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“Philip K. Dick spent much of his life trying to determine the nature of reality. What is real and what is not? Ubik is science-fiction, but the set-up is perfectly crafted to explore this issue. In the book, people don’t have to die, they can be put into half-life, a state of hibernation which prolongs life. Although they spend most of their time in half-life dreaming, they can be awakened and communicate with the living.
As we read the book, we are given whimsical hints about the mysterious Ubik, which seems to be everywhere, and yet is maddingly unobtainable. By various fits and turns, it is:
o A used electric car
o A beer (proudly made in Cleveland)
o An instant coffee-like beverage
o A salad dressing
o A stomach remedy
and so on. There is, in fact, a web page dedicated to Ubik, here: http://www.philipkdickfans.com/ubikcorp.htm
The main character, Joe Chip, spends the book, like Dick, trying to figure out what is real and what is not. Like many of Dick’s works, it is hard to get a handle on Ubik: characters we thought were important are discarded, and the ending is unsettling. You can read Dick’s view of the book in an essay he wrote, entitled “How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later.” It is available on-line here: http://deoxy.org/pkd_how2build.htm (don't read it though, until after you have finished the book!)
Time Magazine named Ubik to it’s list of the 100 All Time Best novels. I agree. This is a book worth reading. ”
Bob F wrote this review Thursday, December 6 2007.
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