The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick

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In the overcrowded world and cramped space colonies of the late 21st century, tedium can be endured through the use of the drug Can-D, which enables the user to inhabit a shared illusory world. When industrialist Palmer Eldritch returns from an interstellar trip, he brings with him a new drug,... read more

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Barney Mayerson, P.P. Layout's top precognitive in New York City, has been drafted to colonize Mars. Mayerson has just entered a sexual relationship with his assistant Roni Fugate, although he is still bitter about his divorce to his first wife Emily, a ceramic pot artist. Emily's second... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Meanwhile, the U.N. rescues Palmer Eldritch's ship from a crash on Pluto. Leo Bulero, head of P.P. Layouts and an "evolved" human, hears rumors that Eldritch discovered an alien hallucinogen in the Prox system and plans to market it as "Chew-Z," with U.N. approval, on off-world colonies. This would effectively destroy P.P. Layouts. Bulero tries to contact Eldritch but he is quarantined at a U.N. hospital. Both Mayerson and Fugate have precognitions of Bulero murdering Eldritch.

Meanwhile, Emily and her second husband sell her pots to Eldritch and undergo evolution therapy. This causes Emily to devolve and unknowingly recreate pots she previously concocted.

Under the guise of a reporter, Bulero travels to the artificial satellite where Eldritch holds a press conference. Bulero is kidnapped and forced to take Chew-Z intravenously. He enters a psychic netherworld over which both he and Eldritch seemingly have some control. After wrangling about business with Eldritch, Bulero comes to a seeming future Earth. Evolved humans identify him as a ghost and show him a monument to himself where he is to have killed Eldritch, an "enemy of the Sol System."

Bulero returns to Earth and fires Mayerson because Mayerson was afraid to travel to the satellite to rescue him. Mayerson accepts his conscription to Mars but Bulero recruits him as a double agent. Mayerson is to inject himself with a virus after taking Chew-Z, which will deceive the UN into thinking Chew-Z is harmful and cause them to ban it.

On Mars, Mayerson buys some Chew-Z from Eldritch, who appears in holographic form. Mayerson tries to hallucinate a world where he is still with Emily but finds that he does not control his "hallucination." Like Bulero, he finds himself in the future. Mayerson arrives in New York two years hence where he speaks with Bulero, Fugate and his own future self about the death of Palmer Eldritch. He also encounters several manifestations of Eldritch, identifiable by their robotic right hand, artificial eyes, and steel teeth.

Eldritch offers to help Mayerson “become” whatever he wants. When a despairing Mayerson chooses death, he becomes one with Eldritch and Eldritch plans to allow him to die when Bulero kills Eldritch. Eldritch, meanwhile, intends to live on in Mayerson's form and enjoy the simple if arduous life of a Martian colonist. Mayerson, stuck in Eldritch's body and mistaken for him, is indeed nearly killed by Bulero in the near future, but before the fatal shot can be fired he is awakened from his Chew-Z trance in the present by Bulero, who has just arrived on Mars.

Bulero is willing to take Mayerson back to Earth but refuses to after learning that Mayerson did not inject himself with the virus. Mayerson is now confident that Bulero will kill Eldritch, so the sacrifice of taking the virus in order to ruin Eldritch's business is unnecessary; but he doesn't try to convince Bulero of this. Later, Mayerson discusses his experience with a neo-christian colonist and they conclude that either Eldritch became a god in the Prox system or some god-like being has taken his place. Mayerson is convinced some aspect of Eldritch is still inside him, and that as long he refuses to take Chew-Z again, it is Eldritch who will actually be killed by Bulero in the near future; Mayerson is half-resigned, half-hopeful about taking on the life of a Martian colonist without reprieve. Mayerson considers the possibility of Eldritch being what humans have always thought of as a god, but inimical, or perhaps merely an inferior aspect of a bigger and better sort of god.

Characters/People edit see section history

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Mr. Leo Bulero: Chairman of the Boards of Directors of P. P. Layouts
Mr. Barney Mayerson: P.P. Layout's top precognitive in New York.
Anne Hawthorne: Barney Mayerson meets with this woman on the way to Mars.
Emily Hnatt: Richard Knott's wife.
Miss Rondinella Fugate: Barney Mayerson's new assistant and mistress.
Felix Blau: Leo Bulero's right hand when he needs to do dirty business.
Dr. Smile: A psychiatrist computer that is given to people that will be deported from earth to a colony.
Norm Schein: The official greeter of the hovel that Barney Mayerson stays in Mars.
Fran Schein: Norm Schein's wife.
Sam Regan: He lives in the same hovel with Barney Mayerson.
Mr. Palmer Eldritch: A major industrialist that went Proxy and came back to Terra 10 years later.
Mr. Richard Hnatt: Emily's 2nd husband.
Alec: One of the two evolved Terran that Leo Bulero met in Palmer Eldricht's imaginary world.
Dr. Willy Denkmal: The doctor who discovered E-Therapy. It improves the frontal lobe of the brain.
P. P. Layouts: Leo Bulero's legal aspect of his business.
Tod Morris: Lives in the same hovel with Barney in Mars.
Helen Morris: Tod Morris's wife. She lives in the same hovel with Barney too.
Miss Gleason: Leo Bulero's secretary.
Mary Regan: Sam regan's wife. She lives in the same hovel with Barney too.
Zoe Eldritch: Palmer Eldricht's daughter.
Frank Santina: Chief of the UN legal division. He is Ned Lark's superior.
Allen Faine: The middle man that carried the conversation in between Barney and Leo while Barney was in Mars.
Hepburn-Gilbert: Add a description of this character.
Impy White
Mr. Eldon Trent
Ned Lark
Conner Freeman
Paul
Pia Jurgens
Mr. Icholtz
Charlotte Faine
Monica
Walt Essex
Jim Briskin
Luna
Scotty Sinclair
Perky Pat
Philip K. Dick

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Setting & Locations edit see section history

First Sentence edit see section history

His head unnaturally aching, Barney Mayerson woke to find himself in an unfamiliar bedroom in an unfamiliar conapt building.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 52 of 70 in Science Fiction Masterworks. (publisher edition list)

This is book 61 of 199 in Newman and Jones 200 Best Horror Novels. (community list)

This book is in Significant Speculative Fiction (Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror). (community list)

This is book 523 of 911 in DAW Books. (publisher series)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

Philip K. Dick (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Doubleday
Country: USA
Publication Date: 1965
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 278

Awards edit see section history

Nebula (Finalist, 1965: Best Novel)

Classification edit see section history

Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
Dewey: 813

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Adults

Drugs and sex

Subjects edit see section history

Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Authors, A-Z › ( D ) › Dick, Philip K.
Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Science Fiction

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The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965) (edit title/settings)

by Philip K. Dick (Author) (edit contributors)