''Valis'' (stylized as ''VALIS'') is a 1981

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novel by American writer

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 ...

, intended to be the first book of a three-part series. The title is an acronym for ''Vast Active Living Intelligence System'', Dick's

gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

vision of God. Set in California during the 1970s, the book features heavy auto-biographical elements and draws inspiration from Dick's own investigations into his unexplained

religious experience A religious experience (sometimes known as a spiritual experience, sacred experience, or mystical experience) is a subjective experience which is interpreted within a religious framework. The concept originated in the 19th century, as a defens ...

s over the previous decade. It is the first book in the incomplete ''

VALIS trilogy The ''VALIS trilogy'' is a set of science fiction/philosophical novels by author Philip K. Dick which include ''VALIS'' (1978), ''The Divine Invasion'' (1980), and ''The Transmigration of Timothy Archer'' (1982). Dick's first novel about the VALI ...

'' of novels, followed by ''

The Divine Invasion ''The Divine Invasion'' is a 1981 science fantasy novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. It is the second book in the gnostic VALIS trilogy, and takes place in the indeterminate future, perhaps a century or more after VALIS. The ...

'' (1981). The planned third novel, ''

The Owl in Daylight ''The Owl in Daylight'' is a novel Philip K. Dick was writing at the time of his death in 1982. He had already been paid an advance for the book by the publisher and was working against a deadline. After his death, his estate approached other wri ...

'', had not yet taken definite shape at the time of the author's death. Dick's final novel, ''

The Transmigration of Timothy Archer ''The Transmigration of Timothy Archer'' is a 1982 novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. As his final work, the book was published shortly after his death in March 1982, although it was written the previous year. The novel draws on autobio ...

'' (1982), builds on similar themes; Dick wrote: "the three do form a trilogy constellating around a basic theme."

Synopsis

In March 1974, Horselover Fat (the alter-personality of Philip K. Dick) experiences visions of a pink beam of light that he calls Zebra and interprets as a

theophany Theophany (from Ancient Greek , meaning "appearance of a deity") is a personal encounter with a deity, that is an event where the manifestation of a deity occurs in an observable way. Specifically, it "refers to the temporal and spatial manifest ...

exposing hidden facts about the reality of our universe, and a group of others join him in researching these matters. One of their theories is that there is some kind of alien space probe in orbit around Earth, and that it is aiding them in their quest; it also aided the United States in disclosing the

Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration's continual ...

scandal and the resignation of

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

in August 1974. Kevin turns his friends onto a film, ''Valis'', that contains obvious references to revelations identical to those that Horselover Fat has experienced, including what appears to be time dysfunction. The film is itself a fictional account of an alternative-universe version of Nixon (Ferris F. Fremount) and his fall, engineered by a satellite called . (The plot of the fictitious film ''Valis'' was that of Dick's then-unpublished novel ''

Radio Free Albemuth ''Radio Free Albemuth'' is a dystopian novel by Philip K. Dick, written in 1976 and published posthumously in 1985. Originally titled ''VALISystem A'', it was his first attempt to deal in fiction with his experiences of early 1974. When his pu ...

''.) In seeking the film's makers, Kevin, Phil, Fat, and David—now calling themselves the Rhipidon Society—head to an estate owned by popular musician Eric Lampton and his wife Linda. They decide the goal that they have been led toward is Sophia Lampton, who is two years old and the Messiah or incarnation of Holy Wisdom (''

Pistis Sophia ''Pistis Sophia'' ( grc-koi, Πίστις Σοφία) is a Gnostic text discovered in 1773, possibly written between the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The existing manuscript, which some scholars place in the late 4th century, relates one Gnostic g ...

'') anticipated by some variants of

Gnostic Christianity Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized per ...

. In addition to healing Phil's schizophrenic personality split, she tells them that their conclusions about (which Fat had previously termed ''Zebra'') and reality are correct, and more importantly, that we should worship, not gods, but humanity. She dies two days later due to a laser accident caused by Brent Mini. Undeterred, Fat (who has now resurged) goes on a global search for the ''next'' incarnation of

Sophia Sophia means "wisdom" in Greek. It may refer to: *Sophia (wisdom) *Sophia (Gnosticism) *Sophia (given name) Places *Niulakita or Sophia, an island of Tuvalu *Sophia, Georgetown, a ward of Georgetown, Guyana *Sophia, North Carolina, an unincorpor ...

. Dick also offers a rationalist explanation of his apparent theophany, acknowledging that it might have been visual and auditory hallucinations from either

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

or drug addiction

sequelae A sequela (, ; usually used in the plural, sequelae ) is a pathological condition resulting from a disease, injury, therapy, or other trauma. Derived from the Latin word, meaning “sequel”, it is used in the medical field to mean a complication ...

Characters

* Phil (Philip K. Dick): Narrator ( first person), science fiction writer, author of ''

Man in the High Castle ''The Man in the High Castle'' (1962), by Philip K. Dick, is an alternative history novel wherein the Axis Powers won World War II. The story occurs in 1962, fifteen years after the end of the war in 1947, and depicts the political intrigues be ...

'', ''

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' (retroactively retitled ''Blade Runner: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' in some later printings) is a dystopian science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in 1968. Th ...

'', and '' Three Stigmata''. * Horselover Fat: Narrator (

third person Third person, or third-person, may refer to: * Third person (grammar), a point of view (in English, ''he'', ''she'', ''it'', and ''they'') ** Illeism, the act of referring to oneself in the third person * Third-person narrative, a perspective in p ...

), a schizophrenic modality of Phil himself. (''

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

'' in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

means "fond of horses"; ''dick'' is German for "fat".) * Gloria Knudson: Suicidal friend of Fat's who Fat is unable to save. * Kevin: Cynical friend of Fat's whose cat died running across the street, based on K. W. Jeter. * Sherri Solvig: Church-going friend of Fat's, eventually dies from lymphatic cancer. * David: Catholic friend of Fat's, based on

Tim Powers Timothy Thomas Powers (born February 29, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels ''Last Call (novel), Last Call'' and ''Declare''. ...

. * Eric Lampton: Rock star, screenwriter, actor, a. k. a. "Mother Goose"; a fictionalised version of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

. Name derived from that of rock star

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

. * Linda Lampton: Actress, wife of Eric Lampton. * Brent Mini: Electronic composer, a fictionalised version of

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

. * Sophia Lampton: Two-year-old child (personalised incarnation of Holy Wisdom within some variants of

Gnosticism Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people ...

), said to be the daughter of Linda Lampton and and the "Fifth Savior".

The Rhipidon Society

Phil, Fat, Kevin, and David decide to call themselves the Rhipidon Society. The motto they adopt is, "Fish cannot carry guns."

Planned trilogy

'', a posthumously published earlier version of ''VALIS'', is not included as a component of the ''VALIS'' trilogy. Dick completed one more novel after ''The Divine Invasion'', ''

'' (1982), based on Dick's association with Bishop James A. Pike and which, while not referencing VALIS directly, is thematically similar. According to Dick, these three books "form a trilogy constellating around a basic theme."

Reception

Greg Costikyan Greg Costikyan (born July 22, 1959, in New York City), sometimes known under the pseudonym "Designer X", is an American game designer and science fiction writer. Costikyan's career spans nearly all extant genres of gaming, including: hex-based wa ...

reviewed ''Valis'' in '' Ares Magazine'' #9 and commented that "The plot is minor, the characterization poor, and the prose unexciting; philosophy and deft manipulation of mood are not enough to carry the book."

Dave Langford David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'', and holds the all-time record for most ...

reviewed ''Valis'' for ''

White Dwarf A white dwarf is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to the Sun's, while its volume is comparable to the Earth's. A white dwarf's faint luminosity comes fro ...

'' #98, and stated that "Here a hard-headed Dick gently mocks the weird metaphysics of Fat through a series of wonderfully insane conversations and misadventures: a slapstick-tightrope-dance over a bit of potential insanity, a wrestle with demons in which (both inside and outside ''Valis'') Dick is the unexpected winner."

Thomas M. Disch Thomas Michael Disch (February 2, 1940 – July 4, 2008) was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nomination ...

reported that "the fascination of the book, what's most artful and confounding about it, is the way the line between Dick and Fat shifts and wavers." Disch concludes that "as a novel, as a ''whole'' novel... it went off the rails sometimes. But the first half holds together wonderfully, considering how much there is to be held together." Umberto Rossi posits that some degree of academic discomfort towards the novel has resulted from uncertainty whether Dick genuinely believed in the more fantastical aspects of the narrative (further supported by the

Exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (logic), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern usage, ...

which followed). In detailing the many ideological shunts between skepticism and belief which occur within the plot, Rossi concludes Dick intended neither view to achieve hegemony, but that the synthesis of both effectively depict "the unyielding contradictions in ick'sexperience of self... Being involved in a quest does not automatically confer enlightenment, but rather involves a search for the light; the condition of the quester is one of doubt, not certainty."

Dick's ''Exegesis''

V has been described as one node of an artificial

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

network originating from the star

Sirius Sirius is the list of brightest stars, brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinisation ...

in the

Canis Major Canis Major is a constellation in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere, southern celestial hemisphere. In the second century, it was included in Ptolemy's 48 constellations, and is counted among the 88 modern constellations. Its name is Latin fo ...

constellation. According to Dick, the Earth satellite used "pink laser beams" to transfer information and project holograms on Earth and to facilitate communication between an extraterrestrial species and humanity. Dick claimed that used "disinhibiting stimuli" to communicate, using symbols to trigger

recollection Recall in memory refers to the mental process of retrieval of information from the past. Along with encoding and storage, it is one of the three core processes of memory. There are three main types of recall: free recall, cued recall and serial ...

of intrinsic knowledge through the loss of amnesia, achieving gnosis. Drawing directly from Platonism and

, Dick wrote in his ''Exegesis'': "We appear to be memory coils (DNA carriers capable of experience) in a computer-like thinking system which, although we have correctly recorded and stored thousands of years of experiential information, and each of us possesses somewhat different deposits from all the other life forms, there is a malfunction—a failure—of

memory retrieval Recall in memory refers to the mental process of retrieval of information from the past. Along with encoding and storage, it is one of the three core processes of memory. There are three main types of recall: free recall, cued recall and serial ...

." At one point, Dick claimed to be in a state of enthousiasmos with , where he was informed his infant son was in danger of perishing from an unnamed malady. Routine checkups on the child had shown no trouble or illness; however, Dick insisted that thorough tests be run to ensure his son's health. The doctor eventually complied, despite the fact that there were no apparent symptoms. During the examination doctors discovered an

inguinal hernia An inguinal hernia is a hernia (protrusion) of abdominal-cavity contents through the inguinal canal. Symptoms, which may include pain or discomfort especially with or following coughing, exercise, or bowel movements, are absent in about a third ...

, which would have killed the child if an operation was not quickly performed. His son survived thanks to the operation, which Dick attributed to the "intervention" of . Another event was an episode of supposed

xenoglossia Xenoglossy (), also written xenoglossia () and sometimes also known as xenolalia, is the supposedly paranormal phenomenon in which a person is allegedly able to speak, write or understand a foreign language that they could not have acquired by n ...

. Supposedly, Dick's wife transcribed the sounds she heard him speak, and discovered that he was speaking

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

—the common Greek dialect during the

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

years (3rd century BC–4th century AD) and direct "father" of today's

modern Greek language Modern Greek (, , or , ''Kiní Neoellinikí Glóssa''), generally referred to by speakers simply as Greek (, ), refers collectively to the dialects of the Greek language spoken in the modern era, including the official standardized form of the ...

—which he had never studied. As Dick was to later discover, Koine Greek was originally used to write the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

and the Septuagint. However, this was not the first time Dick had claimed xenoglossia: a decade earlier, Dick insisted he was able to think, speak, and read fluent Latin under the influence of Sandoz Laboratories, Sandoz LSD-25. The UK edition of ''VALIS'' also included "Cosmology and Cosmogony", a chapbook containing selections from Dick's ''Exegesis (book), Exegesis''.

Philosophical and cultural references

Theology and philosophy, especially Metaphysics, metaphysical philosophy, play an important role in ''VALIS'', presenting not just Dick's (and/or Horselover Fat's) own views on these subjects but also his interpretation of numerous religions and philosophies of the past. The most prominent religious references are to Valentinus (Gnostic), Valentinian Gnosticism, the Rosy Cross, Rose Cross Brotherhood, Zoroastrianism and Buddhism, as well as Biblical writings including the Book of Daniel and the

epistles. Many ancient Greek philosophy, Greek philosophers are discussed, including several Pre-Socratic philosophy, Pre-Socratics (Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Heraclitus, Empedocles, and Parmenides) as well as Plato and Aristotle. More recent thinkers that are mentioned include the philosophers Blaise Pascal, Pascal and Arthur Schopenhauer, Schopenhauer, the Christian Mysticism, mystic Jakob Böhme, the alchemist Paracelsus, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, the Romanian historian of religion Mircea Eliade, and the author and psychologist Robert Anton Wilson. In Wilson's autobiographical ''Cosmic Trigger'' (released shortly before Dick commenced work on ''VALIS''), Wilson describes similar musings concerning the 'Sirius Connection', contemplating the idea that alien entities are sending out waves of information that we can tune in on. ''VALIS'' specifically mentions the Dogon people, saying that they had encountered ajna, three-eyed people who had descended from Ikhnaton. References are also made to numerous deities, including Yurugu (who it associates with Yin and yang, Yin) and Nommo (who it associates with Yin and yang, Yang); it also suggests a blind, mad creator deity called Yaldaboath or Samael. The novel frequently references the 1945 discovery at Nag Hammadi library, Nag Hammadi. The action of ''VALIS'' is set firmly in the American popular culture of its time, with references to the Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, and Linda Ronstadt, as well as the fictional rock musicians Eric Lampton and Brent Mini (likely based on

and

respectively). However, the novel also contains a number of high culture references such as the poets Henry Vaughan, Vaughan, William Wordsworth, Wordsworth, and Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Goethe, and the classical composers George Frideric Handel, Handel and Richard Wagner, Wagner. In particular, the novel contains several extended discussions about Wagner's metaphysical opera ''Parsifal''.

Black Iron Prison

"The Black Iron Prison" is a concept of an all-pervasive system of social control postulated in the ''Tractates Cryptica Scriptura'', a summary of an unpublished Gnostic exegesis included in ''VALIS''. Dick wrote:

In popular culture

''VALIS'' was adapted in 1987 as an electronic opera by composer Tod Machover, and performed at Centre Georges Pompidou, with live singers and video installations created by artist Catherine Ikam. On February 1, 2004, ''Variety (magazine), Variety'' announced that Utopia Pictures & Television had acquired the rights to three of Philip K. Dick's works: ''Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said'', ''VALIS'', and ''

''. ''VALIS'' appeared in the TV show ''Lost (TV series), Lost''. In the episode "Eggtown", aired February 21, 2008, the character John Locke gives Ben Linus the book to read from Ben's own book shelf, while Ben is being held captive. In "The Other Woman (Lost), The Other Woman", aired March 6, 2008, Ben is again shown reading the novel before being interrupted by Locke. John Alan Simon, director of the Radio Free Albemuth (film), film adaptation of ''Radio Free Albemuth'', remarked that ''VALIS'' will form the basis of a sequel to that film if it is successful: "Since ''Radio Free Albemuth'' is essentially the first draft of ''VALIS'', we ended up with rights to both from the estate of

. If ''Radio Free Albemuth'' is successful, ''VALIS'' the book would form the basis for the sequel to ''VALIS'' the movie. In other words, the story of ''VALIS'' would form the basis for ''VALIS 2''." British indie rock band Bloc Party has a song titled "V.A.L.I.S." on their 2012 album ''Four (Bloc Party album), Four''. Progressive metal band Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster have songs named "Exegesis", "Valis" and "Black Iron Prison", all inspired by Dick's work, on their 2012 album ''Exegesis''. Portuguese double bassist Hugo Carvalhais's 3rd album ''Grand Valis'' (Clean Feed Records 2015) is inspired by Dick's book.

References

Sources

* Galbreath, Robert, (1982). "Salvation-Knowledge: Ironic Gnosticism in ''VALIS'' and ''The Flight to Lucifer''," in ''Science-Fiction Dialogues'', Gary K. Wolfe, ed. Chicago: Academy Chicago, pp. 115–32. * _______________ (1983). "Redemption and doubt in Philip K. Dick's VALIS Trilogy", ''Extrapolation'' 24:2, pp. 105–15. * Palmer, Christopher, (1991). "Postmodernism and the Birth of the Author in Philip K. Dick's ''VALIS''," ''Science-Fiction Studies'' 55, 18:3, pp. 330–42. * Stilling, Roger J., (1991). "Mystical Healing: Reading Philip K. Dick's ''VALIS'' and ''The Divine Invasion'' as Metapsychoanalytic Novels", ''South Atlantic Review'' 56: 2, pp. 91–106 * Dick, Philip K., Lee, Gwen, Sauter, Doris E., ''What If Our World is Their Heaven'' (2001) pp. 49–157

External links

*
''VALIS'' book cover gallery
The appendix of ''VALIS'', an extract of the Exegesis

by Ted Gioia (Conceptual Fiction) {{DEFAULTSORT:Valis 1981 American novels 1981 science fiction novels American philosophical novels American science fiction novels Fictional creation stories Gnosticism Metafictional novels Metaphysical fiction novels Novels adapted into operas Novels by Philip K. Dick Postmodern novels Religion in science fiction