juliano viana's blog: I am alive - you are all dead
The Divine Invasion
So what really happened to the world 2000 years ago? What if Yah (or Jeovah as it is commonly known) was actually an alien life form, and had been driven away from Earth by an enemy life form in early Christian times? How would this life form manage to regain control of the earth? Can this "second coming" (or second invasion?) ever be successful? Or even is all of this happening for real or is it just happening in the imagination of a man lying in cryogenic suspension? This cocktail of religion, science fiction and plot twists is what you can expect when you open "The Divine Invasion" by Phillip K. Dick. Its the penultimate book Phillip wrote and is surprisingly refreshing when compared with the deep theological riddles of his previous book (V.A.L.I.S). It is fun to read and full of witty dialogues and unexpected "guest appearances". I am not a religious person but I have read my share of the bible over time (actually more than most religious people) and I still found most of the biblical references obscure. PKD has yet again portrayed something taken for granted (religion) as seen through the filter of his fertile (or deranged, depending on the point of view) imagination.
You didn't dream it - its exactly what happens in The Divine Invasion. The "hero" is in cryogenic suspension in a clinic close to a FM station, and he keeps listening to some "soupy music" from time to time without realizing its actually coming from outside his mind. Of course, eventually he does wake up from his hibernation and finds out the truth. Or does he? :)
My favourite funny moment in a PkD book has to be the guy who is dead, but because he's being kept dead in a building next to cinema (or something similar) he's constantly being disturbed in his death by the noise. --- as you can see it was a long time ago that I read the book from whence that came...or did I just dream it !!!
Phillip K. Dick