The American novelist and short story writer Philip Kindred Dick (1928 – 1982) is an under-rated master of Science Fiction, in which he gravitated to writing Dystopian Stories. His cautionary tales, often featuring witty and gothic elements, explored the aftermath of authoritarian control and monopolistic corporations, and spooky cuckoo clocks, among many other things. Many readers have been exposed to these themes through some of the movies adapted from his novels; Blade Runner, Total Recall, A Scanner Darkly, and Minority Report.
Dick reflected: “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.”
While most of Dick’s stories are protected by copyright, there are several titles accessible in the public domain (a posthumous thank you to Mr. Dick!), including Second Variety and our very favorite story, The Hanging Stranger. We feature Dick’s stories, Mr. Spaceship and The Variable Man in our Science Fiction Guide and Dystopian Stories.
Dick’s work spans multiple genres; he is also featured in our Gothic Literature Study Guide. Enjoy reading his and many other spooky tales in our Gothic, Ghost, Horror & Weird Library and Halloween Stories. We encourage you to check out the new Amazon series featuring ten of Dick’s stories adapted to film, titled Electric Dreams.