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hippoponymous's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
robfarren's review against another edition
2.0
Another potboiler. Read it only if you need a PKD fix and are desperate.
hakimbriki's review against another edition
3.0
The amount of creativity and originality in this story is nothing short of breath-taking... It's the equivalent of Abbey Road, on that front. Unfortunately, Philip K. Dick isn't George Martin. The execution was not exactly awful, but I expected much, much better from the master of weird sci-fi.
trilbynorton's review against another edition
2.0
Maybe time has dulled the Cold War satire, or maybe PKD just had too many far out ideas to make a Cold War satire work.
derhindemith's review against another edition
2.0
I think I'm done with this genre of sci-fi. I just can't after last year. The two women were literally only there as sexual objects of the main guy. Febbs was completely useless.
All in all, the central conceit of the novel: A world controlled by a select few who openly flaunt the fact that they completely manipulate the mindless populace was only a marginally interesting world, and the story devised around them weak on just about every level. This was possibly the worst Dick novel I've read.
Spoiler
He was only there to introduce the Deus ex Machina to the people who could make use of him.All in all, the central conceit of the novel: A world controlled by a select few who openly flaunt the fact that they completely manipulate the mindless populace was only a marginally interesting world, and the story devised around them weak on just about every level. This was possibly the worst Dick novel I've read.
wflegias's review against another edition
4.0
Es un libro con inicio lento, pero en algún punto se desarrolla la historia de manera muy agradable
everything_was_beautiful's review
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jimmypat's review against another edition
4.0
This is the fifteenth book in a series I'm calling "quarantine life." With all of our public libraries closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, I've turned to my own bookshelves and the unread books that await me there.
There is something special about Philip K. Dick. His plots can be absolutely zany, but there is something so compelling and human about his work that I can ignore some of the strange or illogical twists and turns. Other writers from his time who indulge in weird shenanigans do not get that kind of pass from me. The Zap Gun apparently was not one of Dick's favorite novels and he discounted it - but I found it totally engaging, delightful, and surprisingly suspenseful in the second half. Not his best, but pretty darn good.
There is something special about Philip K. Dick. His plots can be absolutely zany, but there is something so compelling and human about his work that I can ignore some of the strange or illogical twists and turns. Other writers from his time who indulge in weird shenanigans do not get that kind of pass from me. The Zap Gun apparently was not one of Dick's favorite novels and he discounted it - but I found it totally engaging, delightful, and surprisingly suspenseful in the second half. Not his best, but pretty darn good.