Time out of joint
Time Out of Joint is a dystopian novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in novel form in the United States in 1959. An abridged version was also serialised in the British science fiction magazine New Worlds Science Fiction in several installments from December 1959 to February 1960. The novel epitomizes many of Dick's themes with its concerns about the nature of reality and ordinary people in ordinary lives having the world unravel around them. The title is a reference to Shakespeare's play Hamlet. The line is uttered by Hamlet to Horatio after being visited by his father's ghost and learning that his uncle Claudius murdered his father; in short, a shocking supernatural event that fundamentally alters the way Hamlet perceives the state and the universe ("The time is out of joint; O cursed spite!/That ever I was born to set it right!" [I.V.211-2]), much as do several events in the novel. Ragle Gumm is an ordinary man leading an ordinary life, except that he makes his living by entering a newspaper contest every day -- and winning, every day. But he gradually begins to suspect that his life -- indeed his whole world -- is an illusion, constructed around him for the express purpose of keeping him docile and happy. But if that is the case, what is his real world like, and what is he actually doing every day when he thinks he is guessing 'Where Will The Little Green Man Be Next?'
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7recommend
24mentions
21people
2008–2025years
33% recommend63% neutral4% critical
Mentions per year
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- >... terrible at titles...
I disagree. Here are some that retain their power all these decades later and will likely do so for the foreseeable future:
Time Out of Joint
The Man in the High Castle
Martian Time-Slip
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
Clans of the Alphane Moon
The Simulacra
Now Wait for Last Year
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)/Blade Runner (1982)
Ubik
We Can Build You
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said
A Scanner Darkly
The Transmigration of Timothy Archer
Radio Free Albemuth
- Your comment reminded me instantly of book by PKD, Time out of joint. I think it shows very well the mental pressure of people trying to use science to stop a defeat at wartime.
[0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/698034.Time_Out_of_Joint
- Two favorite books of mine I've seldom seen mentioned but I think are gems: The three stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and Time out of joint, both by Philip K. Dick. The first plays with several layers of reality along the book. One time I found myself re-reading some passages because there were so many layers it was hard to follow, but it's worth it. The second is (if I recall correctly) the inspiration for a 90s pop movie starring Jim Carrey. I won't mention the name because it might give away some plot points.
- If that’s the only book of his you’ve read, you’re really missing out - it’s good, but not his best.
I would recommend, and you are welcome to ignore should you choose:
Ubik
Flow my tears, the policeman said
Dr Bloodmoney
Radio Free Albemuth
Time out of joint
A scanner darkly
Mary and the giant
And finally as an aside, 334 by Thomas Disch.
Fun fact: Dick shopped Disch to the feds for in his view pedalling anti-American views. These letters are fascinating - and Radio Free Albemuth might ring some bells.
http://www.lettersofnote.com/2010/07/neo-nazis-syphilis-and-...
PKD has an uncanny grasp on the reality-busting nature of our current reality, and the above books are a decent primer in his way of thinking. The list is by no means complete, just what trips out of my head as “Good PKD”.
His non-sf works, like Mary and the Giant and Confessions of a Crap Artist, I did not understand in the slightest as a younger man. Now I read them, and their realities are palpable, sordid, tawdry, and utterly real.
- I've been on a PKD kick recently, because I had read some of his short stories as a teenager and seen movies based on his work, and kept hearing how much of a genius he was. In the past month or so I've been going through his body of work, and my mind is getting blown at every turn. My goal is to read all that he's ever written over 2015.
Here's a rough progression I recommend for those who want to delve into one of the best writers who has ever lived (of course hardcore PKD fans might disagree with the following, and I'd be happy to debate with them :-):
STARTING POINT:
- Ubik, Flow My Tears the Policeman Said, The Man In The High Castle, A Scanner Darkly, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - those are his most famous novels, self contained, and the most accessible. They're fantastic, and a great entry point into PKD's mind. Most of these are from the later years of his life, when he had developed a pretty consistent, high quality style. You just can't go wrong with these, and if you don't like them you probably shouldn't bother with the rest of his work.
- Movies based on his work, notably Blade Runner (which he himself expressed appreciation for, although he never saw it fully), and A Scanner Darkly, the first Total Recall + the adaptation of Confessions of a Crap Artist. While they're not strictly PKDian, they're a good way to get immersed in his way of thinking as the directors did a pretty good job of conveying his themes. The more recent ones (Adjustment Bureau, Total Recall remake, Minority Report, etc.) are fun as well but uneven in quality - but they can be a completely fine introduction to his mind bending ideas, especially if you want to convince friends who aren't into reading to try out his books.
INTERMEDIATE:
- Stuff from his mid-years: Galactic Pot Healer, Time Out Of Joint, Martian Time Slip, Confessions of a Crap Artist, The Crack In Space. Still very good stuff, but I think you need to be already well acquainted with PKD to fully appreciate them and see how his style and ideas were developing.
- The Valis Tri/Tetralogy (Valis/Divine Invasion/Radio Free Albemuth/The Transmigration of Timothy Archer). That's where you start to get deep into PKD lore, and you should read about his life to get the context in which they were written.
- Most of the short stories from ~1960 and onwards. Some are great, some less so, but they're short so you can easily get through the ones you like less.
FOR THE HARDCORE FAN ONLY:
- all the obscure short stories and remaining novels not mentioned above - they're not necessarily harder to get into, but they're from his earlier years and thus don't have the same level of craftsmanship (a few are not even really sci-fi). Also he wrote so much stuff that you should only spend time with those dozens of works if you're really, really into him.
- The Exegesis of PKD: a selection of about 10% of his personal notes, written towards the end of his life when he was completely {drugged out | schizophrenic | a religious nutjob} (pick one or more, or invent your own). It's basically his interpretations of life, the universe, and everything else, based on (somewhat sound) insights from philosophy, physics, biology, etc. This is an insane book that you can only appreciate (and have the strength to go through) if you already have a solid understanding of his world views and ideas.
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Someone recently wrote on reddit "Nobody writes like Feynman; but luckily he wrote a lot.", which is a quote that I love and would apply equally well to PKD.
- The PKD selections are curious. I would add "Time Out Of Joint" and "Man In The High Castle".
No Walter Jon Williams? "Aristoi" at a minimum, and "Angel Station/Voice Of The Whirlwind". If that pleases, add "Metropolitan/City On Fire"
Also, the original "Planet Of The Apes".
I almost forgot -- at least one Aldiss. My fave is "Report On Probability A", but it's an acquired taste.
[edit -- no Arthur C. Clarke? Not even "Childhood's End"?]
Related
Martian Time-Slip
7 recommend · 19
Radio Free Albemuth
9 recommend · 16
Flow my tears, the policeman said
10 recommend · 24
The Man in the High Castle
25 recommend · 83
The Divine Invasion
6 recommend · 14
Galactic pot-healer
5 recommend · 14
The VALIS trilogy
4 recommend · 6
