A Maze of Death - Philip K. Dick Book Review

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TOP SCHOLAR: David Loftus

SCHOLARS: Scott David Mclemore Robert Hadley Harriet Klausner Sam Batterson Jason Seward M Gandy Alexander Babiera Jesi Bornemann Future Boy

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Review Summary

Early in the 22nd century, 14 strangers find themselves assigned to the planet Delmak-O, but the mission plans get wiped out, so no one knows what they're supposed to do there. Tensions build and people get on one another's nerves. It doesn't help that small mechanical insects appear to be monitoring their activities. Then, one by one, they start dying violent deaths. This is another of Dick's very tricky point-of-view and what-is-reality plots, with an ongoing religious theme that combines various major current religions into a faith for the future.
David Loftus, Resident Scholar

A group of people all get transfers to Delmak-O but don't know what they are supposed to do there. In the search for the truth for discover some things they never would have imagined.
Future Boy, Resident Scholar

Detailed literary breakdown of A Maze of Death

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%

Tone of book - cynical or dry-wit
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Plotlets: - colonizing/homesteading another planet - stranded on alien planet, fighting aliens to survive
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Religious overtones? Yes

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - scientist
Age: - 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - none

Setting
Terrain - Desert
Spaceship setting: - futuristic human freighter/transport
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - empty, or nearly empty world
Planet outside solar system? Yes
Takes place in spaceship? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd - rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed - a moderate amount of scientific explanation
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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