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stevequinn's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Not very well done. Usually pkd toes up the loose ends, or gives a neat twist, or something. This just felt sort of slipshod.
jonmhansen's review against another edition
4.0
A bit dated, but that's all right. I did picture Don Draper reading it.
thesillyoldbear's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mayoroffailure's review against another edition
3.0
I've long thought that The Cold War was probably the stupidest "Conflict" That America was ever involved with. There were never any troops on the ground slinging lead at one another for some cause, there were never any planes bombing vast amounts of land, and no mass amount of casualties could ever be attributed to the war. The Cold War was simply of conflict of ideals fueled by Americas irrational fear of the spread of communism (Don't get my wrong, communism is bad but looking back we went overboard). Perhaps the dumbest aspect of The Cold War was the constant anatomy measuring contests by both sides as they attempted to outdo each other in everything from space travel to Olympic wrestling.
Part of that contest involved weapons, each side wanted to be able to build better weapons than the other and before the other with the knowledge that we would most likely never be used. That conflict is at the heart of Mr. K Dick's The Zap Gun, it takes place in a future where the western civilization and eastern communist nations are creating bigger and better weapons in a contest to outdo the others. That contest is thrown out of alignment however when an alien race begins to plant satellites up in Earths atmosphere, with the human race fearing an invasion both of the worlds premiere weapons designers have to work together to create one that will be used to destroy the aliens.
Let me make one thing clear, this book has almost nothing to do with aliens until the last third of the novel. This book is instead a focused satire and critique of the sensibilities of Cold War America. I always mention in my reviews of Mr. K Dick's work that he was an author who used his craft to comment on issues of his time, and he certainly achieves a commentary on the stupidity of the contest between the US and Russia. Several passages are dedicated to the fact that both weapons designers, from their prospective countries, know the weapons they make will never be used and instead will be parted out to create consumer inventions that make life easier. This idea is essential because it creates a crisis of conscience when they are called on to create something that actually needs to function in the act of killing.
The last third of this book is where Mr. K Dick begins to turn everything over on its head, after all it still needs to be a science fiction novel and not just a satire. Famously towards the end of his books like Ubik he leaves the reader with, usually a description but sometimes a dialogue, some major question that makes the reader scratch his head, but its for those moments that Mr. K Dick sets himself apart from the others. The Zap Gun has that kind of ending that will make you question just what is going on, and while that question will never be answered its a joy simply to sit back and wonder.
The Zap Gun is classic K Dick, it features all the usual inventions he's made, the same kind of writing and dialogue, and a plot with a great parallel meaning to the world of yesterday. If your a fan of Mr. K Dick's work then this is going to be something you'll enjoy, like a cold soda on a Sunday afternoon.
Part of that contest involved weapons, each side wanted to be able to build better weapons than the other and before the other with the knowledge that we would most likely never be used. That conflict is at the heart of Mr. K Dick's The Zap Gun, it takes place in a future where the western civilization and eastern communist nations are creating bigger and better weapons in a contest to outdo the others. That contest is thrown out of alignment however when an alien race begins to plant satellites up in Earths atmosphere, with the human race fearing an invasion both of the worlds premiere weapons designers have to work together to create one that will be used to destroy the aliens.
Let me make one thing clear, this book has almost nothing to do with aliens until the last third of the novel. This book is instead a focused satire and critique of the sensibilities of Cold War America. I always mention in my reviews of Mr. K Dick's work that he was an author who used his craft to comment on issues of his time, and he certainly achieves a commentary on the stupidity of the contest between the US and Russia. Several passages are dedicated to the fact that both weapons designers, from their prospective countries, know the weapons they make will never be used and instead will be parted out to create consumer inventions that make life easier. This idea is essential because it creates a crisis of conscience when they are called on to create something that actually needs to function in the act of killing.
The last third of this book is where Mr. K Dick begins to turn everything over on its head, after all it still needs to be a science fiction novel and not just a satire. Famously towards the end of his books like Ubik he leaves the reader with, usually a description but sometimes a dialogue, some major question that makes the reader scratch his head, but its for those moments that Mr. K Dick sets himself apart from the others. The Zap Gun has that kind of ending that will make you question just what is going on, and while that question will never be answered its a joy simply to sit back and wonder.
The Zap Gun is classic K Dick, it features all the usual inventions he's made, the same kind of writing and dialogue, and a plot with a great parallel meaning to the world of yesterday. If your a fan of Mr. K Dick's work then this is going to be something you'll enjoy, like a cold soda on a Sunday afternoon.
arthurbdd's review against another edition
2.0
With Dick's misogyny in full flow, a sloppy plot, and shallow characterisation, this might be Dick's worst novel of the 1960s. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2015/12/20/the-days-of-perky-dick/
larsinio's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars because i liked it.
An early PKD novel, but has all the hallmarks of his work - video phones, weird near-future with a dystopian government, telepaths, mindbending actions, psychoactive drugs. I rather like the concept of this novel - future cold war weapons designers get their ideas by going into a psychoactive trance and drawing sketches from their trip. Everyone is a bit demented, and its hard to guess character's motivations.
The side stoory around Febb/Debbs - the wannabe weapon designer - never really connected to the main story and ultimately muddied the water a bit. It could have been left out.
I enjoyed the ending, which is a rarity for PKD novels tbh. Pleasantly surprised overall.
An early PKD novel, but has all the hallmarks of his work - video phones, weird near-future with a dystopian government, telepaths, mindbending actions, psychoactive drugs. I rather like the concept of this novel - future cold war weapons designers get their ideas by going into a psychoactive trance and drawing sketches from their trip. Everyone is a bit demented, and its hard to guess character's motivations.
The side stoory around Febb/Debbs - the wannabe weapon designer - never really connected to the main story and ultimately muddied the water a bit. It could have been left out.
I enjoyed the ending, which is a rarity for PKD novels tbh. Pleasantly surprised overall.
albcorp's review against another edition
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyable, but not a PKD classic. It contains many themes from his short stories, and some of the structure of other novels, but is not a direct rewrite of any in particular