From Publishers Weekly
With his Hugo Award-winning The Man in the High Castle (1962), Philip K. Dick commenced his reign over literary sci-fi, presiding with innovative, philosophical narratives. At 53, the cult figure was verging on Hollywood celebrity with Blade Runner, adapted from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968), but he died in 1982, before the film's release. Sauter, whose introduction describes their friendship, introduced him to Lee, who recorded Dick weeks before his death. After 18 years, these transcripts bring fresh insights notably, into the imaginative biotech plot line of the unwritten The Owl in Daylight. (Lawrence Sutin culled the novel's prospectus from Lee's tapes for his Dick biography, Divine Invasions.) Dick also discusses music, writing, philosophers and his 1974-1975 mystical visions, when the revelation of his son's undiagnosed birth defect "down to anatomical details" saved the child's life. He lived to see 20 minutes of Blade Runner scenes, and responds enthusiastically and extensively to features like the "400-story police building that dominates the landscape" and the punk rock extras ("these are not actors. Nobody looks that sinister. Except the people who are that sinister"). Several misspelled names are a minor annoyance amid the exuberant thought processes ricocheting around this book, deemed in a foreword by SF novelist Tim Powers (The Anubis Gates) a "vivid portrait" of a writer who chose creative intensity over healthy blood pressure, and ultimately "killed himself" through overwork for his art. (Mar. 19) Forecast: Fans will rejoice. Dick's ever-growing reputation will get a big boost from the forthcoming film version of his 1956 story "Minority Report," starring Tom Cruise and directed by Steven Spielberg (filming begins in March). Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Author of numerous novels, short stories, and other works, including Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968), basis of the movie Blade Runner, and "I Can Remember It for You Wholesale," basis of Total Recall, Dick is known worldwide as a science fiction master. Shortly before his death, on March 2, 1982, journalist Lee, a longtime friend of Dick's, recorded several interviews with him. Among the topics discussed were details of Dick's writing process, his thoughts on Blade Runner (which he never got to see as a finished film), and preliminary plot and background information about the novel he was writing, The Owl in Daylight. Dick's fans will enjoy seeing how he formulated his ideas and reading about his never-finished novel. At times a bit repetitious, as extemporaneous interviews are wont to be, Lee's conversations with Dick provide a unique glimpse of one of sf's pantheon writers. Bryan Baldus
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Gerald Jonas, The New York Times
"The text consists of the virtually unedited transcript of conversations recorded a few months before Dick's death. Anyone who has been drawn into the paranoid, hallucinatory premises of Dick's fiction-a 'what if?' history in which the Japanese occupy America after winning World War II, a race of manufactured people who believe they're human-will enjoy spending time with one of science fiction's most unconventional minds. "


Science Fiction Studies
"An affecting and elegiac portrait of Philip K. Dick at the end of his life."


Science Fiction Chronicle
"These conversations reveal [Dick] as possessing a superbly rational and erudite mind capable of wonderful insights and curiosity, His plotting of a new novel, Owl in Daylight on tape is a revelation of writing skills and high intelligence."


Book Description
In the field of science fiction, the work of Philip K Dick is unparalleled. His novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? became the classic science-fiction film Blade Runner. His short story, "The Minority Report," was recently adapted for the screen by Stephen Spielberg and stars Tom Cruise. Dick’s appeal and influence has reached the world over, creating the standard for the literary science fiction novel. In November of 1982, six months before the author's death, journalist Gwen Lee recorded the first of several in-depth discussions with Philip K. Dick that continued over the course over the next three months. These extraordinary interviews are filled with the wit and aplomb characteristic of Dick's writing, helping make What If Our World Is Their Heaven? not only an engaging read, but a unique and compelling historical document. It will be a must read for anyone interested in the field of science fiction.


About the Author
Gwen Lee is a journalist and freelance writer. She lives in Oceanside, California. Doris Elaine Sauter met Philip K. Dick in 1972, and knew him until his death in 1983. She is a journalist and freelance writer, and has lectured widely on the horror and science fiction genres. She lives in Dallas, Texas. Tim Powers is the author of numerous novels, including the Philip K. Dick Award-winner, The Anubis Gates. He lives in San Francisco, California.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In the field of science fiction, the work of Philip K. Dick is unparalleled. His novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? became the classic science-fiction film Blade Runner, and his short story, "The Minority Report," was adapted for the screen by Steven Spielberg and stars Tom Cruise. Dick's appeal and influence has reached the world over, creating the standard for the literary science fiction novel. In November 1982, six months before the author's death, journalist Gwen Lee recorded the first of several in-depth discussions with Philip K. Dick that continued over the course of the next three months. These extraordinary interviews are filled with the wit and aplomb characteristic of Dick's writing, helping make What If Our World Is Their Heaven? not only an engaging read, but a unique and compelling document of one of science fiction's most innovative and visionary minds. It's a must read for anyone interested in the field of science fiction.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly