Death is not final in this provocative pulp-mashing novel, and life may not be what it seems. By keeping corpses on ice and hooking them up to electronic translators, the dead are given a kind of half-life, able to interact with the living in a limited fashion. This is one of many prototypical sci-fi conceits popularized by Dick in this novel. Ubik grapples with many concepts, including telepathy and precognition, but the central question is: “what is real?”
Joe Chip has the worst day of life. He doesn’t even have enough money to pay his coin-operated door to open. Then the next day just gets worse. Tasked with stopping a rival corporation of psi-talented individuals, Joe and his colleagues get pulled into a conspiracy that they may never emerge from.
Expect no answers from Ubik. Use as directed and try to enjoy the experience.