Item: Elektrikli Düşler
Author: Ege

Ege

@science_boy

21 Ocak 14:42

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This is a lovely collection of stories that served as an inspiration for the series Electric Dreams. Consisting of ten stories, this book is a great insight into Philip K. Dick's shorter prose works. Some of these stories fall more into macabre/horror genre (with a distinct Twilight Zone vibe) than into science fiction (as the title would imply). All the stories are well written, but some have aged better than others. None of these stories was a five star read for me, but altogether they are a fine group of stories and I enjoyed reading them. I will review the stories individually bellow. 1. The Hood Maker (1955) 4/5 One of my favourite stories in this collection, it talks about a future world in which everyone's mind is regularly scanned. Someone comes up with a special 'hoodie' that can put at end to mind reading and sends it to various individuals, including those in the government. Even those loyal to the government feel tempted to wear it- to have one's mind to one's self has become the ultimate luxury. However, hood wearers are typically verbally and physically attacked by the people they come in contact with because the general public resent the hood wearers for 'hiding' their mind. This is one of the stories that really got me thinking as in today's time we have practically given our privacy away by using technology that can easily track (and monitor) our day to day thinking process. A well written story with one or two interesting twists and some food for the mind. 2. The Impossible Planet (1953) 4/5 An old lady that is three and a half century old insists that she is taken to Earth. The captain first denies her, explaining that Earth is a myth, that there never was a base planet the human race emerged from. However, as the old lady is quite stubborn and willing to pay handsomely, he finally agrees to look for Earth and take her there. The captain takes her to a place that is most like Earth (based on his research). This is an interesting story and a view into feature. Will Earth remain our home or it will be something we have left behind? The story maintains is quite atmospheric and convincing. It is filled with nostalgic and sad vibes that I found quite convincing. 3. The Commuter (1953) 3/5 A man comes to buy tickets to a town that doesn't exists. Or does it? Jacobs shows him the map but the man disappears. The protagonist Jacobson decides to find out what this all means. This story is interesting and well written, but ultimately not very memorable. 4. Sales Pitch (1954) 4/5 Another story set in the future, this one follows Ed Morris who returns home exhausted after a hard day work. The commute from Ganimed to Earth takes him two hours as Jupiter is facing Earth and all the way he is tormented by the various visual and audio ads that just won't shot up. Robots bully people into buying things and there is no disputing with their merciless persistence. When a robot who sells himself shows at Morris' door, Morris is completely bewildered. This story comes with a message. It points out how aggressive advertising can be a cause of constant stress for the general population and a violation of one's personal space and peace. It is also a critique of modern society, I believe. It's still relevant today, I'd hasten to add. 5. Exhibit Piece (1954) 4/5 A man from the future who works in a museum creates such a convincing exhibit that he is somehow transported back in time. He appears in the new reality- in the past exhibit he has created. He visits a psychologist there and argues about this reality switch with him- a quite funny conversation. Soon we learn that the future he has left is not such a great place, so he is tempted to stay. I liked the atmosphere of this story and the pessimistic ending was quite brilliant. 6. Human IS (1955) 4/5 A woman is married to a horrible emotionless scientist who doesn't let her own nephew come to visit them because he interferes with his science work. Soon the scientist leaves to conduct research on some planet and the woman realizing how happier she is without him, consider divorcing him when he returns. However, when he returns, the scientist Lester is a changed man. How is that possible? This was a simple and fun story to read. I'm not sure how original the concept is, but since it was written in 1955, it is entirely possible that Philip K. Dick was one of the first to come up with it. 7. The Hanging Stranger (1953) 4/5 A man who has just finished some digging work in his garden goes off to work. Suddenly he noticed that a dead body is hanging. That's certainly odd but the oddest thing is that nobody seems to care about it. Suddenly we get this Twilight Zone vibes and I have to say that some parts of this story are truly terrifying. This was a well written macabre story with elements of pure horror. 8. Autofac (1955) 4/5 Another story set in the future where automatic factories work on their own and their programming is becoming a treat to humans because these factories just keep on working and there is a danger they will exhaust the Earth's resources. The factories are making deliveries to people, but they are automatic in function, not listening to anyone. They were thus programmed during some past war and now they're just running with it. A group of people is trying to sabotage them and cause them to malfunction so they can take over them. This was also a well written and interesting story focusing on the conflict between humanity and technology that got out of hand. 9. Foster, You're Dead (1955) 4/5 A young buy Mike Foster asks to be let home early from school. His teacher Ms Cummings is unsympathetic at first but soon notices the fear in his eyes. As other kids let her on it, she starts to understand why the kid is so afraid. Mike Foster is terrified because his family is the only one without a nuclear shelter and he cannot use the school one because his father didn't donate to buy some defense stuff. This story clearly references the nuclear fears of the sixties, but to me it seems so modern and relevant. Nothing sells better than fear, nothing makes people buy something like convincing them they will die if they don't. It's the rule of terror. This is a story that is still relevant today because it shows how governments use fear and anxiety to control their civil population. The story itself is alright, but more than the plot the and the characters, I liked the message it so clearly delivers. 10. The Father-Thing (1954) 3/5 This story feels like it was written by Stephen King in many ways. For example, like many of King's best known novels, this story features children as protagonists. Together (and without the help of adults), the kids must work against a creature trying to destroy them. The story opens with a kid who learns that his father has been eaten by some kind of creature who now looks like his father. Nobody notices the change expect him (he found his father's skin so he even has some proof). After his father (but really a Father-thing, the creature) decided to discipline him (and who knows what else), the son runs to a neighbouring boy and explains his predicament. After some reassuring (the son shows the neighbouring boy the skin of his father left over by the creature), the boy agrees to help him and even enlist help of another boy- the tracker. Together they must fight and destroy the Father-Thing who might be after them all. This story was well written, plotted and dramatic, but ultimately just not my cup of tea.

Elektrikli DüşlerPhilip K. Dick · Alfa Yayıncılık · 2018128 okunma

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