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mcbibliotecaria's review against another edition
4.0
I hate reading cruel things. And the spider killed me a little bit. But this idea of people striving to own an animal in a society where things that are alive are few and far between is interesting. I guess I'll watch the movie now.
thequack4's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lalawoman416's review against another edition
5.0
Set in a futuristic, post apocalyptic San Francisco, Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter tasked with rooting out and "retiring" rogue androids. Along the way, he falls in love(?) with an android and temporarily loses his bearings.
There are honestly so many layers to this book that are covered by so many other people more qualified than I. Suffice it say, it's a book about humanity and AI and the interplay between the two. What do they gain/lose? What do we gain/lose in this new technological based world?
There are honestly so many layers to this book that are covered by so many other people more qualified than I. Suffice it say, it's a book about humanity and AI and the interplay between the two. What do they gain/lose? What do we gain/lose in this new technological based world?
noshyira's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
pushingdessy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
What makes us human and deserving of personhood? What makes a life worth protecting? What happens when we see some lives as disposable?
This was a really interesting concept that feels especially relevant in an age where we can actually make realistic humanoid androids with realistic artificial intelligence who can get legal personhood, and put them in the service of humans, including as “romantic” companions. What are the limits of their sentience? Can they give consent to what we make their bodies do?
It had all the components of a classic dystopia: a last global war, a new world order, an environmental catastrophe, a religion, a synthetic way of keeping people in check. The mood organ made me think of the drugs in Brave New World as an aid to regulate our emotions - the opening sequence of Deckard and his wife, who wants to experience depression was insanely brilliant.
I was confused by the concept of Mercerism; I just didn’t understand how people could physically get hurt by a simulation or what was the deal with the Mercer guy manifesting himself to Deckard and Isidore - I think it would have made more sense if he’d just been a mythical figure constructed as part of the religion and nothing more. Same with the concept of kipple - things that reproduce on their own and take over a space was a good metaphor for consumerism, hoarding and waste pollution, but it felt more like a fantasy element that ungrounded me from the sci-fi setting.
Overall, while I didn’t love the writing style and it’s not a perfect book by any means, the more I think about it, the more I find things to think about, so I guess I quite liked it!
This was a really interesting concept that feels especially relevant in an age where we can actually make realistic humanoid androids with realistic artificial intelligence who can get legal personhood, and put them in the service of humans, including as “romantic” companions. What are the limits of their sentience? Can they give consent to what we make their bodies do?
It had all the components of a classic dystopia: a last global war, a new world order, an environmental catastrophe, a religion, a synthetic way of keeping people in check. The mood organ made me think of the drugs in Brave New World as an aid to regulate our emotions - the opening sequence of Deckard and his wife, who wants to experience depression was insanely brilliant.
I was confused by the concept of Mercerism; I just didn’t understand how people could physically get hurt by a simulation or what was the deal with the Mercer guy manifesting himself to Deckard and Isidore - I think it would have made more sense if he’d just been a mythical figure constructed as part of the religion and nothing more. Same with the concept of kipple - things that reproduce on their own and take over a space was a good metaphor for consumerism, hoarding and waste pollution, but it felt more like a fantasy element that ungrounded me from the sci-fi setting.
Overall, while I didn’t love the writing style and it’s not a perfect book by any means, the more I think about it, the more I find things to think about, so I guess I quite liked it!
baelb's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
clarebear2218's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75