“Ubik” by Philip K Dick Takes Us On a Mind-Melding Trip

“What is this?” you may be asking- “Nothing to do with fashion, style, or runway? I can’t believe it!” Well, believe it! And welcome to the very first book review (one of may to come) to be posted on this site. First up: Ubik by Philip K Dick, one of the most highly acclaimed science fiction writers of all time. 

Let me start by saying that science fiction is one of my all-time favorite genres. I’ve always loved to revel in the visions of the future conjured up inside of the writers’ minds. There are endless possibilities in creating a science fiction world, something that reminds me of how endless the possibilities of the future are for our own reality. 

But speaking of science fiction world-building- wow, PKD is a true master of this art. I previously read one of his other novels, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (the novel that inspired the Blade Runner films) and was completely absorbed in the fantastical, yet totally believable and conceivable world he had created. I was met with the same luscious, totally addicting world-building in Ubik, a tale I would place into an entirely different vein than Do Androids Dream.

Ubik takes place in the distant future of 1992 (the book was written in 1969 lol) in a world where people have developed psychic powers and tells the story of Glen Runciter, Joe Chip and their company of “inertials,” or anti-telepaths that are employed to counter the telepathic powers of psychics who are paid to mine the general populace for trade secrets. When things take a turn for the worse for Glen Runciter and his band of eccentric inertials, stuff starts to get really weird, like Runciter’s face appearing on money and every cigarette in the world becoming so old and dry they crumble to pieces at the slightest touch. And here is where the story unfolds, in a reality where Glen Runciter, Joe Chip and crew are trying to figure out, along with the reader, just what the heck is actually going on.

Although I love science fiction, I’m always hesitant to pick up a new science fiction story because of all of the disappointments I’ve had with the genre in the past. I first heard about Ubik because it is on nearly every list of must-read science fictions, and even earned the title of one of Time‘s 100 greatest novels since 1923. Needless to say, I had high hopes for this one, but plenty of promising science fiction books get bogged down and suffer from a heavy-handed approach to world-building that shifts the focus of the story from plot and character to the world itself and how it operates. I get that part of the appeal of science fiction is the world, the technology and how society functions within it, but I’m a character gal, meaning I need a good set of characters to keep me invested.

This was not a problem with Ubik, or for any of Philip K Dick’s stories, really. PKD thrusts you directly into the world with little to no introduction or explanation of anything, preferring to let the world organically unfold around his characters of choice, something that makes the stories deeply enthralling and intriguing. He doesn’t hold your hand, or give long-winded, tell-rather-than-show histories. The world just is, and we’re left to figure things out on our own, which you can usually manage pretty quickly because the story is well-crafted enough that anyone can easily follow it after acclimating.

Now I would like to delve a little deeper into the meat and potatoes of the story so, if you haven’t read the book and would like to, STOP READING NOW! *SPOILERS AHEAD*

Proceed to the next page if you would like to continue reading.