"The Hood Maker" is a short story by

Philip K. Dick Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928March 2, 1982), often referred to by his initials PKD, was an American science fiction writer. He wrote 44 novels and about 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his l ...

, originally published in the June 1955 issue of the magazine ''

Imagination Imagination is the production or simulation of novel objects, sensations, and ideas in the mind without any immediate input of the senses. Stefan Szczelkun characterises it as the forming of experiences in one's mind, which can be re-creations ...

''. It was adapted by

Matthew Graham Matthew Graham is a British television writer, and the co-creator of the BBC/Kudos (production company), Kudos Film and Television science fiction series ''Life on Mars (UK TV series), Life on Mars'', which debuted in 2006 on BBC One and has re ...

into an episode for the 2017 TV series, '' Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams''.

Plot

The Free Union, a repressive regime, uses people with telepathic powers called "teeps" to root out and eliminate its political opponents. Walter Franklin, a government appointee, is caught up in a struggle between the teeps and ordinary humans when he receives a hood which blocks his thoughts from being read. He is accused of subversion, called "deviation" by a teep named Ernest Abbud and forced to flee. When he meets the titular "hood maker", James Cutter, he learns a secret that could put an end to the teeps' plans to seize power.

TV adaptation

The story was loosely adapted by

for '' Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams'', which aired on September 18, 2017 on

Channel4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

in the UK. The whole emphasis is different. The Free Union, a repressive regime, uses people with telepathic powers called "teeps" to root out and eliminate its political opponents. The telepaths are unhappy and oppressed, and the entire society is run down and violent. All telepaths have skin markings on their face for unexplained reasons. Agent Ross, a police detective, is given a telepathic woman as a partner. He also learns that someone is distributing hoods which block telepathy.

References

External links

* * 1955 short stories Short stories by Philip K. Dick {{1950s-sf-story-stub