It was also one of his last novels and most personal, both factors probably influencing its quality. The Linklater adaptation is particularly good and faithful, nearly every scene is close to verbatim from the book. And most of its omissions and changes are reasonable ones for an adaptation into a movie.

I keep saying it's the only Phillip K. Dick adaptation that feels like Phillip K. Dick.

It's on Apple TV on location. I will watch it some day. Thank for the recommandation.

I also enjoyed the movie adaption of it, especially the weird psychedelic visuals, but I’m glad I read the book first.

The afterward of a Scanner Darkly is a gut punch.

My recollection is that it's a list of friends who had lost their lives to drugs of one form or another.

Lives and health, he's also included in the list.

Yep, a gut wrencher. Read that memorium here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29642422

I've heard he's better in translation, especially in French.