Philip K. Dick

The claws were bad enough in the first place-nasty, crawling little death-robots. But when they began to imitate their creators, it was time for the human race to make peace-if it could!

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Second Variety

A. D. Knapp

Melissa Railey

The stories within SECOND VARIETY were written between 1952 and 1955, while America was in the grip of McCarthyism. The concerns of the time are reflected in stories such as Second Variety, which tells of an endless war fought by ever more cunning and sophisticated robots, or Imposter where a man accused of being an alien spy finds his whole identity called into question. Using his marvellously varied, quirky and idiosyncratic style, Dick speaks up for ordinary people against militarism, paranoia and xenophobia.

Maurice FitzGerald

Paulo Furtado

In the aftermath of a devastating nuclear war between the United Nations and the Soviet Union, sophisticated robots—nicknamed “claws”—are created to destroy what remains of human life. Left to their own devices, however, the claws develop robots of their own. II-V, the second variety, remains unknown to the few humans left on Earth. Or does it? Philip K. Dick was an American science-fiction novelist, short-story writer and essayist. His first short story, “Beyond Lies the Wub,” was published shortly after his high school graduation. Some of his most famous short stories were adapted for film, including “The Minority Report,” “Paycheck,” “Second Variety” (adapted into the film Screamers) and “We Can Remember It For You Wholesale” (adapted into the film Total Recall). HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperCollins short-stories collection to build your digital library.

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