The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch

· Sold by HarperCollins
4.4
69 reviews
Ebook
240
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

A Nebula Award–nominee from the Hugo Award–winning author of The Man in the High Castle, Philip K. Dick's The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch explores the desolation of the minds, souls, and hearts of colonists on Mars in “a psychedelic odyssey of hallucinations-within-hallucinations from which no reader emerges unscathed” (Boston Globe).

On Mars, the harsh climate could make any colonist turn to drugs to escape a dead-end existence. Especially when the drug is Can-D, which translates its users into the idyllic world of a Barbie-esque character named Perky Pat. When the mysterious Palmer Eldritch arrives with a new drug called Chew-Z, he offers a more addictive experience, one that might bring the user closer to God. But in a world where everyone is tripping, no promises can be taken at face value.

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch is one of Philip K. Dick’s enduring classics, at once a deep character study, a dark mystery, and a tightrope walk along the edge of reality and illusion.

Ratings and reviews

4.4
69 reviews
Ryan Prince (Osiris)
March 13, 2015
that never really got finished. This book fails to really confront any really serious science issue, and while the characters are mildly interesting, they all seem to lack a fullness that can be seem in most better sci-fi writing. The plot is fantastical but has little implication in the philosophy of science. If it were not for PKD's prose and wit, this book would be destined for the trash bin and only the trash bin. Worst of all, the ending is vague in a failed attempt at a knock off version of Orwell's "He loved Big Brother." But PKD fails to have any resolution at all. In short: Decent pulp sci-fi, but lacks the intelligence and polish to be worth recomending .
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Gordon Seidoh Worley
September 15, 2023
idea is cool but not pkd's best work. the plot is hard to follow with unclear jumps. i get what he was going for but there's not enough correct to make sense of it.
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Jordann Stark
January 17, 2014
After the first few chapters I could not put this book down! The ending is mind blowing, I would recommend re reading for sure.
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About the author

Over a writing career that spanned three decades, PHILIP K. DICK (1928–1982) published 36 science fiction novels and 121 short stories in which he explored the essence of what makes man human and the dangers of centralized power. Toward the end of his life, his work turned to deeply personal, metaphysical questions concerning the nature of God. Eleven novels and short stories have been adapted to film, notably Blade Runner (based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Total Recall, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly, as well as television's The Man in the High Castle. The recipient of critical acclaim and numerous awards throughout his career, including the Hugo and John W. Campbell awards, Dick was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2005, and between 2007 and 2009, the Library of America published a selection of his novels in three volumes. His work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages.

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