Valis

   

VALIS is one of the last books written by science fiction author Philip K. Dick. VALIS, standing for Vast Active Living Intelligence System, is Dick's gnostic vision of one aspect of God.

The main character in VALIS is Dick himself. He calls himself Horselover Fat, which is a translation of his name. `Horselover` is English for the Greek word `fil-hippos`, lover/friend of horses (like `filosofy`, friend of knowledge), and `fat`, being English for the German word `dick`.

Horselover Fat wrote his exegesis: Criptica Scriptura, explaning his view on the world in a not so few, not so simple rules. The UK edition of VALIS also included Cosmology and Cosmogony, a chapbook containing selections from Dick's Exegesis.

Dick's friends (and fellow science fiction writers) James P. Blaylock, K.W. Jeter and Tim Powers also appear as thinly disguised characters in the novel.

VALIS is a part of the VALIS trilogy of novels:

See also:

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