This month, in response to requests from readers, we're going to look at Philip K Dick. The man Roberto Bolaño described as "Thoreau plus the death of the American dream". The man Frederic Jameson called "The Shakespeare of Science Fiction". The man the New York Times said was "(arguably) the most influential sci-fi writer of the last half century".

That last 'arguably' will, no doubt, provide fertile ground for discussion. More than 20 years after his death, Dick's work is still inspiring plenty of other authors, numerous film directors and quite a few songwriters. Yet there remains a sense that he was never able to make the most of his talent. Far fewer people talk about the quality of his prose than recount how he spent many of his best years grinding out pulp fiction at a tremendous rate while hoovering up amphetamines – not to mention battling paranoia and mental instability. In fact, plenty would call him a hack. So it will be fascinating to see how things will play out as we dig into his work.

At this stage, I would argue that PKD wrote at least one bona fide classic and that his ideas were so impressive in books such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? that it almost (almost!) wouldn't have mattered how well he expressed them. But that's a debate we can have later in the month – assuming we go for an explicitly ideas-based SF book. Otherwise, it might also be worth exploring the lesser known, but still intriguing earthbound version of Philip K Dick. The first PKD book I read was The Broken Bubble, which I remember as a gritty examination of marital strife in 1950s San Francisco (albeit with a naked girl rolling around in a giant plastic bubble).

Dick also wrote plenty of books as notable for their down and dirty realism as their flights of fancy – not to mention their glorious titles. Who wouldn't want to read a book called The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike or The Confessions of a Crap Artist? There are 44 novels to choose from, not to mention dozens of short story collections, and numerous biographies and books inspired by this astonishing writer.

As usual, nominations will be drawn out of a hat. However, if you have a favourite Philip K Dick novel do vote for it, as the more people suggest a title the more likely it is to be picked. All other suggestions for discussion topics, as well as opinions and ideas about PKD's legacy and film adaptations we might enjoy, will also be gratefully received.