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Kelly (and the Book Boar)'s Reviews > A Scanner Darkly
A Scanner Darkly
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Kelly (and the Book Boar)'s review
bookshelves: audio, liburrrrrry-book, nutters, read-in-2018, or-just-watch-the-movie
Jan 24, 2018
bookshelves: audio, liburrrrrry-book, nutters, read-in-2018, or-just-watch-the-movie
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Not even February and I’m already behind on 2018’s reviews. Good thing I didn’t tell myself I’d lose weight! The one thing I have always told myself is I need to read a Philip K. Dick story. Imagine my surprise when I cued this one up on the ol’ Fiat’s Bluetooth and heard that it was written by Philip K. Dick. I’m not sure one book can be a quantifier for his entire set of works, but in the immortal words of Larry David, this was . . . . .
Whoops. I mean . . . .
Since I listened to it, I don’t have any quotes to provide. I can tell you the story is sort of a “scared straight” type of tale – all about the perils of drug addiction. Our MC, Bob Arctor, is a small-time dealer looking to go big with the new drug of choice known as Substance D. He’s also an undercover agent known as Fred who is trying to bust a small-time dealer looking to go big known as Bob Arctor. Nope, you didn’t read that wrong. You see, one of the side effects of Substance D is that it causes your mind to break from reality. Bob is Bob when he is Bob, but thanks to Bob imbibing in some of his own wares he is also Fred trying to bust Bob when he is Fred. There’s a bevy of supporting characters that make this story more than worth the price of admission added in for good measure. Classified as “Sci-Fi” – a genre I don’t typically steer myself toward – would probably have been the right classification back in 1977 when A Scanner Darkly was originally published. Today? It’s pretty freaking realistic. Aside from the scanner suit, it’s like Philip K. Dick was a real soothsayer with regard to the future of drug use in America.
4 solid stars thanks, in part, to Paul Giamatti on the audio . . . . .
Not interested in reading or listening to the book? Good news! There’s a real trippy film version that’s like live action with a cartoon overlay (wayback machine has teenie bopper Kelly saying just like the A-Ha video!) starring Keanu Reeves . . . .
And an all-star supporting cast . . . .
Not even February and I’m already behind on 2018’s reviews. Good thing I didn’t tell myself I’d lose weight! The one thing I have always told myself is I need to read a Philip K. Dick story. Imagine my surprise when I cued this one up on the ol’ Fiat’s Bluetooth and heard that it was written by Philip K. Dick. I’m not sure one book can be a quantifier for his entire set of works, but in the immortal words of Larry David, this was . . . . .
Whoops. I mean . . . .
Since I listened to it, I don’t have any quotes to provide. I can tell you the story is sort of a “scared straight” type of tale – all about the perils of drug addiction. Our MC, Bob Arctor, is a small-time dealer looking to go big with the new drug of choice known as Substance D. He’s also an undercover agent known as Fred who is trying to bust a small-time dealer looking to go big known as Bob Arctor. Nope, you didn’t read that wrong. You see, one of the side effects of Substance D is that it causes your mind to break from reality. Bob is Bob when he is Bob, but thanks to Bob imbibing in some of his own wares he is also Fred trying to bust Bob when he is Fred. There’s a bevy of supporting characters that make this story more than worth the price of admission added in for good measure. Classified as “Sci-Fi” – a genre I don’t typically steer myself toward – would probably have been the right classification back in 1977 when A Scanner Darkly was originally published. Today? It’s pretty freaking realistic. Aside from the scanner suit, it’s like Philip K. Dick was a real soothsayer with regard to the future of drug use in America.
4 solid stars thanks, in part, to Paul Giamatti on the audio . . . . .
Not interested in reading or listening to the book? Good news! There’s a real trippy film version that’s like live action with a cartoon overlay (wayback machine has teenie bopper Kelly saying just like the A-Ha video!) starring Keanu Reeves . . . .
And an all-star supporting cast . . . .
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Reading Progress
January 4, 2018
–
Started Reading
January 4, 2018
– Shelved
January 24, 2018
– Shelved as:
audio
January 24, 2018
– Shelved as:
liburrrrrry-book
January 24, 2018
– Shelved as:
nutters
January 24, 2018
– Shelved as:
read-in-2018
January 24, 2018
– Shelved as:
or-just-watch-the-movie
January 24, 2018
–
Finished Reading
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Look at me! I can read about dick and by Dick : )Erica wrote: "no one in my family believed in telling kids what they could and could not read...."
That's how all families should be.
Now go and read Ubik. I double dog dare you. But you may need to imbibe copious amount of mind altering drugs before you attempt it.Check the hidey-hole I've already reserved a copy for you. 😏
Ɗắɳ 2.☊ wrote: "Now go and read Ubik. I double dog dare you. But you may need to imbibe copious amount of mind altering drugs before you attempt it.Check the hidey-hole I've already reserved a copy..."
I was hoping the library had an e-version - I'm kinda digging to this listening in the car thing. Alas, they did not : ( I currently have 417 pornos and a couple of mysteries checked out, but I'll try to get to this sooner rather than later since you don't generally book push on me.
It's one of the few books I often push. Mainly because of the following:1) It's so weird it nearly defies description.
2) Very few of my friends have read it, and only 3 have reviewed it.
3) It was a BOTM read for our classics group a couple of years ago, but not one single person read it. 🤬
Ubik and this one were both free on Amazon Prince last week and I got them both :) too funnyAlso, I am in agreement with the audios while driving. I put them off for years but now have become the majority of my “reading” time
Have you seen the TV series?: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5711280/ It wants so badly to be another Black Mirror, but after a half dozen episodes, I've yet to be impressed. The most remarkable aspect, to me, is the actors they've managed to recruit to the project. It's a veritable who's who of A-Listers.
Philip K., I mean.
My mom had a ton of his books so I wound up reading a lot of Dick in middle school which was probably not appropriate and I probably missed more than half of the points but no one in my family believed in telling kids what they could and could not read.