The Dice Man

"Anybody can be anybody."

—Luke Rhinehart

The Dice Man is a novel published in 1971 by George Cockcroft under the pen name Luke Rhinehart and tells the story of a psychiatrist who begins making life decisions based on the casting of dice. Cult black comedy favourite.

Luke Rhinehart, respected psychiatrist and family man, is in a slump. Bored to insanity by his humdrum life, he conducts a psychological experiment to destroy the self, by letting the role of a die determine his next actions. From here, after surrendering his will, he takes all the risks he's denied himself. The path of the dice however, leads him to become a cult leader, adulterer, underground activist, millionaire, asylum inmate, murderer and fugitive

Not to be confused with the British travel documentary inspired by the work which shares its name, or with comedian Andrew "Dice" Clay.

Tropes used in The Dice Man include:

• Bunny Ears Lawyer- Luke's behaviour is initially downplayed as this.
• Comedic Sociopath- Luke again.
• Jumping Off the Slippery Slope - Luke's first dice-determined decision is whether or not to rape his best friend's wife.
• Misaimed Fandom- fans who have actually tried 'diceliving' themselves.
• Shown Their Work- the parodies of Freudian, Jungian and behavioural psychology
• Ubermensch- Luke and his Way of the Dice.
• Unreliable Narrator
• Villain Protagonist- When the die demands it.
• What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic - Intentional with Jake Ecstein's Freudian evaluations of Luke.