The Minority Report (P. K. Dick) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "first thought Anderton had when he saw the young man was: I'm getting bald..." (more)
Key Phrases: monkey block, police building, majority report, General Kaplan, Commissioner of Police, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Police Commissioner John Anderton finds himself at the mercy of his own crime-prevention system when the prescient precogs he's hired to stop crime before it starts peg him as a soon-to-be murderer in Philip K. Dick's masterful short story The Minority Report. This slim volume is top-bound like an office account and perfectly timedthe movie version, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, is due out this summerbut whether fans will shell out the dough for a single short story that's available in various collections remains to be seen.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description

Philip K. Dick was born in Chicago in 1928 and lived most of his life in California. The author of thirty-six novels, including the acclaimed Blade Runner, and five short story collections, he won a Hugo Award for The Man in the High Castle, and a John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. He died in 1982.

In the world of The Minority Report, Commissioner John Anderton is the one to thank for the lack of crime. He is the originator of the Precrime System, which uses "precogs"–people with the power to see into the future–to identify criminals before they can do any harm. Unfortunately for Anderton, his precogs perceive him as the next criminal. But Anderton knows he has never contemplated such a thing, and this knowledge proves the precogs are fallible. Now, whichever way he turns, Anderton is doomed–unless he can find the precogs's "minority report"–the dissenting voice that represents his one hope of getting at the truth in time to save himself from his own system.

A film version of The Minority Report, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, will be released this summer–further proof of the enduring appeal of Philip K. Dick's visionary fiction.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon (May 14, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375421874
• ISBN-13: 978-0375421877
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #763,043 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Layout--Interesting Story--but for that price?, June 26, 2002

By A Customer

With all the hype of the movie coming out, I wanted to read the original story beforehand. Being that I work at a book store, I was able to read it during my 1 hour lunch break. The layout is definitely unique and eye-catching, but hard to read (and hold) vertically. If it was a book of pictures then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. However, the story itself deserves the unique layout to complement it. It is a very intriguing story and since it is a short story the events kept moving along at a nice pace. As a short story, it is more likely that the movie will actually expand on the original story. Nevertheless, the story does make you think along with Anderton as he figures out what happened in the reports. With that said, I don't think our store has sold a copy of this version yet. But we have sold out of the book containing "The Minority Report" and other stories by Philip K. Dick. Obviously, people know a better value when they see it. Buying this version would simply be for the novelty of the layout--at least at this price.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Shameless Cash-In, May 17, 2002

By	VoodooLord7 (Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

The Minority Report is one of Philip K. Dick's masterpieces, and one of the greatest science fiction stories ever written. It is tightly-written, action-packed, and fast-paced - everything one could ask for in adventure SF. So why the low rating? Well... it's just a short story. I'm not sure of the exact length, but it's something along the line of 30 or 40 pages. What this edition attempts to do is fluff the book out with a bunch of screwy packaging, filling it out to a somewhat respectable book length. What it is, obviously, is a cheap and sorry attempt by the publisher to cash in on the recent Spielberg movie based on this story. Now, the story itself is certainly great and essential; I highly reccommend you read it if you have not already. However, there are much better (not to mention more economical ways) of acquiring it. The also recently-released book "The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories" or the older "Philip K. Dick Reader" both contain The Minority Report, as well as a series of other worthwhile stories. You would be far wiser to purchase one of those books than this cheap piece of marketing.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story - Terrible book design and layout, May 25, 2002

By	D. Bakken "dobak" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love "The Minority Report," and other stories by Philip Dick, but this version is just plain bad.

First off, the book is designed to be read vertically with the book open like a centerfold.

Second, you are getting only one short story (about 30 pages) for [a price]. It would better to buy a Philip Dick short story collection that has "The Minority Report in it."

Very Bad