Lathe of Heaven by LeGuin is also a great companion book to Ubik. It explores more the morality side of reality alteration than the scifi/society element but it was absolutely lovely.
I just read this when I heard you talk about it a week ago, thank you so much. Wow, feels transcendental, that last short chapter. Just wow one of my new favorites!
Hey man!. I want to recommend a sci-fi graphic novel from my country, Argentina. I's called "The Eternaut", it's about an alien invasion of Buenos Aires but like anything you ever read. You're gonna love it! Love the channel.
@@LiminalSpaces03 please do, there is a beautiful hardcover english edition. You'll love it, I bet that you'll love it enough to make a video about it😎
The pronunciation of the 'u' sound will vary between countries. It's short for 'ubiquitous'. However you pronounce the 'u' there will probably carry over.
Ubik isn't a god; it is short for ubiquity. The characters discover they are in a very badly run simulation with many flaws, especially since those inside can influence the simulation with their unconscious expectations. These vary according to the age of the character, but one is definitely malevolent in attacking morale by triggering internal fear or shame in others. One who has been inside the simulation for longer than most realizes the only way to fight back against these attacks on morale is with blithe insouciance rather than fear or shame. That is to say, they are to view their surround as if it were ubiquitous and ordinary according to their baseline expectations rather than full of threats or ominous glitches. It is hard to remember to do this continually, so the long-term survivor broadcasts a sales campaign meant only as a sort of background state reminder. If they were more obvious it wouldn't work for a couple of reasons, mainly it needs to be on the down low; mellow, placid. This is sort of an altered state comment on perceptual filters. While Ubik is mysterious, and Dick is quite a mystic, this is one of his more grounded or technical commentaries on how to survive simulations (dreams, computers, etc) without freaking out.
I really enjoyed your take on this novel! I don't however, think this makes the interpretation of Ubik as a metaphor for a god figure any less valid. That is the fun of reading Dick's novels, he packs them with so many meanings! Here is a quote from one of Dick's wives, who spoke often with him about his books. "Dick's former wife Tessa remarked: Ubik is a metaphor for God. Ubik is all-powerful and all-knowing, and Ubik is everywhere. The spray can is only a form that Ubik takes to make it easy for people to understand it and use it. It is not the substance inside the can that helps them, but rather their faith in the promise that it will help them."
@@LiminalSpaces03 Yeah, I remember seeing that quote before I read the story and it sort of interpreted it to me. There's kind of blasphemous side to Dick. He had a short story where Jesus Christ appeared as a character in the story and where the character's dialog is taken straight from the New Testament, and other characters are deciding that they are hallucinating this event. Having God in a can of aerosol spray is another version of this. Freaky.
A door demanding 5 cents every time you open it sounds very Bill Gates to me. I have a question about the covers of a lot of these science fiction books. How much was it a thing for an artist to read the the science fiction book before they illustrated it? I notice that some of the covers seem very related to their subject matter, while others are clearly not. I would assume Its a really cool thing when you job requires you to read science fiction novels, but then I remember that Theodore Sturgeon said that 90% of science fiction is poo-poo, so it may have been a chore.
This is Bob Pepper's incredible illustration for the cover of the DAW publication of Dick's "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch", which is my favorite Dick novel so far! My sister in law, Dana made the shirt for me!
While I don't agree completely with your premise that Ubik is "a savior in a can" I feel like it's quite close. Really, it's exactly correct, but I feel it's exactly correct only when I include the context of the writer who wrote it. In other words, within the story itself I think Ubik represents a connection to "reality", and reality is having trouble existing. But the author, I think, DID intend for the reader to perceive this mechanic as a "savior in a can", and was making fun of it.
![[UNCUT] “บอสณวัฒน์” ลากไส้!! ใครหนุนหลัง "แม่ตั๊ก ป๋าเบียร์" I คนดังนั่งเคลียร์ I 30 ก.ย. 67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QlD7mU2KKRk/mqdefault.jpg)
Anyone interested in science fiction should read all of Philip's work. I highly recommend "The Penultimate Truth".
Lathe of Heaven by LeGuin is also a great companion book to Ubik. It explores more the morality side of reality alteration than the scifi/society element but it was absolutely lovely.
The aspect ratio with the black bars and the wood shelving give your videos such a great nostalgic vibe. It’s just * chef’s kiss *. Love it.
Thanks! I lucked into all of it!
I LOVE PKD but his stories often make me quite depressed for a while after I read them. :(
I just read this when I heard you talk about it a week ago, thank you so much. Wow, feels transcendental, that last short chapter. Just wow one of my new favorites!
Such an incredible read!
Definitely one of my favorites.
I have a bunch of PKD to read still and appreciate the rundown, will be putting this high on the list. What I've read of his so far was amazing
Oh yeah I forgot about the way everything's coin-op in the book, to where they're carrying bags of coins around, amazing idea
You should read the Ubik screenplay afterwards!😊
Hey man!. I want to recommend a sci-fi graphic novel from my country, Argentina. I's called "The Eternaut", it's about an alien invasion of Buenos Aires but like anything you ever read. You're gonna love it! Love the channel.
El Eternauta is a masterpiece.
Sounds awesome! Now I gotta find a copy!
@@LiminalSpaces03 please do, there is a beautiful hardcover english edition. You'll love it, I bet that you'll love it enough to make a video about it😎
Blew my mind. It really stayed with me for weeks after.
Great book, has all the classic PKD mind-bending stuff going on. Oh man great tee, where did you get it? Or did you upload the design?
Dana, my sister in law, made it for me! My favorite sci-fi cover of them all!
@@LiminalSpaces03 Nice, yup it's awesome!!
With Dick’s work I think it helps to treat the premise as the main character. That’s what he’s developing and giving you insight to.
Well said! I love this take!
I always pronounced it 'oo-bick' rather than 'you-bick.' My favorite Dick book, tied with 'The Divine Invasion.'
The pronunciation of the 'u' sound will vary between countries. It's short for 'ubiquitous'. However you pronounce the 'u' there will probably carry over.
Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said is a good one as well, if you haven’t already read it
@@capsjukebox I like that one, too. I've read all of his book (I believe.)
That was the first novel of his I read, but that was back in 2002 and I don't remember a lot of it. Time for a reread!
Ubik isn't a god; it is short for ubiquity. The characters discover they are in a very badly run simulation with many flaws, especially since those inside can influence the simulation with their unconscious expectations. These vary according to the age of the character, but one is definitely malevolent in attacking morale by triggering internal fear or shame in others. One who has been inside the simulation for longer than most realizes the only way to fight back against these attacks on morale is with blithe insouciance rather than fear or shame. That is to say, they are to view their surround as if it were ubiquitous and ordinary according to their baseline expectations rather than full of threats or ominous glitches. It is hard to remember to do this continually, so the long-term survivor broadcasts a sales campaign meant only as a sort of background state reminder. If they were more obvious it wouldn't work for a couple of reasons, mainly it needs to be on the down low; mellow, placid.
This is sort of an altered state comment on perceptual filters. While Ubik is mysterious, and Dick is quite a mystic, this is one of his more grounded or technical commentaries on how to survive simulations (dreams, computers, etc) without freaking out.
I really enjoyed your take on this novel! I don't however, think this makes the interpretation of Ubik as a metaphor for a god figure any less valid. That is the fun of reading Dick's novels, he packs them with so many meanings! Here is a quote from one of Dick's wives, who spoke often with him about his books.
"Dick's former wife Tessa remarked:
Ubik is a metaphor for God. Ubik is all-powerful and all-knowing, and Ubik is everywhere. The spray can is only a form that Ubik takes to make it easy for people to understand it and use it. It is not the substance inside the can that helps them, but rather their faith in the promise that it will help them."
@@LiminalSpaces03 Yeah, I remember seeing that quote before I read the story and it sort of interpreted it to me. There's kind of blasphemous side to Dick. He had a short story where Jesus Christ appeared as a character in the story and where the character's dialog is taken straight from the New Testament, and other characters are deciding that they are hallucinating this event. Having God in a can of aerosol spray is another version of this. Freaky.
I should re-read it.
Reading it around age 12 was inspiring
I bet!
It’s a scary book.
A door demanding 5 cents every time you open it sounds very Bill Gates to me.
I have a question about the covers of a lot of these science fiction books. How much was it a thing for an artist to read the the science fiction book before they illustrated it? I notice that some of the covers seem very related to their subject matter, while others are clearly not. I would assume Its a really cool thing when you job requires you to read science fiction novels, but then I remember that Theodore Sturgeon said that 90% of science fiction is poo-poo, so it may have been a chore.
I assume both happened. I know some publishers reused art!
What’s on your shirt? Very cool!
The three stigmata of palmer Eldridge
This is Bob Pepper's incredible illustration for the cover of the DAW publication of Dick's "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch", which is my favorite Dick novel so far! My sister in law, Dana made the shirt for me!
@@LiminalSpaces03 amazing! Way to go Dana!
Perfect shirt for the topic.
Palmer's three stigmata are a bionic right hand, steel teeth and artificial eyes. You can see each of them in the artwork.
While I don't agree completely with your premise that Ubik is "a savior in a can" I feel like it's quite close. Really, it's exactly correct, but I feel it's exactly correct only when I include the context of the writer who wrote it. In other words, within the story itself I think Ubik represents a connection to "reality", and reality is having trouble existing. But the author, I think, DID intend for the reader to perceive this mechanic as a "savior in a can", and was making fun of it.
Well said! Interpreting Dick is always a wild ride!
So which is PKD’s best?
hmmm, that is a good question. In my opinion, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, but just barely!