Reviews

All in all it's a fantastic book that goes over the philosophical focus of what makes something human, the importance of what's "real" or not intermingled by what gives something value in a world where values are skewed and ruined.

Spoiler

So much of this book is bleak and difficult - shout out to Pris torturing a spider in front of poor Isidore and the conversation Decker and Rachael have after they have sex. I can't really put a feeling on how the ending made *me* feel - that fucking frog man.

jkwriting24's review against another edition

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reflective

3.75

brobocop187's review against another edition

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4.0

Never have a I read a book that made me think I was an Android! It took awhile to get myself into it, but once I did i couldnt put it down. Truly an unlivable future for people.

andrewmashley's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

This book is a brilliant story about a dystopian future, filled with humans and androids struggling to survive, one due to the atmosphere which inhabits Earth, one due to their evolving design to blend in with humans. It really paints a bleak picture of a lifeless world, where owning a real animal is one of the highest symbols of wealth someone can own.

Philip K Dick's world-building is succinct and unique, especially for a book in 1968. I picked this book with no prior knowledge of the author or the book, and I'm extremely happy with the choice. I'd happily read this book over and over and I can't wait to watch the Bladerunner films now.

raducorha's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

joshuabushen's review against another edition

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4.0

4.2

kurtwombat's review against another edition

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5.0

Since the theatrical releases of Blade Runner in 1982 and Total Recall in 1990, more people have probably discovered Phillip K. Dick through the movies than his books. It helps too when Dick’s infinitely superior titles (DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP & I CAN REMEMBER IT FOR YOU WHOLESALE) are teased in the credits or ad material. Of the movies, Blade Runner has achieved a particular cult status. Having seen the movie several times before reading the book, I was somewhat concerned that my enjoyment of the book would be diminished…I needn’t have been. While I enjoyed the movie, Blade Runner merely takes a layer of frosting off the top of the book’s cake. Like most of his works, Philip K. Dick not only makes his point but circles around and makes it again from several different angles. The movie and book actually co-exist wonderfully—the slice Blade Runner took is clean and self contained—hunting the artificial humans is virtually the whole show. This thin slice is padded by groundbreaking visual effects and a future/tech noir packaging. Any style or noir in the book is incidental. The hunt for the “Andys” (nickname for androids) is the engine that drives the story but the real show of the book is identity. Dick applies layer after layer of the ways an identity is shaped and defined and erased—drugs, religion, work, consumerism, marriage, intelligence and the self regard that is alternately squashed and inflated by the manipulation of these elements and more. Simply being on earth vs. living off earth might be the strongest identifier of all. Because of a few too many wars, earth is contaminated and decaying and the low rung on the ladder. The title became more brilliant as the book progressed, moving from an amusing play on words to a sharp assessment of how Andy’s might self-identify and be manipulated like anyone else by desperate acts of consumerism and the pursuit of status. This climbed up to my second favorite book by Philip K. Dick—the first being THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE—and helped cement him as one of my favorites.

glittryvirgo's review against another edition

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his writing of women

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