Books I've read since last posting

Unnatural Causes by P D James (very good)
The Compass Rose by Ursula le Guin (very good)
Winning Can be Murder by Bill Crider (very average)
Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov
Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov
Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov
Consider Her Ways and Others by John Wyndham (brilliant)

Foundation - Isaac Asimov

The first book of Asimov's most famous series, focusing on the fall of the Galactic Empire 10,000 years in the future and the attempts by one man to safeguard the knowledge and resurrection of civilisation.

Asimov's talents are more in the realm of concepts and ideas, rather than dialogue and characterisation. The book, however, has stood the test of time and is required reading to appreciate the later novels.

Galactic Pot Healer - Philip K Dick

Another twisted sci-fi mind-f*ck from the master of written surrealism.

The Game Players of Titan - Philip K Dick

Changing Planes - Ursula le Guin

Our Friends From Frolix 8 - Philip K Dick

Our Friends From Frolix 8 is a typical

The Days of Perky Pat - Philip K Dick

This is the fourth volume of the collected short stories of Philip K Dick, incorporating 18 stories written between 1954-1964.

Like all collections, there is some variety in the quality of the inclusions, but overall it is a very impressive body of work. Highlights include Minority Report, which inspired a film of the same name, but the short story in many ways has a far better plot line.

The title story, The Days of Perky Pat tells of a post-apocalyptic world where the adults are obsessed with playing a game centring on a Barbie-style doll (Perky Pat) and her material wants and acquisitions. In many ways it is a low-tech version of Second Life, created 40 years later.

It is sometimes hard to believe that Dick died in 1982. Many of his best works, written in the 1950s and 60s have been almost prophetic in nature, with aspects scarily familiar to those of us living in 2007.

Another great science fiction writer Robert Silverberg last year wrote an article reflecting on how the world is becoming more 'Phildidickian' every year, with the 21st century now producing a high-tech version of Perky Pat, a virtual girlfriend Vivienne interacting on a mobile phone near you.