Review: Mr. Spaceship


Mr. SpaceshipMr. Spaceship by Philip K. Dick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another Philip K Dick story from the 1950s. This one falls squarely in the pop SciFi of the magaines of the times. The science is so bad it’s hilarious. What was a lot more fun was all the anachronisms from that time. Yes, we have spaceships that can travel to other systems in no time, but people don’t have portable computers – they take paper files around. And the battle displays are clearly analog. It’s definitely in that very old Asimovian storytelling style where the story is a bit of a mystery that the reader and protagonist have to solve. Of course, it’s also incredibly a product of its time when it comes to women. The story ends with the protagonist’s wife (who divorced him) essentially being kidnapped and forced to repopulate a planet with him. And, after a passionate kiss it’s all good.

The story was a quick read, but not my favorite of the PKD short stories I’ve read.

Also, I’ve had this file for a while and so it’s interesting to come across it after having just read Ancillary Justice.

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