Dimension of Miracles (Ace SF, 14860) [Mass Market Paperback]

Robert Sheckley (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 213 pages
• Publisher: Ace (May 1, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441148603
• ISBN-13: 978-0441148608
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,406,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top quality SF satire, January 28, 2001

By 

John Peter O'connor - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dimension of Miracles ([Gollancz SF]) (Hardcover)

Carmody is an ordinary, unremarkable Earthman. One day he discovers that there is a galaxy wide civilisation, unknown to humans and he has won a prize in the galactic lottery. He is taken away from the Earth and given his prize which turns out to be a taking but opinionated source of advice. Armed only with his prize, he sets out on a hilarious journey across the galaxy. On the way, he meets many strange people including the man responsible for building the planet Earth in the first place.

The prize's advice is not always much use. When Carmody is confronted by a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the prize can only suggest turning into a plant or singing hymns!

The book races along at a frantic pace. Every couple of pages brings a new situation and a lot of humour. Sheckley certainly knows how to keep his readers interested.

If you think that this sounds a lot like "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams, you are right but this book was written a decade earlier and it is funnier.

Sheckley has written many other novels and short stories and they are all very funny indeed so, if you enjoy this book, you will find a lot more to enjoy there.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dimension of Mircles, September 9, 2002

By 

peter hunt (Arlington, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dimension of Miracles ([Gollancz SF]) (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book. I first read it in 1968, and it presaged brand labels on the outside of clothing, a media culture, and a number of other things. And it's really funny. My copy is falling apart, I've loaned it out so many times. Thus far, each person who has read it has loved it. I'm happy to be able to obtain another copy.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A humorous Sci-Fi adventure story of Carmody in Wonderland., January 10, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Woodinville, Washington, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dimension of Miracles ([Gollancz SF]) (Hardcover)

Mr. Carmody is just your average working American who finds one afernoon that he's won the Galactic Sweepstakes by an Alien who escorts him to Galactic Central to collect his prize. Once there he is faced with the task of finding his own way back to Earth. Where earth is, isn't the only problem there is also "when" and "which" in a universe that contains an infinite variety. Enroute, Carmody must deal with beings ranging from the omnipotent to the incompetent with hilarious yet thought provoking results. Sheckley's subject matter is somewhere between "Alice in Wonderland" and "The HitchHicker's Guide to the Galaxy". His writing is not quite as good as Carol but better than Adams. Both Lewis Carol and Robert Sheckly try to say something important (even if it is obscure) while Douglas Adams is mostly irreverent comments on the absurdities of life. Both light and deep, and certainly funny, "Dimension of Miracles" is a very good read.