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The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch is a typically complex novel by the science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. The novel covers a number of concepts common in the works of Philip K. Dick including those of drugs, the commercial use of psychic powers and the idea that what we perceive may not be reality.

The plot of this novel involves the use of a hallucinogenic substance called Chew-Z which is marketed with promises of eternal life. It is quickly outstripping its marketplace competitor, Can-D, which is used for entertainment by bored Martian colonists. However, the effects of Chew-Z are not as simple as eternal life or entertainment. The man who brought this amazing substance back from the Prox star system, Palmer Eldritch, may have ulterior motives involving the God-like powers that Chew-Z seems to grant him and total control of humanity - everyone who tries his product seems to hallucinate visions that include him.

See also Mars in fiction

Last updated: 05-23-2005 19:56:55