Clans of the Alphane Moon by Philip K. Dick Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Clans of the Alphane Moon
Book Review: Hysterical and Unforgettable
Summary: 5 Stars
CLANS OF THE ALPHANE MOON has so many hysterical, sarcastic and insightful passages you'll want to memorize most of the book. It's a wild, weird, quick read that is a great introduction to Philip K. Dick for someone who wants to jump into the fanaticism headfirst. Those not quite ready for complete immersion in the reality shattering world of Philip K. Dick should look at "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" or "Time Out Of Joint" and then read "Clans", but don't skip this one. It's a real joy to read. Philip K. Dick's death is our loss!Book Review: Slime Mold resurrection
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading the Valis trilogy a few years back, I ...started the first couple chapters and wasn't very impressed; so I put it aside and read some other stuff. I always meant to get back to it - and now I finally did. I don't know what I was thinking!!! This book is typical PKD genius - Philosophy, theology, madness, and above all the looming question of "What is real?" - this book has it all. And delivered in a riveting, fast-paced and dizzying style. Even at it's most basic level - a story about a divorced man, down on his luck, trying to cope in a run down apartment - this novel succeeds. This book is one of Dick's best...Book Review: ANOTHER GOOD ONE BY PKD
Summary: 4 Stars
I wouldn't consider Clans to be PKD's best, but it is pretty good. What I found most interesting about this book was the variety. You have (as is common in PKD's works)a man who is struggling with his (in this case)ex-wife. There are lots of psychological and thought-provoking passages, as well. Then there's humor, like the fact that the main character's ex-wife was a marriage counselor! And who can forget the Ganymedean slime mold? But what this book mostly concentrates on (in my opinion) are the Pares (Paranoids), Ob-Coms (Obsessive Compulsives), Skitzes (Schizophrenics), Polys (Polymorphic Schizophrenics), Heebs (Hebephrenics), Manses (Manics), and Deps (Depressed). Although it isn't a prerequisite that you know what all these are (if you don't know already), it sure does help in understanding this book.Book Review: SF NOVELS OPUS TWELVE
Summary: 4 Stars
Years before computers could create virtual realities by dozens, Philip K. Dick, by the sole power of his words, was describing books after books virtual mental universes that were a lot more frightful than those our beloved techno-directors try vainly to shape nowadays. Among the four novels he published in 1964, MARTIAN TIME-SLIP and CLANS OF THE ALPHANE MOON were treating this Dickian theme by essence. After an interstellar war that ended 15 years ago, the world has forgotten this alphane moon and its inhabitants. Alpha III was considered as a giant hospital for mentally ill people by the Earth; now maniaco-depressives, schizophrenics and obsessive have founded cities and try to leave peacefully. But Alphans and Earth want to retake possession of this forgotten moon for obscure political reasons.
If you liked EYE IN THE SKY, a novel published 7 years before by PKD, you will appreciate CLANS OF THE ALPHANE MOON and its numerous points of views. The same events are described and analyzed by the different characters and one is lead to understand very soon that there is no objectiveness in Reality and that the actions of so-called sane people often obey to rather perverse motivations. Anyway, if you're a Philip K. Dick fan, you already know by now that there is no such thing as Reality !
A book to discover if you are lucky enough to find it.
Book Review: My personal favorite of all of his books.
Summary: 5 Stars
After having read almost every single book written by Philip K. Dick, I really feel like I could write a program (maybe in a Mad Lib style) that could generate brand new stories in the style of Philip K. Dick. Think I'm kidding? Ok - Man loses his (way, mind, faith) after being reamed by a (ex-wife, current wife, harpie girlfriend) only to discover that what he thought was (reality, truth, purpose) is really only a (illusion, lie, sham). So, after having said that, I have to say that out of all of Philip K. Dick's books, Clans of the Alphane Moon remains my personal favorite of them all. Written at the beginning of the period of time when he produced most of his books, Clans of the Alphane Moon somehow manages to use some of the standard tricks used in his other novels, yet here it still seems fresh and new. Highly recommended!