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radbear76's review against another edition
3.0
This book is what you get when an intelligent, well read person does a lot of drugs. Weird and laced with so many philosophical ideas and references that it's a challenging read.
rocketiza's review against another edition
4.0
I thought most of what PKD wrote was mindfucks, but they are nothing compared to this. If you are interested in checking him out, do not start with this one, its very, very different from the rest of his body of work.
What was hard to handle was it was written in an autobiographical way about someone grappling with whether there is a higher power or not. And that someone has split personalities which are both entirely rational and completely insane at the same time. So you're getting both sides in an extremely well told narrative, which makes you start to feel a little insane yourself.
One word summary: Fascinating
What was hard to handle was it was written in an autobiographical way about someone grappling with whether there is a higher power or not. And that someone has split personalities which are both entirely rational and completely insane at the same time. So you're getting both sides in an extremely well told narrative, which makes you start to feel a little insane yourself.
One word summary: Fascinating
dochappenin's review against another edition
4.0
Not sure if it's the best reintroduction to PKD or the worst, but it hits you like a laser focused beam of pink energy and unloads the entirety of existence onto you. Wish I had read this 10 years ago when vast Biblical conspiracies were my favorite hobby, because damn son. I hope the Wavhowskis are paying PKD's estate royalties for life.
erosarrow's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
tsharris's review against another edition
5.0
I first read Valis as a freshman in high school. I can't imagine I got much out of it then, and in the years since I had forgotten most of the details of the plot. I did know that it was the clearest statement of Dick's Gnosticism but a lot of the details had gotten fuzzy with time. After reading The Invisibles I figured it was probably time to revisit Valis. If anything, rereading it diminished my appreciation of The Invisibles, since the latter now looks like little more than an action story set in the universe of the Valis trilogy, with some Discordianism thrown in for good measure. Anyway, like the best of Dick's novels, Valis gets under your skin. You can't help but look at the universe a little differently. It's not the easiest novel to read, because it's basically a philosophical novel — and Dick's personal philosophy was eclectic in the extreme. Nevertheless, this novel is important for understanding not just Dick's later novels but a lot of science fiction made since its publication.
mirceatara's review against another edition
3.0
Not what I had expected from Philip K. Dick. A complicated and turbulent search for meaning in life - "And I mean it".
Madness, halucination, aliens, or eclectic faith? Or all of them together. Valis is somewhat an uncomfortable reading. It makes no sense from time to time, it doesn't have a plot as perse, yet it manages to take you in this twisted philosophical world where nothing might be what is seems, where answers to deep questions are probed for.
A split fictional journal of a troubled writer.
Madness, halucination, aliens, or eclectic faith? Or all of them together. Valis is somewhat an uncomfortable reading. It makes no sense from time to time, it doesn't have a plot as perse, yet it manages to take you in this twisted philosophical world where nothing might be what is seems, where answers to deep questions are probed for.
A split fictional journal of a troubled writer.
coryaitchison's review against another edition
3.0
One sentence summary: After the suicide of his friend, a schizophrenic novelist writes of himself and his alter ego, questioning reality, existence, and the possibility of multiple universes.
VALIS explores what a lot of Dick’s later works explore: the nature of reality and god, the possibility of multiple versions of this reality and others, and a fear “The Roman Empire Never Ended.” The main focus the book is the belief there are two timelines on top of one another (like a double-exposed photograph), and follows the characters’ encounter with another group who believe: a rock star and his wife who believe their child is the new messiah.
Definitely a heady read, and a bit difficult to follow at times. Also very repetitive.
VALIS explores what a lot of Dick’s later works explore: the nature of reality and god, the possibility of multiple versions of this reality and others, and a fear “The Roman Empire Never Ended.” The main focus the book is the belief there are two timelines on top of one another (like a double-exposed photograph), and follows the characters’ encounter with another group who believe: a rock star and his wife who believe their child is the new messiah.
Definitely a heady read, and a bit difficult to follow at times. Also very repetitive.
gavgav's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ihfdayton's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Masterpiece. The culmination of PKD's entire career (his entire life?). I'm excited and afraid to read his final two novels.