Customer Reviews

Variable Man

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the middle of the twenty-second century Terra (a.k.a. Earth) has expanded its influence throughout the Solar System, but a vast, yet weak, empire rules the rest of the Galaxy. Terrans have been at war with this empire for generations, and have never been in a position to prevail over their adversaries. However, the invention of a new weapon - a faster-than-light bomb - may finally shift the balance of power in their favor. Unfortunately, due to an accident with time-travel, a man form the twentieth century ends up in their midst, and his very existence seems to be the cause of uncertainty for the sophisticated prediction computers on which the Terran military establishment relies in planning of their attack. The visitor from the past is thus the variable man - a man whose very existence undermines brings a lot of indeterminism to the military plans.

This longish story or a short novella is one of the finest examples of PKD's sci-fi writing skills. The story is well developed, although from the vantage point of today's sci-fi there are many loose ends and naïve plot developments. The story has the charm of vintage sci-fi, all with almost laughably simpleminded view of the 22nd century technology (vidphones are poor man's versions of iPhones) and *very* inaccurate presentation of science. If you are looking for a polished and technologically sophisticated story than you will very disappointed. On the other hand, if you are tired of all the predictable and mechanistic stories that you can read today, and enjoy raw, rough, ideas that aim for immediate impact, then you will definitely enjoy "The Variable Man."

Reads longer than a simple magazine article length. Better than, "Piper In The Woods".
Great ideas and concepts. My growing collection of Pillip K. Dick novels is one of the best collections to have.

This is one of my favorite PKD novellas. I've even got an old copy of the 1957 Ace Paperback edition that I paid far too much for. Imagine my surprise when I saw "The Variable Man" on a buddy's kindle. It is great news that you can get it for free; Kindle is so awesome.

This one doesn't really introduce or use a lot of the standard PKD futurisms. Its really just a future action story with clear cut pro/antagonists and takes its swipes at man's reliance on computers. I figure it is only a matter of time before Hollywood snaps up this story to join the myriad of other PKD stories made into movies.

This version only contains The Variable Man, I was disappointed to discover the stories mentioned in the other review are not here. This is a good story but I really bought this for Autofac which is not here. Don't be mislead like I was.

This is an older collection containing, "The Variable Man," "Second Variety," "The Minority Report," "Autofac," and "A World of Talent." They are all outstanding stories Dick wrote during the 50s. "Second Variety," and "The Minority Report" have both been filmed as "Screamers" and "Minority Report."

"The Variable Man" is the longest story and noteworthy for being one of the first stories to feature a sort relativistic kill vehicle as a plot device. It takes place about 200 years in the future, when a semi-totalitarian Earth government is fighting a war with aliens from Proxima Centauri, who have blockaded the system, and are trying to perfect a bomb that will destroy the Proxima system by hitting that star a nearly the speed of light. They rely on computers to predict their chances of success in the war, but when they accidentally bring a man from the past forward in time his lack of predictability ruins the computer's calculations. Mayhem ensues.

"Second Variety" and "Autofac" are also prescient in their anticipation of the hazards of self-replicating machines. Both stories are about self-replicating and self-repairng machines used during a war (not the same one) that get dangerously out of control as the war reaches its end.

"The Minority Report" involves a future police system where psychics with precognition are used to prevent murders. It follows the adventures of the police commissioner when the system traps him for the murder of a man he's never heard of.

"A World of Talent" was written in reaction to the polyanna attitude many science fiction writers carried towards psychic powers, and shows the destructive effects they can have, particularily in the stratification of society.

If you're looking at a book to introduce you to PKD, or just want to read the stories those two movies were based on, this might be a good one to pick up. If you're a die-hard PKD fan though, most of these stories are reprinted in the recent five-volume series, "The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick."

This book is epic in so many ways. It's well written and the pacing is spot on. There is a little bit of pridictibility to where its going at one point its entertaining enough to overlook its shortcomings. This would make a very interesting movie, and in the hands of a decent writer and director with a budget this could be awesome on the big screen. Definitely one of the best Philip K. Dick books I've read recently. The idea of a man out of time is fun and exciting. Also while some may criticize the abilities of the variable man I found it entirely believable when considering the innovation and brilliancy of some of the early twentieth century people. A great read for a free book!