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The Simulacra Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,900 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
On a ravaged Earth, fate and circumstances bring together a disparate group of characters, including a fascist with dreams of a coup, a composer who plays his instrument with his mind, a First Lady who calls all the shots, and the world’s last practicing therapist. And they all must contend with an underclass that is beginning to ask a few too many questions, aided by a man called Loony Luke and his very persuasive pet alien. In classic Philip K. Dick fashion, The Simulacra combines time travel, psychotherapy, telekinesis, androids, and Neanderthal-like mutants to create a rousing, mind-bending story where there are conspiracies within conspiracies and nothing is ever what it seems.
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"I'm really digging Philip K Dick lately. The Simulacra has a lot of different layers and seems to be a commentary about the illusory underpinnings of the culture in which we live. Seems to suggest that the structure on which we base our lives and which we find vitally important may be a construct. Not just an organic construct, a gradual building up of the system as we know it by generations of individual actions and an unwritten social contract, but an intentional construct devised by individuals for the purpose of controlling the masses and maintaining their own power. This book explores what happens when those in power learn they really aren't and the reality on which we all depend crumbles. When I put it that way, it sounds a little bleak. But I actually found it somewhat hopeful."
— CJ (4 out of 5 stars)
The Simulacra Listener Reviews
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" Heady stuff. Should be adapted by Sorkin. Lots of interleaved subplots "
— Snezan, 2/15/2014 -
" So this was my first PKD book and it was pretty much what I expected from what fans have told me about his writing. In other words it was damn interesting. I find Ian Duncan's moment in front of the television and watching Nicole after having his memory erased a particularly memorable and disturbing moment. "
— Rafael, 1/5/2014 -
" Entertaining but felt unfinished particularly regarding the "chuppers" who seemed intended to provide the thematic binding to the many plots and sub-stories but instead were just used for a weak Outer Limitsy ending that felt tacked on. But I forgive it because "chupper" is now my new favorite invented sci-fi word. "
— John, 12/3/2013 -
" Imaginative, futuristic novel by one of the premier science fiction writers of our (my) time. Not so hard to believe in terms of today's political climate. I've always believed that a really good science fiction book looks less like fiction as time goes by--i.e. Jules Verne. "
— Daryl, 9/17/2013 -
" Classic PK Dick. Not his most profound, but a good ride. More toward his cynical political thriller side. "
— Darceylaine, 9/2/2013 -
" Dick is one of my favorite authors. Paranoid, genius, visionary, he is was never ordinary. This is wonderful story. Sci fi of the mid 20th century was like a Wild West of ideas. If you like Sci Fi, just read it. "
— Jay, 6/8/2013 -
" Interesting view on a society that is heavily manipulated and what social status you hold based on the information that you know. PKD has this style where he sets up for half the book, the people and the situation, then during the second half that's when the ride begins. I like it. "
— Michael, 4/15/2013 -
" This book was so bad I almost forgot I finished reading it. I'm a huge fan of PK Dick, but this book felt like it was written by a 12-year-old-- heavy-handed, sloppy writing and dull. "
— Logan, 3/4/2013 -
" Matriarchy, psychiatry (freudian), class division, totalitarianism, corporal wars, nazism, immigration... so many great subjects and so many layers. I read this one with great pleasure like all Dick's novels. "
— Marko, 1/9/2013 -
" Scriveva di fretta e si vede, c'eran gli alimenti alle ex mogli da pagare e le paste, certo, non gliele regalavano eppure anche un opera minore (come questa) era intrisa di tante di quelle idee che uno stephen king ci avrebbe scritto una decina di romanzi fiume. "
— Francesco, 11/8/2012 -
" Really great. A very quick read. Loved it. "
— Neil, 5/13/2012 -
" First this book was going one way and then ka-boom it goes another! I like this less than the Valis trilogy, but I gave it four stars...curious. "
— James, 4/24/2012 -
" I really wanted to get sucked into PK Dick, but it's tough. A weird vision on the future that wasn't that cohesive and/or compelling. "
— Jon, 4/17/2012 -
" Another weird, complicated Dick novel which I loved. "
— Remy, 9/30/2011 -
" <br/>Dick shows once again he was rife with creative ideas that suffer from his execution.<br/><br/>The one thing I remember from this book was the notion of drastic climate change caused by man, resulting in the Pacific Northwest becoming a tropical rainforest.<br/><br/>Still love PKD though. "
— Lord, 9/18/2011 -
" umdugum kadar etkilemedi. sanirim fazla yüzeysel geldi. "
— Gozde, 11/28/2010 -
" Matriarchy, psychiatry (freudian), class division, totalitarianism, corporal wars, nazism, immigration... so many great subjects and so many layers. I read this one with great pleasure like all Dick's novels. "
— Marko, 11/18/2010 -
" some minds were way ahead of their time. "
— Lori, 8/7/2010 -
" This book was so bad I almost forgot I finished reading it. I'm a huge fan of PK Dick, but this book felt like it was written by a 12-year-old-- heavy-handed, sloppy writing and dull. "
— Logan, 8/3/2010 -
" A little clunky in certain spots, but mostly very smart and funny. "
— Angela, 8/3/2010 -
" Classic PK Dick. Not his most profound, but a good ride. More toward his cynical political thriller side. "
— Darceylaine, 8/2/2010 -
" Not among Dick's best — the characters are thinly defined and the plot lacks steam — but still brimming with eccentric creativity. Primarily recommended for PKD fans/completists. "
— Jorge, 11/5/2009 -
" Interesting view on a society that is heavily manipulated and what social status you hold based on the information that you know. PKD has this style where he sets up for half the book, the people and the situation, then during the second half that's when the ride begins. I like it. "
— Michael, 9/28/2009 -
" Kind of complicated in the beginning, because of multiple characters and POVs, but it gets more interesting towards the end as everything comes together. Also, it definitely felt outdated even though its in the future. "
— Lisa, 6/17/2009
About Philip K. Dick
Philip K. Dick (1928–1982) published thirty-six science fiction novels and 121 short stories in which he explored the essence of what makes man human and the dangers of centralized power. Toward the end of his life, his work turned toward deeply personal, metaphysical questions concerning the nature of God. Eleven novels and short stories have been adapted to film, notably Blade Runner (based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Total Recall, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly. The recipient of critical acclaim and numerous awards throughout his career, Dick was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2007 the Library of America published a selection of his novels in three volumes. His work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages.
About the Narrators
Laural Merlington is an audiobook narrator with over two hundred titles to her credit and a winner of multiple Earphones Awards. An Audie Award nominee, she has also directed over one hundred audiobooks. She has performed and directed for thirty years in theaters throughout the country. In addition to her extensive theater and voice-over work, she teaches college in her home state of Michigan.
Peter Berkrot, winner of Audie and Earphones Awards for narration, is a stage, screen, and television actor and acting coach. He has narrated over 450 works that span a range of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, thriller, and children’s titles. His audiobook credits include works of Alan Glynn, Eric Van Lustbader, Nora Roberts and Dean Koontz. In film and television, he appeared in Caddyshack, America’s Most Wanted, and Unsolved Mysteries. He performs in regional and New York theaters and directs the New Voices acting school.