# The Crystal Crypt

**Author:** Philip Dick
**Tags:** Science fiction, Short stories
**Price:** Free
**Formats:** DOCX, EPUB, FB2, PDF, TXT
**Downloads:** 42
**Added:** 10.07.2026
**URL:** https://samolit.com/books/96740

## Description

In a tense future on the brink of interplanetary war, Earth and Mars stand poised for conflict. The final ship departing Mars for Earth is meticulously searched by Martian authorities, desperate to apprehend three saboteurs accused of obliterating a crucial Martian city. Though the culprits seemingly vanish, a businessman named Thacher on board soon finds himself entangled with a mysterious trio who confess to the act. Their confession, however, unveils a mind-bending truth: the city was not destroyed, but ingeniously shrunk into a tiny crystal orb, now a high-stakes bargaining chip in the escalating hostilities. As layers of deception unravel, allegiances are tested, and the true nature of reality itself is questioned in this classic tale of espionage and shifting identities. Philip K. Dick masterfully explores the psychological complexities of a world where nothing is as it seems, and trust is a dangerous illusion.