Tag Archives: drugs

Book Review: “A Scanner Darkly” (1977) by Philip K. Dick

scanner darkly

© James Pyles

Philip K. Dick’s 1977 novel A Scanner Darkly is about drug addition and the physical, mental, and legal consequences it brings about. The character Bob Arctor/Fred is prey, predator, and victim.

The book is also autobiographical since it (through fiction) chronicles Dick’s own experiences with addiction and the drug culture in the 1970s.

I’m not much of a fan of Dick’s writing. Oh, I’ve read his “big hits” including The Man in The High Castle and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? but I felt the stories didn’t live up to the hype. I know I’m probably in the minority with that opinion, but so be it.

For my money, “Scanner” is Dick’s best novel. It’s not just the writing or the story. It’s how Dick took a destroyed part of his life and turned it into something, not only useful, but reorganized and creative. I really admire him for that. I think most of us wish we could do that with the parts of our lives we see as “damaged” or (Heaven help us) “destroyed.”

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Over the Edge

the edge

© KayllistisQuill.com

“Come to the edge, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. Morons!”

Twenty-three year old Zandar let his legs dangle over the building’s ledge and took in the view of downtown Vancouver. It was magnificent. It was the main reason he let his group of stoner friends lure him up here.

But now they were gone and he was alone.

Mike, Kari, James, and Humberto had all been high on “Elation”. They thought they could fly. They couldn’t. Zandar survived because he was their designated driver.

Fire and Paramedics were just arriving to mop up the mashed, bloody corpses.

This is the second in my three-part miniseries of flash fiction tales inspired by three photos at KayllistisQuill.com. See my first submission The Prayer for more details.

This story is exactly 100 words long.

The third and final submission in this series is The Magic Boat Ride, which is a children’s tale.