I too recently have read a short story by Dick: “The Adjustment Team”, mainly to prepare myself to see the movie The Adjustment Bureau. The short story is so short like it’s just a seed idea. I’m surprised it can even be turned into a movie as I read it. The movie is much better thought-out and structured than the story. I wonder if you’ve read or will read his other short stories on which movies are based, like the acclaimed Blade Runner (“Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”) and Minority Report. Like to know what you think about them.
Dick expanded “The Defenders” into a novel, The Penultimate Truth (1964).
I say this having just looked it up. That story sounded too familiar, but I knew I had not read it.
Let me tell you, that if I had a cuckoo clock where the cuckoo came out and sang to me every fifteen minutes I would have drowned said clock and said cuckoo before the damned bird had a chance to do anything!
Mister Litlove read a Philip K Dick novel not that long ago, and I remember he enjoyed it very much. It’s more his ballpark than mine, so I’ll mention the stories to him – he may well be interested!
Arti, interesting about “The Adjustment Team.” I wonder if maybe he planned on expanding it eventually but never did? I do plan on reading his more famous short stories eventually and giving his novels a try too.
Amateur Reader, thanks for the tip! I’ll have to see if I can locate a copy of the novel. It will be interesting to see how he expanded it. Hopefully the novel isn’t as preachy as the story – it gets a bit much at the end.
Annie, in the story the clock is a rare and valuable item. But then perhaps the cuckoo wouldn’t like you. in which case, look out!
Litlove, these are very early stories and can be had free from Project Gutenberg if Mister Litlove is interested. Sometime I’ll get around to reading his more mature work and it will be fun to see how he developed.
I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep last year and liked it, though it felt a little uneven (probably more me than the book!). I’d like to read more–thanks for the heads up that a few stories are on Project Gutenberg!
I’ve been meaning to read some Philip K. Dick for years, but, for some reason, I keep putting it off. Perhaps I should do what you’ve done and start with some short stories. These all sound terrific to me.
I’ve only ever read the shorter of Dick’s works (“Behind the Door” is the only one I’ve read that you mentioned) and I happened to find each of them funny in their own way – if not laugh out loud, than with kind of an ironic humor. It’s one of his best qualities. Definitely one of the big-wigs of sci-fi, I’m working on getting around to his longer works. Thanks for the great review!
Danielle, I remember when you read Androids. It reminded me that I had been meaning to read Dick for ages but never got around to it. When I found the stories online it seemed like the perfect time. Load the stories up on your Nook and read them while standing in the sunshine waiting for the bus
Emily, I have been meaning to read him for years too and finally have gotten around to starting and find good incentive to keep going. Some of the early stories get a little moralistic but I think you will like them for their humor.
Chelsea, ironic humor is sometimes the best kind as it tends to sink in slowly and hang around for awhile
I enjoy scifi and I have always been a little embarrassed that I had not read him. At least now I have made a start.
I had no idea that any of Philip K Dick was public domain! This makes my day! I’m off to do some downloading.
Isabella, yup, there aren’t a lot and they are all really early, but they are available for free and make for fun reading. Enjoy!
Hobgoblin is a Phillip K. Dick fan, but I haven’t tried him yet (which is often the way things are …). These stories sound like fun. “The Eyes Have It” sounds very funny — and not what I would have expected from this author!