Long before establishing himself as one of sf's foremost innovators, Dick served his writing apprenticeship by penning sober mainstream tales about harried American workers. First published in 1986 in England and now receiving American publication, this early novel recounts the intertwined fates of California-based used-car-salesman Al Miller and his aging landlord, Jim Fergusson. Perpetually down on his luck, Miller sees the world through cynical lenses, whereas Fergusson, despite a recent heart attack, remains optimistic. When Miller discovers that Fergusson is selling their shared business and taking the advice of a shady record producer to purchase a new one, he becomes suspicious. With the aim of undermining the deal, Miller recklessly talks his way into a job for the producer and bumbles headlong into life-unraveling charges of fraud. Dick aficionados will recognize the familiar themes of psychosis and confrontation with inimical powers that permeated his later work. As a formative novel, this book contains surprisingly strong writing and character development and reveals an interesting dimension of the Dick canon.--Hays, Carl Copyright 2007 Booklist

Fans of late SF icon Dick (1928-1982) who have yet to discover his obscure nongenre works will be pleasantly surprised by this profound-and perplexing-1986 posthumous tragicomedy. Unpublished in the U.S., this tale revolves around two truly miserable characters: Jim Fergesson, a world-weary, ailing garage owner preparing to retire, and Al Miller, a shiftless used car salesman who rents lot space from Fergesson. Learning that Fergesson is investing his life savings in a questionable real estate venture, Miller hatches a series of ill-conceived and delusional schemes he hopes will grant him some sort of redemption and save Fergesson from getting scammed. Evoking the economically booming, socially repressive and prejudiced America of the 1950s, this paranoid and ambiguity-filled exploration into the psyche of the small businessman showcases not only Dick's wild imagination and sardonic wit but also, and most notably, his mastery at intertwining perception with reality. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Dick wrote this back in the 1950s, but it didn't see daylight until 1986 and then only in England. Making its U.S. debut, this is one of the author's few non-sf books. The plot finds protagonist Al Miller trying to prevent a retiring business partner from being gypped out of his life savings by a real estate scam artist. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.