Ubik

Squeaking in his metal-insect voice, Stanton Mick floated to the ceiling of the room, his arms protruding distendedly and rigidly. ‘Mr Runciter, don’t let your thalamus override your cerebral cortex. This matter calls for discretion, not haste; calm your people down and let’s huddle together in an effort to mutually understand.’ His rotund, colourful body bobbed about, twisting in a slow, transversal rotation.

‘I’ve heard of this,’ Runciter said to Joe Chip. ‘It’s a self destruct humanoid bomb. Help me get everybody out of here. They just now put it on auto; that’s why it floated upward.’

The bomb exploded …

From first page to last, ‘Ubik’ is a searing exploration of time travel, telepathy and the human condition faced with adversity. Drawing on his boundless resources of creation, Dick produced in ‘Ubik’ a winner of a novel – bizarre intrigue, vaulting imagination and an action-packed plot. SF at its very best …