Should These 4 Sci-Fi Books Be Considered CLASSICS?

In this video I review 4 classic science fiction novels including The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner, Nova by Samuel R. Delany, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Elrdritch by Philip K. Dick, and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams. I also spin The Quantum Wheel to find out which book will be the Patron Pick of the Month.
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00:00 - The Shockwave Rider
02:49 - Nova
04:41 - The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
07:35 - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
10:28 - Patron Pick of the Month
#ScienceFiction #Books

[@Kim_Miller]

I read Palmer Eldritch a few months ago and found it as trippy as Ubik. I've read a bunch of PKD and his continuing theme of "human though being controlled by aliens or AI" gets dealt with better in some than in others. Ubik and Palmer Eldritch are standouts. In that regard he wrote a funny ending in one of his short stories where the wife preferred the alien who had taken over her husband's body better than the real husband. And nothing to do with today's theme, but one of the things I notice is that PKD never envisaged any device like the mobile phone. Even Dick Tracy had a TV/watch/phone way back when.

[@WordsinTime]

I’m glad you also enjoyed it! I liked Palmer Eldritch for some of the same reasons as Ubik. Off the top of my head I don’t remember a mobile phone either, although I think he mentioned some type of video call.

[@secretsauceofstorycraft]

As always fantastic vid. But what an incredibly random mix of books. How fun 😊

[@WordsinTime]

Haha thanks! A couple of them were Patron Picks that I might not have thought to read myself which is fun. And PKD is 4 for 5 with me now so I’m looking forward to reading more!

[@RobTheCanadianGeek]

Nova sounds very interesting as does The Three Stigmata Of Palmer Eldritch. I'm a big fan of Philip K. Dick so I'll definitely check it out! Never heard of these books so thanks Johnathan for shining the on these books.

[@WordsinTime]

I hope you enjoy Three Stigmata as much as I did!

[@redlander55]

I don't know, man, you kinda sold me on The Shockwave Rider :)) I wasn't really aware of Brunner, I'd like to check him out.

[@WordsinTime]

Haha nice! It does certain things well and you might enjoy it if that’s what you’re looking for!

[@RobertWaldlaufer]

Thank you for recognizing the greatness of Palmer Eldritch! This was my first book by PKD 20 years ago and I thought it was great! It wasn't until a little later that I had read Ubik and realized similarities, Palmer Eldritch has kept the place in my heart for that and I also think it's one of PKD's best books and it's remarkable how little known it is despite that. The sci-fi aspect of Palmer Eldritch is fantastic and has prompted me to massively expand my PKD library.

[@WordsinTime]

Yes! I’m surprised more people don’t hold it in such high regard!

[@dalejones4322]

Great video Jonathan. The 1-10 scale really helps me understand where you stand on a book. Thank you

[@WordsinTime]

Cheers Dale! I try to provide my perspective in a way that will help others decide if a book will be of interest to them!

[@BookishChas]

Great video Jonathan! I need to get back to Hitchhiker and continue on. I stopped after the first book.

[@WordsinTime]

Cheers Chas! I hope you like it!

[@splifftachyon4420]

I'm glad you liked The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch. I read it earlier in the month and loved it! It's my 6th PKD book. Up next is UBIK, which I just received my copy of in the mail a few days ago. I haven't Nova, but it does sound interesting. I'm reading Delany's Babel-17 right now. Thanks for the reviews and insights Jonathan!

[@WordsinTime]

I’m glad you loved it too! I hope you enjoy Ubik as well!

[@RockHoward]

Shockwave Rider is one of my favorites. Loved the ideas. Way in front of the SF pack when it comes to predicting the importance and reality of the internet.

[@WordsinTime]

I’m glad you enjoyed it, it was ahead of its time!

[@feelswriter]

Here for the quality of the reviews! 4 books in 10 minutes, and solid content all the way through. Unlike Mark Twain, you clearly do put in the time to craft a short one (google "I apologize for such a long letter...") My past self didn't see my current reading interests coming -- I've gotten more interested in subtle characterization, etc. But reading all this back in the day formed a lot of my political understandings. And a fond memory -- that March day in 1978 with all us undergrads sprawled down the carpeted hallway outside the propped-open office door of a generous comp sci grad student -- the crazy adventures of a hitchhiker blasting out.

[@WordsinTime]

Haha thanks! I feel like listening to the Hitchhiker’s radio series with friends would be a great experience!

[@RenkotheLibrarian]

I had never heard of Shockwave Rider; now it's been mentioned in two videos (Whitney's and your's) on the same day. I think that's a sign lol. I've read Flow My Tears and Ubik back to back last month. Loved them both (Ubik a bit more) and can't wait to get into more PKD!

[@WordsinTime]

Haha that’s a cool coincidence! I’m glad you liked Flow My Tears, I’m looking forward to it!

[@rickriffel6246]

Classics definitely, all four of them.

[@WordsinTime]

I liked some more than others, but I agree they are all classics!

[@Joe-lb8qn]

Absolutely Shockwave Rider. Astonishingly prescient. I know Ive read Three Stigmata but have no recollection of it at all !

[@WordsinTime]

Yes, great foresight!

[@AnonymousAnonposter]

The Shockwave Rider intrigued me, I'm going to put it on my list. Nova was already on my list, good to know that is good. The Three Stigmata of Eldrich Palmer is maybe my favorite Philip K Dick book. I totally agree, for some reason the book may be considered underrated.

[@WordsinTime]

I’m glad you loved The Three Stigmata too!

[@summerkagan6049]

Nova always reminded me of Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo.

[@WordsinTime]

I enjoyed the Count of Monte Cristo film and really want to read the book but I’m focusing on sci-fi at the moment!

[@MenilikHenryDyer]

I forgot to put my vote in last week. But I'm glad you're reading Steel World. I'm super curious about your thoughts on that series. Have you read Ex Force?

[@WordsinTime]

I tagged you in the Discord thread to get your vote haha. Steel World looks fun. I haven’t read Expeditionary Force but I’ve seen some good reviews.

[@MirrorReaper1]

Jonathan, you should really look into reading Grant Morrison's The Invisibles. One of the greatest comic books of all time, with some of the biggest ideas I've come across in the medium, and it was a massive influence on The Matrix. It ran from 1994 to 2000, and concerns a gang of misfits called The Invisibles, led by a charismatic figure called King Mob, taking on these extra-dimensional alien gods known as the Archons of the Outer Church, who have secretly enslaved humanity. BIG sci-fi concepts, sigil and Voodoo magick, time travel, metafiction, immense psychedelia, highly Lynchian in places, with literary and pop culture references galore, and just wild as hell on many other fronts. One of the most amazing reading experiences ever.

[@WordsinTime]

That sounds super cool! I’ll have to look it up!

[@MirrorReaper1]

@@WordsinTime Please do. It can be a daunting read at the start, but pretty soon I was hooked, and the ideas and the highly quirky characters just washed over me. Helps that there are a number of artists that worked on it, and all of them did an amazing job that complemented the absolutely crazy ideas.

[@thekeywitness]

I agree that Three Stigmata is a terrific book I also rank just behind Ubik and second overall among the PKD that I've read. (Flow My Tears is a worthy next read for you.) I probably enjoyed Shockwave Rider more than you, but not as much as I enjoyed Brunner's Stand on Zanzibar. I enjoyed Nova, but felt it was rushed at the end. Overall, I think Dhalgren is a better Delany book. As for the Douglas Adams, it's been decades since I read them.

[@WordsinTime]

Nice! I’m looking forward to Flow My Tears and I own a copy of Stand on Zanzibar!

[@jenm8357]

I liked Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, but not as much as Ubik. I want to read more Philip K. Dick, so based on your positive review, I will try The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch next. I read Nova and Babel-17 by Delany but I didn't like them that much for the same reasons you described.

[@WordsinTime]

Ubik is great! I’m looking forward to Flow My Tears. And thanks for the info on Babel-17.

[@scottwareham6987]

I loved Flow my Tears...! PKD is probably my favourite all round sci-fi writer. Martian Time-Slip is also a doozy... His first two novels are a bit sub-par, and he has a few mid-level books (e.g Game Players of Titan) in his bibliography, but otherwise, just great stories with awesome ideas!

[@WordsinTime]

That’s pretty impressive considering how many books he wrote! I’m excited to continue!

[@JohnG225]

7/10 for Restaurant...shocking behaviour ;)

[@WordsinTime]

Haha I liked it, but I loved Hitchhiker’s!

[@JohnG225]

@@WordsinTime I'll let you off :) I've still yet to properly try Delany. I read the first few pages of Nova, but bounced off the prose style pretty hard. Will give it another go.

[@fernbedek6302]

I should read more classic sci-fi to expand my horizons… time to finally get to Book of the New Sun.

[@WordsinTime]

I like a mix of modern and classic sci-fi. I found Book of the New Sun a little tough to get into but lots of people love it, so I hope you enjoy!

[@mikesnyder1788]

Decades ago the bookmobile on which I served as librarian had a paperback copy of The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch but neither of my two Science Fiction reading pals was a Dick fan so I was not attracted to this book in the least. In fact, there were a lot of Exorcist type novels on the loose at the time and I assumed The Three Stigmata was part of that movement. Obviously, my loss and by the time I had discovered PKD I was pretty much set in my reading ways. Lesson learned: don't judge a book by its cover or its title.

[@WordsinTime]

That’s interesting! The book has some spiritual and philosophical elements but it’s definitely science fiction and not an exorcist horror haha. I’m sure I have made assumptions about books based on covers or titles that I’ll find out were quite a bit off haha

[@paulallison6418]

Hello Mr Words I am right there with you with these books, although you did rate 3 Stigmata a bit higher than I although I thought it was a great read. You might enjoy Solar Lottery by PKD. This is his debut novel and is nowhere nearly as highly regarded as his "greats" but I really enjoyed this work which reads like "proto Dick" compared with Man in the High Castle or Do androids dream ...

[@WordsinTime]

I’m glad you enjoyed it too! I’ll have to check out Solar Lottery!

[@kufujitsu]

The Three Stigmata..book by Dick is good, but I found that his first book -: "Solar Lottery" - is barely noticed at all, which is surprising, as it's an enjoyable, clever, & fast moving SF read - it's overall feel is that of the better near future SF films. It's a highly recommended antidote to readers who were impressed, but ultimately bored, with The Man in a High Castle, by the same author. If readers want to know which novel started giving PKD all of this attention in the first place, pick up Solar Lottery.

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll check it out!

[@curtjarrell9710]

Hi Jonathan. The only books on your list that stand a chance with me are ones by PDK. Douglas Adams was a total miss for me. Read what you like. Happy reading.

[@WordsinTime]

Yes, different books will work for different people. Hope you enjoy PKD!

[@FrankOdonnell-ej3hd]

never read brunner but knew he was first to use the term tapeworm or just worm it's really interesting when fiction influences the real world like gibson coining the term cyberspace really should read more pkd cause he's in a league of his own take your point about adams' and vonnegut's comedy amidst all the gloom but certain things are so bleak your only defense is to make jokes⚛😀

[@WordsinTime]

Yeah, it’s amazing how many terms were coined by Gibson. And I appreciate authors that can find some humor amidst all the darkness!

[@jjcrazi]

I just finished Who Goes There (along with other short stories) from John Campbell… meh. Readin The Shrinking Man atm by Richard Mathieson which so far is worth it.

[@WordsinTime]

Thanks for the info! The Shrinking Man sounds interesting!

[@jjcrazi]

@@WordsinTime you’ll recognise the author as he wrote I Am Legend (which I think you enjoyed).

[@SoulsJourney]

I have to admit I'm not a big John Brunner fan. I've read 3 of his works now, and can't say I was much impressed with his writing style. I'll probably pass on Nova (although I think I have a copy laying around here somewhere). I got about halfway through Dahlgren and had to put it aside. I'm not sure I'll ever get back to it. So much of his work is obsessed with casual sex, in a mechanistic "here's someone new, I might as well have sex with them" kind of way. I guess my brain just doesn't work the same way his does.

[@WordsinTime]

That’s okay, Delany seems like a writer that won’t click for everyone. Dahlgren is pretty long so if I try another one it will probably be Babel-17.

[@PrivateIvan]

Bless you for your praise of Palmer Eldritch! I've read it five times now, always a trippy blast. Deffo not a "mellow high," but a great piece of SF that really pushes you. BTW, have you read Vonnegut's Bluebeard? It's a multiple reread for me, and the only caveat I'll add is that I think that I appreciate it more now that some of his other works (like Cat's Cradle which I've reread several times) *because* I'm an old geezer (in other words, it's "old" Vonnegut, a one looking back at life--including "success"). I'll say no more; read Bluebeard eventually, if you haven't already.... Keep up the good work!.

[@WordsinTime]

I’m glad you loved Palmer Eldritch too! I read all of Vonnegut’s books over 10 years ago. I’m due for a re-read!

[@TJH1]

Goodness. The first four books in the HHGTTG series are utter classics for me but I grew up loving them. They hold an impossibly special place for me. These books evolved for me as I grew up, I found different humour in them as an adult than I did as a child. The humour is British, as such Non-British readers may interpret this as being "depressing" or niahlistic but it is just the fine British sense of humour that Adams was blessed with.

[@WordsinTime]

I loved the first book, and I liked the second book but started to find it more sad than funny. I do enjoy British humor though, Peep Show is one of my favourites.

[@hareypujols9059]

I read all of the Hitchhikers books earlier this year. Sadly for me they just kept getting worse.

[@WordsinTime]

It seems like the first one is almost always people’s favourite.

[@thatfuzzypotato1877]

I feel like I vanished off the face of the earth for a while. Hitchhiker's Guide is a FANTASTIC book. I read the first 3, but the 4th really got too depressing for me at the time I was reading it. I intend to give the whole series a reread (recently finished book 1) I get fussy with my "classic" sci fi because I often find them too dry, and the ideas not hard sci fi enough for me. But there have been several I really really enjoyed.

[@WordsinTime]

Agreed, Hitchhiker’s is awesome!

[@tamerlaaane]

I love the humor of PKD and Vonnegut. The dark, sarcastic jokes work great for me. Adams is just not that funny if you are not into the absurd humor/style. Same goes for Scalzi, which i just dont find that funny as everyone says

[@WordsinTime]

I liked Old Man’s War but the humor was a little hit and miss with me.

[@123witten]

Nahh, the Restaurant at the end of the universe is the best in the series

[@WordsinTime]

Interesting! I’m glad you liked it!