The stories within "Second Variety" were written between 1952 and 1955, while America was in the grip of McCarthyism. The concerns of the time are reflected in stories such as "Second Variety", which tells of an endless war fought by ever more cunning and sophisticated robots, or `Imposter` where a man accused of being an alien spy finds his whole identity called into question. Using his marvellously varied, quirky and idiosyncratic style, Dick speaks up for ordinary people against militarism, paranoia and xenophobia.