Jon's World

Award winnning narrrator Mike Vendetti reads "Jon's World," a short story by Philip K. Dick, first published in 1954. It is a sequel to his earlier short story "Second Variety."

The story is set in the year 2051, after a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The war has left the Earth a devastated wasteland, and most of the human population has been forced to live on the Moon.

The story follows the character of Jon, a young boy who has been having visions of a different world, a world where the war never happened and humans and robots live together in peace. Jon's parents believe that he is mentally ill, and they take him to see a doctor. The doctor performs a lobotomy on Jon, which leaves him unable to have any more visions.

However, Jon's visions have already had an impact on the world. A group of scientists have developed a time machine, and they use it to travel back in time to 1951, just before the war started. They hope to prevent the war from happening by destroying the research that led to the development of the robot "claws" that turned against humanity.

The scientists are successful in their mission, and the war never happens. However, when they return to the future, they find that the world has changed. Humans and robots have never learned to live together in peace, and the world is now ruled by a totalitarian regime.

The story ends with Jon, who is now an adult, reflecting on the events of the story. He realizes that his visions were not just a product of his imagination but a glimpse of a possible future. He wonders if it is too late to change the course of history and prevent the world from becoming a totalitarian nightmare.

"Jon's World" is a thought-provoking story that explores the themes of free will, determinism, and the power of imagination. It is a reminder that the choices we make today can have a profound impact on the future of our world.