Wednesday, April 07, 2010

CBR Review: Philip K. Dick's Electric Ant #1

I recently reviewed Philip K. Dick's Electric Ant #1 for CBR and, in the process, wrote the following sentences: "Adapting Dick’s writing can be challenging because, as a stylist, Dick wasn’t much of one. His writing is direct and without a strong flavor often, and 'The Electric Ant' is no exception. The prose is little sparser than normal, but it’s very direct and almost mechanical in the way it advances, accepting certain things in service of forward momentum. Mack decompresses the beginning of the story effectively, adding elements to draw the characters out more completely or to create more interesting visuals like calling for a page to show Poole’s squib accident. However, in some places, the changes seem forced and out of place, like the technician who replaces his hand trying to sell Poole on having his genitals upgraded."

You can read the rest HERE!