From: "Dan'l Danehy-Oakes" 
Subject: RE: (urth) Gnostic Wolfe vs CE Wolfe
Date: Mon, 28 Oct 2002 09:09:41 -0800

> I might suggest Elaine Pagels' _The Gnostic Gospels_ for 
> those looking to read up on the Gnostics, or the Amazon.com 
> Listmania entries: _Gnostic Starter Library_ and _Coptic 
> Gnostic Library at Chenoboskion_. For a more modern, popular 
> take, read Philip K. Dick's final three novels (_Valis_, _The 
> Divine Invasion_, _The Transmigration of Timothy Archer_).  

Even better, I think, would be the various collection of his
late letters and notebooks which have been published. Probably
the most relevant among the rather overwhelming Dickiana which
have been printed would be IN PURSUIT OF VALIS: SELECTIONS 
FROM THE EXEGESIS (which is rather jaggedly edited but contains
much good stuff); THE SHIFTING REALITIES OF PHILIP K. DICK:
SELECTED LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL WRITINGS (which I haven't
read but looks quite interesting; and WHAT IF OUR WORLD IS 
THEIR HEAVEN? THE FINAL CONVERSATIONS OF PHILIP K. DICK (which
I enjoyed immensely).

> The Whorl looks a lot like The Black Iron Prison and Fats's 
> laser beam is the same deus ex machina as the portals 

Actually I would compare Dick's/Fat's "pink laser beam" to
the opening scene of NIGHTSIDE -- that is, Silk's enlightenment.
Dick describes the laser beam in terms strikingly similar to
what happens to Silk -- it supposedly filled his head with 
information, some of it stuff he had no way of knowing but was
able to confirm (such as his infant son's undiagnosed hernia),
and took a very long time subjectively compared to a very
short objective time.


--Blattid


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