Lies, Inc.

by Philip K. Dick

Paperback, 1985

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Library's review

En variant af The Unteleported Man - og dårligere.
???

Genres

Science Fiction

All Topics

Fiction

Collection

English paperback sf

Publication

HarperCollins (1985), Edition: Rev Ed, Hardcover

Description

In the final, expanded version of the novella The Unteleported Man, Rachmael ben Applebaum becomes suspicious of the plan to reduce Earth's overpopulation by teleporting people to a colony on a distant planet and embarks on an eighteen-year voyage to that planet to see if anyone wants to return.

User reviews

LibraryThing member frenchphenom5

As many people have already said, it is one of his lesser works. I will agree on that point that I enjoyed Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and A Scanner Darkly much more than Lies, Inc. Some things to be considered is the afterword which mentions the quite interesting publishing history of the

complete novel as we see it now. It had a somewhat disjointed publishing history and part of that reflects the "disjointed narrative" that Shibberson may be talking about. I think this adds a distinct depth to the book that makes it all the more interesting, if not confusing sometimes. It is almost as if you the reader are experiencing the same kind of "bouleversement" that Rachmael experiences when he imagines he is a rat, or the LSD dart episode and the continuation of that experience. All in all, it was an interesting read that deserves perhaps, more of a solid approach with heavy notes to keep track of everything. If anything, I would suggest reading the afterword first and the continue on to read the novel.

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LibraryThing member shibberson

All of Dick's familiar themes are there - deception of the media, shameless big corporations calling the shots, the blur between reality and fantasy - but for some reason this novel didn't really engross me as much as I thought it would. I found the disjointed narrative sometimes confusing to

follow, which made it a disorientating read almost to the degree of "What the hell is happening here?!?! Which of this is meant to be real?!?!

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LibraryThing member JBreedlove

I read this a few years ago. Not much to remember except that this was not close to blade runner. Dry and stilted. I look forward to reading another P. Dick novel. Depending on whether its similar to this or blade runner will determine if I read a third

LibraryThing member mikemillertime

Even as a fairly strong PKDick enthusiast, it was hard to enjoy this one. Like other works typical of his final writings, this book also meanders through a bevy of half-formed ideas. A madness infects these works that repeatedly hints at the writer's brilliance, but unfortunately he can't reign in

his enthusiasm for big ideas like reality, meaning, sanity, identity, government, corporatism, etc. into a cohesive plot. With some bits of comedy, suspense and occasional insight into the universe and human condition, this book should still be skipped when greater realizations of the author's vision can be enjoyed elsewhere in his earlier oeuvre.

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LibraryThing member rockinghorsedreams

An odd little book for sure, but very well written, very human and very Dickian.

LibraryThing member dandelionroots

The premise is baller: Earth is overcrowded, an evil genius invents and then capitalizes on a one-way teleportation system to a habitable planet (Whale's Mouth) outside the solar system. Rachmael ben Applebaum surmises that the grass might not be so green on the other side of the Telpor gates and

decides to take his ship out there the long way (18 year one-way trip) to see if anyone wants to join the Earthling ranks again. The teleportation syndicate's attempts to thwart his journey leave him without a deep-sleep component. Hooray! Love reading about descents into madness. Except... this was too bizarre and disjointed. Disappointing! Shockingly, the inhabitants of Whale's Mouth have been conscripted into an army with the purpose of conquering Earth (turns out the teleportation system CAN function both ways... everyone's pretty upset with themselves that they fell for the evil genius's ruse). Hopefully this is one of his worst - I like the drug-trip feel of his writing, but this was WAY garbled.

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LibraryThing member stephkaye

Whoo, boy. Unless you like your Philip K. Dick mixed with a heavy dose of Hunter S. Thompson, avoid this book like the plague. If you don't believe me, read the afterword first, which explains how the book went through several iterations - it's a Frankenstein's monster of parts and revisions.

LibraryThing member greeniezona

When overpopulation threatens the Earth, one company offers a solution: transportation to the colony Whale's Mouth. The only problem? The teleportation machine only works one way. the whole thing sounds too good to be true to Rachel ben Applebaum, who sets himself to reveal the scam only to get

ensnared in surveillance by the transport company, who will do anything to thwart him.

There is a MASSIVE tone and plot shift in the middle of the book that was incredibly bewildering, but slowly makes sense of itself. This book had a particularly tortured publication history, which was interesting to read about in the Afterword. It really explained some things!

Far from my favorite Dick, but I did really enjoy it.

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LibraryThing member apomonis

The crisis which defines the novel borders on mastubatory as one ascertains Dick's predilection towards confusion. The drug-induced stream of consciousness prose is not helpful in gaining any deeper understanding of the work.

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