Martian Time-Slip
by Philip K. Dick · first published 1964
58% recommend42% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Mind-bending Philip K. Dick novel with a subtle, unsettling take on autism and body horror. It is an accessible first PKD book and features a time-travel theme.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Martian Time-Slip is a 1964 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. The novel uses the common science fiction concept of a human colony on Mars. However, it also includes the themes of mental illness, the physics of time and the dangers of centralized authority. The novel was first published under the title All We Marsmen, serialized in the August, October and December 1963 issues of Worlds of Tomorrow magazine. The subsequent 1964 publication as Martian Time-Slip is virtually identical, with different chapter breaks.
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I'd add Ubik to this as well, and would personally rate it higher than the Three Stigmata. For me, Ubik is PKD's greatest and most accessible book. 1st rank - Ubik, The Three Stigmata, A Martian Time Slip, Faith of Our Fathers 2nd rank - (The Divine Invasion or The Galactic Pot Healer ... don't remember which now... it's been a long time), A Maze of Death 3rd rank - VALIS, Eye in the Sky Honorable mention:…
on “How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later, Philip K. Dick” ↗…it again recently I couldn't get in to it either. I do think you have to be in the right mood to savor a Dick book, so maybe I was in the wrong mood that time. The other first-tier PKD book for me is Martian Time-Slip. Second-tier PKD books for me are VALIS and Galactic Pot Healer. Third-tier are Maze of Death, Eye in the Sky, and Divine Invasion (the 2nd in the VALIS trilogy.. didn't like the 3rd in the series,…
on “Philip K. Dick: A Visionary Among the Charlatans (1975)” ↗…intriguing", I doubt you'll be any more pleased with anything else he wrote. That said, if you are interested in reading more by him, of his books I can recommend: - The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch - Martian Time-Slip - Galactic Pot Healer - Eye in the Sky - the middle part of Lies, Inc Some of his short stories: - Beyond Lies the Wub - Faith of Our Fathers
on “The Essential Philip K. Dick” ↗I would definitely recommend his short stories. Most of them are excellent and it's a small investment of time so you can try several to get the feel of his work. If you're reading novels, "Martian Time-Slip" is a good first Philip K Dick book. Although I really enjoy many of his books there are several that may put you off reading more if you read them before you have an appreciation for his work. Martian…
on “Philip K. Dick, Sci-Fi Philosopher, Part 2” ↗PKD has written so many great books its not surprising everyone has their own favourites. I personally prefer Man in the High Castle, Ubik, Time out of joint and Martian time-slip to Electric Sheep and Scanner. I'm surprised none of these managed it onto the list :(
on “The Best Science Fiction Books (According to Reddit)” ↗Ah, good reminder to reread Philip K. Dick's, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_Time-Slip.
on “Mars One Project: “Humans Will Live On Mars In 2023″” ↗…to his mind bending ideas, especially if you want to convince friends who aren't into reading to try out his books. INTERMEDIATE: - Stuff from his mid-years: Galactic Pot Healer, Time Out Of Joint, Martian Time Slip, Confessions of a Crap Artist, The Crack In Space. Still very good stuff, but I think you need to be already well acquainted with PKD to fully appreciate them and see how his style and ideas were developing.…
on “Philip K. Dick: A Visionary Among the Charlatans (1975)” ↗…make the original book good, much less great. As far as PKD books go (which is quite far, as he is one of my favorite authors), I would recommend "Ubik", "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch", and "Martian Time Slip". And of his short stories, I'd recommend "Beyond Lies the Wub" and "Woof". Gibson's "Neuromancer" is alright, but "Count Zero" is better. Avoid the rest of his work. "Brave New World" is an incredibly…
on “Sci-Fi Novels You Should Read” ↗I've read a lot of PKD, though not everything. My top three picks would be: 1 - Ubik 2 - The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch 3 - Martian Time Slip Honorable mentions: 4 - A Maze of Death 5 - Divine Invasion (the 2nd of the VALIS trilogy) 6 - Eye in the Sky Of his short stories, I'd recommend "Beyond Lies the Wub" and "Roog". Regarding…
on “Philip K. Dick: A Visionary Among the Charlatans (1975)” ↗Yeah, "VALIS" was alright. I'd definitely put it ahead of "Minority Report" and "A Scanner Darkly", but far behind "Ubik", "The Three Stigmata", and "Martian Time Slip"; and even behind some other lesser works like "Maze of Death" and "Eye in the Sky". Of the "VALIS" trilogy, I enjoyed "Divine Invasion" much more. I did enjoy "DADoES", but just found it to pale in…
on “Sci-Fi Novels You Should Read” ↗The "standards" are my favorites. There were a few outliers that I didn't expect. I'm predisposed to like anything "time travel": "Martian Time Slip" and it's analysis of autism (sci-fi autism) was a subtle body horror; so Dr. Futurity (reminds me of interactive fiction time-travel puzzles), The World Jones Made (more precog trying to change the future…
on “The Essential Philip K. Dick” ↗Agreed. I've read about half the books on this list and wouldn't consider them difficult. But I've got some new books to buy now, which is always a good thing. If you like Ubik, Martian Time Slip might also pass as difficult.
on “Short Little Difficult Books” ↗…everything with at least 1.5x, I'm starting to experience some minor issues such as falling asleep in Teams meetings (& then watching the recording at 1.5x when I wake up) Some parallels with Philip K Dick's Martian Time-Slip
on “Netflix’s fast-forward viewing feature” ↗Most of the above are his titles. Some which were published in serialized form before being published in a single volume (Martian Time-Slip and We Can Build You) had different titles. Letters, manuscripts, and publication notes are helpful to shed some light on this matter; e.g. The Transmigration of Timothy Archer was regularly referred…
on “Philip K. Dick: Stanisław Lem Is a Communist Committee (2015)” ↗…of Death (1970) Philip K. Dick - A Scanner Darkly (1977) Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) Philip K. Dick - Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (1974). Philip K. Dick - Martian Time-Slip (1964) Philip K. Dick - Now Wait for Last Year (1966) Philip K. Dick - The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965) Philip K. Dick - The Unteleported Man (1966) Philip K. Dick - Ubik (1969).…
on “New Wave Sci-Fi: 75 Best Novels of 1964–1983” ↗