The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch

Philip K. Dick
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch Cover

I wouldn't call it a "classic" personally, but it's PKD all right

niriop
8/28/2019
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I think if I had read this before Ubik I would've liked it more--however, that might have meant enjoying Ubik *less*, and I quite liked Ubik. This is because T3SoPE very closely resembles the overall structure, plotting, and world-building of Ubik--its future society even has homeopapes!

The novel's biggest flaw is that it is simply too long, with several plot threads that really could've have been cut out (the evolution sub-plot for example which doesn't really add anything), and there are several conversations which could've been severely trimmed down (and yes, I know it's a "philosophical" novel, but even that feature must have limits).

The themes--alienation, transcendence, the properties of godhood, amoral corporations, the meaning of it all--remain the same and still interesting, but I think Michael Moorcock was right to say the novel lacks a real unifying thread.

If you're a PKD fan I still recommend it, even if just to see a relevant description of intense global warming that makes staying out in the midday sun an almost always deadly activity, especially biting given that the Amazon is burning as I write this review.