VALIS by Philip K. Dick
VALIS, a novel by Philip K. Dick, intertwines themes of reality, perception, and the nature of divinity through its unique narrative structure. The story begins with the attempted suicide of Horselover Fat's friend, Gloria, which sets off a series of complex events. Horselover Fat, who serves as a reflection of Dick himself, believes that the world is not what it seems; rather, it is an illusion masking the true nature of existence, which he associates with Imperial Rome. Central to this belief is VALIS, or the Vast Active Living Intelligence System, described as either an alien intelligence, a sophisticated mechanism, or pure living information.
As the narrative unfolds, Fat experiences a mystical revelation that leads him to perceive a connection between his life and a man from the time of Jesus Christ. This experience prompts him to seek a deeper understanding of the messages he believes are being conveyed to him, including through a film titled "Valis." The story explores Fat's quest for healing and understanding, marked by his encounters with characters embodying wisdom and divinity. Ultimately, VALIS engages readers in existential questions about reality, identity, and the search for meaning, showcasing Dick's characteristic blending of science fiction with philosophical inquiry.
On this Page
Subject Terms
VALIS
First published: 1980
Type of work: Novel
Time of work: 1970’s
Locale: California
The Story
VALIS begins with the attempted suicide of Horselover Fat’s friend Gloria, offered in a standard third-person point of view. Almost immediately, however, a first-person narrator interrupts to declare, “I am Horselover Fat, and I am telling this in the third person to gain much-needed objectivity.” This first-person narrator, named Philip K. Dick, is for all intents and purposes identical to the author of the book. As a result of a mystical experience involving the Christian fish symbol and a beam of pink light, Fat is convinced that the world as he sees it—that is, California in 1974—is in fact an illusion laid over Imperial Rome. This illusion is the product of an evil entity opposed by VALIS, the Vast Active Living Intelligence System, which—depending on Fat’s mood and who he is talking to—is either an alien intelligence, an immensely sophisticated mechanism, or an incarnation of pure living information.
Halfway through the book, the character Philip K. Dick has a dream that convinces him that much of what Fat says, if not strictly true, is at least not crazy. Even though Fat proposes that he is a sort of superimposition of a man who lived during the time of Jesus Christ and that through this man benevolent aliens have begun to communicate with him, Dick begins to take him seriously enough to argue that what Fat is seeing as a divine being is in fact himself in the distant future. Shortly after this, the three (four) of them go to a movie called Valis, which includes an experience much like Fat’s pink-beam epiphany. Believing that the film has encoded a message to him, Fat goes looking for its maker, whose daughter is an incarnation of Sophia, or wisdom. In her presence Fat and Dick are healed and made whole. They become one again.
Sophia dies shortly after this, and Fat separates from Dick once again. Fat searches for a new savior he believes is about to be born into the world. He comes back with the words KING FELIX, which Dick then sees in a television commercial. This provokes Fat to go searching again, and Dick himself remains in front of the television, watching carefully for the next signal from VALIS.
Bibliography
Apel, D. Scott, ed. Philip K. Dick: The Dream Connection. San Diego: Permanent Press, 1987.
Carrere, Emmanuel. I Am Alive and You Are Dead: The Strange Life and Times of Philip K. Dick. Translated by Timothy Bent. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2003.
Lem, Stanislaw. Microworlds: Writings on Science Fiction and Fantasy. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984.
Mackey, Douglas A. Philip K. Dick. Boston: Twayne, 1988.
Mason, Daryl. The Biography of Philip K. Dick. London: Gollancz, 2006.
Olander, Joseph, and Martin Harry Greenberg, eds. Philip K. Dick. New York: Taplinger, 1983.
Palmer, Christopher. Philip K. Dick: Exhilaration and Terror of the Postmodern. Liverpool, England: Liverpool University Press, 2003.
Sutin, Lawrence. Divine Invasion: A Life of Philip K. Dick. New York: Harmony Books, 1987.
Umland, Samuel J., ed. Philip K. Dick Contemporary Critical Interpretations (Contributions to the Study of Science Fantasy). Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1995.
Warrick, Patricia. Mind in Motion: The Fiction of Philip K. Dick. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1987.
Williams, Paul. Only Apparently Real: The World of Philip K. Dick. New York: Arbor House, 1986.