Ubik

Philip K. Dick

In the near future telepathic powers have evolved in mankind. At the same time, different human minds developed that can block or negate telepaths. Some of these humans can read thoughts, others have precognition abilities, others have superb talent with money, and other similar abilities. Those with the blocking abilities are called inertials. Powerful organizations of both types of psychic abilities are in place.

Glen Runciter is the head of one of the most powerful group of inertials. When a powerful telepath falls off their radar, he gets concerned. Fortunately his wife, who departed at the age of 20, now lives in a half-life state. Her consciousness is in stasis and he can consult with her about business matters. During the consultation he is frustrated because half way through another consciouness came through and took over their conversation. Still, he has enough to move forward.

When he returns, his best psychic tester, Joe Chip, brings a new inertial to him. Pat has a very strong ability to change the past - a new talent they can use to counter the precogs. A very lucrative job is offered to him which needs numerous inertials to help counter the insiduous infiltration of telepaths into a secret project. Eleven of the strongest inertials, along with Chip and Runciter, depart on the mission. Too late, they discover it is a trap and Runciter is killed in the blast.

Now Chip and the others are trying to get Runciter to the moratorium in order to preserve his consciousness and still be able to communicate to him in his half life state. Things are getting very strange, though. The members of the group start experiencing odd happenings - most of it to do with aging or regressing to the past. Perhaps they were affected by radiation from the blast. Or is something more sinister going on?

Ubik is an unusual novel - but what else can you expect from Philip K. Dick? He was excellent at writing the unusual. At times it is difficult to follow the threads as we progress through the short book. At the end, all is explained - or is it? Just when the reader is sure s/he knows what has happened, Dick throws yet another curve.

The reader has to be prepared to open up his/her beliefs in our reality to accept the ones Dick posits. He has the psychic abilities evolve quickly (he published the book in 1969 and it was then based in 1992) because they are part of the fabric of the book's reality already in place. Ubik is an excellent book to stretch the reader's mind. It entertains as well. No wonder it's a science fiction classic.

Again, we're referring to the man who wrote Minority Report and Blade Runner (it's original short story). Ubik is one more tale to solidify Philip K. Dick's reputation.