Three Early Novels by Philip K Dick

TRACKING down the early work of Philip K Dick is not an easy matter, so a compilation of three novels in one has got to be worth snapping up.

Comprising The Man Who Japed, Dr Futurity and Vulcan's Hammer, these stories show the talent that would make Philip K Dick a pioneer in science fiction.

Later forging such marvels as Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep (filmed as Blade Runner), Ubik and The Man In The High Castle, Philip K Dick was one of the true greats.

Of the stories here, the earliest, The Man Who Japed (1956), is perhaps the most impressive, telling the tale of Allen Purcell, director of Entertainment and Propaganda and charged with tracking down the prankster who is making life difficult for the government. The deeper he gets into his investigation, the more evidence he finds that points to himself as the culprit, but exactly how he could have done so and not remembered, he cannot fathom.

Back this up with the time-travel saga of Dr Futurity (1960) and the full novel-length version of Vulcan's Hammer (1960), which tells of a computer gone as mad as the world around it, and you've got quite a treat. Well worth picking up, even for those sci-fi fans unfamiliar with Dick's work.