The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Loosely based on the story of Bishop James Pike, Dick's last novel tells of an erudite man of the cloth whose faith is shaken by the suicides of his son and mistress, and then transformed by his bizarre quest for the identity of Christ.

From the Inside Flap

The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, the final novel in the trilogy that also includes Valis and The Divine Invasion, is an anguished, learned, and very moving investigation of the paradoxes of belief. It is the story of Timothy Archer, an urbane Episcopal bishop haunted by the suicides of his son and mistress--and driven by them into a bizarre quest for the identity of Christ.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; . edition (July 2, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679734449
• ISBN-13: 978-0679734444
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #125,330 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #21 in

  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Dick, Philip K.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of his best and most readable, April 26, 2001

By	C. S. Junker "soul_survivor" (Burien, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Unlike "VALIS" and "The Divine Invasion", this novel dispenses with science fiction apparatus in its examination of religious and philosophical issues. Based on the life of controversial Episcopal Bishop James Pike, who was a close friend of the author's, this is one of Dick's best written novels. Many of his earlier works were produced at a blisteringly fast pace, without much time for revision; some of them are essentially first drafts. Here, in Dick's last work, he slows down enough to polish his prose and put events in their proper context. The result is a fascinating and deeply moving story.

Although this novel is usually billed as part of a trilogy or series, its sole connection with "VALIS" and "Divine Invasion" is that the story has a religious theme. Otherwise there is no connection.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Other Reviews Missed The Point, December 31, 2002

By	Ronald Breeze "F8NBThere" (Rohnert Park, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have read the other reviews of this book and, quite frankly, they all missed the point of this book. To start with it is written from the female perspective, which is not an easy task for a man, and yet PKD pulls it off briliantly. This is not a book about Dick trying to run his snobbery down our throats but an insightful and emotionally touching perspective of a man pursuing truth, with a zeal that leads to his death, as viewed by another party (female). Indeed, its very core reflects the Bible's condemnation of pride proceeding the fall, mixed with the emotional tenderness that Mary must have felt when she witnessed her sons death from pursuing his ideals. Dick began an introspective search for a meaning of God after his encounter with Valis, continued the journey, in The Divine Invasion, with a discussion of the modern God of the New Testament versus the ancient gods that existed before humans adapted monotheism, finishing with Transmigration. Don't pass this book over because you will miss Dick's best writing before he died. I also recommend Eye in the Sky and Clans of the Alphane Moon as two more of PKD's brilliance and humor.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love, Death, and PKD, February 9, 2000

By	Guy Salvidge (GREENWOOD, WA AUSTRALIA) - See all my reviews

TTA has very little to do with either Valis or the Divine Invasion, despite it supposedly being the third in the Valis Trilogy. 'The Owl in Daylight,' the book PKD never wrote, was the third in that trilogy. TTA stands alone.

I adore this book; it is simply one of my favourite PKD books. It is about love, empathy, and death. It is part biography of Bishop Pike, but more than that it is a profound study of life and death. The main character, Angel Archer, is one of PKD's best, and truly the best woman ever to inhabit a PKD novel. We have Ursula Le Guin to thank, and least in part, for that.

This book is almost completely dialogue, both interior and exterior. The plot means little; it is a cover for the real issues at hand. This is not a biography. The biographical material provides the plot, but this is not where the heart of the novel lies. The best aspect of TTA is the characters: Archer Archer especially, but also Edgar Barefoot. Each character in this book is real, not in the sense that they exist in the real world, but in the sense that they are really real characters (I know this sounds awkward.)

It is a book about sadness and pain, but in the end it is about love. Not love as in romantic love, but abstract love, love and understanding for all things. PKD was a truly good-hearted man, and this is the greatest testament to him.