I had a nightmare one night after reading the middle chapters. The dream was about needing to wake up from a dream because I knew I was in trouble only to wake up in another dream. haha

Anyway, let's see if I got the plot right. So we have an earth that has gotten so hot and overcrowded, the world government has required individuals to become settlers and start colonizing other planets. These colonists, however, specifically on Mars, seem to live very bleak lives. Good thing there's Can-D! A drug you take that allows you to be transported into another dream-like environment together with other people you take it with to explore "better" or more exciting illusory worlds. One private corporation has monopolized creating the layouts for these "out of reality" experiences, which was one day threatened when Palmer Eldritch introduced Chew-Z, a drug advertised as being so much better; "God promises eternal life, we can deliver it".

The rest of the book is how the (somewhat) main characters face their failures, fears, and regrets in life as they try to take Eldritch down, figure out who he really is and his motivations not only to save the company but before they completely lose control of their own worlds and identity.

This may be one of the most PKD books he has ever written, showcasing his philosophical stance on reality, religion, and corporations running the world. While the story may initially be hard to follow, things get more exciting and consuming as you have a better grasp (if that ever really happens haha) of the world he created in this novel and the elements of that world. It’s definitely a top-tier read.

BTW, Happy Birthday, PKD! You are a very strange human!