Customer Reviews

Nick and the Glimmung

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For all the brilliant science fiction that Philip K. Dick wrote in his life - and for the average science fiction that Philip K. Dick wrote in his life - he also wrote some real stinkers...and *Nick and the Glimmung* is one of those stinkers. This book is Dick's attempt at an illustrated kid's novel...and attempt at a paycheck most likely.

Take a brilliant, often mentally ill writer who was most likely not too normal as a child himself and task him with writing a story that would appeal to kids while he was dropping acid or some such and you can imagine this mostly bad book. Nick and his family move to a distant alien planet called Plowman's Planet to escape the Anti-pet Men who want to confiscate Nick's cat. (okay, so far? Yeah right!) From there the story really doesn't make enough sense to write a coherent review of it. As a Philip K. Dick fan, I have to admit that this book makes no sense to me; none, zilch, nada.

There is a war going on the Plowman's Planet; the Trobes and Wrejes and Spiddles and Printers of the planet are battling an unseen evil force...I think. It is called the Glimmung, and it has it out for Nick...I think.

And throughout all this turmoil, the Anti-pet Men tell Nick and his family they can return to Earth and all is forgiven...whatever. Philip K. Dick is one of the most brilliant science fiction writers of the 20th Century, but he was also one of the worst. For every *Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep* or *The Divine Invasion* or *A Scanner Darkly* there was a book like *Nick and the Glimmung*. [...]

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A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

Yes, this is THE Philip K Dick. The fellow who wrote avant garde science fiction like "Blade Runner" and "Three Stigmata" also wrote an illustrated children's book. Apparently the book actually sold pretty well in Britain!

The story itself deals with Nick, a small boy, and his family's emigration to a mysterious alien planet. There, he encounters a dreadful creature called the Glimmung. The story is largely patched together from various other stories by Dick - I recognised "The Father Thing" and "Pay for the Printer", and I have a feeling the Glimmung himself turned up in another book.

Nevertheless, the book has a nice style, with the last scene being very puzzling. Why is Nick's double so compassionate? Is there any significance in the fact that a non-human creature like the double can show empathy? What is the significance of the long walk towards Nick's double? Is it a Jungian symbol?

OK, I made that last bit up. The book is largely an attempt by Dick to make more money using as little effort as possible. Only the last ending is typically Dickian. Like the end of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", we are left wondering as to its true significance.

Nick and the Glimmung, we are informed on this book's flyleaf, is Dick's sole surviving young adult novel written in 1966 and available for the first time in the U.S., and the first time anywhere in twenty years.

The story is typical of much of Dick's works: brilliant ideas and concepts, disjointed and confusing plotting, thin character development and a conclusion with a barrel of loose ends mostly unresolved. In other words a story that will delight Dick's many fans and perplex the casual reader.

The story concerns young Nick and his cat Horace. You see cats are illegal on Earth so Nick's family decided to emigrate to Plowman's Planet instead of giving up their pet. Upon arriving at their destination the family is quickly introduced to several different alien species that speak perfect English and become entangled in a struggle concerning a magical book one of the aliens lost and was recovered by Nick. Nick also discovers pod people growing outside his home, an intelligent rodent-like species talking 1950's slang and a being that replicated home appliances like toasters that don't function properly.

The Subterranean Press edition of this title is an exceptionally well-designed book with four full-page Phil Parks color illustrations supplementing the 121 pages of large font text.

In the dystopic future Earth of 1992, jobs are so scarce they are rationed. Nick's Dad is lucky to work 15 hours a week.

Everyone lives in highrise apartments.

Nick's teacher has multiple classrooms and she teaches by television.

And, pets are illegal. Nick and his family are hiding a pet cat. When the cat escapes, they are visited by the Anti-Pet Man, who tells them they will have to surrender their cat.

Rather than do that, they immigrate to Plowman's Planet, which is nothing like the brochures. There's a war going on and the family quickly falls prey. Worse, the fearsome Glimmung is after Nick.

"Nick and the Glimmung" in no way representative of the author's usual style. It's intended as a children's story and for the most part, works as one. I'd recommend it for very young readers, grades 3-5, because I think this more sophisticated generation of readers will not buy the story as well as younger ones will.

Rebecca Kyle, March 2009