By A Scanner Darkly is both a novel about an intriguing sci-fi world and a disturbing exploration of substance abuse.
About the Book
Title: A Scanner Darkly
Author: Philip K. Dick
Published: 1977
Genre: fiction, speculative fiction, sci-fi
My Rating: 4/5 stars
The Premise
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Substance D is not known as Death for nothing. It is the most toxic drug ever to find its way on to the streets of LA. It destroys the links between the brain’s two hemispheres, causing, first, disorientation and then complete and irreversible brain damage.
The undercover narcotics agent who calls himself Bob Arctor is desperate to discover the ultimate source of supply. But to find any kind of lead he has to pose as a user and, inevitably, without realising what is happening, Arctor is soon as addicted as the junkies he works among…
My Thoughts
A Scanner Darkly is both a novel about an intriguing sci-fi world and a disturbing exploration of substance abuse. Set in a future where the hottest street drug is something called “substance D”, it follows a guy whose mind has been so messed up by drugs that he doesn’t realize that he is simultaneously a junkie and a law enforcement agent, and he is investigating himself, because he is using a “scramble suit” which disguises his identity when he’s functioning as the police and the two sides of his brain aren’t aware of each other. It’s confusing.
That’s the one thing I will say about this book: it was a little confusing. Maybe that’s because I read it over the course of such a long time, but I did find many parts of it to be confusing.
However, it was good. The ending, when we find out that New-Path is just a front for the producers of substance d was also depressing/shocking
What was the saddest part of the book, though, was the author’s note at the end, where PKD writes that most of the characters were based off his actual friends who were drug addicts and what happened to them
“They wanted to have a good time, but they were like children playing in the street; they could see one after another of them being killed–run over, maimed, destroyed–but they continued to play anyhow.”
Have you read A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick? If so, what did you think? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
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