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| '''''Ubik''''' is a ] ] by ], published in ] and considered to be one of his stranger works. The main viewpoint character is Joe Chip, a technician for |
'''''Ubik''''' is a ] ] by ], published in ] and considered to be one of his stranger works. The main viewpoint character is Joe Chip, a technician for Glen Runciter's 'prudence organisation' which sells the services of a group of misfits with various abilities to block ] powers (for instance, an anti-] can stop the client's mind being read). | ||
| Business rivals lure the team to a moonbase, where a bomb explosion appears to kill Runciter. On their return to Earth to place him in 'half-life' - a form of ] suspension that gives the dead person some years of continuing consciousness and communication - they begin to experience reality shifts. Objects begin to regress to past and/or altered forms (new consumables are found stale in the packet, and Runciter's face appears on coins) and group members begin to die. | |||
| While the confusion between real and unreal, obscured by the perception of the main character(s), is very common in Dick's work, in ''Ubik'' this confusion occurs is more than one way. Given the premise of half-life (no relation to radioactive ]), one puzzle lies in resolving the false reality of the deceased with the real perceptions of those who are still alive. This is further complicated by Pat Conley, a woman whose ability to change the past (and thus the present) Chip thinks may be causing the reality changes. As a result, the story presents unsettling shifts between realities and timelines, in some cases from one line to the next. | While the confusion between real and unreal, obscured by the perception of the main character(s), is very common in Dick's work, in ''Ubik'' this confusion occurs is more than one way. Given the premise of half-life (no relation to radioactive ]), one puzzle lies in resolving the false reality of the deceased with the real perceptions of those who are still alive. This is further complicated by Pat Conley, a woman whose ability to change the past (and thus the present) Chip thinks may be causing the reality changes. As a result, the story presents unsettling shifts between realities and timelines, in some cases from one line to the next. | ||
| Thematically, ''Ubik'' reflects |
Thematically, ''Ubik'' reflects several of Dick's recurring motifs: Chip as the downtrodden protagonist, Conley as the vindictive woman, Runciter as father figure, and the opposition between twin forces of decay (the regression experienced by the characters) and restoration (the mysterious product 'Ubik', which reverses that decay). | ||
| Though the connection (if any) is unknown, some elements in common with ''Ubik'' have appeared in motion pictures. The frozen starship captain in ]'s ] is in a similar state to half-life, as is the hero of ]'s ] and its Spanish original, '']'' (''Open Your Eyes''). | Though the connection (if any) is unknown, some elements in common with ''Ubik'' have appeared in motion pictures. The frozen starship captain in ]'s ] is in a similar state to half-life, as is the hero of ]'s ] and its Spanish original, '']'' (''Open Your Eyes''). | ||
Revision as of 14:22, 10 April 2005
Ubik is a science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick, published in 1969 and considered to be one of his stranger works. The main viewpoint character is Joe Chip, a technician for Glen Runciter's 'prudence organisation' which sells the services of a group of misfits with various abilities to block psychic powers (for instance, an anti-telepath can stop the client's mind being read).
Business rivals lure the team to a moonbase, where a bomb explosion appears to kill Runciter. On their return to Earth to place him in 'half-life' - a form of cryonic suspension that gives the dead person some years of continuing consciousness and communication - they begin to experience reality shifts. Objects begin to regress to past and/or altered forms (new consumables are found stale in the packet, and Runciter's face appears on coins) and group members begin to die.
While the confusion between real and unreal, obscured by the perception of the main character(s), is very common in Dick's work, in Ubik this confusion occurs is more than one way. Given the premise of half-life (no relation to radioactive half-life), one puzzle lies in resolving the false reality of the deceased with the real perceptions of those who are still alive. This is further complicated by Pat Conley, a woman whose ability to change the past (and thus the present) Chip thinks may be causing the reality changes. As a result, the story presents unsettling shifts between realities and timelines, in some cases from one line to the next.
Thematically, Ubik reflects several of Dick's recurring motifs: Chip as the downtrodden protagonist, Conley as the vindictive woman, Runciter as father figure, and the opposition between twin forces of decay (the regression experienced by the characters) and restoration (the mysterious product 'Ubik', which reverses that decay).
Though the connection (if any) is unknown, some elements in common with Ubik have appeared in motion pictures. The frozen starship captain in John Carpenter's Dark Star is in a similar state to half-life, as is the hero of Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky and its Spanish original, Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes).
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