Review: A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

3.5 stars.

The good

• Interesting exploration of the impact of drugs on the mind, mixing up fantasy and reality, and losing touch with your own identity.

• Some fun sci fi concepts, such as scramble suits and holo scanners.

• Interesting plot twist at the end.

The not so good

• The book starts slow and I was tempted to give up on it part way through. The parts with a bunch of druggies sitting around and aimlessly chatting are not too interesting.

• The characters felt a bit hollow and everyone acted weird. To an extent, it’s part of the drug culture, but again, it didn’t always make for interesting reading.

Rating: 4 stars