The Cosmic Puppets

Philip K. Dick · 1957 · Novel

Explore this on the mapTrace its ancestors and descendants live in the tree.

This novel explores the malleability of reality and the idea that our perceived world might be just one of many possible constructions, predating and informing Dick's later, more famous alternate history works.

What it is

A man returns to his hometown to find it subtly but fundamentally altered, with different people, buildings, and even history. He discovers that two cosmic entities are battling to shape reality, resulting in an unstable, shifting existence.

↑Inherited from(1)

Sidewise in Time· 1934↑ open

While Dick's focus is on a single reality being manipulated, the underlying concept of reality being fluid and potentially different from what one remembers, echoes the 'sidewise' shifts of Leinster's story, inspiring Dick's early explorations of alternate realities.

↓Passed on to(1)

The Man in the High Castle· 1962↓ open

This work is a direct precursor to 'The Man in the High Castle,' establishing Dick's fascination with shifting realities, the nature of truth, and the idea that our world might be an illusion or one of many possibilities.