The Cosmic Puppets: A Novel (Paperback)

by Philip K. Dick (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Yielding to a compulsion he can’t explain, Ted Barton interrupts his vacation in order to visit the town of his birth, Millgate, Virginia. But upon entering the sleepy, isolated little hamlet, Ted is distraught to find that the place bears no resemblance to the one he left behind—and never did. He also discovers that in this Millgate Ted Barton died of scarlet fever when he was nine years old. Perhaps even more troubling is the fact that it is literally impossible to escape. Unable to leave, Ted struggles to find the reason for such disturbing incongruities, but before long, he finds himself in the midst of a struggle between good and evil that stretches far beyond the confines of the valley.

Winner of both the Hugo and John W. Campbell awards for best novel, widely regarded as the premiere science fiction writer of his day, and the object of cult-like adoration from his legions of fans, Philip K. Dick has come to be seen in a literary light that defies classification in much the same way as Borges and Calvino. With breathtaking insight, he utilizes vividly unfamiliar worlds to evoke the hauntingly and hilariously familiar in our society and ourselves.

From the Publisher
'The most brilliant Sci-Fi mind on any planet' - Rolling Stone --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (November 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400030056
• ISBN-13: 978-1400030057
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #647,440 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dick's most accessible work, this is the Twilight Zone, October 1, 2005

By	Eric San Juan (Brick, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

The Cosmic Puppets is a very interesting Philip K. Dick (most are), in some ways because it doesn't feel quite like most of his other work. This one felt more like an episode of The Twilight Zone than the heady science fiction he is known for. Children with strange powers, things not being as they seem (a frequent Dick theme), and a strange mystery that unfolds into something large beyond scope (again, a frequent theme), as god clashes against god.

The story opens with the main character, Ted Barton, visiting the town he grew up in. Only now ... it's different. Something is wrong. He finds that he NEVER EXISTED in this town's history. Things only get stranger from there.

The Cosmic Puppets leaves you with as many questions as it does answers, but was a very satisfying read. The situation Dick creates is engrossing and fascinating, and the pacing is lightning quick. Probably among the most accessible PKDick books I've read to date, perfect for a casual fan or someone new to this man's startling body of work, The Cosmic Puppets comes highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Early Masterpiece, September 20, 2005

By	Jerry Engelbach (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Cosmic Puppets (Paperback)

THE COSMIC PUPPETS originally appeared as half of an Ace Double Novel -- those 35¢ paperbacks that contained two complete stories back-to-back. The publisher considered it mere pulp.

But it continued the ironic comment-on-the-genre style that Dick was developing in his early work and that reached maturity by 1962 in what was up to that time Dick's favorite book (he told me so himself in a letter in 1966), THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE.

Dick's work has to be taken as a whole. Irony is the theme. If you're looking for witless kicks, avoid Dick and bore yourself with those god-awful space operas that presume to pass for serious sci-fi these days.

Dick is a genius with a highly original voice, one whose evolution can be traced back to Hammett, Hemingway, and Chandler, up through Van Vogt and Heinlein. THE COSMIC PUPPETS, while admittedly not his most fulfilling work, contains many of those fascinating elements that make up his unique signature.

Frankly, I found it hard to put down.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short and Sweet, October 25, 2003

By	Steve West (Adelaide, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cosmic Puppets (Paperback)

The Cosmic Puppets can't really be classed as science fiction, it would be more supernatural/fantasy. The story wouldn't look out of place in a Stephen King short story collection. I think it's slightly unfair to charge full price for a half-length novel, I'd recommend borrowing it from a library if it's available. The Cosmic Puppets is more a 'disposable' novel but if you're a PKD fan I'd recommend reading it.