Psi-man Heal My Child!
"Psi-man Heal My Child!" is a science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick, originally published in the November 1955 issue of the magazine Imaginative Tales.[1] It also has the alternative titles of "Psi-Man" and "Outside Consultant", and appeared, among the others, in Dick's short story collections The Book of Philip K. Dick and Second Variety.[2]
Plot summary
[edit]The story revolves around a group of "Talents", people with varying psychoactive powers in a post-apocalyptic setting. The remaining survivors of humanity are hunkered down in isolated communities and can only leave with permission from their military leaders. The main plot of the story is of a family who chooses to have a Talent heal their daughter of cancer instead of the harsh treatments of their local hospital. A side plot involves one of the Talents, who has the power to traverse time, repeatedly attempting to change the present by returning to the past.
Reception
[edit]Australian science fiction author Damien Broderick wrote "this trope of a paranormal power to move back and forth in time is at the heart of this story, which presents a grim post-nuclear future in which a small gathering of the psi-gifted attempt to maintain themselves while helping heal the blighted normals ... it is not a satisfying adventure story, but it is the truth of Phillip K. Dick".[3]
See also
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References
[edit]- ^ Dick, Phillip K. (November 1955). Hamling, William L. (ed.). "Psi-Man Heal My Child!". Imaginative Tales. Vol. 2, no. 2. p. 48.
- ^ Hyde, Dave (2007). Pink Beam: A Philip K. Dick Companion (1st ed.). Colorado: Ganymedean Slime Mold Pubs. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-4303-2437-9.
- ^ Broderick, Damien (2018). Psience Fiction: The Paranormal in Science Fiction Literature. McFarland. p. 135. ISBN 978-1-4766-7228-1.
External links
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