Book Review: Divine Invasions (A Life of Philip K. Dick) by Lawrence Sutin

Divine Invasions (A Life of Philip K. Dick) by Lawrence Sutin

Paperback, 352 pages

Published 2005 by Carroll & Graf Publishers (first published 1989)

You know this will be an interesting review because I am going to stray from the book a little bit and talk about the reason I re-read this book after fifteen years. Almost two years ago now my writing partner Anthony Trevino suggested that we along with our buddy Langhorne J.Tweed start a podcast called Dickheads. He was surprised that no one had done a podcast about this author with this name before.

Between Novel breakdowns, (we have already covered his prolific first 10 years of novels) Story Vs Film, Dick Adjacent and various interviews we have built a catalog of 50 plus episodes. I am proud of the content we have produced and feel we have added to scholarly pursuit not just of PKD's work but the genre in general.

Through-out the podcast I have been diligent in researching the nitty-gritty details of what was going into Phil's life as he wrote each of the novels we were breaking down. I have gotten to know much more about his editors Don Wollheim and perhaps his most important early mentor Anthony Boucher. What you might notice on the show is some times when we got into the biographical details where he was living, which marriage was going on or ending I got a little more lost. I decided after our second season doing this I wanted to have the details more straight.

I decided not only did I need to re-read Lawrence Sutin's amazing biography of Philip K Dick, but I needed to have it in the studio every time we record. Divine Invasions for better or worse paints such an amazing detailed picture of the writer's life it is pretty impossible to not feel like you know Phil. From his childhood to his speed fueled early days pumping out totally bananas pulp sci-fi to his pink laser beam from god. I am not sure if scholars and podcasters knowing his life in this detail would creep out Phil but there is also an android built to act like him. Lots to chew on there.

As a podcaster devoted to the study of this man's career and output, this book is a godsend. In many ways, I can tell Sutin thinks like me wanting to know how his life and moments influence the tiny moments of his novels. It is also fascinating the in's and outs how he worked with his agents and editors.

Just as fascinating is how Phil was a husband, father, and friend. These stories are so rich and deep in the book because Sutin went crazy deep writing, researching and interviewing important and minor figures in the man's life. This time reading the book as a (digital) scholar of PKD I was just floored at the view of the man's life.

This book is not just important it is a gift. That is not to say it was all roses. While not as problematic as some of the Science Fiction genre forefathers and mothers (remember the loathsome Marion Zimmer Bradley was in PKD's circle of friends)there are lots of not so flattering moments in the man's life. The tweaker years after Nancy took Isa and left are super hard to read about even if it inspired one of his masterpieces in A Scanner Darkly. As a movement the science fiction community is coming to grips with the past and that is sometimes hard. Asimov groped hundreds of women, L Ron Hubbard started a cult, Marion Zimmer Bradley abused her children. Lovecraft and Campbell have had their faces and names stripped from awards.

I am sure that Isa Hackett and the Dick estate may cringe at the honesty of this book at this point. Warts and all I am thankful for this book. I mean Phil Dick himself and his interviews you couldn't trust. It was in part his sense of humor and playfulness, his weird memory and outright pranks that made his statements often contradictions. It is fascinating to listen to his famous 1977 speech in France, but even more so when you know that he barely made it on the plane, that it caused an uproar.

Do some of the events in PKD's life warrant canceling him as a towering figure in the field of 20th-century fiction? I would say no. I may be biased but I believe warts and struggles of this artist and many others add a wonder to what they created. When masterpieces came out of his typewriter like Man in the High Castle, Three Stigmata or others it was a wonder. The fact that he was writing in a hovel he was forced into is apart of the story. In the case of Three Stigmata, it was super important. Even his lesser works like Game Players of Titan makes more sense when you understand that he was seeing a giant mechanical god judging him each time he walked before writing.

This book is essential for fans and scholars who want to KNOW Philip K Dick, not understand him as I am not sure that is possible. Just be warned that Sutin did incredible work and many will not like what they say. If you don't like knowing your heroes you might be better off sticking to his fiction.