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Philip K. Dick

May 2006 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Paul Giamatti

About this audiobook

Bob Arctor is a dealer of the lethally addictive drug Substance D. Fred is the police agent assigned to tail and eventually bust him. To do so, Fred takes on the identity of a drug dealer named Bob Arctor. And since Substance D--which Arctor takes in massive doses--gradually splits the user's brain into two distinct, combative entities, Fred doesn't realize he is narcing on himself.

Caustically funny, eerily accurate in its depiction of junkies, scam artists, and the walking brain-dead, Philip K. Dick's industrial-grade stress test of identity is as unnerving as it is enthralling.

Ratings and reviews

Beautifully written, emotionally engaging, hilarious at times and intense at others. Unlike some of Dick's other books, this one has deeper characters, often with long periods of introspection. Robert Arctor's inner dialogue during the second half will make you feel like you're going insane along with him. If you're into dark comedy mixed some psychological sci-fi, this if about as good as it gets. The narrator did a fantastic job as well.

It's an interesting story but whoever edited this didn't know what they were doing, unless it's a stolen version.

I was expecting tense action and mystery, but was blindsided by a story of addiction, loss of self, and suffering. Great read.

About the author

Philip K. Dick was born in Chicago in 1928 and lived most of his life in California. He briefly attended the University of California, but dropped out before completing any classes. In 1952, he began writing professionally and proceeded to write numerous novels and short story collections. He won the Hugo Award for the best novel in 1962 for The Man in the High Castle and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best novel of the year in 1974 for Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said. Philip K. Dick died on March 2, 1982, in Santa Ana, California, of heart failure following a stroke.