New Issue of PKD Otaku

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Michael Fisher

A new issue of PKD Otaku has been published. You can view it here: PKD Otaku Issue 34 or view past issues.

Please be patient after clicking on the link for this issue. The file is large and requires more time to download. An alternative would be to save the file to your computer and read the issue from there.

New Audiobooks Page And A Contest To Win A Free Audiobook

Posted on August 9, 2016August 9, 2016 by Michael Fisher

In celebration of the new Audiobooks page just posted, one of the narrators has partnered with this site to sponsor a contest. The new page is located in the Works In Print menu or can be found here: /works-in-print/audiobooks/.

Ray Greenley (web site, Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud) narrated “The Unreconstructed M and Other Stories.” I listened to this audiobook and I think it’s really well done. Ray Greenley’s voice is a pleasure to listen to. With some audiobooks I’ve listened to, I have difficulty becoming immersed in the story because the narrator’s voice or rhythm or style of reading aloud, but with Ray’s narration I didn’t have that problem.

From the Amazon description of this audiobook:

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 The Unreconstructed M and Other Stories by master of science fiction Philip K. Dick, reality is as thin as imagination. Trust in your senses, your experience, and your expectations if you must. But be warned. What you do not know can leave you – and your world – forever changed!

“The Unreconstructed M” (1957), “Beyond Lies the Wub” (1952), “Strange Eden” (1954), “Survey Team” (1954), “The Defenders” (1953), “Beyond the Door” (1954), “Shell Game” (1954), “Piper in the Woods” (1953), “Meddler” (1954), “Of Withered Apples” (1954), “Progeny” (1954), “Upon the Dull Earth” (1954), “Human Is” (1955).

You can hear a preview of the audiobook at Audible, SoundCloud, or Amazon.

Now for the contest:

First and second place are each awarded with a copy of The Unreconstructed M and Other Stories, sold and delivered by Audible, an Amazon company

The challenge:

Readers will leave a comment with what would be their ultimate choice for a book to be read and the person who would read it. The best and/or most creative answer and the runner-up would receive the two promotional copies. Please leave your email address in the comment so we can contact you if you are a winner. You have until August 29. 2016 to enter.

For example, my choice would either be Benedict Cumberbatch reading The Hobbit (His voicing of Smaug in the movie was amazing! It was like the sound of Smaug’s voice that I’ve imagined since I first read the book.) or Martin Shaw reading Geek Love or Stranger in a Strange Land.

New Issue of PKD Otaku

Posted on July 14, 2016 by Michael Fisher

A new issue of PKD Otaku has been published. You can view it here: PKD Otaku Issue 33 or view past issues.

Biography Coming Soon [Updated]: Pre-order Links For The Other Side of Philip K. Dick

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Michael Fisher

Coming Soon

The Other Side of Philip K. Dick By Maer Wilson

To pre-order visit Amazon.com or Smashwords.

Expected to be published later this summer, The Other Side of Philip K. Dick By Maer Wilson is a memoir that tells the story of her ten year friendship with Philip K. Dick from 1972 to 1982.

From the description at Maer Wilson’s web site:

“What is the truth behind the legend of Science Fiction great, Philip K. Dick?

In spring, 1972, Phil Dick moved to Fullerton, CA, where he met Theatre student Mary (Maer) Wilson. Amid marriage proposals, marathon talk-fests and a love for music and films, they forged a strong friendship that would last the rest of his life.

Wilson’s quirky, yet unflinchingly honest, memoir reveals a funny, compassionate and generous man. She captures an inside view of one of our literary greats – a brilliant writer who gave the world some of its most revered Science Fiction.”

For more information, visit Maer Wilson’s web site, Goodreads, Amazon.com or Smashwords

Books Recently Published And Coming Soon

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Michael Fisher

Available Now

Published June 1, 2016, “The Divine Madness of Philip K. Dick” by Kyle Arnold is available through Amazon.com or your favorite book supplier.

The book is a biography shown through the lens of a clinical psychologist. From the description at Amazon.com and probably the back cover of the book also:

“In The Divine Madness of Philip K. Dick, clinical psychologist Kyle Arnold probes the fascinating mystery of Dick’s heart and mind, and shows readers how early traumas opened Dick to profound spiritual experiences while also predisposing him toward drug dependency and violence. Disputing the myth that Dick had schizophrenia, Arnold contends that Dick’s well-known paranoia was caused by his addiction to speed. Despite Dick’s paranoia, his divine madness was not a sign of mental illness, but a powerful spiritual experience conveyed in the images of science fiction.”

For more information, visit Amazon.com or Goodreads.

Available Now

Published April 9, 2016, “Ganymedean Slime Mold On Tour And Other Things: Essays And Stories, 1988-2015” by Lord Running Clam is available through Amazon.com, Wide Books (with a ten dollar discount), or your favorite book supplier.

The book is a collection of stories and essays, and for Philip K. Dick fans, there are essays from For Dickheads Only and PKD Otaku. From the description at Amazon.com and probably the back cover of the book also:

“Its the umpteenth decade in the War On Drugs. The 1980s. Ronald Raygun is dozing off and Nancy just says No. Into the fray inches the Ganymedean Slime Mold, armed with telepathic power and not enough weed. Will the forces of righteousness prevail? Or will the dark denizens of the Government squash this alien dopesucker? A true story. Inspired by Philip K. Dick and challenged by Hunter S. Thompson, Lord Running Clam here presents his stories and essays written over the last thirty years, including the best from the zines ‘No Bullsheet’ and ‘For Dickheads Only’-and everything he wrote on Philip K. Dick for ‘PKD OTAKU’.”

For more information, visit Amazon.com, Wide Books or Goodreads.

Coming Soon

Expected to be published later this summer, The Other Side of Philip K. Dick By Maer Wilson is a memoir that tells the story of her ten year friendship with Philip K. Dick from 1972 to 1982.

From the description at Maer Wilson’s web site:

“What is the truth behind the legend of Science Fiction great, Philip K. Dick?

For more information, visit Maer Wilson’s web site or Goodreads.

Note: If you don’t see the book cover and title above, most likely your ad blocking software/browser extension is not allowing the content from Amazon.com to appear.

Philip K. Dick Award Winners For 2016

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Michael Fisher

The finalists for The Philip K. Dick Award were revealed on Friday, March 25, 2016 at Norwescon 39, in SeaTac, Washington. The award is given to the distinguished original Science Fiction paperback published for the first time in the U.S.A. during the previous year.

The Awardees

Distinguished Paperback	Special citation

Apex Ramez Naam	Archangel Marguerite Reed

From http://www.philipkdickaward.org
“The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually with the support of the Philip K. Dick Trust for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. The award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the award ceremony is sponsored by the NorthWest Science Fiction Society.”

“This year’s judges are Michael Armstrong, Brenda Clough, Meg Elison, Lee Konstantinou, and Ben Winters.”

For more information, visit The Official Philip K. Dick Awards Page.

Note: If you don’t see the covers and titles above, most likely your ad blocking software/browser extension is not allowing the content from Amazon.com to appear.

New Games Page

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Michael Fisher

Just finished an initial foray into creating a Games page for any type of game – video, board, role-playing – that was inspired by the works of Philip K. Dick or was based (i.e. licensed) on his writing. The new page is located in the Works In Print menu or can be found here: /works-in-print/games/.

There are only two entries so far. A Blade Runner computer/video game from the 90’s exists but isn’t in print. If anyone has other suggestions to add to the page, please comment below with as much information as you can provide.

Philip K. Dick Award Nominations For 2016

Posted on January 19, 2016March 30, 2016 by Michael Fisher

Six paperback originals published in 2015 were selected for the final ballot of the 2016 Philip K. Dick Award.

The Nominees


Edge of Dark Brenda Cooper	After the Saucers Landed Douglas Lain	(R)evolution PJ Manney

Apex Ramez Naam	Windswept Adam Rakunas	Archangel Marguerite Reed

The final results will be announced on Friday, March 25, 2016.

For more information, visit The Official Philip K. Dick Awards Page.

Note: If you don’t see the covers and titles above, most likely your ad blocking software/browser extension is not allowing the content from Amazon.com to appear.

The Passing Of David Bowie And Philip K. Dick

Posted on January 12, 2016July 26, 2016 by Michael Fisher

David Bowie passed away Sunday (January 10, 2016) at the age of 69. I’m not sure how well known David Bowie’s link to Philip K. Dick is and the importance of Bowie to the novel VALIS.

Minor Spoilers Follow

The movie that the characters view at roughly the halfway point of the strongly autobiographical novel was titled VALIS, but the incident is based on Philip K. Dick viewing the film The Man Who Fell To Earth starring David Bowie (who is fictionalized in the novel VALIS as Eric Lampton A.K.A. Mother Goose). Dick found the film to be provocative and beautifully textured and relevant to the experiences he had been having originating on 2-3-74.

Bowie strongly identified with the character he portrayed in the film, Thomas Jerome Newton. Two of his album covers, Station to Station and Low, are imagery that is associated with the film. I think that Philip K. Dick also strongly identified with Thomas Jerome Newton and with the religious and messianic themes of the film. I believe that Dick saw parallels with his own experiences after and including his Pink Beam Experience on February 20, 1974.

I have always been attracted to music (mostly Rock Music) that expresses themes or ideas from Science Fiction especially Progressive Rock and Space Rock. I’ve enjoyed David Bowie’s work because he toys with concepts that are easily associated with Science Fiction and also concepts that seem to sit within other genres but with a bending or tendency towards Science Fiction. He wrote music and lyrics that weren’t solely about romantic relationships. David Bowie also has acted in films that are Fantasy or Science Fiction and has created personas that have these same elements.

Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, The Thin White Duke, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Mother Goose. David Bowie will definitely be missed and he left an incredible legacy of music, image and film.

References

/literary-criticism/interviews/horselover-fat-and-the-new-messiah/

/literary-criticism/frank-views-archive/philip-k-dicks-final-interview/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Fell_to_Earth

http://flavorwire.com/377128/a-journey-through-the-12-ages-of-david-bowie

David Bowie’s Low (33 1/3)

Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick

On The Occasion Of Philip K. Dick’s 87th Birthday: Presenting The philipkdick.com Archive

Posted on December 16, 2015January 1, 2016 by Michael Fisher

To celebrate what would be Philip K. Dick’s 87th birthday (if here were still with us), I have resurrected or archived the former philipkdick.com site in the archive on philipdick.com. The archive of the site can be viewed at http://2013philipkdick.philipdick.com and can also be found on the website archives page. I’m still working through fixing some of the broken images on the site. I’ll do what I can to fix the site. Unfortunately, I can’t be responsible for broken links or other site issues. They should be viewed AS IS.

What is probably the most compelling reason to archive this site is the cover gallery of Philip K. Dick novels from around the world. That page is located at http://2013philipkdick.philipdick.com/works_covers.html and as far as I know, I have all the cover images archived. An article at Open Culture linked to the Internet Wayback Machine to find these cover images, but sometimes that source can be inconsistent with what was archived on what date (i.e. the Internet Wayback Machine doesn’t always make a copy of an entire site all at once on the same date). Hopefully, this new site archive will be a reliable place to look at the cover gallery and other parts of the site.

Here is a screen capture from the archived www.philipkdick.com.

First Season Of The Man In The High Castle Now Available On Amazon Prime Video

Posted on November 20, 2015December 16, 2016 by Michael Fisher

The entire first season (10 episodes) of The Man In The High Castle is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video (for Amazon Prime Members). However, the first episode, “The New World”, is available for anyone to watch for free. This episode premiered first as the pilot episode for the series during Amazon’s 4th pilot season and became the “most watched pilot ever.” Episode one is the pilot episode with a few tweaks made after the series was greenlit by Amazon Studios.

The description from Amazon.com:

It’s 1962, America has lost WWII; the east is the Greater Nazi Reich and the west, the Japanese Pacific States. Amidst this oppression there is new hope – films that seem to show a different world. When her sister gives her a film and is then murdered, a woman comes to believe the films hold the key to freedom and becomes obsessed with finding their mysterious guardian, The Man in the High Castle.

For more information about the series:

Official Site
The Man In The High Castle

The Man In The High Castle (2015– )
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1740299/

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_High_Castle_(TV_series)

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Electric-Shepherd-Productions/107916689236530

Twitter
https://twitter.com/highcastletv

Electric Shepherd Productions

Official Site
http://www.philipkdickesp.com

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Shepherd_Productions

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Electric-Shepherd-Productions/107916689236530

Twitter
https://twitter.com/philipkdickesp

Note: If you don’t see an image from the television series above, most likely your ad blocking software/browser extension is not allowing the content from Amazon.com to appear.

The Man In The High Castle’s First Two Episodes Streamed During Amazon’s Free Preview Weekend

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Michael Fisher

Just under a month before the entire first season of The Man In The High Castle premieres on November 20, 2015, Amazon.com is making the first two episodes available to view during Amazon’s Free Preview Weekend running from October 23, 2015 at 12 am PST through October 25, 2015 at 11:59 pm PST in the United States and United Kingdom.

For Amazon Prime Members, the pilot (actually available now) and second episode will be available after Amazon’s Free Preview Weekend until the release of the first season on November 20th.

For more information about Amazon’s Free Preview Weekend, view the news story ‘Man In The High Castle’ Pilot & Second Episode Available During Amazon’s Free Preview Weekend

For more information about the series:

Official Site
The Man In The High Castle

The Man In The High Castle (2015– )
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1740299/

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_High_Castle_(TV_series)

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Electric-Shepherd-Productions/107916689236530

Twitter
https://twitter.com/highcastletv

Electric Shepherd Productions

Official Site
http://www.philipkdickesp.com

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Shepherd_Productions

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Electric-Shepherd-Productions/107916689236530

Twitter
https://twitter.com/philipkdickesp

Note: If you don’t see an image from the television series above, most likely your ad blocking software/browser extension is not allowing the content from Amazon.com to appear.

Meanwhile Back At The Philip K. Dick Festival Web Site…

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Michael Fisher

I have completed some major revisions to the Philip K. Dick Festival web site. Since the Philip K. Dick Festival is dormant for the time being, I decided to also add the other festivals, conferences, conventions, etc. to the site so it could be a central location to find out about all large gatherings of Philip K. Dick fans and scholars.

Arriving May 2016: The Divine Madness of Philip K. Dick by Kyle Arnold

Posted on October 15, 2015June 10, 2016 by Michael Fisher

I’m really looking forward to this book.

From the description at Amazon.com and probably the back cover of the book also:

“Widely recognized as one of the most inventive science fiction writers of all time, Philip K. Dick is an author whose literary sophistication elevated the sci-fi genre into the storytelling powerhouse it is today. His works, known for their portrayals of simulated realities interspersed with universal and philosophical themes, have become enormously influential among writers of all genres and have inspired numerous television and film adaptations, including the 1982 cult classic Blade Runner.

Dick’s personal life matched the dramatic intensity of his most beloved works. Beginning with the tragic death of his twin sister, his life took on a fantastical, science fiction-like quality when, in 1974, he had what some consider to be a psychotic episode and what others believe to be a mystical experience. According to Dick, a pink light beamed psychic information into his brain, awakening memories of a past life as an ancient Christian revolutionary and granting him contact with time-traveling extraterrestrials. He had visions of scenes from ancient Rome superimposed over his neighborhood in suburban San Francisco, and later on, attempted to warn local police that he was a machine programmed to self-destruct. As a result, Philip K. Dick spent the rest of his life trying to fathom the meaning of what he called his “divine madness.” Was it schizophrenia? Or a genuine religious experience?

In The Divine Madness of Philip K. Dick, clinical psychologist Kyle Arnold probes the fascinating mystery of Dick’s heart and mind, and shows readers how early traumas opened Dick to profound spiritual experiences while also predisposing him toward drug dependency and violence. Disputing the myth that Dick had schizophrenia, Arnold contends that Dick’s well-known paranoia was caused by his addiction to speed. Despite Dick’s paranoia, his divine madness was not a sign of mental illness, but a powerful spiritual experience conveyed in the images of science fiction.”

For more information, visit Amazon.com or Goodreads.

Note: If you don’t see the book cover and title above, most likely your ad blocking software/browser extension is not allowing the content from Amazon.com to appear.

Minority Report Television Series Premiere

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Michael Fisher

Arriving a few months before the highly anticipated television adaptation of The Man in the High Castle, Minority Report appears on FOX Networks Mondays starting Fall 2015. The first episode premiered on September 21st.

The television series is an adaptation of the film Minority Report
directed by Steven Spielberg which is an adaptation of the short story The Minority Report from 1956 written by Philip K. Dick.

If you don’t subscribe to a Fox Network station, the series is available at Amazon.com and it may be available to watch for free at the official Fox web site.

For more information about the series:

Minority Report (2015– )
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4450826/?ref_=nv_sr_2
 
Official Sites
FOX [United States]
http://www.fox.com/minority-report
 
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/MinorityReportFOX
 
Twitter
https://twitter.com/MinorityReport

New Issue of PKD Otaku

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Michael Fisher

A new issue of PKD Otaku has been published. You can view it here: PKD Otaku Issue 32 or view past issues.

From The Homeopape — For The Week Ending 07/12/2015

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Michael Fisher

From The Homeopape is a semi-regular list of [Barely Curated] links related to Philip K. Dick from all over the Internet. A homeopape, a term coined by Philip K. Dick, is defined by Philip K. Dick himself in Ubik (1966):

In a corner of the large room a chime sounded and a tinkling mechanical voice called, “I’m your free homeopape machine, a service supplied exclusively by all the fine Rootes hotels throughout Earth and the colonies. Simply dial the classification of news that you wish, and in a matter of seconds I’ll speedily provide you with a fresh, up-to-the-minute homeopape tailored to your individual requirements; and, let me repeat, at no cost to you!”

July 6, 2015

Ridley Scott talks turning Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle into 10-episode series

Review: Matrixxman Proves Technology Is Human After All on ‘Homesick’

Paul Verhoeven’s Authenticity Came to Light at Chicago’s Logan Arcade

Declare Your Independence…from Evolution! Here Comes The Singularity and Transhumanism

Philip K. Dick – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,1968

Ridley Scott talks Philip K. Dick adaptation The Man in the High Castle, new images released

July 7, 2015

The Morning Skate, July 7: USA overdose, weirdos at Wimbledon, the worst mascot video ever

Boom! to Collect ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’

Jade Helm, Terrorist Attacks, Surveillance and Other Fairy Tales for a Gullible Nation

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Philip K. Dick

Book and TV Pilot Review: ‘The Man in the High Castle’

Ridley Scott talks Philip K. Dick adaptation The Man in the High Castle, new images released

July 8, 2015

Comic-Con 2015 schedule: the biggest events to watch for

NYPD testing crime-forecast software

Jade Helm, Terrorist Attacks, Surveillance, And Other Fairy Tales For A Gullible Nation

Xuxa Santamaria: Dance at the Altar of Labor and Debt

Amazon Prime Instant Video TV shows and movies: What’s new for July 2015

Philip K. Dick’s ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ Omnibus

SDCC ’15: BOOM Studio’s Pre-Show Annoucement Roundup, featuring Grant Morrison, Philip K. Dick, Cyanide and Happiness, and More!

July 9, 2015

Kipple

July 10, 2015

Clutch Reveal Details of New Album, ‘Psychic Warfare’

Philip Kindred Dick

Philip K. Dick: The Last Interview and Other Conversations

“The Most Brilliant Sci-Fi Mind on Any Planet: Philip K. Dick” 1975 Rolling Stone Article by Paul Williams

Does sobriety stop me from being the next Ernest Hemmingway?

Half-price lasagna at Brio Tuscan Grille!

Philip.K. Dick – “Arena” 2/6

I’m reading the Divine Invasion by Philip K Dick, and I wanted to talk about it.

Philip Dick’s Radio Free Albemuth

R. Crumb illustrates Philip K. Dick’s famous hallucinatory spiritual experience

July 11, 2015

Comic-Con 2015: 5 things we learned about Man in the High Castle

An Explanation for Man in the High Castle’s Biggest Change from the Book

Amazon’s ‘The Man in the High Castle’: Watch It Here

Liberty and Justice for None in New The Man In The High Castle Trailer

Will Tom Cruise Appear In ‘Minority Report’ TV Series? – Comic Con

Ridley Scott is about to show us a world where the Allies lost World War II

Good premise swapped for self-indulgence

‘Liberty And Justice For None!!’ New Trailer For Amazon’s Philip K. Dick Alternate History Drama THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE!!

Philip K Dick Audio Interview with Charles Platt May 17, 1979 Santa Ana, California ~ 2 Hours | Rather obscure source material which offers a candid glimpse inside the brilliant mind of PKD.

EYE in the SKY (Philip K. Dick) by martinprine on Flickr

Little Chrissy Didn’t Like the Body of Christ

The great R. Crumb illustrates Philip K. Dick’s famous hallucinatory spiritual experience

Philip K Dick vintage covers

July 12, 2015

Comic-Con 2015: The Man in the High Castle Imagines America as WWII Loser

Amazon debuts first trailer for ‘Man in the High Castle’

Amazon Comic-Con Trailers for The Man in the High Castle & Hand of God

Amazon’s ‘The Man In The High Castle’ Releases First Trailer for Full Series [WATCH]

Tom Cruise to Star in Fox Channel ‘Minority Report’ TV Show?

9 movies offering the most mind-blowing A.I. of all time

SDCC TV trailers: Scream, Vikings, kung fu and more

The Worlds of Philip K Dick – doco

The man in the high castle (from Philip K. Dick’s novel)

Works In Print Section Content Refresh [Update 2]

Posted on August 4, 2015 by Michael Fisher

Had a hiccup in the Works In Print Section Secondary Resources page. Thinking that I had updated the item links to the new(ish?) look that Amazon is using, I didn’t change the link code before the links quit working.

So I quickly made the changes and in addition, included the items that have been released since the last update of the page.

On to the revised and expanded inspired by Philip K. Dick/Dickian section!

Recent Photos From Point Reyes Station

Posted on July 29, 2015July 29, 2015 by Michael Fisher

Rose LaCroix recently visited Point Reyes Station, California and the surrounding area and shared some of the pictures that she photographed during her trip.

From her post in Facebook: