The Philip K. d**k MEGAPACK®

Chapter 3

Philip Kindred d**k (1928–1982) was an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. d**k explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments, and altered states. In his later works d**k’s thematic focus strongly reflected his personal interest in metaphysics and theology. He often drew upon his own life experiences in addressing the nature of d**g a***e, paranoia, schizophrenia, and transcendental experiences in novels such as A Scanner Darkly and VALIS.

A Scanner DarklyVALISThe novel The Man in the High Castle bridged the genres of alternate history and science fiction, earning d**k a Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1963. Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, a novel about a celebrity who awakens in a parallel universe where he is unknown, won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel in 1975. “I want to write about people I love, and put them into a fictional world spun out of my own mind, not the world we actually have, because the world we actually have does not meet my standards,” d**k wrote of these stories. “In my writing I even question the universe; I wonder out loud if it is real, and I wonder out loud if all of us are real.”

The Man in the High CastleFlow My Tears, the Policeman SaidIn addition to 44 published novels, d**k wrote approximately 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his lifetime. Although d**k spent most of his career as a writer in near-poverty, ten popular films based on his works have been produced, including Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly, Minority Report, Paycheck, Next, Screamers, and The Adjustment Bureau. In 2005, Time magazine named Ubik one of the one hundred greatest English-language novels published since 1923. In 2007, d**k became the first science fiction writer to be included in The Library of America series.

Blade RunnerTotal RecallA Scanner DarklyMinority ReportPaycheckNextScreamersThe Adjustment BureauTimeUbikWildside Press has published two volumes of Philip K. d**k’s short stories, The Philip K. d**k MEGAPACK® and The Second Philip K. d**k MEGAPACK®.

The Philip K. d**k MEGAPACKThe Second Philip K. d**k MEGAPACKEnjoy!

—John Betancourt

Publisher, Wildside Press LLC

wildsidepress.com | bcmystery.com

Over the last few years, our MEGAPACK® ebook series has grown to be our most popular endeavor. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”

The MEGAPACK® ebook series (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Shawn Garrett, Helen McGee, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)

Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the MEGAPACK® ebook series? We’d love your suggestions! You can email the publisher at wildsidepress@y*******m or use the message boards above.

Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.

Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.

If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at wildsidepress@y*******m.