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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Fantastic book. The setting is interesting but not exactly unique. Where the book really shines is the suspicion it can cast on everything you read. The suspicion and doubt all stem from the clever way the book is written around the idea ‘is Deckard an android?’ Its never really answered either, and I like that.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved it like I love Blade Runner.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
I really struggled to rate this book. Ultimately, I went with 2 stars because I felt it deserved much credit for its themes and world building. I really liked Philip's sorta brutalist dystopian depiction of an alternative 2021. I also found the themes around spirituality, the evolution of a religion, and how humans tend to gatekeep intelligence and sentience to be very intriguing.
What stuck with me are the attempts andriods make to prove they experience aliveness, and using Mercerism (the religion) as a sort of litmus test to see if they experience empathy. There's this cruel realization that they cannot use the practices of Mercerism or other human tools, to determine their "aliveness" and capacity to feel empathy, given that the tools used reject andriod physiology.
Every tool in this world measures the experience of being alive by neurotypical human standards, and by doing so, andriods may never truly be regarded as entities that are sentiment and alive. The same could be said for characters who are neurodivergent and/or struggle with mental illness.
Anyway, for what I didn't like...
"She has breasts that smile."
It feels like half of this book belongs in Reddit's r/menwritingwomen
What stuck with me are the attempts andriods make to prove they experience aliveness, and using Mercerism (the religion) as a sort of litmus test to see if they experience empathy. There's this cruel realization that they cannot use the practices of Mercerism or other human tools, to determine their "aliveness" and capacity to feel empathy, given that the tools used reject andriod physiology.
Every tool in this world measures the experience of being alive by neurotypical human standards, and by doing so, andriods may never truly be regarded as entities that are sentiment and alive. The same could be said for characters who are neurodivergent and/or struggle with mental illness.
Anyway, for what I didn't like...
"She has breasts that smile."
It feels like half of this book belongs in Reddit's r/menwritingwomen
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Popularly known as the book Blade Runner is based on. It’s similar in a lot of ways, with some notable differences. At times it could be meandering, when all of the sudden something huge happens in the span of a single sentence. The ending also felt a little rushed. We spend a LOT of time seeing a man about a goat, and much less time in the climax. Despite that, I enjoyed the heck out of this book. Just like Bladerunner, it ruminates on what it is to be human, specifically related to empathy and faith. It’s a quick read too, I recommend it.
