Review Page: Martian Time-Slip by Philip K. Dick
| Title: |
Martian Time-Slip |
| Author: |
Philip K. Dick |
| Format: |
Novel |
| Genre: |
Science Fiction |
| Publisher: |
Millennium Books |
| Date of Publication: |
8 July, 1999 |
| ISBN: |
185798837X |
No. of Reviews: 1
Av. Rating: 8/10
Buy this book from the Amazon website.
14.11.2000 - Indigo - 8/10
List of Reviews | Bio
Number 13 in the ubiquitous SF Masterworks series, Martian Time Slip seems an unusual choice for inclusion when the much more frequently cited works such as A Scanner Darkly and Ubik only come in at 20 and 26 respectively. Dick has to date no fewer than five entries in this series, the other two being Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (no surprises there) and, most recently, Dr Bloodmoney. The Man In the High Castle doesn't feature, probably because it's been republished recently by a different publisher under the guise of "proper" fiction alongside Albert Camus, Anthony Burgess and George Orwell. And rightly so.
Martian Time-Slip is (as one would expect from a Masterwork) a superior effort of writing, of the same calibre in terms of characterisation, prose and complexity as The Man in the High Castle. In many ways this book reminded me of Ray Bradbury (martian references notwithstanding). The tale is set on a Mars colonised by Earth-men where water is scarce and is controlled by Arnie Kott's plumbing union. Archie is a rich baron of the new territory who has built a minature empire in the backwater Mars, where he has a control over almost everyone. It is this small-town heirarchy, coupled with Dick's initial sketches of characters, that makes the book so like Bradbury's Dandilion Wine in terms of feel. Mars feels truly remote and to a certain extent a law unto itself. At times there is a sense that the principle characters are the only inhabitants.
However, it also carries the hallmarks of a classic Philip Dick novel, those being personal breakdown of perceptions, humour, and reality distortion. The central character, Jack Bohlen, is an electrician who is employed by Arnie to fix his dictation machine. In order to keep Jack close, Arnie uses his mistress, Doreen, as leverage. Jack also has a wife on medication and a son. He is also schitzophrenic, as is (apparently) a good proportion of the human race. Much of the book concerns schitzophrenia and the treatment of the illness, and in some ways the book is a fore-rumnner to the much later - and darker - A Scanner Darkly, which deals about drug addiction and drugged perceptions.
Those who have read a lot of Dick will know that his works straddle the fine line between genius and insanity, and this is no exception. One of the problems with Dick is that in many cases, halfway though the book the narrative dissolves into gibberish. This is the real "time-slip" in this work, although as long as you persevere, all will become apparent in the end. Unfortunately, the actual trademark weirdness that we can expect from Dick is not entirely consistent in this book, and nor is it very sophisticated. I also found the ending a little unsatisfactory. However, the treatment of time perception is interesting, and the characterisation is superb.
This is a good book, although I would recommend the other "classic" titles such as The Man In The High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? more. If you have read and liked those novels, I'd recommend this one and also A Scanner Darkly, Ubik, and also Now Wait For Lasy Year. The latter title also has a treatment of time-travel and drug addiction, and although it is less complex, it is also a little easier to follow when the wibbling starts.