The Skull by Philip K. Dick

Smoke if you got em!

Philip K Dick's strong suit is story ideas, not characterization. If you are looking for complex characters and emotional or psychological depth, you are bound to be disappointed. Some of his early sci-fi pulp adventure narratives like The Skull are supposed to be fast-paced entertainments, nothing more. Personally, I see nothing wrong with this narrative approach and not every literary work needs to be some kind of profound intellectual exercise. Give me a good story well-told and I'm one happy camper. The pulps are often labeled as "trash" by literary pundits but I never subscribed to this elitist attitude. Sure, in this story, the characters are flat, driven by basic desires or they fall into various archetypes. The narrative can often feel disjointed and haphazard, moving frenetically towards the dénouement. Yet, despite these flaws, somehow the story is still an enjoyable read. It would not be until much later in his writing career when PKD is able to develop well-rounded characters and the prose becomes much more compelling as he transcends the limitations of genre fiction. 

Nonetheless, The Skull succeeds as an entertaining story about a time-traveling assassin. He is sent back to the early 20th century to kill an important figure whose pacifist views have serious repercussions on future society because according to pro-military officials, there can be no human progress without war. Similar to other stories by Philip K Dick, expect some clever surprises along the way. The protagonist is not provided much information from his superiors about the target or where to find him, only the general location and time period. He must rely on his wits and unique hunting skillset to track him down before time runs out. Much of the suspense and intrigue is created by keeping the protagonist in the dark about his mission and by extension, the reader. Entertaining stuff.