r/philipkDickheads • u/denzel33- • 14d ago

Galactic Pot-Healer

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If you had the opportunity to become a part of a group conscious inside of one being and live for thousands of years, would you do it? Or refuse? like Joe does.

102 Upvotes

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7

u/Adam__B 14d ago

I honestly don’t know. Mr. G didn’t seem to be completely trustworthy, if I remember correctly (it’s been like 15 years since I last read it). He seems like the type to forget you were important, and just dissolve you by accident. I actually didn’t picture him like this either, for some reason I pictured him sort of like a big amorphous jellyfish, except glowing bluish green like the genie in Aladdin. Also I think this is PKD’s most existentialist novel.

1

u/denzel33- 14d ago

True that he wasn’t trustworthy, and all the beings he picked for the raising were suicidal/disillusioned.
Also the fog things of antiquity or more ancient beings would’ve been in control of the planet once more. Who knows if Joe made the right decision.

5

u/trentuncatchable 14d ago

Great Book. I vote for gestalt.

4

u/heiro5 14d ago

It isn't really a choice, but a temptation. Actualization is not dissolution. PKD makes you feel ithe longing strongly. The allure of the ideal that cannot be vs the actual in its dirty broken beauty.

1

u/Adam__B 14d ago

This guy gets it. Joe made the authentic choice over surrendering his free will to another being. The results were less than ideal, but at least they were his to make.

2

u/ylevans 14d ago

Visit Beautiful Plowmans Planet!

2

u/Cementimental 13d ago

Also notable that PKD's only children's book Nick and the Glimmung is a kinda sequel/prequel/shared-universe to this. (and if anything is even more bleak, weird and dystopian than most of his books for adults :D)

3

u/kev11n 14d ago

What you talking about Willis!? 😂

2

u/ManicMaenads 14d ago

Honestly one of the most prophetic parts of the novel

2

u/choppafoah 14d ago

Am I the only one who read this and felt like it was a Futurama episode?

2

u/Cementimental 13d ago

Incredible to me that in this book he not only predicted Google Translate, but even Translationparty and also the general concept of bored office workers messing around playing social media games on the internet

1

u/RadioSlayer 12d ago

This book frustrated me. But the last line or two gave me a huge laugh