A Scanner Darkly (S.F. MASTERWORKS)

A brilliant sci-fi novel from one of the last century's most influential pop culture figures

Substance D — otherwise known as Death — is the most dangerous drug ever to find its way onto the black market. It destroys the links between the brain's two hemispheres, leading first to disorientation and then to complete and irreversible brain damage.

Key plot details:

• Bob Arctor, an undercover narcotics agent, is tasked with finding the source of Substance D.
• To pass as an addict, he must become a user himself.
• Unknowingly, Bob becomes as dependent on the drug as the addicts he is monitoring.

Set in California’s Orange County, Arctor uses a series of holo-scanners to observe his housemates. However, as the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear that his own neurological state is deteriorating.