'A Maze of Death' by Philip K. Dick

A Maze of Death, Philip K. Dick (4)

I often wonder what draws me to PKD novels and short stories. They are dark, usually hard to follow and most often remind you that Mr. Dick wrote much of his work while under the influence of hallucinogens. ‘A Maze of Death’ once again reminded me of his amazing creativity and how forward thinking many concepts in his books are, but mostly, it surprised me. I treasure a story with an interesting plot and eye-opening surprise that is not just manipulative (a la ‘Gone Girl’). I quickly read through this book anxious to find out what was really happening. There are 14 individuals who have volunteered to colonize a planet – this is considered normal in this particular time/world. They don’t know what they will be doing on the planet – that is to be disclosed once they all arrive. A small hiccup occurs as their communication device (a tape recorder from the 60’s – a reminder of PKD’s real time frame) fails and the colonists are stranded without knowing their objective. As soon as this occurs, one of the colonists is murdered. In Agatha Christie style, one by one the characters are picked off, with no idea if they are part of a government experiment or victims of a crazed colleague. Layered over the plot is a culture with a unique religious context. Several of the characters seemingly can directly contact their deity and his minions, which leads to interesting diversions and possible explanations for their situation. Overall, I’m surprised this has not been made into a movie – definitely a peer to ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Minority Report’.