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A Scanner Darkly

Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available
Bob Arctor is a dealer of the lethally addictive drug Substance D. Fred is the police agent assigned to tail and eventually bust him. To do so, Fred takes on the identity of a drug dealer named Bob Arctor. And since Substance D—which Arctor takes in massive doses—gradually splits the user's brain into two distinct, combative entities, Fred doesn't realize he is narcing on himself.
Caustically funny, eerily accurate in its depiction of junkies, scam artists, and the walking brain-dead, Philip K. Dick's industrial-grade stress test of identity is as unnerving as it is enthralling.
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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Undercover Police Officer Fred walks a fine line between his real identity and that of his alter ego, drug abuser Bob Arctor. But overdosing causes Fred to lose his balance and fall headlong into the chaotic world of substance abuse in which his two personalities fight against each other. Paul Giamatti's raspy voice adds a definitive depth to this edgy novel about the codependence of law enforcement and the drug scene. He fully captures the characters in their various drug-induced states, juggling paranoia, irrelevant banter, and dazed vocal tones. While his female voices sound similar, they are still discernable enough, and his overall performance certainly makes up for this shortcoming. L.E. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 10, 2006
      The great science fiction writer Philip K. Dick died in 1982, but his fame continues to grow—especially through films based on his work, like Terminator
      and Blade Runner
      . This dark but devilishly entertaining audio—read by the terrific Giamatti (American Splendor
      , Sideways
      )—offers Dick fans the complete book just in time to compare it to Richard Linklater's movie adaptation starring Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr. and Winona Ryder. Giamatti is an inspired choice, managing to capture both the touching charm and the irritating obsessiveness of Dick's leading characters in a slightly futuristic version of Los Angeles: a drug addict named Bob and a narcotics cop called Fred—who might just be the same person, especially since they're both addicted to a drug called Substance D, which gradually splits the user's brain into two warring entities. Dick's book is not for the squeamish or those offended by strong language, but he and Giamatti make the degradation and despair of addiction poignant and often hilarious. Simultaneous release with the Vintage paperback movie tie-in.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 9, 2006
      Described as being "like a graphic novel come to life," the 2006 film version of Dick's classic 1977 novel A Scanner Darkly
      is a full-length animated feature directed by Richard Linklater using rotoscope visual technique. In rotoscoping, filmed actors are digitally transformed into drawings. The graphic novel version of the film consists mostly of direct screen grabs from the animated version. Harvey Pekar has added some narration that has been adapted from the novel. The books and film tell the story of a futuristic Southern California in which drugs are rampant and identity mutable. Keanu Reeves plays an undercover cop who has to spy on and understand the druggy circles around him. The film looks intriguing, but the graphic novel version falls asleep instead of coming to life. Simply arranging film stills on a page to resemble comic book panels does not a narrative make. And while the dialogue seems mostly drawn from the film, the narration, intended to bridge the gap between watching action unfold and reading it, is incongruous and sometimes nonsensical in this setting. This bizarre hybrid is no substitute for Dick's original and will serve best as a reminder of the film.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 2, 1991
      America in the near future has lost the war against drugs. Though the government tries to protect the upper class, the system is infested with undercover cops like Fred, who regularly ingests the popular Substance D as part of his ruse. The drug has caused Fred to develop a split personality, of which he is not aware; his alter ego is Bob, a drug dealer. Fred's superiors then set up a hidden holographic camera in his home as part of a sting operation against Bob. Though he appears on camera as Bob, none of Fred's co-workers catch on: since Fred, like all undercover police, wears a scramble suit that constantly changes his appearance, his colleagues don't know what he looks like. The camera in Fred/Bob's apartment reveals that Bob's intimates regularly betray one another for the chance to score more drugs. Even Donna, a young dealer whom Bob/Fred loves, prefers the drug to human contact. Originally published in 1977, the out-of-print novel comes frighteningly close to capturing the U.S. in 1991, in terms of the drug crisis and the relationships between the sexes. But the unrelenting scenes among the addicts make it a grueling read.

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  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

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  • English

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