Not too long from now, when exiles from a blistering Earth huddle miserably in Martian colonies, the only things that make life bearable are the drugs. Can-D "translates" those who take it into the bodies of Barbie-like dolls and opens up an idyllic world. Now there's competition from the mysterious Palmer Eldritch: a substance called Chew-Z, marketed under the slogan "God promises eternal life. We can deliver it." The question is: What kind of eternity? And who-or what-is the deliverer? This more addictive experience might bring users closer to God, but in a world where everyone is tripping, no promises can be taken at face value.
In this wildly disorienting fun house of a novel, populated by God-like-or perhaps satanic-take-over artists and corporate psychics, Philip K. Dick explores mysteries that were once the property of St. Paul and Aquinas. His wit, compassion, and knife-edged irony make this novel moving as well as genuinely visionary.
