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    The Hanging Stranger
    The Hanging Stranger
    The Hanging Stranger
    Ebook48 pages28 minutes

    The Hanging Stranger

    By Philip K. Dick

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArchive Classics
    Release dateJun 1, 2007
    Author

    Philip K. Dick

    Over a writing career that spanned three decades, PHILIP K. DICK (1928–1982) published 36 science fiction novels and 121 short stories in which he explored the essence of what makes man human and the dangers of centralized power. Toward the end of his life, his work turned to deeply personal, metaphysical questions concerning the nature of God. Eleven novels and short stories have been adapted to film, notably Blade Runner (based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Total Recall, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly, as well as television's The Man in the High Castle. The recipient of critical acclaim and numerous awards throughout his career, including the Hugo and John W. Campbell awards, Dick was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2005, and between 2007 and 2009, the Library of America published a selection of his novels in three volumes. His work has been translated into more than twenty-five languages.

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    Reviews for The Hanging Stranger

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Read on Serial Reader--a 2-issue short story. It all starts with a hanging man only one other man seems to notice. A stranger, dirty, a little beat up. Where did he come from, and why does no one seem perturbed?Creepy and clever.
    • 5/5
      The Hanging Stranger is a grim short story more speculative fiction with horror elements, than science fiction. It has a decent premise and a good twist. If you enjoy some horror with your fiction I can recommend this.The synopsis below contains *SPOILERS*.It is a grim story about an alien force secretly invading earth. This is accomplished by replacing the population of a small town with doppelgängers. When somebody notices this absurd invasion tactic, they are promptly taken into custody and strung up for all to see (hence the title). The body serves as bait to catch the next person not yet replaced by an evil simulacra.
    • 3/5
      A man sees a dead stranger hanging in plain sight but his neighbors don't seem to notice or care. How did this come to be?This might be the first thing I've read by Philip K. Dick and perhaps a random short story wasn't the best place to start, especially as short stories aren't typically my favorite. Despite liking sci-fi in general, this story might have appealed to me more if it weren't in that genre. At first it seemed like a study in human behavior ala the real-life Kitty Genovese tragedy (i.e., people assuming someone else is dealing with it and then nothing gets done). Then it seemed like a psychological look into one man's mind as he slowly unravels from reality. For it to then end with it actually being a story of aliens seemed anticlimactic honestly.That all being said, it's a short story that can be read in about 30 minutes so it's still worth it if you're really invested in the genre or reading works by this particular author.

    Book preview

    The Hanging Stranger - Philip K. Dick

    The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Hanging Stranger, by Philip K. Dick

    This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with

    almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or

    re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included

    with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

    Title: The Hanging Stranger

    Author: Philip K. Dick

    Release Date: December 5, 2012 [EBook #41562]

    Language: English

    *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HANGING STRANGER ***

    Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online

    Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

    THE HANGING STRANGER

    BY PHILIP K. DICK

    ILLUSTRATED BY SMITH

    [Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from Science Fiction Adventures Magazine December 1953. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]

    Ed had always been a practical man, when he saw something was wrong he tried to correct it. Then one day he saw it hanging in the town square.

    Five o'clock Ed Loyce washed up, tossed on his hat and coat, got his car out and headed across town toward his TV sales store. He was tired. His back and shoulders ached from digging dirt out of the basement and wheeling it into the back yard. But for a forty-year-old man he had done okay. Janet could get a new vase with the money he had saved; and he liked the idea of repairing the foundations himself!

    It was getting dark. The setting sun cast long rays over the scurrying commuters, tired and grim-faced, women loaded down with bundles and packages, students swarming home from the university, mixing with clerks and businessmen and drab secretaries. He stopped his Packard for a red light and then started it up again. The store had been open without him; he'd arrive just in time to spell the help for dinner, go over the records of the day, maybe even close a couple of sales himself. He drove slowly past the small square of green in the center of the street, the town park. There were no parking places in front of LOYCE TV SALES AND SERVICE. He cursed under his breath and swung the car in a U-turn. Again he passed the little square of green with its lonely drinking fountain

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