Classic Android, with Electric Sheep
Yes, best pop and rock music, as well as sci-fi books seem to have been written in (late) 60s.
Case in point: Philip K Dick's classic, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?". What an absolute masterpiece. Very prescient, relevant, and fundamentally deep; all without seemingly trying too hard to be anything more than a decent story. None of wanna-be-intellectual babble -- smart with dead-on style; or trying to predict future -- it is enough to just reflect on reality, observations of human mind, and there you have it.
I originally read this book about 10 years ago, but as a translation (in finnish). It made a big impression even then -- even more so than the movie that was based on it (movie is pretty good too, but book is just so much much better... this even though I read book only after seeing the movie, usually "first one wins").
So: few months back I noticed a paperback english copy at the local book store (no, I don't order all my books online...) and decided to re-read it. Was it still good? Not just good, absolutely positively great. So if you like sci-fi but have somehow managed not to read it, go read it. Same applies to most (or perhaps all) books by PKD of course; like The Man in The High Castle, (written in -62), The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (-65) or Ubik (-69)... the list goes on and on. And even though his later works are very good too (like, say, VALIS and The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, his last book), it's something about those books from 60s that has the absolute brilliant genius. Or, shall we say, "shine of crazy diamons" (I know, I know, that's refecence to a great 70s song... but YEARLY 70s, not that far removed). I just wish he had had a chance to write just some more books. Yes, they are that good.
Oh, and just in case you are wondering: his 50s books are strikingly
good too. :-)
I love "The World Jones Made" for example. Totally cool
book, which somehow manages to mix in strong environmentalist themes
(about 20-30 years before anyone else did, it seems), extension of
pan-Gaia, and of course plenty of dark humor and bit of political
commentary.
Given above, I concur that I am bit of a fan boy. Now, maybe I should get Kindle for Christmas, to be able to read more...
