The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (Vintage)

Media:	Paperback
Author:	Philip K. Dick
Publisher:	Vintage
Release date:	02 July, 1991
List price:	~~$12.00~~
Our price:	$9.60 that is 20% off!

The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (Vintage)

Average rating: Stars

Dick's Final Book

I can understand why some readers haven't warmed to this book. It is certainly atypical of Dick's usual style and packed with Berkeley intellectual theories. I anknowledge that certain sections of the book feel a little tedious, yet they are utterly justified. This becomes apparent when Barefoot tells Angel Archer (the narrator) she has the same affliction that the Bishop unknowingly endured during his lifetime ('Flatus vocis' - or 'empty noise'). Apparently, Dick himself felt the need to justify the events in his life (such as the early death of his twin sister Jane) in much broader temporal/religious/cosmological terms. The same is true of 2 of central characters in this book. Very often it appears that their quotations and theories amount to little more than empty words.

At the heart of this book is a strong story and superbly drawn characters, slightly similiar to some of those explored in CONFESSIONS OF A CRAP ARTIST. Once you strip away the majority of the Bishop's tedious rants and quotations, you a left with a masterpiece about the impact of death on those left behind.

Sadly, when writing this, the author was on the brink of death himself.

The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (Vintage) - Philip K. Dick

Dick's last novel, a vision of redemption

Dick's last novel was completed in 1981 and published posthumously the following year. It is one of his finest achievements, and a triumphant return to realistic, mainstream writing, albeit with fantastic elements. Many fascinating conversations on philosophy, theology, and literature become the central focus of the book, as opposed to diversions from the plot. The play of ideas is compelling because it emanates from the life-and-death concerns of the characters, whose believability and humanity are perhaps greater than anywhere in Dick's writing. The book is loosely based on the life of Episcopal Bishop James A. Pike, whom Dick knew. Like Pike, Bishop Timothy Archer is a seeker for truth who questions the Church's doctrine, favoring instead a direct revelation. Archer becomes embroiled in the occult when all manner of table-tappings and stopped clocks are taken as signals from his son Jeff, who committed suicide (like Pike's son in real life). The real redeeming center of the novel is its narrator, the bishop's daughter-in-law Angel Archer. Hers is a story of spiritual transformation and freedom from bitterness and self-absorption. The resolution is not one of certainty about the mysteries of the afterlife or of the higher realities around us, but of hope and trust in the possibilities of redemption no matter where we find ourselves in the lower realms of experience.

Philip K. Dick - The Transmigration of Timothy Archer (Vintage)

Other Reviews Missed The Point

I have read the other reviews of this book and, quite frankly, they all missed the point of this book. To start with it is written from the female perspective, which is not an easy task for a man, and yet PKD pulls it off briliantly. This is not a book about Dick trying to run his snobbery down our throats but an insightful and emotionally touching perspective of a man pursuing truth, with a zeal that leads to his death, as viewed by another party (female). Indeed, its very core reflects the Bible's condemnation of pride proceeding the fall, mixed with the emotional tenderness that Mary must have felt when she witnessed her sons death from pursuing his ideals. Dick began an introspective search for a meaning of God after his encounter with Valis, continued the journey, in The Divine Invasion, with a discussion of the modern God of the New Testament versus the ancient gods that existed before humans adapted monotheism, finishing with Transmigration. Don't pass this book over because you will miss Dick's best writing before he died. I also recommend Eye in the Sky and Clans of the Alphane Moon as two more of PKD's brilliance and humor.

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