
The Penultimate Truth is a 1964 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. The story is set in a future where the bulk of humanity is kept in large underground shelters. The people are told that World War III is being fought above them, when in reality the war ended years ago. The novel is based on Dick's 1953 short story "The Defenders". Dick also drew upon two other of his short stories for the plot of the novel: "The Mold of Yancy" and "The Unreconstructed M".

The Penultimate Truth is a 1964 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. The story is set in a future where the bulk of humanity is kept in large underground shelters. The people are told that World War III is being fought above them, when in reality the war ended years ago. The novel is based on Dick's 1953 short story "The Defenders". Dick also drew upon two other of his short stories for the plot of the novel: "The Mold of Yancy" and "The Unreconstructed M".
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Find The Penultimate Truth Philip K. Dick in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
Find The Penultimate Truth Philip K. Dick in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
14 books in catalog
Speculative fiction that questions the nature of reality and human identity lies at the heart of iconic science fiction like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and The Man in the High Castle. Author Philip K. Dick crafted dozens of novels and over a hundred short stories during a career spanning three decades, creating narrative worlds where human perception is routinely altered by technology, authoritarian states, or psychological illusion.
Born in Chicago on December 16, 1928, Philip Kindred Dick lived most of his life in California. Before committing full-time to writing, he worked briefly in radio broadcasting and attended the University of California, Berkeley for one year. His professional publishing career launched in 1952 with the short story "Beyond Lies the Wub." Over the following thirty years, Dick maintained an extraordinary output, publishing regularly in science fiction magazines and completing dozens of novels prior to his death in Santa Ana, California, on March 2, 1982.
Throughout his career, Dick explored complex sociological, political, and metaphysical themes. His narratives frequently center on ordinary characters trapped in illusory environments, struggling against monopolistic corporations, oppressive government regimes, and altered states of consciousness. In his later years, his thematic focus shifted heavily toward theology and metaphysics, strongly reflecting his personal experiences with paranoia, drug abuse, schizophrenia, and transcendental visions. These deeply personal struggles directly informed semi-autobiographical works such as A Scanner Darkly and VALIS.
14 books in catalog
Speculative fiction that questions the nature of reality and human identity lies at the heart of iconic science fiction like Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and The Man in the High Castle. Author Philip K. Dick crafted dozens of novels and over a hundred short stories during a career spanning three decades, creating narrative worlds where human perception is routinely altered by technology, authoritarian states, or psychological illusion.
Born in Chicago on December 16, 1928, Philip Kindred Dick lived most of his life in California. Before committing full-time to writing, he worked briefly in radio broadcasting and attended the University of California, Berkeley for one year. His professional publishing career launched in 1952 with the short story "Beyond Lies the Wub." Over the following thirty years, Dick maintained an extraordinary output, publishing regularly in science fiction magazines and completing dozens of novels prior to his death in Santa Ana, California, on March 2, 1982.
Throughout his career, Dick explored complex sociological, political, and metaphysical themes. His narratives frequently center on ordinary characters trapped in illusory environments, struggling against monopolistic corporations, oppressive government regimes, and altered states of consciousness. In his later years, his thematic focus shifted heavily toward theology and metaphysics, strongly reflecting his personal experiences with paranoia, drug abuse, schizophrenia, and transcendental visions. These deeply personal struggles directly informed semi-autobiographical works such as A Scanner Darkly and VALIS.