Counter-Clock World [Hardcover]

Philip K. Dick (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Berkley Books (1967)
• ASIN: B000MBGU0G
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Packs more paradoxes to the page than the brain can handle, July 10, 1998

By 

Tom Moody - See all my reviews

This review is from: Counter-Clock World (The Gregg Science Fiction Series) (Hardcover)

Dick attempts the impossible task of making time seem to flow backwards as the reader moves forward through the book. An eerie and unforgettable premise has the dead being "born" in their graves, crying out to be exhumed so they can begin their reverse trek through life. In other scenes food is excreted onto plates and then boxed and returned to the shelf, while bodily wastes are ingested through a "sogum pipe," a process alluded to several times but mercifully never depicted. Eventually the book reaches an action-packed climax (shouldn't it have occurred at the beginning?), in which bullets are sucked back into firearms and so forth, but by that time the paradoxes have come so fast and furious that the reader's brain has imploded. As in so many of his novels, Dick throws too many balls in the air to keep the juggling act going, and as scientifically plausible fiction, it's a mess, but only a genius would have attempted an idea as weird as this one, and taken it as far Dick does.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars foody premis, great writing for Dick fans., August 26, 2004

By 

G Smith "stupid middle age white guy" (the library) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Counter-Clock World (Paperback)

Do you love PKD? Have you read a lot of his books?

If you answered yes then you'll love this. If not I would try one of his more approachable titles first (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, or one of his short-story collections). I would not recommend this to a first time Dick reader; if you don't know what you're getting yourself into you probably will not like it.

With that said, I love PKD, and have read quite a few of his works. I, having been aclimated to his style, found it very enjoyable. The only concerns I have are that some of the ideas, with reguards to the backwards flow of time, are somewhat garbled. A good example is how cigeretts are smoked by inhaling the fumes and blowing into the filter- yet the people still manage to communicate while inhaling. Try it yourself, see it's not so easy. I know it's nit-picky, I can't help it.

All in all a great book for anyone who already enjoys PKD.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sheer audacious bravery in the face of commercial pressure., October 5, 2003

By 

"massivekipple" (anywhere but Alphane) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Counter-Clock World (Paperback)

PKD faced the old problem of commercialism vs. integrity. I consider this book to be a testament to Dick's integrity. Exploring often mentioned, but never developed, ideas.
For example, the Wizard Merlin supposedly lived backwards in time. Yet this idea has only been presented, not developed in the stories I have read. Several religions suggest a rapture or ressurection of the dead, without filling us in on the details.
Dick must have really felt the avenue of backwards time was worth exploring or he never would have finished it. It was brave for Dick to see these ideas through to their conclusion. While facing the realities of rent and editors, etc.
This book is not as morbid as earlier reviews might suggest. The characters are sincere and even light-hearted at times.
I found this to be one of Dick's easier and smoother reads.
I break it down this way. If you go to a movie and willingly submit to a fantasy experience, read this book. If you go to movies to test your analytical and deductive skills don't bother.
If you suspect that time is really just one big cosmic "Wow!" that has already ensued, I highly recommend it.