''Vulcan's Hammer'' is a 1960

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was released originally as an

Ace Double American company Ace Books began publishing genre fiction starting in 1952. Initially these were mostly in tête-bêche format with the ends of the two parts meeting in the middle and with a divider between them which functioned as the rear cover ...

. This has been considered to be the final outing of Dick's 1950s style pulp science fiction writing, before his better-received work such as the

Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...

-winning ''

Man in the High Castle ''The Man in the High Castle'' (1962), by Philip K. Dick, is an alternative history novel wherein the Axis Powers won World War II. The story occurs in 1962, fifteen years after the end of the war in 1947, and depicts the political intrigues b ...

'', published a year later.

Plot summary

In the year 2029, the Earth is run by the Unity organisation after the Third World War. Unity runs the planet, controlling humans from childhood

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

onwards through the Vulcan series of artificial intelligences, but is fought by the Healer movement. Unity Director William Barris discovers that the Vulcan 3 computer has become

sentient Sentience is the capacity to experience feelings and sensations. The word was first coined by philosophers in the 1630s for the concept of an ability to feel, derived from Latin '' sentientem'' (a feeling), to distinguish it from the ability to ...

and is considering drastic action to combat what it sees as a threat to itself. Vulcan 3 has been kept ignorant about information related to the Healer revolutionary movement by Managing Director Jason Dills, who is still loyal to its (also

) predecessor, Vulcan 2. Vulcan 2 fears that it will soon be superseded by Vulcan 3, and previously established the Healers as a movement to overthrow its successor. Dill and Barris begin to suspect one another, as Dill has received a letter that refers to Barris's previous contact with the Healers, but Vulcan 2 suffers partial damage in a terrorist attack. It advises Dill not to inform Vulcan 3 about the existence of the Healers, for fear that Vulcan 3 will order their mass execution. However, Vulcan 3 has already noticed the gap in available data about the rebels, and manufactured killer androids of its own. Barris and Dill resolve their differences and together attend an extraordinary Director's Council meeting at the Unity Control Building in Geneva. Jason Dill is presented with an indictment for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

for having withheld data about the Healers from Vulcan 3. The meeting turns into a

melee A melee ( or , French: mêlée ) or pell-mell is disorganized hand-to-hand combat in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts. In military aviation, a melee has been defined as " air battle in which ...

, during which Dill is killed. The directors split into pro and anti-Vulcan 3 factions, with some directors joining forces with the Healers. Barris escapes to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, meets up with Father Fields, and plans an attack upon Vulcan 3. The anti-Vulcan 3 forces make their move, resulting in the destruction of the artificial intelligence. Finally, humanity is freed from Unity and its technocratic

dictatorship A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...

Publication details

The novel is an expansion of a

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) fact ...

that was first printed in ''

Future Science Fiction ''Future Science Fiction'' and ''Science Fiction Stories'' were two American science fiction magazines that were published under various names between 1939 and 1943 and again from 1950 to 1960. Both publications were edited by Charles Hornig fo ...

'' magazine in 1956. ''Vulcan's Hammer'' was first published as a novel by

Ace Books Ace Books is a publisher of science fiction (SF) and fantasy books founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn. It began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns, and soon branched out into other genres, publishing its first scien ...

as one half of

D-457, bound

dos-à-dos Dos-à-dos (French for "back-to-back") may refer to: *Dosado Do-si-do is a dance move. Description It is a circular movement where two people, who are initially facing each other, walk around each other without or almost without turning, i.e., fa ...

with

John Brunner John Brunner may refer to: * Sir John Brunner, 1st Baronet (1842–1919), British industrialist and Liberal Member of Parliament * John L. Brunner (1929–1980), Pennsylvania politician * Sir John Brunner, 2nd Baronet (1865–1929), British Libera ...

's ''The Skynappers''. It was republished in 2000 by the UK

Orion Publishing Group Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It was founded in 1991 and acquired Weidenfeld & Nicolson the following year. The group has published numerous bestselling books by notable authors including Ian Rankin, Michael Connell ...

in an omnibus volume containing three of Dick's novels originally published as Ace Doubles, the other two being ''

The Man Who Japed ''The Man Who Japed'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in 1956. Although one of Dick's lesser-known novels, it features several of the ideas and themes that recur throughout his later works. The "jape ...

'' and '' Dr. Futurity''.

Adaptation

In November 2021, a film adaptation of ''Vulcan's Hammer'' was announced. The film will be directed by Francis Lawrence, with

New Republic Pictures New Republic Pictures is an American production company and independent financier of feature films founded by Brian Oliver in 2017. History Through partnerships with major studios and foreign sales companies, New Republic brings outstanding ...

, Lawrence’s about:blank and

Electric Shepherd Productions Philip Kindred Dick (December 16, 1928March 2, 1982), often referred to by his initials PKD, was an American science fiction writer. He wrote 44 novels and about 121 short stories, most of which appeared in science fiction magazines during his l ...

producing.

References

Sources

*''Counterfeit Worlds: Philip K Dick on Film'', p. 28, by Brian J Robb *Andrew Butler: ''The Pocket Essential Philip K. Dick'': Harpenden: Pocket Essentials: 2007:

External links

Official PKDick website review
{{Philip K. Dick 1960 American novels 1960 science fiction novels Ace Books books American post-apocalyptic novels American science fiction novels Novels about artificial intelligence Fiction set in 2029 Novels by Philip K. Dick