For grown up Sci-fi Phillip K Dick is where its at. Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly are the foundation of what PKD is about.

For grown up Sci-fi Phillip K Dick is where its at. Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly are the foundation of what PKD is about. Once you grasp the level of mindfuck you are dealing with you can move on to valise and the other post-OD stories if you want. Skip the man in the high castle. I know that there will be other signals telling you to not skip it, but skip it. If you can't help yourself just say "this is what happens when a great author writes a book with a D20" and look back to why all "DnD" books suck. If you want space opera, you can't go wrong with the culture books. Consider Phlebas, is a fine place to start. Later books build on the mythology and themes, but if you don't connect with book 1 you probably aren't going to like the rest. A student of PKD who likes to play with scifantasy ideas is Johnathan Lethem. If he has written a book set somewhere that you have a connection to start there, otherwise start with The Fortress of Solitude. Follow with Chronic City and Motherless Brooklyn. Don't watch the Motherless Brooklyn movie.