A Maze of Death

I would give this novel 3 1/2 stars. It touches on questions of life, death, religion, human nature, etc. It seemed shorter and felt more like a short story as compared to a novel. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it, however I don't feel it was Dick's best.

I like all of Ariana Franklin 's books. The hardest thing to accept is she died in 2011 and there won't be any new volumes to peruse. I always buy hers in Hardback because I keep them on my shelves. This story kept my interest and was full of suspense; the ending may not quite be up to her usual standards but still did not disappoint. She develops her characters fully and except for the arch villain you have some degree of identification with each in turn. I have 2 Kindles but save them for books I want to read but not necessarily display. I still have one room in my house just for books and more in shelves scattered around. This book belongs with Ms.franklins others where people can see it.

I had a hard time trying to rate this book. The story was fun but the history was horrible. Other reviewers give great synopses, so I won't repeat them. The dialog throughout the book was quite modern which makes it hard to keep remembering that the book takes place in the 12th century. I loved Gwil and Penda, but Maud was all over the place. Pithy one moment, scared the next and she was rather shallow and unlikable. For me the most unforgivable thing *SPOILER ALERT* was using the very famous story of William Marshal' s father saying to Stephen "I have the hammer and anvil to make more sons". In this book it is John of Tewing saying that to Matilda' s army. There were also anachronisms such as after a hit from the trebuchet plaster falls from the ceiling. So, if you can ignore the "history" and make it through the dialog and deal with Maud, there is a fun story in there. I realize that this was finished by Franklin's daughter and it must be difficult to work from someone else's notes. The style is different from Franklin's, the characters not as well defined. If you are looking for something more like the "Mistress of Death" series, this is not it.

First Sentence: It is a wood-paneled room of sumptuous size—the abbots of Perton have always done themselves well.

In 1141, England was engulfed in civil war between King Stephen and his cousin, the Empress Matilda over who would wear the crown. It is 1180 and a dying abbot has one last important task to accomplish. He summons a young scribe in order to document a much more personal story set during that backdrop and occurring during a long, brutal siege winter.

While readers were heartbroken by the death of Ariana Franklin and the incredible cliffhanger left in her last book in the “Mistress of the Art of Death” series, this does not resolve that series. However, for both prior and new readers, you are in for such a treat. This book was begun by Ms. Franklin (aka Diana Norman) prior to her death, and has been completed by her daughter, Samantha Norman. While that is wonderful in itself, what is truly remarkable is that the fusion is absolutely seamless.

There is no awkward transition between the two authors; it is all one voice. No, the language is not of the period. To that, there was the explanation given by Ms. Franklin at the end of “Grave Goods,” …”…in twelfth-century England the common people spoke a form of English even less comprehensive than Chaucer’s. In the fourteenth; the nobility spoke Normal French, and the clergy spoke Latin. Since people then sounded contemporary to one another, and since I hate the use of what I call “gadzooks” in historical novels to denote a past age, I insist on making those people sound modern to the reader.” One can’t argue with that.

For us readers, the story begins with the history given, the stage set, the players assembled and the curtain drawn on what, from the very start, we know will be a wonderful tale. The narrative is fascinating and, periodically through the story, moves the tale forward while providing historical context. The story provides wonderful details of castle life, and what it takes to run and defend a castle during this period.

What a wonderful assembly of characters. Each leaps off the page into full life and touches our emotions. Gwilherm de Vannes, a mercenary soldier, and his conversations with God are a true delight…”And what now, Lord? Eh? How can I protect her from herself?” “That’s a tricky one, Gwil. That’s the question. Even I can’t help you there I’m afraid.” Young Pen, whom he rescues, is a survivor who learns to cope with events in her own way. Maud, forced into marriage and now finds herself having to defend her castle with the help of Sir Rollo, commander of her troops and protect her son, William. There is a mystery to the story, and a villain which is as evil as a villain can be. This is the time of the Plantagenets, and the history is important, but the story is very much a human story.

However, considering One really doesn’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling what is an absolutely wonderful read. It is a story one would love to see brought to the screen, but only if it included every single page filmed exactly as it is on the page.

“The Siege Winter” is exciting, stirring, filled of tension and can bring one to tears but has a conclusion which makes one smile and touches the heart. Do you know how hard it is to write review notes when one is crying? It is a story which stays with you long after the last page. At the bottom of my review notes, I wrote Ex+++++++. Were it possible to rate a book 10 out of 5 stars, this would be it. I loved every page; every word. It doesn’t get better than that. However, the best news is that this may only be the first in a series.

THE SIEGE WINTER (Hist Novel – Gwil / Pendra – England – 1100s) – EX
Franklin, Ariana and Samantha Norman – 1st book
Harper Collins – February 2015

An abbot narrates "The Siege Winter," an earthy and entertaining work of historical fiction begun by the late Ariana Franklin and completed by her daughter, Samantha Norman. Although the abbot's health is failing, he clings to life because "he has something important to do." He summons a scribe to record a dramatic tale of "treachery and murder...as well as "courage and love."

The year is 1180, and the abbot relates, in a series of flashbacks, what happened during the protracted conflict between Matilda and her cousin, Stephen. The battles between these adversaries and their followers dragged on for "fourteen years during which all decency fled the land." Soldiers and other opportunists took advantage of the chaos to loot and torch villages, rob travelers, and slaughter peasants. Knights and mercenaries frequently switched allegiances, hoping to enrich themselves by backing the winning side. Norman focuses on various plot elements that ultimately converge: a bloodthirsty monk attacks an eleven-year old girl and leaves her for dead; a good-hearted mercenary takes the traumatized child under his wing; and Maud, a spunky chatelaine who rules over Kenniford Castle, is forced to marry a brute more than three decades her senior.

This stirring novel represents historical fiction at its best. The author evokes a tumultuous era of political unrest when power-hungry rulers refused to lay down their arms, knowing full well that their country would be pillaged and its inhabitants doomed to endure privation and death. Norman's arch-villain is a shadowy figure identified by his foul odor; his malevolent presence hovers over everything that transpires. As the narrative progresses, we grow to care greatly about the book's superbly delineated heroes and heroines, each of whom has a distinct and intriguing personality.

In "The Siege Winter," we observe humanity's finer qualities--loyalty, compassion, generosity, and self-sacrifice--in addition to such ignoble traits as arrogance, greed, selfishness, and aggression. Norman colorfully evokes the twelfth century in her use of language (although some terms she uses--such as "blimey"--were coined much later) and evocative descriptive passages. "The Siege Winter" is richly textured and fast-paced, with dramatic battle scenes; passages of tenderness, humor, and romance; and a realistic and satisfying ending. Samantha Norman proudly carries on her mother's fine storytelling tradition with this splendid stand-alone.

I read Ariana Franklin's first book in the Mistress of the Art of Death series and loved it. Sadly, Ariana passed away before she could finish Winter Siege but her daughter, Samantha Norman, decided to try and finish what her mother started, hence this novel!

I think she's done a fantastic job in telling the story of an England torn apart by Matilda and Stephen and of how ordinary people were caught up in their conflict.

The ordinary people in this story were Gwil, the mercenary, seeking redemption from God for the terrible deeds he has carried out in his past, by helping the young girl who he names Penda, as she can't remember her own name due to her horrific ordeal, an ordeal which, thankfully, she can't recall, she just knows that something terrible happened to her.

We also meet sixteen year old Maud of Kenniford Castle, forced to marry a much older man, a marriage of convenience to stop Matilda passing through the castle and lands of Maud, a land she had ruled since her father's death when she was eleven. But powerful men's allegiances changed as easily as the weather in those days.

Their lives will intertwine ....

I cared about all the characters, Gwil was a good man, Penda was full of revenge and, to her and Gwil's surprise found that she was an excellent archer, and Maud, who had a shrewd mind and was sharp and intelligent.

I thought the storyline was really compelling, it really brings the era of twelfth century England to life, it was lovely to see how Penda's confidence grew throughout the novel, this is a tale of treachery, murderous atrocities, but also a story of courage and love during a terrible time in England's history.

I am always happy to read book recommendations. This book wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible either. The story takes place in England during the late 1130's-1140's and during 1180. The story begins with the later date, then the meat of the story is told in flashbacks, as the narrator, now an elderly man on his deathbed, is telling his story to a scribe, and recounting the events that took place some 40 years earlier. The authors write fairly well, but there are still the usual run-on sentences, fragments, and other grammatical and syntax errors that I attribute as much to poor editing (or a lack of editing) as it is to poor writing.

What I did not like was how modern (21st century) mores and attitudes crept into the novel. Perhaps the authors felt that if they did not do this, readers would be turned off. However, I was disappointed because if the authors wish to write about events and social issues in historical fiction but not offend or bore modern readers, then they should set their novel during the 21st century, not the 12th century. The part that stands out most to me is the easy acceptance of Penda as a female by her fellow archers (save for a little teasing). Gender roles were very strictly prescribed in the 12th century (and for much of history), and females who dressed as men or pretended to be male were generally NOT accepted--Joan of Arc (lived during the 1400's) convinced people to follow her and saw visions, but read some of the literature and you would see that she was also greatly feared and despised because she presumed to do what men do. She was deemed a heretic and a witch and burned at the stake. Girl power and female empowerment were non-existent. There were a small number of female rulers, but they usually were not queens in their own right but sat on the throne as regent (acting ruler while their minor sons grew to the age where they could take over) and the Catholic Church allowed for little female power. Nuns or wives and mothers were the only options for them. They were not educated or trained the same way boys of their social class would be trained. Becoming a knight or even serving a knight was not an option. They could not own property, participate in public life, and were the chattel of first their fathers, then their husbands. Too many girls in a family often meant some were given to the church because marriage was expensive (she would need a dowry).

But what I did like was how the story progressed, at least until the latter part, when the story seemed very rushed. It meandered for most of the book, then it seemed that the authors either had a deadline or a page limit, and I found that everything wrapped up very quickly, too quickly.

I would have liked more on this era and the political and social instability, but for that I can re-read Ellis Peters' books, who did a much better job with fiction (mysteries in her case) set during the same era, and I liked Brother Cadfael much better. Now he seemed to be a true medieval person, not just a 21st century character plopped in 1140.

Virtuality as a concept has a long and somewhat murky history. By the 1950s, film producer, writer, and cinematographer Morton Heilig gave it a form we would recognize with the invention of the Sensorama (1962). Primitive and bulky, it did do much of what modern VR headsets do now. Even in its early conceptual stages, VR fascinated and began to appear in science fiction, witness Ray Bradbury’s short story “Veldt,” (1951), with its smart house and VR nursery (inspiration for Disney’s Smart House (1999). For Philip K. Dick, it proved the perfect literary device for his constant questioning of and speculation about what is and isn’t real. He employed it often in his short stories and novels. In A Maze of Death (1970), it is the prominent literary trope as Dick ponders the meaning of reality and which might make for a better existence, the real or the virtual. For a man who regularly dropped out of reality, exploring its nature is perfectly logical.

In A Maze of Death, fourteen colonists separately take one-way rockets to the planet Delmak-O. Each has a specialty, such as economist, geologist, physician, and theologian. They prove a disparate group which readers might view as either independent types or decidedly uncooperative, though the bunch seems to understand that to survive they must pull together. At the start, they share a hope they can muster the unity they need as they await instructions and guidance as to their mission on Delmak-O. Unfortunately, just as they gather to hear the message, the transmission dissolves into static. They are on their own. They attempt to organize a couple of times but each time their efforts fail. What’s more, they start killing each other off.

While they appear a disparate bunch, they find they all share one thing; that is a tattoo reading Persus 9. (Readers, what follows reveals the major plot twist of the novel, without which the novel makes little sense.)

Turns out, they are the crew of a spaceship, Persus 9. During their mission, they experienced a major malfunction that has left them abandoned in space. In order to preserve their resources and, presumably, their sanity, they enter into a suspended state for extended periods and exist in a virtual world created by agreement. Delmak-O is just one in a long line of virtual worlds they have generated and by consensus the worst of all the worlds, so far.

Even more interesting, the VR device appears to have developed something of a memory, being the repository of a religion that has evolved over the span of VR worlds, canonized in a book familiar to all, How I Rose From the Dead in My Spare Time and So Can You. This religion mimics the belief systems of the major faiths and Nordic mythology, particularly incorporating counterparts to the Trinity. In the end, the real and the virtual conflate when one character, while contemplating mass murder of the crew because of his personal despair over their situation, receives a message from the Intercessor. It’s a message that appears in different forms in The Divine Invasion, that each must choose his own path.

You’ll find the novel surprisingly engaging and, for Dick, a bit superficial from the plotting viewpoint. But the questions of what’s real and illusory; what’s better, real or virtual; is our paranoia justified? These are bedrock Dick themes, and maybe questions you yourself ask.

If you are a fan of PKD’s fast-paced craziness hop aboard. Here’s the setup: Over the span of two months, traveling one or two at a time in one-way rocket ships, fourteen men and women are transferred to the planet of Delmak-O to live as a small community in isolation. When the last of the colonists lands, they all anxiously huddle around a transmitter to listen to a General Treaton explain the reason for their assignment.

Unfortunately, right at the critical point when their mission's purpose is about to be explained, the transmitter goes haywire and no further communication is possible, either giving or receiving. Oh, no! No defined goals, no more contact; no more rocket ships - now they are truly isolated.

Also unfortunate is the fact not one of these men or women has a shred of community spirit; quite the contrary, they are all antisocial in the extreme. But fortunate for readers, the more unsociable and unfriendly their behavior, the more color and flair and weirdly provocative twists contained in the story, an entire cornucopia, as we follow the zigzag of their cockeyed misadventures. To share a more specific taste of this novel's uniqueness, here are nine specimens of PKD exotic fruit:

Seth Morley – A marine biologist who receives timely advice from a Walker-on-Earth to switch from his chosen noser (small one-way rocket) for flight to Delmak-O, a noser called the Morbid Chicken. Wow! To be saved by a higher life form - Seth is most grateful. Little does Seth know, once on Delmak-O, circumstances will propel him into the role of an Indiana Jones-style hero following a couple of other harrowing episodes: being sexually assaulted by the big breasted Susie Smart and shot by plastics technician Ignatz Thugg. Ah, community.

Sacred Text – For these denizens in PKD’s futuristic world, not the Bible but A.J. Specktowsky’s How I Rose From the Dead in My Spare Time and So Can You is held in reverence, a book containing such quizzical theology as: “God is not supernatural. His existence was the first and most natural mode of being to form itself.” As PKD himself states in his Forward, the theology in A Maze of Death is not like any one known religion; rather, as science fiction author, he developed his own system of religious thought predicated on the fickle assumption that God exists.

Prayer – If you were going to pray, would you need a transmitter where you could attach conduits to permanent electrodes extending from your pineal gland? Would you pray to an Intercessor or something akin to a manufacturer that’s called a Mentifacturer? This is exactly what Ben Tallchief and the other colonists consider before submitting their prayers.

Form Destroyer - The nature of this nasty, negative character is uncertain. Even Specktowsky admits his origin is unclear – impossible to determine if he is a separate entity from God or if he is created or uncreated by God. But one thing is for certain – the colonists must deal with the presence of the Form Destroyer, particularly after the spooky death of one of their number on Delmak-O.

Maggie Walsh - A theologian who has an after death experience that begins by her seeing iridescent colors mixed into light that travel like some oozing liquid forming itself into buzzsaws and pinwheels that creep upward, moving from her toes to her head. She hears a menacing voice calling her skywards. These images and sounds then morph into a bizarre sequence of stunning patterns and supernatural spectacles. In his Forward, PKD informs us how Magggie Walsh’s after death visions come from one of his own LSD trips in exact detail. One of the highlights of the novel, to be sure.

Wade Frazer - A psychologist inclined to continually analyze his fellow disgruntled colonists. At one point, Wade Frazer reports: “My preliminary testing indicates that by and large this is an inherently ego-oriented group.” Is it any surprise Wade is the least popular among those assembled on Delmak-O?

The tench – A gelatinous cube out in the wastelands of Delmak-O that mysteriously can answer questions written down on a piece of paper placed in front of it. But once, faced with a question posed by Seth Morley: “The great globular mass of protoplasmic slush undulated slightly, as if aware of him. Then, as the question was placed before it, the tench began to shudder . . . as if, Morley thought, to get away from us. It swayed back and forth, evidently in distress. Part of it began to liquefy.” Morley and the other colonists know they are in store for an extra dose of weirdness.

The Building – Looking like an eight-story factory, a cube-like building in the hinterlands of Delmak-O. From various reports, it could be anything from a mental hospital to a wine distillery. Some of the exploring colonists, wishing to get to the bottom of their mission’s purpose, think it wise to enter the building, others not.

The Last Two Chapters – Keep in mind this is PKD. What is really happening to all these colonists and why are they continually loosing numbers, either by killing one another or dying and disappearing in strange ways? Is some kind of thought experiment being conducted? Are they to mull over the implications of dilemmas like Brain in a Vat or John Searle’s Chinese Room or Robert Nozick’s Pleasure Machine? If your imagination is up for a few stirring jolts, I urge you to read this novel to find out.

A Maze of Death (1970) may be Phillip K. Dick’s most cohesive novel to this point in his career. Unlike most earlier Dick productions, there is no real extraneous material, no loose or undercooked plot strands, no characters left hanging. The story’s tightly plotted and the entire narrative supports it.

That’s the good part. The bad part is that the characters in this character-filled novel are fairly flat, which lessens reader empathy, though they are at least distinguishable. The story itself is intriguing, a kind of Ten Little Indians in space where a group of strangers are thrown together and then they begin to be killed off and no one knows who’s doing it.

Dick throws quite a twist in at the end but then doubles down with one additional twist that leaves the reader really wondering. I see some reviewers were put off by the ending but I accepted it after a bit of head scratching.

Ariana Franklin, nee Diana Norman, began writing a historical mystery series at the age of 74. She set the series in medieval England and featured a woman medical examiner, Adelia Aguilar. Her first book in the series, “Mistress of the Art of Death,” won the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award from the British Crime Writers’ Association. Her fourth, and final entry in this series, “A Murderous Procession,” won the British Crime Writers' Association's Dagger in the Library award. Unfortunately, Franklin passed away in January 2011.

When I came across a reference to “The Siege Winter” I jumped at the chance to read another Franklin historical novel. I made the mistake that the book was part of the Adelia Aguilar series and this work-in-progress was completed by Samantha Norman, Franklin’s daughter. However, upon reading the book I very quickly came to realize “The Siege Winter” is not a continuation of the Aguilar series.

This novel is a standalone book set in the turbulent year of 1141 when the conflict between Empress Matilda and her cousin Stephen for the English throne sank the country into a debilitating civil war. When Stephen managed to wrest the throne from the late king’s chosen heir, Matilda, she continued her quest for the throne.

This is the story of a eleven-year-old girl, Emma, viciously attacked by mercenaries and left to die. She was found and fostered by another mercenary, Gwil, and, together, they set out to seek revenge on her attackers. Emma dresses as a boy and begins to learn Gwil’s trade, archery.

They find themselves at Kenilford castle, as part of a group of mercenaries paid to protect the castle from King Stephen’s mercenaries. Stephen is angered because the castle’s chatelaine, Maud, has provided refuge for Matilda.

I was prepared to enjoy this book because of its connection with Ariana Franklin. The use of very modern language was off putting to say the least. Toward the end of the book, the writing became contrived - characters dropped, plot lines forgotten. I was disappointed because the book doesn’t sing with lyrical writing as did Franklin’s previous books.

One of the best British historical novels I have read and I have read many. This passionate, fast moving and atmospheric novel captures the brutality and horror of the civil war in England in the 12th century between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda.
The characters are deep and well rounded and you get caught up in the drama.
A Breton mercenary Gwil, fighting in the Cambridgeshire Fens stumbles across Emma, an eleven year old peasant girl who has been raped and severely hurt by a devil in a monk's guise who has obsessively rapes and murders red haired girls.
He adopts her and teaches her to shoot a bow and she becomes an expert archer.
Meanwhile a 15 year old noblewoman Maud is forced to marry an older brute of a nobleman, arrogant, boorish and callous. But she soon shows her metal and comes into her own.
A much sought after parchment comes into play and puts our friends in danger.
Captures the sights, sounds, smells and emotions of 12th century England. I was glued for every sentence and finshed it in two days. One comes to deeply care about the two girls who the novel centers around.
This is a book you must read if you like historical fiction. Ariana Franklin was master story teller and will be sorely missed.

England in 1141 was a land torn apart by war as King Stephen and the Empress Mathilda both vie for the crown. It is a dangerous time where there is little law and no one; from little town to large manor; is safe. Emma is a young girl hailing from one such small town. Kidnapped by a depraved monk with a thing for redheads, she is viciously violated and left for dead. When the mercenary for hire Gwil discovers her, he knows he cannot leave her to die and so adopts her. With no memory of who she was before, Emma is renamed Penda, and for her safety her hair is cut short and she begins to dress as a boy.

Penda learns to use as bow and arrow much as Gwil does and soon the two archers find themselves at Kenilworth Castle. A small but strategically important place, young Maud is it’s chatelaine. A fierce young woman, she is determined to hold on to her home as she tempts fate and gives shelter to the empress. Aided by a number of mercenaries for hire, including Gwil and Penda, Maud must face a long and cruel winter. Even with the weather, visitors flock to Kenilworth; kings, soldiers and one particular monk with a penchant for redheads.

I found The Siege Winter an interesting book. Like the other novel I reviewed by Ms. Franklin, The Siege Winter is harsh in its depiction of day to day living. Life of that time was cruel, especially if one was born a woman.

I did notice a few minor discrepancies while reading that might irritate some but shouldn’t deter most readers. The discrepancies are historical for the most part so unless you are an absolute stickler for historical accuracy, there shouldn’t be a problem. Some might take notice that the dialogue is all fairly modern with contractions and such. I found it made it easier to read and to identify with the characters; others might not.

For the casual reader who doesn’t care much for strict historical accuracy, I urge them to give The Siege Winter a try. I found it a most entertaining page turner.

Although started by Ariana Fanklin this manuscript has been completed by her daughter Samantha Norman. It is a mixture of Franklin with a breath of fresh air from Norman. It will be interesting to see Norman develop her own individual style and voice, which is certainly evident in this book.

The story begins with the deathbed revelations or unburdening of guilt by an abbot. He is having the details written down by a scribe. The tale begins in the tumultuous and violent years of civil war in Britain, during which King Stephen and Empress Matilda fought each other for the throne. The abbot's tale wanders between the fates or stories of King Stephen and Empress Matilda, Em and Gwil, and Maud.
I enjoyed the inner dialogue Gwil has with himself and God. His conscience speaks to him, as if it were a third party just along for the ride and having his say on the matter. He accepts Em's transition to Penda as part of her dealing with the traumatic experience she has lived through.
I'm not sure whether splitting the story in three directions was intentional and it was probably only done to support the historical flow of the story. At times the connection or need for the multiple directions wasn't very apparent. The main focus for me was always Em and Gwil, and the real importance of Maud's part in their story doesn't really become clear until much later on.
I have to say the end was a surprise. I usually cotton on to those kind of things quite quickly, but it didn't even dawn on me to consider that particular scenario.
Overall this is a heart-warming tale of love and support, endurance and bravery with a side portion of political confusion to top it all off.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

I've been a huge fan of Ariana Franklin ever since I read The Mistress of the Art of Death series, and couldn't wait to read this story. I was not disappointed.
I've loved her other strong female characters, and fell in love with Penda and Maud in Winter Siege as well. Despite brutal hardships, the two heroines fight for their survival and independence in their own unique ways. No easy feat considering the time period.
I think Samantha Norman did her mother proud, and proved she has inherited her mother's wonderful writing skills. I am so grateful that she finished the book her mother had started.
I recommend this to those who enjoy historical fiction and mysteries set during the medieval period, but warn those who get squeamish over violence of a physical and/or sexual nature that both are present in the book. That being said, I personally did not find the violence to be exploitive or gratuitous, but a reflection of the time period, which was both brutal and bloody.
5 stars.

The Siege Winter is a delightful historical fiction novel written by the late Ariana Franklin and completed by Samantha Norman, her daughter. It is set in the 12th century and begins with an abbot who lies on his death bed. Despite his frail health, he is clinging to life to reveal a murderous tale to a scribe before he dies. Through his narrative, we are taken from his death bed to scenes of his past. The voice is compelling, the story engrossing!

It is the tale of Matilda and her cousin Stephen and their long, drawn out battle for the crown of England. Well researched, gripping, and historically accurate, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel from start to finish. There is plenty to laud within its pages - strong women, battle scenes, treachery, greed, love, and even a touch of humor. Easy to read, it moves along at a good clip. The authors take us on a journey through 12th century England with all its dangers, treachery, murders. A wonderfully told story! Definitely recommended.

I loved this book! It's full of adventure and courage with a good deal of history thrown in.

The Siege Winter opens during the brutal civil war between Stephen of Blois and Empress Mathilda, during which the common people suffered terribly from depredations on both sides. A young girl of the fens is brutally attacked and left for dead as she and her sisters flee the soldiers and brigands that prey on the locals. She is rescued by Gwil and becomes Penda, a young boy. Together Gwil and Penda struggle to survive in the time when "god and his saints slept".

The story is recounted by an abbot on his deathbed to a young scribe. The character's are varied: Maud, a young noblewoman who is traded back and forth between the two sides in the war as if she was as much a piece of property as her actual property; William, Maud's stepson who is torn between devotion to his awful father and Maud; King Stephen and Empress Mathilda; and various other players. The action is constant, and is both mental and physical as the characters try to stay alive in the brutal war. And then there is the evil monk...who is he, and why does he have such power?

This is Ariana Franklin's last book; she died before it was completed and her daughter completed it. It's a wonderful book and a great tribute to her. I wish she were still around to write more great books!

During the brutal winter of 1141, Stephen and Matilda tore England apart in their battle for its crown. The innocent were not spared and this is their story in this epic medieval tale. Old soldier, Gwil, not a saint but a man whose heart and courage can’t be faulted. Penda, a young girl delivered from the jaws of death and determined to make her mark on a world dominated by men. And Maud, young wife of the brutal Sir John of Tewing. They are a great cast of likeable, believable characters and we truly care what happens to them. Add in a murderous pursuit by a horribly stinking monk, and you have an atmospheric, exciting tale that rattles along and should appeal to all readers of historical thrillers and mysteries.

This is of course a co-authored book. When Ariana Franklin sadly passed away in 2011, the book was not complete. Her daughter, Samantha Norman, decided to finish it as a tribute to her late mother. What she has achieved is remarkable in terms of continuity of pace, tone and talent. There is a poignancy to the novel in that it is the last work of a great writer. But it possesses something very special in that it also launches the career of a sparkling new talent. I am sure Ms Norman’s mother would have been very proud of such a wonderful lasting testimonial. Highly recommended.

Note: I received a free review copy of this book via the Historical Novel Society. This review (or an edited version) has appeared in the Historical Novels Review. My review is my independent opinion.

I don't know how much of this book was left unwritten when Ariana Franklin passed, but her daughter did an excellent job finishing it and making it sound written in one voice. I am excited to see the attempt at finishing Mistress of the Art of Death.

This stand alone is framed as a dying abbot's dictating a story of the Matilda v Stephen civil wars from the point of view of commoners. A girl from the fenland, a mercenary archer, a female pawn of good birth all take major roles in the story. A nasty monk is on the loose and Stephen and Matilda are letting the barons run wild. Beautiful creation of the sense of lawlessness of the civil war. Redemption, friendship, treachery, forgiveness all run through the story. Really enjoyed.

In 1180 AD, an abbot lays dying. He has a story to tell before he goes, though, and calls a young scribe to take dictation. His story takes place in the early 1140s in an England torn apart by the war for the throne between Empress Matilda and King Stephen.

Stolen from her family while gathering fuel in the fenlands, an 11 year old, red haired girl is found by an archer, Gwil: she has been raped, is nearly dead and is without any memory. He nurses her to health, names her ‘Penda’, disguises her as a boy, and teaches her to shoot both long and cross bows- to great success.

Meanwhile, Lady Maud, possessor of Kenniford castle, is married at knifepoint to a monstrous man who is in it for the money. He rapes her, while his none too stable mistress is installed upstairs in Maud’s castle. His men take over the castle; eating, drinking, and making free with the women. When the Empress Matilda shows up on their doorstep, Maud immediately makes her welcome. It makes no difference to her husband’s men; they’ll all fight for whoever pays them best. Meanwhile, Gwil and Penda have been hired into the Empress’s small force. There is a siege, along with battles, plotting, discoveries of secrets, and a second plot running in parallel with the siege. There isn’t a dull moment. The plotting is well done, especially the way the two plots finally merge. Things are described in a realistic manner- nothing is sugar coated here!

There are several strong women in this book: the Empress, Lady Maud, Penda, and Maud’s serving woman. These women do not wait for a handsome knight to ride in and save them- although it’s certainly nice when one does. They take charge. They are self-sufficient, as women would have had to have been in an era when the men could be gone for months or years. This historical fiction is a far cry from much of what was written in the past, when the women existed to be rescued. I’m so happy that this kind of historical is being written now. Sad that this is the last we’ll ever seek from Ariana Franklin, but based on this book I hope her daughter is inspired to continue writing as she has finished up her mother’s story very, very well. A new ‘Mistress of the Art of Death’ book from her would be excellent!

The Siege Winter was Ariana Franklin (a.k.a. Diana Norman)’s final novel, co-authored by her daughter after her death. And although I’ve been sad at the absence of more Mistress of the Art of Death novels, this one was an excellent balm.

The time period is a turbulent one in British history- their worst civil war. And boy do you feel it, especially for the first half of the book. This novel pulls no punches on the limitations of women and the poor during the period. Parts of it do get graphic in violence, and only the presence of stubborn and kindly, flawed but honorable, characters keep it from miring there.

Once you get past the violence (there’s a truly evil antagonist in there, after all), this story is about redemption. Not only in the “main” story but within the framework story surrounding it, of a dying abbot relaying the story to his rudely naive scribe. And for all the heartbreak, there’s also some happy endings.

Overall, it’s a sweeping historical epic that’s very character driven, set in a tumultuous period. I highly recommend it for fans of Ariana Franklin, of course, but also fans of historical fiction (especially gritty and realistic ones), and British history (especially the twelfth century).

Historical Fiction is one of a few genres that I truly enjoy to review and Ariana Franklin is up there as one of my all time favorite authors. She wrote the Mistress of the Art of Death series which I consumed one right after the other, I was addicted really! So when I saw this one at the library I automatically was drawn to pick it up and bring it home with me, "Even if she wrote it with someone else", I thought. Little did I know that Franklin died while working on this book and her daughter, the other author, who's influence on the book I was dreading is in fact Franklin's daughter, Samantha Norman, who finished the book after her mom died. I also soon discovered that Samantha inherited her mom's writing genes because I couldn't tell where Franklin's writing ended and Norman's started it was very seamless in its flow, which is not an easy task to accomplish. Wonderful characters and settings with everything researched well, as all good historical fiction is, so everything was very authentic! There is a lot of heartbreak in this book but all so a great deal of strength and love, all ingredients to a spectacular read!

I have been fascinated by Mr. Dick's books in the last few years, and this book is one of his most disturbing works yet so clearly incisive.

As mentioned elsewhere, Dick was questioning the state of reality and as to whether or not, this reality that we're living in is ever real. He played with many of the ideas that aren't so accepted by the mainstream minds in his many works, including the difference between reality and perception. I personally enjoyed reading them and played with those ideas myself, in a philosophical sense.

In "A Maze of Death," the difference between reality and perception is being utilized as well as tendency to kill each other for whatever reason, and the idea of a group instability. Each character came to a planet called Delmak-O with expectations and dreams to be useful for the future, and they all knew it's a one-way trip. One by one, each person was being killed off and speculations and fears reigned among the group. The very problem, as I think the author was trying to express, was that each person was so "lodged" in their dreams/expectations that they can't even function as a group in order to survive. They went insane, homicidal even. That is very interesting because I can understand how they were all driven by their psychopathic urges and didn't "get over" themselves in order to work together as a group.

It sure became, in an essence, an experiment. This story carries with it a strong sense of hopelessness, a mistrust between one another, and a demonstration of a weak Will/flawed character in each person. It also examine the human death instinct in such a way that a reader would surely feel.

This book has an interesting twist ending to which I didn't even expected, but on some level, it made sense overall.

I really enjoyed reading it.

Franklin has died? This is a tribute.to a remarkable woman writer. How I waited for the next "Mistress of Death" book. Waited and waited. Oft times there are gaps in a writers productivity. Think Rennie Airth and his Inspector Madden. But came across this new publication and learn that Ariana Franklin has died. That this last effort produced in conjunction with her daughter is her last book. Ms. Franklin you will be missed. Your "Mistress of Death" is an incredible creation. So this is a recommendation for all her books. And I urge all readers to buy them and read them. Too often we lose talented writers of very good fiction. They might not win prizes but they create memorable worlds and characters. Talents I don't have. No more "Mistress of Death". The final chapter has been writ.

PKD never fails to surprise. A MAZE OF DEATH is a hoot. It's a fast read, elegantly constructed, and designed to propel the reader forward to its delicious, off-kilter conclusion. A group of apparently random strangers have been assigned to a mysterious special project on an distant planet with weird flora and fauna (some of the insects have cameras and ray guns attached), and once assembled this motley group begins to die (or are they murdered?) one at a time. What in the blazes is going on? One of PKD's great strengths is the way he gets inside the heads of his characters and gives us the play-by-play of their thoughts and reactions to one another. With this screwed-up group, the play-by-play is ripe, testy and both dark and funny at the same time.

Many of Dick's famous plot points are in evidence, including the post-apocalyptic outer space existence of Earth's inhabitants, and the religious angle, which has been fleshed out here in Dick's psychedelic, eclectic, kitchen sink kind of way. Hint: there are Vikings involved.

A MAZE OF DEATH has all those elements that I love about PKD's work: his spectacular imagination, tremendous observations about human nature, many elements of surprise and of course his pessimistic sense of satire. (And, unfortunately, his scary ambivalence about women. As a woman, I frequently have to ignore or tolerate PKD's tendency to depict women either as vicious, manipulative predators out to seduce and emasculate every man they see, or doddering, shriveled, irrelevant old ladies. Women are mainly distinguished by breast size, with few non-gender specific traits in between. PDK definitely had his issues with the ladies.)

Be that as it may, along with UBIK and DO ANDROIDS..., A MAZE OF DEATH is now one of my PKD favorites.

This book started out slowly, but toward the end it became very exciting and left me breathless. The authors seemed to have caught the atmosphere of chaos and violence during 12th- century England. However, the dialogue was too modern and therefore, not believable. I can imagine a girl these days saying "Don't you ever, ever go saying stuff like that" (page 314 in the hardback edition), but not one from the 12th-century. Maybe this is the result of Ariana Franklin starting the book and Samantha Norman finishing it after her death. I was sad to hear about Ms. Franklin's passing because I know we won't have any more books featuring Adelia Aguilar.

This probably has to be the easiest novel about everyone being doomed I've ever read.

It occurs to me, reading Dick's novels sporadically over the past few years, that the man wasn't so much out of his mind (well, maybe in his last years, but his last novel is surprisingly coherent and touching considering it was written by a man who was "nuts") as constantly aware of the questions we sometimes ask about existence. Questions such as "what is life?", "what is death?", "what is the nature of God and reality and how do they relate?" . . . most of the time if we consider these things it's only for a second because the potential answers are so harrowing that nobody really wants to deal with them. Dick looked those questions straight in the face and didn't flinch, for better or for worse, because sometimes when you ask the hard questions, you may find that the answers aren't very pleasant.

"Maze of Death" feels like the extrapolation of one of those questions, a gently brutal way of leading you to the conclusion that the Universe is very much not on your side and if God does exist the best you can hope for is that he just doesn't care, because otherwise it means he really dislikes you. It's not a book that delivers a grand shock that will rock you to the core as much as instill a quietly creeping unsettling feeling that maybe the book is right: we're all living in a reality we've created and unfortunately we've created a reality in which we're all doomed and there's nothing anyone can do about it, as the only options are suffering until you die or just getting it over with fast. And neither option is all that good. So we take the easy, cowardly option and hope that maybe God will blink or maybe our assumptions were wrong and someone will come to rescue us and make this all better. But chances are, it's probably not going to happen.

Yeah, this isn't a typical SF book.

Fourteen colonists wind up on Delmak-O, one by prayer, because in this universe all the gods are real and they answer prayers and there's whole methods to it . . . God's accessable. The wish for most people in the world, that they could have a hotline to God and even better, that he listens to it, is fulfilled here. But as with most wishes, it goes wrong at the core because sure, God is listening and granting prayers. But he's still doing whatever the heck he wants and there's nothing you can do about it. So it turns out that not before long terrible things are happening to the colonists, one by one. Someone is killing them, they're killing each other, they're killing themselves. One by one. It's a weird, depressing paranoid world with everyone dying and nothing makes any sense, with the rules changing by the second. There's a Building inside, but everyone sees it differently. Weird gelantious blocks answer questions in the form of the I Ching. All the colonists seemed mentally messed up in some way, engaging in subplots that go nowhere, or just mock them because no matter what they do, they are going to get killed. One by one.

It's an odd experience reading a book where everyone is truly and royally screwed, and the book is so matter of fact about it. These aren't special circumstances, the universe isn't out to get just these people. It's out to get everyone and we just have a front row seat for it here. Dick manages to sketch the characters deftly, so the chapters zip by swiftly and everyone feels like a real, if wildly imperfect person, so that the general tone of the book remains alarming, but quietly so, and while the situation is certainly surreal, it comes across as grounded. You can believe this is happening because the book believes it so clearly. It's going to watch these people burn without a hint of emotion. Just another day's work.

But as with most Dick novels, what we are presented with generally isn't the actual reality and it's not until nearly the end that we find out what's going on. Except while typically those are presented as a kind of escape valve, a way of making the reader feel that some room to breathe can occur, here we don't get that. Things go from hopeless to more hopeless and what we thought was the worst case scenario is actually a font of optimism. Because the reality is, you're not important. As terrible and awful as the universe is, you can vanish from the face of it entirely and nobody will care. Nobody will miss you. And things will go on staying terrible. Because that's just how it is, and will always be, until everyone is snuffed out.

For SF (and fiction in general), this is kind of extreme, and feels like Dick taken out to the nth degree, not to the point of self-parody but to a logical conclusion. Where reality is the fresh-smelling cover we throw over the rotting truth that every terrible thing that ever happened to us was meant to happen, was deliberately done and it's really nothing personal, that's just how the universe operates. Dick was probably at the height of his powers here, as nothing but his best could make this even remotely readable without causing the reader to want to fling themselves in front of a bus. His skill at characterizations and ability to move the shifting plot constantly gives it the feel of a page-turner and helps you identify and even feel bad for these people, even as you can't shake the sinking feeling that this will end well for no one.

It's a necessary book, in its way, because it asks all those scary paranoid questions that we spend a split-second asking ourselves before coming up with a nifty comforting answer. This postulates that the frightening answers are true and then manages to make it entertaining. If Dick hadn't done this I don't know who would have, anyone else would have dodged at the last second, or hammered the point home too hard, done it all gloomy and serious and made sure that everyone was paying attention to the important things being said. Even Dick at an earlier or later stage of his life might have not been capable of this . . . too early and he wouldn't have the skill to delineate as well as he does here, too late and he would be wrapped too much in his own questions and seeing his own realities everywhere he turned.

So, no, it needed to be here and by him and even if it doesn't have the stature of his other novels it's just as vital for taking his other work dealing with the nature of reality and bringing it straight back to us by calling forth our deepest fear and saying, no matter which reality you think you're in or you think is real, it doesn't matter. You're doomed regardless. But at least you can ask "Okay, so now what?" and maybe come up with a better answer.

The years 1135 to 1153 in England are known as either "The Anarchy" or more evocatively, "When Christ and His Saints Slept." All of England suffered under a civil war over the successor to Henry I. Henry named his daughter Matilda before his death, but Henry's nephew Stephen challenged her, believing that England would never accept a woman to rule. It was a time changing loyalties, betrayal, and murder. For ordinary citizens it was a time of famine and suffering.

This story is told against that backdrop, beginning in 1141. In 1180 a dying cleric narrates a account of a courageous young girl attempting to regain her voice and strength against unspeakable evil and violence and a mercenary who desires only to advance God's will. They find themselves caught up in the fight between Stephen and Maude and only through these events do they find what they seek.

The end of the book provides a twist that I did not see coming (though others may have) but found immensely satisfying.

My only caution is this: the book gets better with each page: if you find the story bogging down in the beginning, keep going. You'll be glad you did.

This is Dick's most violent novel, I had a bit of a hard time with all the violence although it's well written and captivating. Even so it's one of my (many) favorites of his because of the twist at the end which took me by surprise and triggered many thoughts. To me hat may be the best twist ever! I'm surprised no movies was made from it since violence sells so good in our degenerate "civilization". Philip Dick had an incredible imagination and honesty, a way of writing which pulled me in his stories and the themes he explored are very interesting to me, reasons why he is my favorite writer. I wish he lived longer, I like his last novels a lot and he was finally making money. I met someone who knew him and said he was a very kind and generous man but intense and hard to live with.

I've been fascinated by PKD books for the last couple of years, and this is definitely IMO, one of the most disturbing of his works. As well as an ending that doesn't leave you thinking about what the hell you've just read.
A very dark book, Philip manages to create his macabre and nightnarishinly world in such a way that its creepily real, and your imagination will pull you into it the insanity.
A group of 13 people with various job backgrounds have been sent to a planet called Delmak-O. There are no inhabitants other than themselves and a mysterious form called "the tench", a giant blob in the shape of a building that duplicates things and answers whatever question is asked. Asking the big questions such as "What is life about?", "Is there a god?", "Are we all going to die here on Delmak-O? And this is of course when everything goes wrong. One by one they're being picked off, one by one they go mad, yet by whom? Or what? And is this world real? Or is it a test?

Published in 1970, "A Maze Of Death" is up there now with my favorites along with "Ubik" and "Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said."

Haunting, jolting and every page is an unexpected turn for the worst. A classic not to be ignored by the PKD fan.

4 and a half stars for this fantastic journey into the mind of a mad genius.

I was intrigued all the way to the later chapters, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel, but I must say I was disappointed when I found out what it was all about. It wouldn't have been so had this been my first Dick novel, or my first Dick novel with THAT particular twist, but having read others of his novels, I must admit my initial reaction was "oh, that, again" and all the intriguing elements of the story suddenly deflated.

The final parts don't live up to the premises; one expects so much based on the first two thirds of the book and gets so little in the end. Some might say that's part of the idea, and they are probably correct in this assumption, but that still doesn't work for me. I felt a little cheated out of that ending. It's something like Ubik, but it fails where Ubik succeeded.

Style-wise, Dick tends to abuse the odd adverb every now and then, as per usual, but that's not something that should trouble you much. Other than that, it's what you'd expect from Dick, so it's good stuff.

As to the foreword, and the "theology" Dick and some other person worked on, it isn't that developed in the novel. As to the list of contents, I'm still unsure what's up with that.

I'd have given 5/5 to this novel had it not been for the final parts; as it is, I felt like disappointed. Still a worthy read for any Dick-reader, but definitely not a recommended first Dick novel. If you're considering this as your first novel by this author, I would recommend something else, something like Ubik or The Three Stigmatas of Palmer Eldritch, both of which deal with similar themes.

Love love love Ariana Franklin! I'm so sad that there won't be any more of her novels. I started with her Mistress of the Art of Death series which just blew me away they are so good. Found this one much later. I haven't read any of her other (real name was Diana Norman) books. However, you can DEFINITELY tell where Ariana left off and her daughter finished the book. The last quarter of the book is nowhere near up to snuff, especially the fight scenes near the end. They are really terrible.

The title of this novel derives from a reflection by one of the characters that he and his fellow-colonists on the planet Delmak-O can be compared to rats in a maze, unwilling participants in a cruel experiment where death chases them through the corridors and alleys until all of them are gone. This being Philip K. Dick, the truth is far stranger. Unlike most of PKD's other work, however, this time there's no way out. You have been warned.

Fans of horror fiction will immediately recognize the set-up. A group of people, having come to a mysterious location in the hope of reward, turn up dead one by one. That story has been around since at least "The Haunting of Hill House," and probably long before that. Most such stories, however, provide some specifics as to what reward these victims expect. PKD dispenses with any such certainty. He also includes a good bit of theological speculation, as he often did. In "A Maze of Death," we seem to have entered an age where God in various manifestations actually appears from time to time, and prayer has direct and swift effects. Provided, that is, that you transmit prayers electronically over a sort of galactic internet and hope they reach their divine destination.

Come to think of it, that particular detail may be the most depressing of all. Here's a group of people with definite knowledge of God's literal presence in their lives, and yet the impact of that knowledge is uniformly negative. There's no comfort or inspiration here for these characters, just the anxious waiting for some response to their prayers and the certain knowledge that, God or no God, they are doomed to kill each other. They don't even have the dubious relief of supposing that some outside agency has them in its sights; most of them die at the hands of a fellow colonist. This is a nightmare, kids, and you have no idea how literally I mean that.

Now, some people enjoy this kind of story. As a rule, I don't. Nevertheless, I completely agree with those who call this one of PKD's classics. "A Maze of Death" is focused, thoughtful and passionate. Most of the characters have convincing inner lives to motivate them, although they seem at times a little too self-aware for plausibility. PKD's famous surrealistic details, such as mechanical flies that sing and mechanical roaches that take pictures, serve the plot here rather than hovering around the novel's fringes for mere atmosphere. The author even imposed some control over his tendency to fragment his stories; this novel eventually splits into two storylines, with two character groups and two settings, but the shifts back and forth are at least comprehensible. If "A Maze of Death" is any indication of the author's state of mind at the time he wrote it, he must have been pretty miserable, but even if that's true he was still at the top of his game.

Mind you, even in his more manic phases, PKD could still turn out brilliant work. The author Thomas Disch once referred to PKD's style as downhill racing - he would start a book, write like fury as fast as possible and without looking back, and wrap it up for publication. "A Maze of Death" came out in 1970, at the tail end of the author's truly hyperactive period, and it gives all the indications of slower, more careful attention. His earlier method worked well, but it's gratifying to see that he had more than one string to his bow.

Then, at the end, "A Maze of Death" pulls a one-eighty that not one author in a thousand could get away with. I won't say too much about just what happens, but have you ever read a book or seen a movie where the unexplained details fascinate you, and the explanation at the end squashes the whole thing flat? It makes you wish you could just cut off the last few minutes or chapters or what have you, and enjoy the mystery you began with. Well, in "A Maze of Death", PKD found a plausible explanation for all the inexplicable, hallucinatory events of the previous 175 pages, and yet that same explanation leaves the reader even more stunned and amazed than before. Thomas Edison once said that genius is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration - part creativity, part craft. PKD could do both, but he didn't always combine his invention and his talent as smoothly as he did here.

In short, although the plot is as energetic and hysterical as any you might want to see, the author's style is cool and controlled. Makes the impact of the whole thing downright overwhelming.

PKD seems to have left his usual uncontrolled imagination for the chapter titles, the only novel in which he used them, I believe. Frankly, they are not much help. Chapter One, "In Which Ben Tallchief Wins a Pet Rabbit in a Raffle," concerns that character being notified that his prayer for a job transfer has been heard, so the title may be said to be allegorically accurate. On the other hand, in Chapter Twelve, "Roberta Rockingham's Spinster Aunt Pays Her a Visit," the title character is already dead and there are no signs of any relatives, allegorical or otherwise. I have a hunch that PKD included these titles to increase the sense of disorientation his characters feel during their trials. If so, it's hardly necessary, especially once you find out in the last two chapters what's really been going on, but it's about the only comic relief in sight.

Pleasant it's not, except insofar as we might find any well-crafted piece of fiction pleasant. Undeniably, however, "A Maze of Death" is indeed well-crafted, and very probably cathartic. Value enough for the time it takes.

Benshlomo says, No fun is not always no good.

Dick presents us with a thrilling sci-fi/murder mystery/adventure yarn with the obligatory PKD twist. A handful of people have been sent on a one-way trip to an uninhabited planet for an undisclosed purpose. The satellite transmission that was to explain their mission is mysteriously disrupted and the group finds themselves in a Sartre-esque predicament: trapped in an environment they haven't chosen with people they don't know (and don't much care for) and with no idea what it is they're supposed to do. Bad enough, certainly, but then the murders begin...

Dick devotes a fair amount of space to describing the futuristic religion common to these people. Their deities seem evocative of the Christian Trinity, but with a very matter-of-fact accessibility. Dick included religious speculations in most of his novels around this period, but I'm not sure it's entirely successful here. The one thing it succeeds in is giving the work a gravitas that sci-fi mysteries often lack.

Okay, so maybe the resolution is a trifle pat - at least it makes a certain amount of sense. Seth Morley's encounter with the Intercessor was certainly unexpected enough in its context. And so many murders...

This isn't Dick's most important novel, or his most innovative, certainly not the most scientific, but it's a gripping page-turner that leaves us satisfied when it's done. And for Dick that's really saying something. Perhaps my favorite PKD ever.

Maze of Death depicts a hellish, morbid, diabolical world of hopelessness. Toward the end I was shaking with dread, if such a thing is possible. There are many characters from very different backgrounds and with polar differences in personalities. Any one of us could easily be the next. Much of today’s psychological sci-fi genre owes its roots to this one. PKD has outdone himself, and his writing is superb (but we know that).

More headgames from the champion, but the results here aren't quite as satisfying as his best work. A Maze of Death revolves around a small group of colonists who find themselves on a deserted, isolated planet and unable to leave. What follows is part psychological thriller, part Agatha Christie, and part theological exploration, as our colonists start dying one by one and frantically trying to reach out to their God (who exists in a very concrete form) to ask for help. There's a few twists and a couple of well-done reveals here, and it's to Dick's credit that the final swerve isn't as irritating as it should be, thanks largely to how well he handles and explores the meaning of it all. By the same token, though, the book is never as clear or as comprehensible as you'd like, and the characters suffer from a definite lack of development. Still, it's packed full of ideas (maybe too full - a little extra length wouldn't hurt this one), and Dick's world is a compelling, interesting place. I wouldn't recommend this as a starting point for Dick, but it's a solid enough entry in the man's work, even if it's not his best.

This was another look into medieval England that I found interesting, but a little depressing. I read it because it was the last book Ariana Franklin wrote, as far as I can tell, and she died during the writing of it, which was in collaboration with her daughter, Samantha Norman. I enjoyed the main characters and loathed the villain. It was sad at times, and a little too realistic. I suppose if you're looking for a light-hearted book, don't choose this one, but it has some depth and serious topics.

Historical novels are not my favorite but this one had such a compelling storyline that I decided to risk exposure to history! And I'm so glad I did! Gwil, an archer, finds a girl, Emma, mostly buried in the rubble of a burned down church. Emma can't remember anything at all but she's grasping part of a letter. For her protection, Gwil dresses Emma as a boy and renames her Penda. Penda soon demonstrates a real killer instinct! An intense, action-packed novel that will keep you turning the pages! Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from The Reading Room in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a well-told story, set in 12th-century England during the conflict between the Empress Mathilda and King Stephen for control of the throne. The real focus of the story is a young girl, Penda, who survives a horrendous rape and assault, then with the help of a mercenary soldier, learns to live as a boy, becoming an outstanding archer. This is a tale of unconditional love and devotion that takes place during a dark and brutal age, and this is what I enjoyed most about it, in addition to its being a ripping good story.

I read this book many years ago in the Dutch translation of this book. Very recently I reread it in English. Just like almost every Dick novel it asks deep question about the nature of reality and keeps haunting you. To the question: ‘is there really a difference between inner and outer reality?’ Dick’s answer seems to be no.
It is by many considered to be a very dark novel.

I see it however as a novel full of hope. It shows that even in the most desperate situation there is always an escape route. Through their fantasy people can reach out to an level of spiritual reality that encompasses both the inner and outer world. And on that level help can always be found.
Let me explain this.

(Spoilers ahead)

The story is about the crew of a spaceship that has become stranded in orbit around a dead star with no way of calling for help. They pass their time by creating and living in virtual reality worlds with help of the ships computer. One day they create a virtual reality world where they throw in a mixture of all the theological knowledge they have: Delmak-0.
The story begins at the moment were they enter this world. During their stay in this fantasy world one of the crew members, Seth Morley, gets in contact with a deity. The others not, they spent most of the time fighting and murdering each other.
When they finally awake from this artificial world two miracles happens. First Seth is saved from the ship by a spiritual entity - the Intercessor - stemming from the Delmak-0 theology and transported away from the ship.
But what about the other crew members? The Intercessor told Seth Morley that they too have a choice.
They do decide never to go back to Delmak-0 although they acknowledge that they got rid of a lot of aggression towards each other. Then the second miracle happens. They do get back on Delmak-0, this time without Seth Morley – and with less aggression. They have entered a groundhog day situation, a situation they can only escape when they follow just like Seth Morley the spiritual path. But because Delmak-0 is providing all the tools for that, and they are now less angry there is really hope for them.

Thirteen people get their desired transfers to a new space colony, but they soon find themselves in a very dire situation after losing all communication and means of transportation to leave the planet. Add that these people have no idea what they're even supposed to do on this planet as colonists with the fact that most (if not all) of them are seriously disturbed and you've got quite an unpredictable story. With death hitting people left and right, Dick creates his usual surreal atmosphere, making you wonder about what's really going on. The chapter summaries are also completely unrelated to the chapters, a sign of things to come. I found the book kind of slow at first, but once death started dealing blows, it got a lot more interesting as Dick's style really came through. The ending was also certainly surprising. Dick introduces a lot of interesting ideas about reality, spirituality, and state of mind that left me pondering for a while after reading. Though the characters aren't especially well developed (as happens in most Philip Dick novels), this book is to be read more for the unpredictable ride and questions that it poses. This isn't Dick's best, but it's still a thrilling and easy read.

It shouldn't work, this. It gives every indication of being slapped together with no planning, the characters are opaquely written, the set-up is both contrived and confusing. Yet somehow Dick pulls a workable yarn out of the hat. Maybe that's because the experience of reading it throws you into the same state of fretful bafflement that the characters are experiencing. Or maybe it's simply because, when it comes to paranoid delusions, Dick knows whereof he writes. It's not great but worth reading to see what the brush of genius can do to transform a mess.

Fourteen strangers have been gathered on the mysterious planet of Delmak-O, arriving in one-way space pods without any hope of returning. They find a desolate landscape with only a few hodgepodge building already starting to decay. An orbital satellite is supposed to beam down the instructions for their mysterious mission, but, as usual, things don't go as planned. Meanwhile, the very atmosphere of the world they live on is starting to have strange psychological effects, and that, on top of the microscopic flying cameras and the mysterious Tench that can duplicate any object, are setting up a plot that will leave everyone's head spining.

"A Maze of Death" is one of those PKD novels where everything comes together as if by magic. The plot works, the characters work, and the series of twist-endings work as well as you could possibly hope. Dick controls the story tightly enough that we never forget who the characters are or grow frustrated by seemingly irrelevant diversions, as in lesser novels like "Counter-Clock World".

A Maze of Death, Philip K. Dick, (1970) 7/10. Husband and wife get transferred to another planet, after husband is visited by the Walker-On-Earth (a Jesus-like figure). Things on new planet are a mess, and everyone starts getting killed by fantastic beings, such as little robot insects, and bizarre icons, like tiny models of buildings. Their religion is explored in it's complexity, which parallel many current religions. The religious foundation of the novel provides great depth to the story, somewhat akin to The Lazarus Effect by Frank Herbert and Bill Ransom. God has been proven as a fact in this world, but somehow the things that are happening can only be partially explained by their beliefs. They can't figure out what's happening, and the story becomes a spooky and dangerous murder mystery. The characters must unravel the truth before they all die.

In Philip K. Dick's 25th science fiction novel, "Ubik," a group of a dozen people is trapped in an increasingly bizarre world, in which objects revert to their previous forms, reality itself is suspect, and the 12 bewildered people slowly crumble to dust, murderously done in, "Ten Little Indians" style, by an unknown assailant. In his next published novel, "A Maze of Death," Dick upped the ante a bit. Here, we find a group of 14 people, seemingly marooned on a very strange planet, while a murderous force picks them off one by one, driving them to madness and homicide. But while the two novels have those elements in common, they are otherwise as different as can be, with different themes and tones. "Maze" has been called one of Dick's "darkest" books, whereas "Ubik," despite the outre happenings, maintains a comparatively humorous tone throughout.

Released as a Doubleday hardcover in 1970, with a selling price of $4.95 (!), "Maze" was the author's attempt to construct "an abstract, logical system of religious thought." God exists, in this novel, and can be petitioned (despite Jim Morrison's cry to the contrary) by mechanical means: by attaching conduits to the permanent electrodes in one's pineal gland. Indeed, of the 14 hapless colonists who find themselves on the mysterious world of Delmak-O (in what we must infer is several years after 2105), one arrived due to a prayer that he had sent out, and another couple, Seth and Mary Morley, only survive the trip through space with the help of the Christ-like figure known as The Walker on Earth. Delmak-O is one of the more macabre of Dick's worlds. Its only life-forms seem to be mechanical insects (with miniature cameras built in) and the "tenches": mounds of protoplasmic gelatin capable of reproducing any object placed before them. And then there is the mysterious structure known as The Building, the signs on which read differently for anyone who looks at them. I would be hard put to describe the eerie mood that Dick manages to engender in this work, or the strangeness of the many deaths that ensue. Ultimately, it all comes together in another one of the author's mind-bending finales, which goes far in explaining away much of the mishegas that had come before, even as it reduces the bulk of the novel to a barrelful of several dozen red herrings. Still, what a memorable experience, and what food for thought the author leaves us with!

"Maze" is not a perfect book, and shows signs of being hastily written. The author can be accused of using the word "said" too often (as in this small section: "Give me a few minutes," Maggie Walsh said... "I'll say it," Belsnor said... Seth Morley said, "I'd like permission to go on an exploratory trip..." "Why?" Belsnor said), and makes the terrible mistake of giving Seth and another of the colonists, Bert Kosler, the same occupation at the novel's end (I'm trying to be coy here and avoid spoilers). Still, the book is compulsively readable and endlessly fascinating, and is filled with interesting and well-drawn characters. The many death scenes are unfailingly shocking, and the afterlife experiences of Maggie Walsh--which the author tells us in his foreword were based "in exact detail" on one of his LSD trips--are both psychedelic and revealing. From what I have read online, the two elements of the book that have most confused readers, stirring up debate and bull sessions without number, are the Walker's appearance near the novel's end (an actual manifestation, sez me) and the chapter headings (such as "The rabbit which Ben Tallchief won develops the mange") that have absolutely nothing to do with the chapters themselves (the only Dick novel with such chapter headings, to my knowledge)! While I do have my theory as to this latter conundrum, I really cannot go into it without giving away the novel's surprise twists, which is something that I would never dream of doing. Suffice it to say that "A Maze of Death" finds Dick near the top of his game, providing intelligent sci-fi thrills as well as brow-furrowing speculation for the generations to come....

This is a classic PKD book, full of religion, philosophy, questions about the nature of reality, etc, all tied together in the form of an entertainment.
In this book, we see a small group of people struggling against the slow disintegration of their common reality and attempting to understand what is happening. A hint of just how wrong things are can be had from the list of chapter headings at the start of the book that, increasingly, bear little relation to the actual chapter contents. With the total collapse of their reality at the end, we begin to understand some of what Dick is saying about how we all construct reality around us. In typical Dickian fashion, the nice "pat ending" that "explains" all that has gone before as a shared, created illusion is exploded with an ending similar to that of "Ubik", when an element of the illusion appears to help one of the people escape from this level of "reality".
This is not a boo! k for someone who likes their SF to have coherent explanations for everything that happens, or who likes to have most questions answered by the end of the story. (But, then, if you want that sort of story, why would you be reading PKD?) If you like to be challenged to think, however, this is an excellent book.

A Maze of Death is a strange mixture of science fiction, mystery, and theology. Fourteen people are assigned to colonize an uninhabited planet, Delmak-O. One by one, they meet mysterious deaths. It is unclear whether the malevolent agent is a military conspiracy, evil aliens, or each other. The solution to this puzzle is, however, in the end less important than the mystery of Delmak-O itself. This world gives indications of being a false reality; some of its life forms are organic, others are mechanical contraptions of unknown origin. Its central mystery is a monolithic Building that each member of the group sees in a different light. The lettering above the entrance changes according to the psychology of the viewer. The Building is the ultimate symbol, an irreducible core reality that cannot be entered and whose nature can only be inferred. Dick invented a completely original theology for this novel; it gives quite a fascinating dimension of meaning to the plot, but that religious system ultimately proves as unreal as any of the experiences of any of the characters. This is an essential novel for anyone interested in the "higher Dick" novels such as VALIS.

Maze of Death was a fairly good story, 14 people are on a strange planet with no way off. Many are there simply because they prayed to God - via the electronic prayer system that is basically God's email. Each of the people on the planet is deeply disturbed, and have a great deal of emotional baggage. It is only a matter of time before someone or something starts killing them. Then, once the horror begins, the tension builds until the truth is revealed. The first 90% of this book is three and a half to four stars, as I have never been that impressed with Phillip Dicks Writing style, however his ideas are always amazing. The last 10% of the book is more that five stars, as it blew my mind. This story is short, and is worth reading for the great ending alone. The only comparable ending I can think of is the twist in Enders Game.

Buy this book and become lost in the maze.

Relic113

I’d been longing for science fiction title for a while, having reviewed so many YA paranormal and contemporaries lately, I was itching for a change. So I picked up ‘A Maze of Death’ because it looked promising and reminded me of the types of books I liked to read in high school (yes I was having a melancholic moment) And well… what can I say?

Firstly, I put this book down a few times, because the narrative is oddly formal, making it feel jarring. With long stretches of dialogue, followed by a simple description of action ... it was more like reading a screen play. The dialogue also ran on in a continual stream in some parts, without formatting, so it was difficult to determine who was talking at times. So you can see why I put it down and walked away for a rest.

Additionally, for such a science driven writing style, the narrative felt immature - like absolutely everything had to be explained. Distracting. And with that said, the content was very technical, but the way the characters addressed each other, was like they were talking to a child… the whole novel felt out of wack!

On the plus side, ‘A Maze of Death’ has a dry wit, reminding me of a very unfunny grandpa.

Through the first part of this novel, I had a hard time working out what was going on with the characters – they are all snarky and not very relatable.

There is a point to all this whinging… it was written that way on purpose. I’d explain, but you know – spoilers!

Yes this book is extremely grating and frustrating to read. But has a great twist that leaves you floored.
The planet, Delmak-O where most of the novel is set is a puzzle, and the beginning had me intrigued. Weird things that didn’t make sense. A murder. So many questions I wanted answers for… I was so, so curious.

And you know what curiosity did right?

Well, it slayed me.

I would’ve loved to have experienced better world building, and a more articulate flow of dialogue (also formatting). The conclusion is completely unexpected. Some readers loved it, some loathed it! For me – it felt a little like a cop out and left me wondering why I’d wasted my time with the book. But ultimately it’s a great novel to get you critically thinking. And possibly re-read with this new knowledge.

I appreciate it for what it is, but it’s ultimately not the kind of enjoyable reading experience for me.

Also published as “The Serpent’s Tale,” this is the second in the "Mistress of the Art of Death" series. During the killing winter of 1172, Adelia is summoned by her former lover Rowley, now Bishop of St. Albans, to find out who killed King Henry II’s mistress. If it was Eleanor who commissioned her death, there will be war and England will be torn apart. Although Henry appears only at the end, Eleanor is a major character in the book, and Franklin brings them both to life. Rosamund’s murder has now led to others but Adelia is unsure that all of the deaths are related. After Adelia reveals her findings Henry and Eleanor reach a détente, and with so few people he can trust, Henry knows he can never allow Adelia to return to Sicily. The subplot is the more cleverly laid out of the two stories, but it’s a book you can’t wait to get back to.

This is definitely in my top ten list of PKD's best. Here's the basic storyline: An odd group of people find themselves on a planet called Delmak-O. Just as they're about find out what they're there for, the satellite that's supposed to tell them does something strange, leaving them in the dark. Now, clueless as to their reason for being here, they try and find a way to regain communication. But then something else happens. Slowly, they start dying off, and no one knows who is killing who. It sorta reminded me of the movie CLUE. At first you might think that this is just a murder-mystery in space. WRONG. The ending was EXTREMELY unpredictable, but EXTREMELY brilliant. This story could only have come from one of SF's masters, PKD. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but his character development is good enough that you can tell who's who most of the time. I can't believe that this book didn't win an award or something, it's really great. If you find it, read it and enjoy!

Maze of Death is similar to Ubik in theme and plot. Released only a year after the better-known novel Maze seems slightly derivative of Ubik. Overall though I think Maze is much better than Ubik. Ubik may be considered a classic but for me it was downright hard to read at certain points. Maze is much more cohesive and is an enjoyable read.

Maze offers a weird mish-mash theology that seems to have a heavy Jungian influence in contrast to his usual Gnostic leanings. I usually enjoy Dick's "novel" theological speculations, but not this time. This was my least favorite aspect of the novel.

Maze has the usual Dickian themes of paranoia and dystopia, but this may be his darkest novel. Maze touches on several themes that seem reminiscent of and may have influenced The Matrix and Terry Gilliam's Brazil. Like most of PKD's novels it is 20-30 years ahead of its time.

The story was intriguing but honestly I couldn’t keep going because of the language. If you are trying to place your story in a historical time period then you should try to match your word usage to that period. I’m fairly certain, especially after some research that the “f” word was not used as an adjective in the 1100s. And it’s constant use in this book made it too hard for me to continue reading it, in spite of my interest in the story line.

Realistic characters (all human this time), genuine suspense, a strange and oddly familiar view of religion and a really well handled twist at the end - for those reasons A Maze of Death is one of my favorite Philip K. Dick novels. It's a short book, but packs in a lot of insight about perceptions, the shifting nature of reality (of course), human interactions, paranoia and hopeless cases. I notice that the tone here is more dismal than Philip K. Dick usually offers, but (as always with his stories) reading it is an eye-opening and memorable experience.
While many authors have expanded on themes in this story, written in 1970, I don't think that anyone's improved on his presentation of them. Read it with your mind open to all possibilities.

I liked that this book has been written from the point of view of a character who had to survive tests of loyalty and common sense, along with the cruelty and unreasonableness of those who think they they should rule because they are entitled to be lords (or queens). I enjoyed how the story played out in a well described setting with well developed characters. Neither side seemed to be "right".

Woody Allen is an artist whose work is based in part around philosophical musings. It's part of what makes him great. Those of us not partial to sitting around discussing the transient nature of love or the temperament of nature/God are enriched by his movies.

Philip Dick is another such artist. This book is classic science-fiction, full of imaginative creations and dramatic twists and turns. It is a real "page turner". And underneath are musings on human existence and the nature of God. It's a great book. It's not his most likable one, but it's a real achievement.

This was the first PKD book I read, and it still remains my favorite, even above such incredible contenders as 3 Stigmata and Ubik. It is his most cohesive piece of work, and the ending, which may at first seem like a cop-out, in retrospect is actually an ingenious twist on an old gimmick - without giving it away, endings with this gimmick usually are "uplifting" and give you a "whew!" feeling. In A Maze of Death, however, it propels you into a place that is even worse than the previous "place." An updated "...And Then There Were None (ten little indians)" (by Agatha Christie).

I drew on to PKD from his reputation. After reading a few of his works with bemused admiration, this was the first of his books I really enjoyed.
SPOILERS
A Maze of Death is genuinely readable; most PKD is a little shoddily put together, but this one is perfect. It is a wonderful allegory of loss of faith in God. These people create a world with a virtual reality machine. A world where God exists. The trouble is, when they get out, they can't face reality any more... This is indicative of Dick's own religious confusion at the time - this was prior to his "revelation" of 1974. I can sympathise with him.

This is the first Phillip K. Dick book I have read, and based upon the experience, I intend to seek out others. This is possibly the most unique science fiction I've ever come across. It is impossible to say much about the book's "alternate reality" theme without giving away too much of the plot. In fact, before the plot began to turn, I wasn't sure I was enjoying it. Once it did, I was amazed because I had absolutely no idea where Dick was headed. Dick may not exactly be a household name among science fiction writers, but he has found himself a covert. My only regret is that I wish I had discovered him while he was still among the living.

Maze presents the common PKD theme of one ersatz reality, the one in which we believe we live, giving way to another. Invariably this is traumatic, such as in Ubik. In this case, however, all hope is lost as to a solution. Dick's metaphor of the doomed spaceship (being Earth) is gloomy indeed, and it is no surprise that this book was written at a time in Phil's life where he had no hope. The only hope is the mystical removal of Morley at the end, but this could be interpreted as an escape into death. This is not a happy novel.
Nevertheless, as others have said, Maze is possibly the fastest PKD read you will encounter. I have read this book but once, and I was astounded at the time. I rate this extremely highly as a work of fiction, although I suspect that further reading will confirm what others have said - that is that the soul is not there, Dick no longer believes in what he is writing.

At first, it seems like such a normal old school type of Sci-Fi book that there might come a time about 1/3 of the way thru, when you may be tempted to put it down because you think the style/setting/script is sort of dated. WOW...am I glad I didn't succumb to any of that nonsense... I placed my faith in PKD, knowing full well that I would eventually be thrown for a loop. Er...several loops. Eventually, I got my wish. When this one starts to build, it just takes off.

All in all, this book is so loveable because it succeeds in capturing that late 1950's - 1960's classic Sci-Fi style... but, still completely packs the reality-altering PKD whallop that we all come to expect from his works. I'm sure that this book completely blew minds when it came out.

I'm a huge fan of this writer, and this book turned out to be one of his sweetest surprises. Well, not exactly sweet---in fact it's one of the darkest novels I have read of Dick, along with A Scanner Darkly. It's about desolation, hopelessness, faith, and betrayal. Someone wrote on the store that this book is like "Clue" in space, and I have to agree, although it goes much deeper than that. 14 strangers end up on a mysterious planet, and one by one they are being killed. However, there's also a mysterious omnipotent jelly, a building that disappears with strange people in it, and many more twists to be found in one of the most underappreciated science fiction novels I have ever read. Highly recommended for fans of Philip K. Dick.

Franklin's best work!
Her focus has been on mysteries during Henry III ' period, but this book has "heart"
The characters leap off the page and literally come to life.
Unfortunately , the author died in 2011, but this work is her best
A definite legacy!!

I've read other books by this author and really enjoyed them. I'm too much of a purist for this one though. After character exclamations of "Jesus Christ" and "Holy S***", I gave up. Even if the story is a good one, it just doesn't ring true to me that people in 1141 would have spoken like that.

Having read other books by Ariana I found this one too formulaic and predictable. Many writers think that if something works they should stick to it which is fine, however this is too similar to Mistress in the Art of Death for me. Again - a dark time in English history, corrupt church, strong woman or women, hero, bit of intrigue and children being killed horribly. Disappointed is probably the best word to describe this book and unlikely to buy her work again. Can't please everyone...

First off, Dick is the unsung hero of postmodern literature. If there is a sense of failure in any of his works it can only be attributed to his effort to take on too much of reality, to put complete portraits of men and women in an environment fully realized and even more complex than that in which we live presently. Call him Icarus or Ishmael, for his task is greater than the breadth of any of his novels is capable, which is to say that nothing seems to end satisfactorily, that Dick is more than ready to leave loose ends and frayed edges, not because of oversight or inability, but because he rejects conventionality. Simply put, if the universe were really in order, why would one be compelled to write? Like other novels, A Maze of Death ends ambiguously, but in a much different manner...
A Maze of Death is sheer mastery, and yet to characerize this mastery is at once to applaud its unconventionality and to give away the plot. This I cannot do, but I will say this: nothing ends so sweetly as this work. Unlike other works, this one is the epitome of postmodernism--it will wrap you in its folds, stretching your imagination and forcing you to carry out endless deductions, and then it will give you nothing to walk away with. It is a purely reflexive experience: this book connects to nothing in the world and is yet a world unto itself, a maze that can only be appreciated by getting through it.

I have read many of Dick's short story compilations, and am new to his novels,preferring the shorter, more interesting short stories. This is my first.

I chose this book only because it was the cheapest one on selection. It was good, but I certainly know (and hope) the Dick could have produced better works, and will continue to read into him regardless.

The story is one of twelve entirely different individuals all summoned for unknown reasons to a elusively mysterious, hyper-kinetic world.

I should mention that in the forward to the book he mentions he this is a book that arose from a speculative concept he created in hopes of engineering a religion based on utmost logic. And true to his word, this is mentioned in the book, but don't defer to it as the underlying theme, or else you'll end up confused.

If you are new to Dick, this probably isn't his best book, but a good book nonetheless.

The table of contents for 'Maze of Death' includes old fashioned chapter summaries, but they are incredibly inaccurate, a pretty good indication that things are not as they appear to be. The characters in Maze are lost in the surreal world of PKD. Many reviewers criticize PKD for two dimensional characters and his writing which wavers between excellence and sloppiness, however the really great thing about SF is the fantastic ideas and PKD has these in spades. Fourteen characters marooned on Delmak-O where nightmarish happenings are the norm, and reality, if there is any reality here, may be even worse.

Surprisingly good book dealing with a harsh time. I enjoyed Gwil's conversations with God. All the characters are well drawn. Not too surprising to see a girl dress as a man in hostel times. Worth reading

Enjoyed this book but couldn' t help feeling a bit tricked as there was definitely a hint that young William was William Marshall. (the incident when they are threatening to hang him and his father says carry on I can have more children is one that I've read about many times.. Yet William never entered the religious life.

A short review -
A Maze of Death...
Ubik...
If you are new to PKD, these two are GREAT novels to start off with!
After many years of readind SciFi, he remains my favorite author, one whose books I've read multiple times.

the store, please get these out on kindle for USA readers!

"A Maze of Death" is about 13 psychologically unsound people stuck on a mysterious world with each other for no apparent reason. More reminiscent of Sartre's "No Exit" than television's "Lost," this book is a brilliant masterpiece about humans and their relationships with each other and their relationship to their god(s). It's a must read for fans of both psychological and philosophical science fiction.

maze of death is by far one of the most darkest of stories i've every read, a tale about the desperation of man clouding up the truth of his unavoidable fate in order to reestablish hope and meaning in his life to continue on, and reading this story you are confronted with the morbidly tragic life style that is the result, simulated in this story as a maze of frustration, anger, and paranoia that the main charactors in this story most go through, with no hopes of deliverance from this maze once they have reached the end, but instead being confronted with the revelation of that truth that they are so desperately but subconsciously trying to avoid....

Phil Dick is an American original in this genre, but so amazingly ahead of his time that you can't believe the date of the publication of this, his finest work (perhaps UBIK is better, but who knows...). BLADERUNNER was based upon one of his lesser concepts, but the guys in LA who make this into a movie will be onto a winner, provided that they preserve the concept-bending, metaphysical core of the novel. It is a visually triumphant piece of writing, with a fascinating, fast-paced, intriguing theme. The Mentufacturer, and the Form-Destroyer, and Demak-O are iconic themes: haunting, brilliantly elaborated, and profoundly engaging. One of the US's greatest sci-fi novelists, this is amongst his very best books. Don't miss it!

Not a good starting point for Dick, and one of his worst novels. It does indeed have some cool ideas, but it's stilted, the characters are cardboard, no one's behavior is consistently believable, even factoring in paranoia, and most of the tale comes across as utterly preposterous. Those cool ideas and few fun moments almost make it worth it just for the sake of reflection, but this is, in my opinion, a very badly written novel.

if you liked the show LOST you will like this book. A group of people stranded in an unknown place, strange things going on, buildings that move and reappear somewhere else, mystery intrigue its all there.

I love this Philip K. Dick book (Maze of Death)! I think it is one of his five best. The whole feel and atmosphere of the story really brings me in. After re-reading Maze of Death, I think that it is yet another novel that has greatly influenced the ABC tv show LOST. Other books influencing LOST are: Philip K. Dick's VALIS, Watership Down, Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, The Third Policeman, and others.

The whole concept of Maze of Death, and how this PKD novel may be tied to the overall story of LOST, is covered in the Wayne's Take on LOST podcast, at WaynesTakeOnLOST.Libsyn.com and in iTunes.

Somebody already mentioned the discrepancies in history and modern words in 12th century novel. What killed it for me was a skeleton hanging on a wall for 20 years. Seriously?? The bones were holding to each other how?? The dungeon master went there and tied them together with a wire like the ones in medical school? I am sorry, but things like this completely spoil otherwise decent book for me.

I enjoyed this book, start to finish, and read it through in one day. I came away reasonably satisfied but couldn't help feeling a little bit disappointed with the nature of the ending. Overall its very reminiscent of Ubik. A group of people stuck in a increasingly strange situation, trying to figure out what's going on before they all die. God is real in this world and that opens up some interesting avenues of speculation.

Belsnor said woodenly. "I had to shoot him".

"I know," Mary said, "what to do."

At first you think they are typos, but many such examples of atrocious writing are found on every page. Couldn't someone have edited this?