Tim's Reviews > Clans of the Alphane Moon

This is my first experience with Philip K. Dick novel. I realize that this is not the one many would say to start with, but after reading the plot description, I found myself amused enough to pick it up… and I’m glad that I did.

The novel follows the aftermath of war between Earth and insectoid-dominated Alpha III. We are not shown any of the actual events or battles, but in the aftermath there is a very cold war sort of "peace." The government is paranoid that the people of Alpha III could be trying to undermine earth from the entertainment industry (specifically a popular human comedian) and the protagonist of the novel is Chuck, a CIA agent who programs simulacrum with anti-communist propaganda.

But wait... that's not the plot of the novel, just part of the setting. You see our "hero" is getting a divorce, and his wife (a respected psychiatrist) is going to the Alphane moon of the title, to help Earth secure the colony as it's something of a political middle ground between Earth and Alpha III. Chuck intends to use one of the CIA simulacrum to kill his wife rather than finish up the messy divorce process.

Hold on, we're not done yet! The moon (never refer to it as a planet, or it could prove madness) was originally intended as a global psychiatric institution, so with it being left on its own for so long, the various clans of patients (each named after their mental illness) have taken over and created their own society and political ideals.

Let's see is there more to the plot? Did I forget anything? I did mention the psychic Ganymedean slime mold named Lord Running Clam didn't I? It’s really hard to forget that detail.

As you may have noticed, there's enough ideas in this one to fill out several novels, yet Dick contains all of this in a brief 240 some odd pages. It is like a freeform jazz sci-fi novel, where anything goes. Rules that one usually holds to in a story (such as blatant foreshadowing actually coming about) are disregarded in favor of the lunacy (pun most certainly intended) that Dick seems to be waltzing through. Somehow... it all works.

So, for a first time reader of Philip K. Dick, would I continue? Absolutely. I'm looking forward to checking out his more famous works, as well as more obscure gems such as this. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to all science fiction readers, but for the select few would say it is something of a wonder.