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The Zap Gun Audiobook
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(3.00) - 997 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In this biting satire, the Cold War may have ended, but the eastern and western governments never told their citizens. Instead they created an elaborate ruse wherein each side comes up with increasingly outlandish doomsday weapons — weapons that don’t work. But when aliens invade, the top designers of both sides have to come together to make a real doomsday device — if they don’t kill each other first. With its combination of romance, espionage, and alien invasion, The Zap Gun skewers the military-industrial complex in a way that’s as relevant today as it was at the height of the Cold War.
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"Not his finest moment, but certainly a good read. This is much lighter in tone than some of his others, but it has plenty of twists and turns to keep a reader interested. Some of it can be a bit hammy and it's hard to tell where sincerity ends and parody begins in some places, but this may be a sign of what sci-fi was like in the 70s (I'm not a fan of sci-fi, more a fan of Dick....fnar fnar). The satire on the arms industry and the surrounding consumerism is great even if the characters aren't as strong as usual."
— Benjamin (4 out of 5 stars)
The Zap Gun Listener Reviews
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" This was like a lot of PKD books - many names; many characters, almost all with Dick's education and interests; some bad writing; some good writing; a demented, convoluted plot. This book was even more convoluted than most: (a) there are weapons designers for East and West, who get weapons from trances; (b) the weapons are not real, due to a secret agreement; (c) a real nut, a weapons fanatic (who like all civilians thinks the weapons are real) is appointed to the government; (d) alien satellites begin to take Earth cities; (e) an obscure comic book contains East & West's weapons' sketches (this phenomenon never explained); (f) an ancient "war vet" is found who seems to be from the war with the aliens, which just started. Anyway, I enjoyed it for what it was, familiar as I am with Dick's themes and obsessions. It contained passages clearly the same as some PKD stories: "War Game," "War Vet" and "Beyond Lies the Wub." "
— Ensiform, 1/29/2014 -
" Fun book with interesting themes. I have read better pk dick "
— Jason, 1/11/2014 -
" 1.5 Pointlessly complicated with no real payoff. Disappointing for PKD. "
— Ethan, 1/8/2014 -
" A bit dated, but that's all right. I did picture Don Draper reading it. "
— Jon, 1/6/2014 -
" Simple story with a few nice twists. Some aspects borrowed from short stories I have read (e.g. war veteran and the final "weapon"). Not very Dickian, but good enjoyment nonetheless. "
— Iain, 8/11/2013 -
" This is a silly book. But I'm pretty sure it was made that way on purpose. Rousing from a sluggish beginning, the verbiage eventually begins to express a plot, at which the book becomes readable by normal people. Even so, far from PKD's best offering. "
— Robin, 6/9/2013 -
" While this book is a bit disjointed through most of the beginning, and certainly not the best of Dick's late 60's output, the ending is certainly one of the best he's ever written. "
— Brendan, 5/29/2013 -
" This one's about rival weapons designers in a future where the Soviet Bloc still exists. I ate this story up. "
— Neil, 4/27/2013 -
" Took this book out of shelf assuming the author's reputation. I found this book hard to read. I also didn't like the cartoonish sci-fi theme at all. Frustrated. "
— J., 2/16/2013 -
" I read an interview with PKD where he mentioned this book and said how horrible he felt it was, calling it "unreadable". I actually quite enjoyed it, much more than I enjoyed the award-winning "Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said". "
— Leigh-ann, 1/12/2013 -
" Such fond memories of this book, was my first Philip K Dick and taught me the word ploughshare. "
— Al, 12/22/2012 -
" This one is tricky. Still a must for those who love sci-fi. "
— Leonid, 12/17/2012 -
" I read this a while ago. The first half is a big WTF? I almost didn't finish this book because of how bad the beginning was but the second half was great. It would have been rated at least 4 stars if the entire book was as good as the second half. "
— Brandon, 11/4/2012 -
" More in the vein of The Penultimate Truth. If you liked that one, you may like this one, too. I did. "
— Brian, 10/17/2012 -
" Probably Dick's funniest work, it's a great send-up of the Cold War arms race. "
— Colin, 9/26/2012 -
" Too many dead-ends and deus ex-machinas. Too little going on for too much time, just to have it all happen in half a dozen chapters. "
— Sofia, 9/9/2012 -
" I've already forgotten the characters names, but I remember the story. "
— Audrey, 8/22/2012 -
" Another potboiler. Read it only if you need a PKD fix and are desperate. "
— Rob, 6/27/2012
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.