A review by zivan
Valis by Philip K. Dick

challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 An unreliable naraiter in an unreliable universe, in Valis P.K.D perforates the boundaries between reality, fantasy, hallucination and mental illness. Breaking the wall between the author and the protagonist, between the imagined and the real.  

Seeking the truth, he ventures into madness, conspiracy theory, technobabble, religion and mysticism. 

As a skeptic, I've encountered many a theory intended to explain unusual phenomena, with motivated reasoning, cherry picking, anomaly hunting, religious overtones and a good dose of mental instability to boot. 

It is interesting to see the building blocks of this type of thinking so familiar to me in the 2000nds thriving in P.K.D's mind in the 1970s.  

You can see his characters looking for clues in 1970s media as todays conspiracy nuts parous the internet for clues of the machinations of the illuminati. 

Reading Valis was a very interesting experience.