A SCANNER DARKLY
Philip K. Dick
Del Rey 1977
PB 291 pp
Highly Recommended

Undercover narcotics officer Fred, is given the task of monitoring small
time drug dealer and Substance D addict Bob Arctor, who is believed to be
potentially more than he appears. On the surface Fred's assignment makes
perfect sense, after all he is already an intimate of the situation having
infiltrated Arctor's circle of friends. The problem is, he is TOO intimate
to the scene, for Fred's undercover personae is Bob Arctor and if he thought
his life was confusing before...well his miseries have only just begun.

This is one incredibly dark novel and that is saying a lot for a Dick story.
It chronicles the slow decline and mental collapse of a man taken to the
edge; by his duality of life and his addiction to drugs. Characterizations
are realistic and gritty, the cityscapes bleak and unadorned, and the
outlook for all, bitterly real. Yet despite this "hard edge", Dick
incorporates some truly hysterical dialogue between his druggie characters
(one sequence in particular as Arctor and a buddy discuss hash smuggling had
me on the floor in tears) and this serves to further contrast the harshness
of the story.

I highly recommend this story to anyone, as the SF element is virtually
non-existent. Oh, and for you non Dickheads out there; many of the
characters in the story are based on friends the author made during his own
drug experimentation days.