Dr. Futurity

Author Philip K. Dick is best known for the numerous sci-fi movies that have spawned from his short stories and books. All but one were produced after his death. Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, Paycheck, and The Adjustment Bureau are all based on Dick's works, in addition to a few others. Not bad for a writer that lived in poverty for almost his entire life! His short stories are among the finest I've ever read (at least in the sci-fi genre), and I've enjoyed several of his books as well.

Dr. Futurity is one of Dick's earlier works, published in 1960 but written in 1953. There's good reason for that delay. Dick's strength has always been in his ideas. He had a fantastic imagination and ability to peer into the future. This novel contains some interesting ideas, mainly the exploration of time-travel paradoxes. He also created a society in which death is seen as a positive experience.

In the book we follow medical doctor Jim Parsons. Parsons wakes up one day to find himself in a strange time. He soon discovers himself in a society that reveres death to the point where healing somebody is illegal. Protesters of this lifestyle exist, and pursue Parsons while attempting to evade this society's police. Parsons soon finds himself on a mission that will test nearly every time-travel paradox.

Dick's ideas are great, but underdeveloped. The characters also suffer from a case of tragic underdevelopment. It's difficult to relate to Parsons because we don't really know much about the man he is. We know he's a doctor, and we know he's married. In the beginning of the book he wants to return to his wife, but that idea never comes back to life until towards the end of the book - when you wonder why he would even want to return to her after his actions in the future. The societies themselves could also use a bit more exploration. They are interesting but mostly one-dimensional.

Dr. Futurity was an easy read with enough interesting matter to keep me going. I will, however, check the publication date prior to picking up another one of Philip K Dick's books.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

40 books, 145 days...at this rate I'll read over 100 books!