American Writers (One Hundred Pages at a Time)

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 127.4: Ubik, Part 4

16 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The quite bleak finale of "Ubik" by Philip K. Dick. It is not entirely clear what is going on as this novel closes. You will either love it or hate it...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 127.3: Ubik, Part 3

13 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Chip, our story's hero, tries to make sense of a world in which everything decays and even technologies revert to earlier forms, in part three of ...

Episode 284: Herman Melville: Assorted Short Fiction

13 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We finish up looking at Herman Melville's short fiction in this episode. Some great tales about class, family, and technology. These may not all be kn...

Episode 283: Herman Melville: Essays and Early Short Fiction

09 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, I look at an assortment of Herman Melville's assorted short prose: some book reviews and short stories. Part one of a two part series...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 127.2: Ubik, Part 2

09 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This is part two of my review of "Ubik" by Philip K. Dick. With an android bomb, the posthuman industrial spying plot winds down as we find our charac...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 127.1: Ubik, Part 1

07 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The first part of my review of Philip K. Dick's "Ubik". This novel would have been great it if was just about industrial espionage and post-humanism, ...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 126: Not By Its Cover

07 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

"Not By Its Cover" by Philip K. Dick looks at religious texts, preservation, reproduction and authenticity. It is a nice story that is firmly in Dick'...

Episode 282: Herman Melville: The Piazza Tales (The Lightening-Road Man, The Encantadas, The Bell-Tower)

03 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is the second in my review of Herman Melville's "The Piazza Tales". Two of these stories are quite strange, but "The Encantadas" is a bri...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 125.5; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Part 5

03 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Poor Deckard. Doomed to be kipple, but maybe he can find some meaning in an electronic frog. Let's read the final chapters of "Do Androids Dream of El...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 125.4; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Part 4

31 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We reach the climax of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?". How will Deckard do his job when he realizes that he has developed empathy for androids...

Episode 281: Herman Melville: The Piazza Tales (The Piazza, Bartleby, Benito Cereno)

31 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A few of Melville's most famous tales are "Benito Cereno" and "Bartleby the Scrivener". They make up the first half of the collection, "The Piazza Tal...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 125.3; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Part 3

24 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this part of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" our bounty hunter Deckard runs into a fake police station and learns something important about ...

Episode 280: Herman Melville: Israel Potter, Part 2

24 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of my review of Herman Melville's "Israel Potter", in which we experience most of his 50 years of exile.

Episode 279: Herman Melville: Israel Potter, Part 1

20 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Another Herman Melville novel. This one is much more conventional than "Pierre". but it is still a valuable read. "Israel Potter" looks at the life of...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 125.2; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Part 2

20 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of my review of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" gives us a chance to explore the empathy test as we watch Deckard begin his mission to...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 125.1; Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Part 1

17 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The opening chapters of Philip K. Dick's great novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" puts us in a bleak world of mood organs, empathy boxes, le...

Episode 278: Herman Melville: Pierre, Part 4

17 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The finale of my review of "Pierre" by Herman Melville.

Episode 277: Herman Melville: Pierre, Part 3

13 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

So, after deciding to get married to his (maybe) sister, things start to get even stranger for Pierre. Listen to my thoughts on this in part three of ...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 124: Faith of Our Fathers

13 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Philip K. Dick's contribution to "Dangerous Visions" was "Faith of Our Fathers", one of his most important stories on false fronts and the prison of s...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 123: Retreat Match

09 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Retreat Match" by Philip K. Dick is a really good story on false memories, shifting realities, and the politics of empire.

Episode 276: Herman Melville: Pierre, Part 2

09 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In the second hundred pages of "Pierre" by Herman Melville our hero comes to believe he has what he always wanted, a sister. What will be the cost of ...

Episode 275: Herman Melville: Pierre, Part 1

04 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Time to go mad with Herman Melville as we begin looking at his 1852 novel "Pierre, Or the Ambiguities".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 122.4: Counter Clock World, Part 4

04 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The conclusion to Philip K. Dick's "Counter-Clock World" centers on a failed rescue attempt at the Library, a forthcoming race war, and the question o...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 122.3: Counter Clock World, Part 3

04 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Library has become victorious in stealing the Anarch. Can the various factions interested in him get him back before the Library can prevent him f...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 122.2: Counter Clock World, Part 2

04 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this section of Philip K. Dick's "Counter-Clock World" we learn that the once-dead Anarch Peak still has something to say and that there are lots o...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 122.1: Counter Clock World, Part 1

29 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In "Counter Clock World", Philip K. Dick takes us to an Earth where time moves backward, knowledge must be destroyed, and the dead come back to life. ...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 121.4: The Zap Gun, Part 4

29 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The final part of my review of "The Zap Gun" by Philip K. Dick. Is it possible that a toy can stop an alien invasion?

Episode 274: Charles Brockden Brown: Edgar Huntly, Part 2

29 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In the second half of Charles Brockden Brown's "Edgar Huntly" we enter a world of brutal frontier violence as our hero finds out how easy it is to kil...

Episode 273: Charles Brockden Brown: Edgar Huntly, Part 1

25 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Things get even stranger in Charles Brockden Brown's "Edgar Huntly", a novel of frontier violence, sleepwalking, Indian isolates, and global adventure...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 121.3: The Zap Gun, Part 3

25 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Comic book weapons, alien slavers, and time traveling androids complicate the live of our hero Lars Powderdry in part three of my review of Philip K. ...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 121.2: The Zap Gun, Part 2

22 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this part of the Zap Gun, we continue to follow Lars Powderdry's depression, but learn that maybe there is a way about by taking the manufacturing ...

Episode 272: Charles Brockden Brown: Arthur Mervyn, Part 4

22 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The conclusion of my review of Charles Broxden Brown's "Arthur Mervyn".

Episode 271: Charles Brockden Brown: Arthur Mervyn, Part 3

18 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The second half of Charlie Brown's "Arthur Mervyn" drags a bit in my view, but there is still some nice moments and we can start to see the possibilit...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 121: The Zap Gun, Part 1

18 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

My review of the opening chapters of "The Zap Gun" by Philip K. Dick. An interesting novel exploring the relationship between the military-industrial ...

Episode 270: Charles Brockden Brown: Arthur Mervyn, Part 2

16 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of my review of Charles Brockden Brown's novel "Arthur Mervyn". In this section we experience the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in stunning bru...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 120: Your Appointment Will be Yesterday

16 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A preview of his novel "Counter-Clock World", "Your Appointment Will be Here Yesterday" introduces us to the Hobart phase and the consequences of the ...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 119: Holy Quarrel

11 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In "Holy Quarrel", Philip K. Dick takes on big data....again. A really good story and more relevant than ever.

Episode 269: Charles Brockden Brown: Arthur Mervyn, Part 1

11 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

"Arthur Mervyn" is another strange tale by Charles Brockden Brown, although this one is a bit more down to earth. It tells the story of a young man wh...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 118: We Can Remember It for You Wholesale

10 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I take on the 1966 short story by Philip K. Dick "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale". It has spies, aliens, and world-saving empath...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 117.4: Now Wait for Last Year (4)

06 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The final episode containing my thoughts on Philip K. Dick's "Now Wait for Last Year". This novel has one of the best endings in a Philip K. Dick nove...

Episode 268: Charles B. Brown, Wieland (2)

06 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The finale of this short series on "Wieland" by Charles B. Brown. Madness or the supernatural or the machinations or a trickster?

Episode 267: Charles B. Brown, Wieland (1)

01 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A new series on Charles Brockden Brown. We will start with "Wieland", one of independent America's first novels, a strange story of ancestry and insan...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 117.3: Now Wait for Last Year (3)

01 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This novel, "Now Wait for Last Year" by Philip K. Dick, starts to get weird in part 3 of my review.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 117.2: Now Wait for Last Year (2)

28 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of my thoughts on Philip K. Dick's "Now Wait for Last Year." So much fun.

Episode 266: Herman Melville: Moby-Dick (6)

28 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It all comes to this. In part 6 of my comments on "Moby-Dick" we follow Ahab's chase of the White Whale.

Episode 265: Herman Melville: Moby-Dick (5)

25 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part 5 of my thoughts on Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 117.1: Now Wait for Last Year (1)

25 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Another one of my favorite novels by Dick from the 1960s, "Now Wait for Last Year." Here is the first thoughts on the novel.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 116.3: The Crack in Space (3)

23 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Will the Pekes take over Earth Prime? Will the population crisis be averted? Find out in the conclusion to my review of Philip K. Dick's "The Crack in...

Episode 264: Herman Melville: Moby-Dick (4)

23 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

More whaling with Ishmael and the crew of the Pequod in part 4 of my review of "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville.

Episode 262: Herman Melville: Moby-Dick (3)

17 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We are half-way through "Moby-Dick". Let's learn everything about whaling.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 116.2: The Crack in Space (2)

17 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of my analysis of "The Crack in Space". An underappreciated novel.

Episode 262: Herman Melville: Moby-Dick (2)

14 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

My thoughts on the second hundred pages of "Moby-Dick".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 116.1: The Crack in Space (1)

14 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part one of my thoughts on Philip K. Dick's "The Crack in Space", one of his most politically significant novels.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 115: Retreat Syndrome

12 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

My thougths on Philip K. Dick's short story "Retreat Syndrome".

Episode 261: Herman Melville: Moby-Dick (1)

12 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

 Part one of my thoughts on "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville. We are introduced to the international proletariat.

Episode 260: Herman Melville; White-Jacket (4)

06 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The finale of my review of Herman Melville's "White-Jacket".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 114.2: Lies, Inc.

06 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode I look at the material added to "The Unteleported Man", turning it into "Lies, Inc." More frustrating out of sequence stuff.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 114: Lies, Inc. (The Unteleported Man)

02 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The first of two parts exploring Philip K. Dick's novel "Lies, Inc." This part will explore the material in his 1965 novella "The Unteleported Man."

Episode 259: Herman Melville; White-Jacket (3)

02 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part three of my review of Herman Melville's "White-Jacket".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 113.4:The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (4)

26 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The finale of my series on "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch". Why is it so important for our characters to avoid those dreaded three stigmata?

Episode 258: Herman Melville; White-Jacket (2)

26 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of my review of Herman Melville's "White-Jacket".

Episode 257: Herman Melville; White-Jacket (1)

23 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What was life like on a Man-o-War? We find out from Herman Melville.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 113.3:The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (3)

23 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part Three of my review of Philip K. Dick's "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch." Things are getting weird.

Episode 256: Herman Melville: Redburn (3)

20 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Opps. Dropped the ball on quality the last time I uploaded this. But here it is again. The final part of my review of Melville's "Reburn". See you soo...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 113.2:The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (2)

20 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of my review of Philip K. Dick's "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch". You need to wait a bit to know what those three are.

Episode 255: Herman Melville: Redburn (2)

16 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of my thoughts on Herman Melville's "Redburn".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 113:The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1)

16 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part one of my review of Dick's wounderful novel "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrtich". In this part we learn about Mars, PP Layouts, and Can-D.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 112: Dr. Bloodmoney

13 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

And now for one of Philip K. Dick's most fascinating post-nuclear war settings in "Dr. Bloodmoney". It is another one-off episode on a novel, so be pr...

Episode 254: Herman Melville: Redburn (1)

10 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We come back to Melville with his coming of age novel set on a merchant ship in the Atlantic, "Redburn".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 111: Precious Artifact

10 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We come to the end of our study of Philip K. Dick's works from 1964 with "Precious Artifact".

Episode 253: Theodore Dreiser, An American Tragedy (9)

06 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

 Enjoy the finale of my review of "An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 110: The Little Black Box

06 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode we look at Philip K. Dick's short story "The Little Black Box", a story about religion, empathy, and the limits of state power.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 109: A Game of Unchance

02 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We return to the familiar ground of frontiers in Philip K. Dick's short story on consumerism and manufactured markets in "A Game of Unchance".

Episode 252: Theodore Dreiser, An American Tragedy (8)

02 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In part 8 of my review of "An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser we witness a trial of the ages.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 108: What the Dead Men Say

30 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we look at "What the Dead Men Say", in which Philip K. Dick introduces the concept of half-life and plays with the power of media and...

Episode 251: Theodore Dreiser, An American Tragedy (7)

30 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

More of Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy".

Episode 250: Theodore Dreiser: An American Tragedy (6)

26 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part six of my review of "An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dresier.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 107: War with the Fnools"

26 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

More silliness from 1964 Philip K. Dick in "The War with the Fnools".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 106: Oh! To be a Blobel

22 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

More family drama in Philip K. Dick's short story "Oh! To be a Blobel".

Episode 249: Theodore Dreiser: An American Tragedy (5)

22 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 248: Theodore Dreiser, An American Tragedy (4)

18 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Things start to get complicated for Clyde and his love life in part four of my review of "An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dresier.

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 105: Orpheus With Clay Feet

18 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Another short story by Philip K. Dick published in 1964, one of his most prolific years. This one is on creativity and inspiration, with a sci-fi twis...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 104: Novelty Act

16 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Mostly this episode contains things we covered in my review of "The Simulacra", but the story "Novelty Act" does differ from the novel's main themes i...

Episode 247: Theodore Dreiser: An American Tragedy (3)

16 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part 3 of my review of "An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser. This section focuses on how Clyde Griffiths finds a new job as a supervisor in a col...

Episode 246: Theodore Dreiser: An American Tragedy (2)

10 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of my review of Theodore Dresier's "An American Tragedy".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 103: Waterspider

10 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this 1964 short story, Philip K. Dick writes himself into a tale about time travel and the origin of creativity.

Episode 245: Theodore Dreiser: An American Tragedy (1)

07 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part 1 of a 9 part series on Theodore Dresier's excellent book "An American Tragedy". In this part we meet Clyde Griffiths and his family, think about...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 102: The Penultimate Truth

06 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In this one-off episide, I will be looking at Philip K. Dick's "The Penultimate Truth". It is a rich novel on fake news, labor, power, and time travel...

Episode 244: Willa Cather: One of Ours (3)

05 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

My final thoughts on Willa Cather's "One of Ours" as I close this series on Willa Cather's early works. Next up, Theodore Dreiser's "An American Trage...

Episode 243: Willa Cather, One of Ours (2)

31 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of my thoughts on Willa Cather's novel "One of Ours".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 101. Clans of the Alpane Moon

30 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A one off episode giving my thougths and complete review of "Clans of the Alphane Moon" by Philip K. Dick.

Episode 242: Willa Cather: One of Ours, Part 1

25 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Willa Cather's Great War Novel "One of Ours" starts in familiar territory, rural Nebraska. Let me know what you thoguht of this one. Here are my comme...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 100.5. The Simulacra, Part 5

25 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

And that is all she wrote for "The Simulacra". Here are my final thoughts. Up next is a one off episode on "The Clans of the Alphane Moon"

Philip K. Dick Book Club: The Simulacra, Part 4

18 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part 4 of my thoughts on Philip K. Dick's 1964 novel "The Simulacra".

Episode 241: Willia Cather, My Antonia (2)

18 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The second part (0f two) of my comments on Willa Cather's "My Antonia".

Episode 240: Willa Cather: My Antonia, Part 1

15 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The first half of my thoughts on Willa Cather's "My Antonia", a great novel on the American frontier and the social history of American immigrant wome...

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 100.3: The Simulacra (3)

15 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

More of mny comments on Philip K. Dick's "The Simulacra".

Philip K. Dick Book Club: Episode 100.2: The Simulacra (2)

09 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of my thoughts on Phiip K. Dick's "The Simulacra".

Episode 239: Willa Cather: The Song of the Lark-4

09 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The conclusion of my thoughts on Willa Cather's novel "The Song of the Lark".

Episode 238: Willa Cather: The Song of the Lark (3)

05 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Part three of "The Song of the Lark" by Willa Cather explores Thea's soul searching as she comes to a crisi in her musical education in Chicago.