Philip K. Dick - The Divine Invasion - cover artist Rawean - SFBC edition
The Divine Invasion by Philip K. Dick [528 - 2014-05-13 - novel]
comments by CR
If you need to know anything about Phil Dick (1928-82) before reading this book it's that he was confounded by thoughts theological, consumed vast quantities of drugs and used his fiction to sort his dreams and visions. Ok - here we go with a plot outline: God ("Yah"), was booted off Earth by the Romans, and had taken up residence on a remote methane-snow planet. When squatters from Earth arrive, Yah decides it's time to make a comeback as his own Messiah. So he contacts dome-dweller Herb Asher (who agrees to claim Yah's paternity); impregnates ailing neighbor Rybys Romney; and journeys to Earth in the latter's womb - a necessary subterfuge, since Earth is controlled by the Belial-inspired Christian-Islamic church and the Scientific Legate, with computer Big Noodle keeping tabs on everyone. Thus reborn on Earth as Emmanuel, Yah is helped by Elias Tate (who's Elijah reincarnated) and by girl-of-mystery Zina (who turns out to be the living embodiment of the Torah) to recover his powers and challenge Belial for the supremacy. With profusely, confused plotting in the Dick manner - though without any of the usual Dick playfulness - this is book destined, perhaps, to be muddled over by academics and the dedicated fan-boy; but it's far, far too weird to attract many mainstream readers in my oppinion - but I liked it. A difficult book to get into but hard to put down - must be that PKD magic at work!
There've been science-fiction novels with religious themes before (e.g., Blish's A Case of Conscience, Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz, Zelazny's Lord of Light), in fact it is a sub-genre of the field but none, to my knowledge, are as relentlessly theological in tone, texture, and import as this book.
"Divine Invasion"(1981) is book 2 in the VALIS series but it can most certainly be read as a stand-alone book.
Philip K. Dick - The Divine Invasion - cover artist Rawean - SFBC edition
The Divine Invasion by Philip K. Dick [528 - 2014-05-13 - novel]
comments by CR
If you need to know anything about Phil Dick (1928-82) before reading this book it's that he was confounded by thoughts theological, consumed vast quantities of drugs and used his fiction to sort his dreams and visions. Ok - here we go with a plot outline: God ("Yah"), was booted off Earth by the Romans, and had taken up residence on a remote methane-snow planet. When squatters from Earth arrive, Yah decides it's time to make a comeback as his own Messiah. So he contacts dome-dweller Herb Asher (who agrees to claim Yah's paternity); impregnates ailing neighbor Rybys Romney; and journeys to Earth in the latter's womb - a necessary subterfuge, since Earth is controlled by the Belial-inspired Christian-Islamic church and the Scientific Legate, with computer Big Noodle keeping tabs on everyone. Thus reborn on Earth as Emmanuel, Yah is helped by Elias Tate (who's Elijah reincarnated) and by girl-of-mystery Zina (who turns out to be the living embodiment of the Torah) to recover his powers and challenge Belial for the supremacy. With profusely, confused plotting in the Dick manner - though without any of the usual Dick playfulness - this is book destined, perhaps, to be muddled over by academics and the dedicated fan-boy; but it's far, far too weird to attract many mainstream readers in my oppinion - but I liked it. A difficult book to get into but hard to put down - must be that PKD magic at work!
There've been science-fiction novels with religious themes before (e.g., Blish's A Case of Conscience, Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz, Zelazny's Lord of Light), in fact it is a sub-genre of the field but none, to my knowledge, are as relentlessly theological in tone, texture, and import as this book.
"Divine Invasion"(1981) is book 2 in the VALIS series but it can most certainly be read as a stand-alone book.