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Philip K. Dick – Time Out of Joint | Review

Title: Time Out of Joint

Author: Philip K. Dick

Type: Fiction

Page Count: 192

Rating: 3.5/5

This book presents itself as one thing but is something very different. What we actually have is something a little bit like The Truman Show in which the protagonist slowly starts to realise that there’s something shady going on behind the scenes and his reality is being manipulated.

For me, I found that it the reading experience was a little jarring, because it kept feeling as though reality was fine and then suddenly it was nuts and then it was back to all just fine again. Maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention, but if that’s the case then it’s arguably the book’s fault anyway.

I just think that some of Dick’s other work was more engaging, and this just sort of felt as though he was rehashing old territory. Part of that might be because Dick has influenced a ton of people, and it’s not really his fault if this felt familiar because it’s been copied a bunch of times. It was still pretty good and worth reading, though.

Learn more about Time Out of Joint.

Aesop – The Complete Fables | Review

Title: The Complete Fables

Author: Aesop

Type: Fiction

Page Count: 262

Rating: 3.54/5

I’m finding it quite difficult to decide whether fables count as fiction or non-fiction, and I guess that’s kind of the point of them. The idea is that you can read them and learn from them, taking the ideas from the story and applying them to your life. Aesop’s pretty good at that, and there’s a reason for it, as I learned during the introduction.

It turns out that he was probably a slave, albeit one who was held in high esteem, and he was known for arguing in the courts and using his fables as ways to direct people’s thinking. Many of the fables have even been categorised in such a way that they can be divided based upon their use cases, such as whether they’re good for showing the virtues of patience or whether they show that those who accuse people are often themselves also at fault.

All in all, it was a pretty good little read that provided some food for thought, and I’m definitely glad that I picked it up. At the same time, I’m also glad that I used it as a bedtime read, because it’s one of those where it’s best if you read it a little bit at a time instead of binging on it. One fable probably isn’t enough, but a half dozen or so each night is a good way to do it. However you read it, it’s definitely worth picking it up sometime.

Learn more about The Complete Fables.