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Stand-By
16 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1963
31 people want to read
About the author
Philip K. Dick
1,928 books22.8k followersPhilip Kindred Dick was a prolific American science fiction author whose work has had a lasting impact on literature, cinema, and popular culture. Known for his imaginative narratives and profound philosophical themes, Dick explored the nature of reality, the boundaries of human identity, and the impact of technology and authoritarianism on society. His stories often blurred the line between the real and the artificial, challenging readers to question their perceptions and beliefs.
Raised in California, Dick began writing professionally in the early 1950s, publishing short stories in various science fiction magazines. He quickly developed a distinctive voice within the genre, marked by a fusion of science fiction concepts with deep existential and psychological inquiry. Over his career, he authored 44 novels and more than 100 short stories, many of which have become classics in the field.
Recurring themes in Dick's work include alternate realities, simulations, corporate and government control, mental illness, and the nature of consciousness. His protagonists are frequently everyday individuals—often paranoid, uncertain, or troubled—caught in surreal and often dangerous circumstances that force them to question their environment and themselves. Works such as Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly reflect his fascination with perception and altered states of consciousness, often drawing from his own experiences with mental health struggles and drug use.
One of Dick’s most influential novels is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Ridley Scott’s iconic film Blade Runner. The novel deals with the distinction between humans and artificial beings and asks profound questions about empathy, identity, and what it means to be alive. Other adaptations of his work include Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle, each reflecting key elements of his storytelling—uncertain realities, oppressive systems, and the search for truth. These adaptations have introduced his complex ideas to audiences well beyond the traditional readership of science fiction.
In the 1970s, Dick underwent a series of visionary and mystical experiences that had a significant influence on his later writings. He described receiving profound knowledge from an external, possibly divine, source and documented these events extensively in what became known as The Exegesis, a massive and often fragmented journal. These experiences inspired his later novels, most notably the VALIS trilogy, which mixes autobiography, theology, and metaphysics in a narrative that defies conventional structure and genre boundaries.
Throughout his life, Dick faced financial instability, health issues, and periods of personal turmoil, yet he remained a dedicated and relentless writer. Despite limited commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation grew steadily, and he came to be regarded as one of the most original voices in speculative fiction. His work has been celebrated for its ability to fuse philosophical depth with gripping storytelling and has influenced not only science fiction writers but also philosophers, filmmakers, and futurists.
Dick’s legacy continues to thrive in both literary and cinematic spheres. The themes he explored remain urgently relevant in the modern world, particularly as technology increasingly intersects with human identity and governance. The Philip K. Dick Award, named in his honor, is presented annually to distinguished works of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. His writings have also inspired television series, academic studies, and countless homages across media.
Through his vivid imagination and unflinching inquiry into the nature of existence, Philip K. Dick redefined what science fiction could achieve. His work continues to challenge and inspire, offering timeless insights into the human condition a
Raised in California, Dick began writing professionally in the early 1950s, publishing short stories in various science fiction magazines. He quickly developed a distinctive voice within the genre, marked by a fusion of science fiction concepts with deep existential and psychological inquiry. Over his career, he authored 44 novels and more than 100 short stories, many of which have become classics in the field.
Recurring themes in Dick's work include alternate realities, simulations, corporate and government control, mental illness, and the nature of consciousness. His protagonists are frequently everyday individuals—often paranoid, uncertain, or troubled—caught in surreal and often dangerous circumstances that force them to question their environment and themselves. Works such as Ubik, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and A Scanner Darkly reflect his fascination with perception and altered states of consciousness, often drawing from his own experiences with mental health struggles and drug use.
One of Dick’s most influential novels is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which served as the basis for Ridley Scott’s iconic film Blade Runner. The novel deals with the distinction between humans and artificial beings and asks profound questions about empathy, identity, and what it means to be alive. Other adaptations of his work include Total Recall, Minority Report, A Scanner Darkly, and The Man in the High Castle, each reflecting key elements of his storytelling—uncertain realities, oppressive systems, and the search for truth. These adaptations have introduced his complex ideas to audiences well beyond the traditional readership of science fiction.
In the 1970s, Dick underwent a series of visionary and mystical experiences that had a significant influence on his later writings. He described receiving profound knowledge from an external, possibly divine, source and documented these events extensively in what became known as The Exegesis, a massive and often fragmented journal. These experiences inspired his later novels, most notably the VALIS trilogy, which mixes autobiography, theology, and metaphysics in a narrative that defies conventional structure and genre boundaries.
Throughout his life, Dick faced financial instability, health issues, and periods of personal turmoil, yet he remained a dedicated and relentless writer. Despite limited commercial success during his lifetime, his reputation grew steadily, and he came to be regarded as one of the most original voices in speculative fiction. His work has been celebrated for its ability to fuse philosophical depth with gripping storytelling and has influenced not only science fiction writers but also philosophers, filmmakers, and futurists.
Dick’s legacy continues to thrive in both literary and cinematic spheres. The themes he explored remain urgently relevant in the modern world, particularly as technology increasingly intersects with human identity and governance. The Philip K. Dick Award, named in his honor, is presented annually to distinguished works of science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. His writings have also inspired television series, academic studies, and countless homages across media.
Through his vivid imagination and unflinching inquiry into the nature of existence, Philip K. Dick redefined what science fiction could achieve. His work continues to challenge and inspire, offering timeless insights into the human condition a
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 13, 2021
“‘[…] Mutant cow obtains voting franchise in court case in Alabama […]’”
Stand-By is a story that should be read in conjunction with What’ll We Do with Ragland Park?”, another story by Dick that was also published in Amazing in autumn 1963.
We enter a world in which Terrans have explored and settled some parts of the solar system and in which the U.S. is under ”the rational, disinterested rule of the homeostatic problem-solving Unicephalon 40-D which was designed, built and put into operation by some of the finest minds we have ever seen, minds dedicated to the preservation of all that’s worthy in our tradition.” Still, there is a human president on mere stand-by, just in case the super-computer somehow gets out of order, which has never happened within decades so that the office of stand-by president has become a sinecure, and not even a cherished one at that because the incumbent is required to remain within close distance to the computer and does not have any real responsibility. When the story begins, we see a union-functionary, Maximilian Fisher, an average numbskull given to the creature comforts, take up his “duties” as stand-by president, but we also see Terra being faced with an unprecedented threat, namely an alien invasion that has already started on some of the outer planets and moons. The aliens launch an attack in which they disable Unicephalon 40-D so that all of a sudden, Fisher is invested with real power. However, he seems to be concerned more with the privileges such power brings than with the defense of the civilization he represents, and so Jim Briskin, a journalist – in the lingo of the times, he is called a “news clown” and also wears a red wig –, impugns Fisher’s presidency, claiming that he did not run in an election and challenging him for that very office. Fisher thinks of having Briskin killed by the FBI, his cousin Leo, whom he made Attorney General, being ready in the wings to declare this a legal action. In the nick of time, though, Unicephalon is restored, both “cancelling” Fisher as president and binding Briskin to remain “politically silent” henceforth. Fisher, having tasted the sweet wine of power, plots to destroy the super-computer and to take over again, and here we leave the story.
Stand-by is not so much a science fiction story – the aliens never really play a role in the plot – but a satire on politics and the media. Fledgling president Fisher is the epitome of everything that can go wrong with a politician: He is lazy, both physically and intellectually, dumb, vain and power-hungry and uses his new office in order to serve his own ends. To safeguard his position, he makes his own cousin – a man not much better than himself – Attorney General, and he is also inclined to over-estimate his skills and his intellect, e.g. when he proclaims that he is going to deal with the aliens and does not even have an inkling as to how to proceed. In creating such a president for this story, Dick proved prophetic because after the assassination of JFK – in the very autumn the story was published – the U.S. should see a couple of presidents who were more concerned with their own welfare than with that of the country, and, as far as I have heard, one or the other of their ilk still pops up now and then.
Another target of the satire are the media, represented by Jim Briskin, who is characteristically called a news clown. From my own experience with German media, I have derived a pretty good idea of what this expression might cover. When Briskin is notified of the impending alien invasion, he and his team discuss whether they should put this in the news or whether they should not cover other stories – cf. the title of my review – in order not to cause panic. In other words, the media no longer see their task in reporting what is actually happening and what is of relevance, but to keep their audiences in a state of mind deemed useful by them. When he starts his campaign against Fisher, Briskin employs several strategies of manipulation, e.g. using canned applause or having a famous female singer perform a campaigning song for him. Characteristically, Briskin and Fisher get so involved in their rivalry that the alien invasion no longer seems to matter, and this is also quite typical of what is going on in contemporary politics: In my country, politicians tend to hush up central problems that need to be tackled for fear of forfeiting popularity, which is a clear sign that they are setting their own careers over the welfare of the community.
There is a last thought I’d like to give Unicephalon 40-D. Unlike in some other PKD stories where we have androids in political offices, the super-computer apparently does a good job, and neither is its rule tyrannical because there have been instances when courts of law have revoked some of its decisions. Nevertheless, the idea that human beings have ceded their right to govern themselves to a machine and that, apparently, there are no longer elections in which people can voice their interests, is an unsettling one: We should not forget that societies are characterized by different groups pursuing individual interests and that a “homeostatic rule” by a machine might undoubtedly achieve better results than the egoistic rule of a self-serving dunce like Fisher (or put in the name of whichever President comes to your mind here), but that for all that, the reign of a wise and altruistic dictator (if such a one exists for power invariably corrupts even the best of us unless there are checks-and-balances) is still a dictatorship, and that liberty, as the source and the consequence of human dignity, may sometimes come at the cost of taking a wrong decision. Ironically, our narrator allows even Fisher a brief moment of dignity when he experiences the sense of dignity that comes with accomplishing something.
Stand-By is a story that should be read in conjunction with What’ll We Do with Ragland Park?”, another story by Dick that was also published in Amazing in autumn 1963.
We enter a world in which Terrans have explored and settled some parts of the solar system and in which the U.S. is under ”the rational, disinterested rule of the homeostatic problem-solving Unicephalon 40-D which was designed, built and put into operation by some of the finest minds we have ever seen, minds dedicated to the preservation of all that’s worthy in our tradition.” Still, there is a human president on mere stand-by, just in case the super-computer somehow gets out of order, which has never happened within decades so that the office of stand-by president has become a sinecure, and not even a cherished one at that because the incumbent is required to remain within close distance to the computer and does not have any real responsibility. When the story begins, we see a union-functionary, Maximilian Fisher, an average numbskull given to the creature comforts, take up his “duties” as stand-by president, but we also see Terra being faced with an unprecedented threat, namely an alien invasion that has already started on some of the outer planets and moons. The aliens launch an attack in which they disable Unicephalon 40-D so that all of a sudden, Fisher is invested with real power. However, he seems to be concerned more with the privileges such power brings than with the defense of the civilization he represents, and so Jim Briskin, a journalist – in the lingo of the times, he is called a “news clown” and also wears a red wig –, impugns Fisher’s presidency, claiming that he did not run in an election and challenging him for that very office. Fisher thinks of having Briskin killed by the FBI, his cousin Leo, whom he made Attorney General, being ready in the wings to declare this a legal action. In the nick of time, though, Unicephalon is restored, both “cancelling” Fisher as president and binding Briskin to remain “politically silent” henceforth. Fisher, having tasted the sweet wine of power, plots to destroy the super-computer and to take over again, and here we leave the story.
Stand-by is not so much a science fiction story – the aliens never really play a role in the plot – but a satire on politics and the media. Fledgling president Fisher is the epitome of everything that can go wrong with a politician: He is lazy, both physically and intellectually, dumb, vain and power-hungry and uses his new office in order to serve his own ends. To safeguard his position, he makes his own cousin – a man not much better than himself – Attorney General, and he is also inclined to over-estimate his skills and his intellect, e.g. when he proclaims that he is going to deal with the aliens and does not even have an inkling as to how to proceed. In creating such a president for this story, Dick proved prophetic because after the assassination of JFK – in the very autumn the story was published – the U.S. should see a couple of presidents who were more concerned with their own welfare than with that of the country, and, as far as I have heard, one or the other of their ilk still pops up now and then.
Another target of the satire are the media, represented by Jim Briskin, who is characteristically called a news clown. From my own experience with German media, I have derived a pretty good idea of what this expression might cover. When Briskin is notified of the impending alien invasion, he and his team discuss whether they should put this in the news or whether they should not cover other stories – cf. the title of my review – in order not to cause panic. In other words, the media no longer see their task in reporting what is actually happening and what is of relevance, but to keep their audiences in a state of mind deemed useful by them. When he starts his campaign against Fisher, Briskin employs several strategies of manipulation, e.g. using canned applause or having a famous female singer perform a campaigning song for him. Characteristically, Briskin and Fisher get so involved in their rivalry that the alien invasion no longer seems to matter, and this is also quite typical of what is going on in contemporary politics: In my country, politicians tend to hush up central problems that need to be tackled for fear of forfeiting popularity, which is a clear sign that they are setting their own careers over the welfare of the community.
There is a last thought I’d like to give Unicephalon 40-D. Unlike in some other PKD stories where we have androids in political offices, the super-computer apparently does a good job, and neither is its rule tyrannical because there have been instances when courts of law have revoked some of its decisions. Nevertheless, the idea that human beings have ceded their right to govern themselves to a machine and that, apparently, there are no longer elections in which people can voice their interests, is an unsettling one: We should not forget that societies are characterized by different groups pursuing individual interests and that a “homeostatic rule” by a machine might undoubtedly achieve better results than the egoistic rule of a self-serving dunce like Fisher (or put in the name of whichever President comes to your mind here), but that for all that, the reign of a wise and altruistic dictator (if such a one exists for power invariably corrupts even the best of us unless there are checks-and-balances) is still a dictatorship, and that liberty, as the source and the consequence of human dignity, may sometimes come at the cost of taking a wrong decision. Ironically, our narrator allows even Fisher a brief moment of dignity when he experiences the sense of dignity that comes with accomplishing something.
April 9, 2022
I'm not sure what this is trying to say. Is it implying that a government run by a computer is good? Is it bashing unions? Is it bashing the tendency for TV news to try to be more entertaining at the expense of the actual news? Is it saying we are too self-centered to care very much that an alien fleet, potentially hostile, is closing in on the Earth? Unfortunately the collection of parts never jelled for me.
July 24, 2019
I read "Stand-By" in a compilation of Philip K Dick short stories titled "The Preserving Machine" (1969). It was originally published as "Top Stand-By Job" in 1963.
I really enjoyed this story. I think it is yet another great fictional piece touching on the theme "absolute power corrupts absolutely". I love the speculative notion that humans will have "stand-by" roles for robots and computers that can do work independently. And there is some great commentary on both the nature of politics and media.
Definitely a culturally relevant book to read in a post 2016 America, regardless of what political views you hold.
I really enjoyed this story. I think it is yet another great fictional piece touching on the theme "absolute power corrupts absolutely". I love the speculative notion that humans will have "stand-by" roles for robots and computers that can do work independently. And there is some great commentary on both the nature of politics and media.
Definitely a culturally relevant book to read in a post 2016 America, regardless of what political views you hold.
May 18, 2018
At first I thought PKD was definitely writing about LBJ and struggle to prove himself as a President and handing the Vietnam War? But, it looks like this story was written while JFK was still alive. Soooooo, I was 100% wrong. Part 1 of a two-part story; the sequel is "What'll We Do With Ragland Park?"
December 27, 2019
Not sure if I fully get what's going on. I think the stand-by president is something you see in another of his stories. Not sure if I like this one.
The idea, of course, is as always mesmerizing.
The idea, of course, is as always mesmerizing.
February 26, 2023
Prequel to "What'll We Do with Ragland Park?"
An interesting idea, could definitely work in a longer story as well.
Worth the read.
An interesting idea, could definitely work in a longer story as well.
Worth the read.
February 26, 2025
"...I'm President now; I can close down your silly network.. I'm firing the Attorney General..." This weirdly prescient short story is alarming. It's as if a certain POTUS read this and is acting it out. Or perhaps a handler is feeding him lines. Either way, this is sort of a painful read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews