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 "Psi-Man" and "Outside Consultant", and appeared, among 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 follows 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 follows 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 Philip K. Dick".[3]
See also
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References
[edit]- ^ Dick, Philip 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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