If you like Dick you will like this

A team of anti-psychic's get ambushed on the moon and are thrown into a realm where things deteriorate into older time periods and evolve into never actualized futures.

I know my description sounds weird, but listen to the book and you will get it.

Like all books by Dick he goes to great length to explore his central tenet but also the rest of the science part of the science fiction is weak and might as well be magic. I have read this is the pinnacle of his works but for me I preferred The Zap Gun, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Time out of Joint to this one.

I think the narrator was good and did well with the material.

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Stellar performance of a great book.

I loved it and was surprised that it ended so soon. It's a great story and I would like to hear more from Mr. Dick.

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Not bad

It was confusing to follow until the story reveals itself but really never identified who the antagonist is or what it is. A bit of a meandering tale.

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Surreal masterpiece

Ubik is a masterpiece of speculative fiction. It expertly misdirects the reader into what its focus is. Much like J.R.R Tolkien, PKD is able to expertly weave clues about its narrative into its worldbuilding in ways that feel organic. Ubik initially bases its story around the idea that the protagonist lives in a cyberpunk dystopia. Where everything asks for a dime or a nickel, your door demands payment before it opens for example. In this world it's regular practice to hire "Psyonics" to read minds or predict the future. The book's protagonist Joe Chip works for an organization which hires people who do the exact opposite. "Inertials". People who can block the abilities of these Psyonics. He brings along a woman who has the ability to manipulate the past to alter the present and takes off on a new job to the Moon. He then experiences a bizarre explosion while on the job and shortly thereafter his world begins changing in strange and unique ways.

What's great about the story is PKD is a master of misdirection. What you expect the story is going to be isn't what it ends up being. Joe Chip starts seeing his reality break down as things around him begin to regress in age for illogical reasons. His cigarettes are stale, the cream in his coffee is expired, his money is 40 years out of date. He begins eerily hearing the voice of people that he knows are dead completely unaware of his presence. The story keeps you hooked and keeps you guessing. Presenting explanations that then get refuted at every moment. What starts as a traditional sci-fi espionage tale in the vein of PKD's previous work "Minority Report" very gradually descends into a psychological surrealist horror story. And it leaves you breathlessly in awe with a bombshell of an ending that genuinely makes you wonder about its world long after you're finished. As good as PKD's other stories are. Ubik is so ahead of them. It reads like a Twilight Zone episode that I never got to experience. One that nobody told you about but feels so thrilling and satisfying. It's a genuine travesty it has never been adapted to film.

This audio book is very well read by Luke Daniels. Who gives unique voices to all of the characters. From the protagonist Joe Chip to his employer Glen Runciter. And it really adds this life and rhythm to the story and its characters. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys surrealistic subversive fiction and fans of science fiction as a whole.

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Weird, but in a good way.

I am still scratching my head, being unsure of what I just experienced. I enjoyed it so I guess that is good.

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Interesting but out dated slurs and misogynistic views of young girls/ women

Story- interesting, curious, had to listen to the book twice to figure out what was going on. Unique and unexpected story ending.

Outdated- a few slurs and misogynistic descriptions of young girls and women that caught me off guard. Yes this book was written awhile ago- just didn’t sit right being 2023 and knowing better.

Performance- very good- the readers voice was what carried me through the story- also popped into my head throughout the day.

Overall- I did like it-it was interesting, and strange, which was what I was looking forward to from PKD.

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I wonder what that was about...

As with most novels by Philip K. Dick, this is very hard to classify. It's definitely a dystopia - the economy is literally nickel-and-diming the citizens to death, in a hilarious indictment of capitalism.

It's also a detective story. With the development of psychic abilities comes abuse.

Then it got metaphysical... By the time I finished reading, I couldn't tell who was alive or dead, awake or in the VR equivalent they called "Half-Life."

Typical, Phil. Leave me confused and disturbed.

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Fantastic

Luke Daniels was amazing. This book is a treat to listen to. Who can say what actually happened, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.

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Amazing narrator, fascinating story

The narrator is incredibly talented, portraying many unique characters in a truly engaging manner. Haunting story.

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Reality Bending

Well, this one's a mindfreak. Of course, if you're familiar with Dick's _oeuvre_, you have a grip on what to expect, but Ubik is (arguably) his pinnacle. Be ready to have your perceptions challenged.

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4 les gens ont trouvé cela utile