Sat 4 Jul 2026
SF Diary Review: PHILIP K. DICK – Galactic Pot-Healer.
Posted by Steve under Uncategorized[5] Comments
PHILIP K. DICK – Galactic Pot-Healer. Berkley X1705, paperback original; 1st printing, June 1969. Cover art: Sandy Kossin. Reprinted a number of times.
Joe Farnwright, pot-healer, living a spider’s existence in a garish, nightmarish world on Earth, afraid of failure, lacking in self-knowledge, is hired by Glimmung, of Plawman’s Planet, to help in the raiding of the ancient cathedral Holdscalla.
Glimmung corresponds to Faust, never satisfied, willing to sacrifice himself to learn the extent of his abilities. Glimmung also contends with the continuing Book of the Kalneds, which tells of the past, the present, and of the future. The book says he will fail. (See page 102 for a discussion of probability.)
Much wit, much for discussion, but the book does not succeed as a story. The plot is overblown, with too many wild concepts to be taken completely seriously, The last line is a winner.
Rating: ****
July 5th, 2026 at 6:35 am
I loved it. But it left me scratching my head.
July 5th, 2026 at 11:50 am
We’ve had the same reaction to the book, I think, Jerry. I don’t believe the book is thought of very highly today, but I could be wrong about that. I just don’t remember it being reviewed very often or mentioned by other readers. (Nor has it been made into a movie, unless something happened I don’t know about.)
July 6th, 2026 at 1:33 am
This was my first PKD, and thus has a special place in my biblioheart.
July 6th, 2026 at 7:34 pm
Doing the same honor for me was (I think) a book entitled EYE IN THE SKY. I’d be guessing if you were to ask me when that might have been, but it was written in 1957, so I’m going to say it was 1959 or before. Here’s the cover, below, once seen, never forgotten:
July 6th, 2026 at 7:55 pm
My first PKD book was Dr. Futurity (1960): Paired with John Brunner’s Slavers of Space (Ace Double D-421). Dr. Futurity was later paired with another Dick novella, The Unteleported Man (1966) in 1972. My favorite PKD novel is MARTIAN TIME-SLIP.