If any of you visit Dooyoo you may know me as Frankingsteins, the Guide for TV and for being an idio...
If any of you visit Dooyoo you may know me as Frankingsteins, the Guide for TV and for being an idiot! Ha ha. No, that last one I just made up. I've just started trying Ciao out for real so please don't read any of my old reviews - they are rubbish.
Member since:26.10.2002
Reviews:32
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The basic plot of this novel is "in the future a bit, following a big war, a legal bounty hunter is after six androids who are really hard to kill. will he make it?" however, that is by no means all there is to it. philip k. dick's book manages to explore the real feelings that one would feel pursuing such a job, and also incorporates much deceit and mystery throughout.
i always love to see or read about the future, provided it's not in some cheesy adventure film or kid's cartoon, and the post-apocalyptic early 21st century world of "androids," a necessary shorthand for the great title of this book that is not to be confused with kryten's favourite soap opera on red dwarf, is both believable and incredibly well devised. so much in fact that I will have to check out more 'cyberpunk' genre books in the near future. some of the more necessary concepts are explained along the way, such as the development of ever more intelligent androids and the desire to own an animal, but many others are inserted so subliminally that they are simply accepted. on my second reading of this novel i noticed that many people remaining on the almost deserted earth use mild narcotics such as snuff, but still have entertainment in the form of televisons. necessary ideas such as laser weapons and flying cars are among the more basic notions, but the idea of a mood organ that can be calibrated to enhance or produce feelings such as "desire to watch tv" and "pleased acknowledgment of husband's
superiority in all matters" and the 'mercerism machine' (explained later) are truly original science fiction concepts.
a famous quote attached to this novel from brian w. aldiss, presumably a renowned writer, is that "dick's novel is simply written but leaving all kinds of resonance in the mind." it is obvious that much of the science is far from possible, especially for modern times, and many of the characters seem purposefully retained at a single dimension. for instance, the protagonist' wife is a depressed but concerned woman who finds his job heartless, while John Isidore's boss is a token 'hate slip-ups, like money' character, but the descriptions in the novel are so perfect and easy to imagine that no one could ever describe this as badly written. The novel does not make many real attempts to surprise or shock, and leaves many obvious clues whenever there is a revelation in the works.
The main character of the novel is Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who makes money only if he 'retires' an android with his laser pistol. The character is not made particularly likeable, often portrayed as a miserable man who is somewhat arrogant when in conversations. His huge desire to own another real animal, following the death of his sheep which he had to replace with a robotic replica to keep his status, seems to verge on obsession as it occupies the character's thoughts at many points of the novel. He even seems to value owning an animal more than keeping his wife, although he was in a very tense situation and bad mood when he thought, "I should have got rid of her two years ago." But for all this, Deckard is certainly a character with whom the reader can relate, thanks to his inner turmoil. He originally forced himself to consider androids 'it' rather than 'he' and 'she,' but finds now that this is "no longer necessary." It does become more of an issue however when Deckard finds himself attracted to some of the advanced Nexus 6 androids, and begins to feel empathy towards them once he 'retires' one posing as an opera singer. "She was a wonderful singer. The planet could have used her. This is insane." His ambivalence culimnates with his seduction by Rachael Rosen, an android sent to make him feel those exact feelings so he cannot continue with his current assignment.
There are a number of other concepts in the book away from this storyline, but all tie together at the end. A second major character is John Isidore, a human who was refused permission to emigrate from Earth due to his status as a 'chickenhead,' one below what it considered average intelligence due to the radioactive dust. The character is much more sympathetic towards androids than anyone else in the novel, including the androids themselves; their lack of empathy for others is the only way they can be distinguished through the Voigt-Kampff scale. The idea of the religion/passtime 'Mercerism' also becomes increasingly important; participants grip handles of a machine within their homes and are linked with all othwer people throughout the solar system on their machines, feeling the pain and triumph of an old man climbing a mountain, being assaulted by rocks. I won't divulge any more to keep the plot entertaining and hopefully surprising, but it is a very good book.
This is the only Philip K. Dick book I have currently read, and often considered his best, although predictably not so by many hardcore fans, but it is always recommended as an introduction to Dick's novels. I may read more from the same author, however some of the major themes of his books don't appeal to me quite so much as the idea of this book: a bounty hunter in the future a bit, who kills androids that get back to Earth because we don't want them here. However, saying that, I didn't think at first that I would enjoy this book; a far cry from the usual "space opera" of TV and film that I love so much.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book after I bought it for £1 off a market stall. I'd been interested to see the film "Blade Runner," which is based on this book and apparently does it justice but which also opts to miss several key ideas out, for several years and since my copy was emblazoned with nice artwork of a futuristic, post-apocalyptic city, flying cars, Han Solo- I mean Harrison Ford, I'm always doing that, and some woman, as well as the title "Blade Runner," I decided to purchase. My mental query of whether this was some form of 'film is based on' book or novelisation was also solved when I saw "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? filmed as" in humorously small print above the huge logo "BLADE RUNNER." My copy was clearly trying to benefit as much as possible from the success of the film, which I still have not seen but would like to.
Overall, I wouldn't have likely ever read this book if I hadn't seen it so cheap in perfect condition. It certainly helped to expand my acceptance of science fiction, and thanks to reading this a couple of months ago I've now managed to read Arthur C. Clarke, Utopian novels and even Richard Matheson's sci-fi/vampire novel "I am Legend." -----------------------------------------------------
NOTE: I originally wrote this review for Dooyoo under the name 'Brains,' I just decided that I'd like to contribute it here as it is one of my better reviews.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Well writing, engaging plot and thoroughly enjoyable piece of sci-fi Disadvantages: Occasionally the perspective causes some brief confusion
Advantages: The emotions you will feel run closer to home while reading this book. Disadvantages: Takes a while to take in and understand the jargon, depth and surrounding environment.
Advantages: The emotions you will feel run closer to home while reading this book. Disadvantages: Takes a while to take in and understand the jargon, depth and surrounding environment.
Advantages: Well writing, engaging plot and thoroughly enjoyable piece of sci-fi Disadvantages: Occasionally the perspective causes some brief confusion
Oct 24th, 2003
very helpful by (100%):
