A Scanner Darkly is a book that could have only come from Philip K Dick in the 1970s. The book deals with Dick’s themes of alienation and identity. This was Dick’s last book before the vision that compelled him to write his VALIS books. It’s a wonderful view of a modern (well 1970s modern) small town and the effects of a drug war on the people chosen to fight on the front lines.

Bob Arctor is a drug dealer. He deals in Substance D, a lethally addictive narcotic. Bob Arctor is also Fred, a police officer who’s tasked to bring in Bob Arctor. And Bob Arctor is addicted to Substance D which splits a person into dual identities. Fred’s superiors at the police station don’t know that he is Bob. They don’t even know what Fred looks like, since he is required to hide his identity from everyone, including his superiors. But when Fred’s addiction gets too bad, he is sent to a rehab by Donna, the drug dealer that Fred/Bob loves. Only Donna is also a police agent trying to infiltrate the rehab center. The paranoia grows from there until you are left wondering if there is anybody in the whole Substance D chain who isn’t actually working for the police.

The paranoia and drug culture work together with Dick’s themes of identity to create a compelling view of the world of a drug dealer. If not for the blur suits, that hide the undercover police officer’s identity when he is forced to appear for police duty, this book wouldn’t even be listed in the science fiction setting. Dick always wanted to write straight fiction, but only his science fiction sold. As Dick’s writing progressed, you can see how he overlays a straight fiction novel onto the barest thread of science fiction. But he does it so well, that science fiction readers will enjoy it and non-science fiction readers will barely notice that the science fiction elements.

Philip K Dick was one of the most talented writers from the 60s generation. His ideas and influence spread out to the next generation of writers, even as he was underappreciated during his lifetime. A Scanner Darkly is a master writer at the top of his craft.