The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, by Philip K. Dick

“You were wrong,” Eldritch said. “I did not find God in the Prox system. But I found something better.” With a stick he poked at the gluck; it reluctantly withdrew its cilia, and contracted into itself until at last it was no longer clinging to Leo; it dropped to the ground and traveled away, as Eldritch continued to prod it. “God,” Eldritch said, “promises eternal life. I can do better; I can deliver it.”

Philip K. Dick has been amply celebrated as the best sci-fi writer of all times. And, although I twist my eyebrow and say "Ok, but Frank Herbert (...)", one must say that K. Dick was a master at his craft. After all, he did write the book that inspired Blade Runner, the best movie in History (sorry guys, The Empire Strikes Back is only second best), as well as many books that inspired other successful films, but for now let us focus in The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch.

"For everyone lost in the endlessly multiplicating realities of the modern world, remember: Philip K. Dick got there first." This is the quote by Terry Gilliam displayed in the cover of the edition I own (SF Masterworks). It would be hard to find a more appropriate one.

The story runs in a near future when Earth is colonizing Mars, and using "Evolution Therapy" to make human brains more advanced (obviously, only available to whom can afford it). Life for the colonists on Mars isn't easy, so most of them find escapism in a drug called Can-D. But this is no ordinary drug. Can-D allows access to controlled environments predefined by layouts (a sort of maquette), which can be shared by several users (much like nowadays online multiplayer games). Everything seems to be running smoothly, until the day a man named Palmer Eldritch crashes his ship on Pluto, after returning from a voyage to the Proxima Centauri system. Something "out there" may have changed Eldritch, which rapidly starts to threaten the monopoly of Can-D by sampling a new drug called Chew-Z.

Where exactly ends the "real" story, and starts the alternate reality (realities)? Good luck finding out!

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch isn't an easily accessible book to readers not used to hardcore science-fiction. Most will get lost in the alternating dimensions of the narrative. And that just feels marvelous. This is not a book about spaceships and laser guns. It is a book about different struggles, desperation, philosophy, maybe religion, and losing control.

Barney Mayerson is the "favored victim" (but not the single one) of K. Dick's ever changing realities. He works as a sort of market analyst, benefiting from his precog abilities to assess the futures success of new products. Although Mayerson has no difficulty in acquiring lovers, he can't stop obsessing with his ex-wife. The capacity that K. Dick demonstrates in dealing with mundane human aspects, in a sci-fi novel revolving around countless states of reality, is astonishing.

Then, you have Palmer Eldritch, the character that triggers the "translation" that keeps readers twisting the eyebrows. K. Dick is a trickster; no one is really sure of what is reading. "Is this the real reality, or is this...? Waaaait... something doesn't feel right about this..."

It isn't easy to talk about Palmer Eldritch without making some spoilers, but also because you end the book without really knowing who (what?) Eldritch is. And I have to say that is one of the alluring aspects of the story: you're never quite sure about anything in it. And, as expected, you don't really know how it ends. It is good, old, philosophical science fiction, allowing open speculation about almost everything. You never get actually lost in the story (K. Dick was a master weaver), but it requires your full attention and focus. Otherwise, you'll be lost in the... "translation".

It is rather thought-provoking to compare the idea behind the book, published in 1965, with the addiction that today’s communities have with massive multiplayer online roleplaying games. The allure of immersing oneself in an entire fictional world, assuming a different persona (or several), as a way to deny real life itself… Be careful, much like the ending of Christopher Nolan’s Inception, you may end up without knowing whether you are dreaming or awaken.

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch – Philip K. Dick, USA, 1965