Once Upon A Parallel Time (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. 4 Alternate Universe Tales in One Edition: Adjustment Team, The Defenders, The Unreconstructed M & Breakfast at TwilightBy Philip K. Dick
Length5h 29m
About this audiobook
Once Upon A Parallel Time explores one of Philip K. Dick's most enduring imaginative territories: the instability of reality when time, memory, and identity cease to obey ordinary laws. Framed with an almost fable-like resonance, the work transforms the familiar promise of "once upon a time" into a speculative inquiry about alternate histories and fractured perception. Its style is characteristically Dickian: brisk, unsettling, philosophically charged, and attentive to the anxieties hidden beneath everyday life. In the broader context of twentieth-century science fiction, it belongs to the tradition that made the genre a vehicle for metaphysics as much as technological speculation. Philip K. Dick was uniquely equipped to write such a work. Born in 1928, he became one of American science fiction's most searching investigators of false realities, authoritarian systems, and fragile selves. His personal struggles, religious experiences, and lifelong suspicion of consensus reality shaped fiction that repeatedly asks whether the world we inhabit is authentic or imposed. This book is recommended for readers who value science fiction as intellectual provocation. It will especially appeal to those interested in parallel worlds, philosophical fiction, and the unsettling brilliance of an author who turned doubt itself into art.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- The Author Biography highlights personal milestones and literary influences that shape the entire body of writing.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreScience Fiction, General Fiction
Length5 hrs 29 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJun 9, 2018
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Author Biography
4Historical Context
5Synopsis (Selection)
Show all chaptersShow less
6Once Upon A Parallel Time (pt. 1)
7Once Upon A Parallel Time (pt. 2)
8Analysis
9Reflection
10Memorable Quotes
The Rule of the Machines: 5 Sci-Fi Titles in One Edition (Annotated)Philip K. Dick6h 58m$2 · $0.00
When Machines Take Over (Annotated)Philip K. Dick7h$2 · $0.00
The Amazing Sci-Fi Tales of Philip K. Dick - 34 Titles in One Edition (Annotated)Philip K. Dick29h 51m$2 · $0.00
Time Traveler TalesPhilip K. Dick5h 42m$1 · $0.00
The Amazing Sci-Fi Tales of Philip K. Dick - 34 Titles in One EditionPhilip K. Dick29h 29m$1 · $0.00
The Variable Man, The Skull & Meddler - 3 Time Travel SF Classics in One EditionPhilip K. Dick4h 29m$2 · $0.00
The Golden ManPhilip K. Dick2h 45m$1 · $0.00
Philip K. Dick: SF Boxed SetPhilip K. Dick29h 38m$1 · $0.00
Once Upon A Parallel TimePhilip K. Dick5h 17m$2 · $0.00
The Greatest SF Stories of Philip K. DickPhilip K. Dick29h 33m$2 · $0.00
The Greatest Works of Philip K. DickPhilip K. Dick29h 39m$2 · $0.00
Time Traveler Tales (Annotated)Philip K. Dick5h 39m$2 · $0.00
In the Parallel Universe - 4 SF Tales in One EditionPhilip K. Dick5h 19m$2 · $0.00
The Variable Man, The Skull & Meddler - 3 Time Travel SF Classics in One EditionPhilip K. Dick4h 29m$2 · $0.00
The Collected Works of Philip K. Dick (Annotated)Philip K. Dick29h 57m$2 · $0.00
The Greatest Science Fiction Works of Philip K. Dick (Annotated)Philip K. Dick29h 47m$2 · $0.00
Second VarietyPhilip K. Dick1h 43m$10 · $0.00
Adjustment TeamPhilip K. Dick1h 5m$1 · $0.00
Beyond the DoorPhilip K. Dick17m5.0 (1)$1 · $0.00
Rebel’s StrikeRachel Aukes, Jamie McFarlane10h 20m$20
Sponsored Apocalypse 2Blaise Corvin10h 3m$25
Coup D’EtatC. R. Daems9h 12m$20
The Greatest Works of Jules VerneJules Verne246h 57m$2 · $0.00
Judgment DayRick Partlow10h 44m$20
ViniumS. H. Jucha14h 7m$23
AdventSeth Ring13h 20m$27
Sons of War 4: SoldiersNicholas Sansbury Smith, Tom Abrahams12h 54m$25
Hell to PayMichael Anderle7h 50m$20
A Civil CampaignLois McMaster Bujold18h 49m$32
Warrior’s FateWalt Browning10h 37m$20
The RisenErica Stevens10h 17m$20
100 Years to ExtinctionPeter Solomon14h 48m$27
Amazing Tales Volume 1Max Williams et al.4h 5m$2.30
H. G. Wells: Collected Works (Annotated)H. G. Wells427h 28m$2 · $0.00
Scars of RebellionAnthony J. Melchiorri12h 56m$25
The Galaxy, and the Ground WithinBecky Chambers9h 56m$29 · $0.00
AvengerBlair Howard9h 54m$23
Core’s AttackS.E. Smith5h 57m$17
TimelessR. A. Salvatore12h 30m$33 · $0.00
Under His ProtectionB. Love5h 7m$15
Heart of IronC. M. Alongi15h 24m$30
Ethic IIAshley Antoinette9h 1m$20
RiversnowTess Thompson8h 11m$20
Supreme ClienteleAshley & JaQuavis8h 58m$20
Body Refinement in a Beast Tamer’s World, Book 1Seth Ring14h 7m$27
EmberJeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews13h 58m$23
The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Unabridged)Jane Austen88h 8m5.0 (1)$1 · $0.00
Desperate MeasuresBrenda Jackson8h 59m5.0 (1)$28 · $0.00
Searching For ThanksgivingS.E. Smith4h 24m$20
Naughty 4Brenda Hampton7h 30m$17
The Dance with Me TrilogyShelley Shepard Gray21h 44m$35
Anne Shirley (Complete 14 Book Collection)Lucy Maud Montgomery125h 28m$2 · $0.00
The DopemanJaQuavis Coleman5h 25m$20
Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate CollectionArthur Conan Doyle59h 49m$5 · $0.00
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.4 (20)$29 · $0.00
Grand Opening 2Carl Weber9h 16m$20
Sons of Valor II: Violence of ActionBrian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson12h 34m$23
Malevolent MagicMildred Abbott7h 13m$17
Bikes, Toys, and Hot BoyzGenesis Woods, Shantaé13h 9m$23
You may also like
The Greatest Works of Philip K. DickPhilip K. Dick29h 39m$2 · $0.00
In the Parallel Universe - 4 SF Tales in One EditionPhilip K. Dick5h 19m$2 · $0.00
Sci-Fi Classics of Fritz Leiber – 21 Time Travel & Dystopia StoriesFritz Reuter Leiber22h 47m$1 · $0.00
The Amazing Sci-Fi Tales of Philip K. Dick - 34 Titles in One EditionPhilip K. Dick29h 29m$1 · $0.00
The Minority Report and Other StoriesPhilip K. Dick5h 33m$24 · $0.00
Once Upon A Parallel TimePhilip K. Dick5h 17m$2 · $0.00
The Rule of the Machines: 5 Sci-Fi Titles in One Edition (Annotated)Philip K. Dick6h 58m$2 · $0.00
The Greatest SF Stories of Philip K. DickPhilip K. Dick29h 33m$2 · $0.00
The Big Time and Other Sci-Fi War Stories (Annotated)Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr.8h 40m$2 · $0.00
When Machines Take Over (Annotated)Philip K. Dick7h$2 · $0.00
Philip K. Dick: SF Boxed SetPhilip K. Dick29h 38m$1 · $0.00
Sci-Fi Classics of Fritz Leiber – 21 Time Travel & Dystopia StoriesFritz Reuter Leiber22h 8m$2 · $0.00
1986 - Book 3: At the End of TimeJesper Ersgård9h 43m$12 · $0.00
Adjustment TeamPhilip Kindred Dick59m$1 · $0.00
The Collected Works of Philip K. Dick (Annotated)Philip K. Dick29h 57m$2 · $0.00
Dead but Dreaming of Electric SheepPaul Tremblay12h 38m$33 · $0.00
Time Travelers' TalesFritz Reuter Leiber Jr.7h 54m$1 · $0.00
The Amazing Sci-Fi Tales of Philip K. Dick - 34 Titles in One Edition (Annotated)Philip K. Dick29h 51m$2 · $0.00
Screen PeopleMegan Garber7h 40m$26 · $0.00
The Delegate From Venus and three more storiesHenry Slesar2h 17m$2.30