A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick is a haunting and darkly comedic exploration of identity, addiction, and surveillance. Set in a near-future dystopia, the novel follows undercover narcotics agent Bob Arctor, who becomes addicted to the drug Substance D while investigating its distribution. As the drug fractures his mind, Arctor struggles to distinguish between his dual identities and reality itself. Blending psychological depth with social commentary, Dick examines themes of paranoia, free will, and the human cost of drug culture and authoritarian control, delivering a poignant and unsettling vision of a fractured world.
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