[SF] VALIS

by Philip K. Dick
****

I’m now seeing a pattern with most PKD novels. I find his initial approach too philosophical or focused on the characters. Then, at some point, the story turns into a gripping thriller. That’s certainly the case with VALIS which, because PKD claimed many times it was based on true events that happened to him, is basically about a crazy person who has verifiable evidence he’s talked to God. As a consequence, it turns out we’re all trapped in a Roman Empire version of The Matrix where the part of Neo and the hackers is being played by early 1st-century Christians armed with secret knowledge from Hyperuniverse I.

Worth checking out, especially his use of a dual-narrator to indicate mental illness.