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The Penultimate Truth
1964 science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick
The Penultimate Truth
The Penultimate Truth is a 1964 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published by Belmont Books. Set in 2025, it depicts a society in which most people live in underground shelters, manufacturing military robots for a war they believe is still being fought. The war has ended, but a ruling minority maintains the deception while occupying private estates on the surface. The narrative follows Nicholas St. James, who leaves his shelter to obtain an artificial organ, and Joseph Adams, a propagandist drawn into a struggle among the rulers. Dick drew on earlier fiction, including the short stories "The Defenders" and "The Mold of Yancy", and completed the novel in 1964 under the working title In the Mold of Yancy. Critical interpretations have examined its treatment of propaganda, social hierarchy, community, and the manipulation of historical evidence. Robert Silverberg praised the novel's plotting, characters, and pace while criticizing its prose. Later assessments...
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