SciFi and Fantasy eBook Club discussion

Is it wrong to admit that even though I've seen Blade Runner umpteenpointfive times, I have never read the book? It's about time I get around to it this month.

I read it a long time ago, probably after the movie first came out, but I have forgotten a lot of the details. I have also seen the movie a bunch of times so that's what's in my head. I am really looking forward to reading it again.

I saw Blade Runner on opening night in 1982 and once was enough: it turned me away from the writing of Philip K. Dick until fifteen years later. I think the fame and popularity of the film is probably some form of kipple.

I read the novel in 2008, so I'm probably not going to reread it right now, but I think it's a great book.

I finished the book last night. I love the ideas in this book. The question of what it means to be human or the idea that if you think something is real, does it really matter if it's not?

I had forgotten how vastly different the book is from the movie. In the book Deckard is such a sad, pathetic character. One negative for me was that I didn't buy his romantic relationship with Rachael at all. It just didn't fit.

I'm glad I re-read this; it feels like it's aged pretty well.

I am still in the beginning of this book (ask me again in a few hours haha) and I enjoy it so far. The whole idea of the animal care, post apocalypse, and the sheer absurdity of an electric sheep are very appealing. Perhaps after this I will watch blade runner.

I'm at 34% now and I have to say I understand parts of the movie much better such as having an owl at Rosen's, all the genetically built animals and the questions Deckard asks Rachel.

Beyond that, it's a completely different world in the book's San Francisco. It's definitely a sadder world. I an also see quite a bit of proto-cyberpunk in the book. Even though it was written 15 years before the term 'cyberpunk' was coined, I can see this book as one of it's progenitors.

I read this book when the earth was a whole lot younger, and have been trying to re-read it since last year this time. I just can't get into it...

Donna wrote: "...I didn't buy his romantic relationship with Rachael at all. It just didn't fit."

SPOILER BELOW (?)

I wondered about this too. Maybe "romantic" is the wrong word... it's super not romantic. We find out that Rachael was faking in an attempt to save her fellow androids. Deckard's interest in Rachael is more complicated... it's like a neurosis.

The first time this comes up is after Luba Luft is retired and Deckard asks Resch to give him the VK test. Here he comes to the conclusion that he empathizes with female androids. Also, Resch's advice appears to be an impetus for Deckard's later action.

There are a lot of interesting elements to this sexual encounter. One part in particular, when Rachel goes on about how she can't actually reproduce, and for him not to think about it or he won't be able to perform. But really isn't there some evidence that all human males remaining on earth are sterile? No kids anywhere, obsession with raising an animal like a child, the lead cod pieces the guys wear around (probably for show just like the electric sheep... to pretend to be protecting their "stuff").

In some ways this is just another element of how these humans are like the androids, but I think there is more. I wish I had a complete insight on what's going on here, but I do think Dick had a deeper point to this encounter.

Any thoughts?

I agree that there must have been a deeper point but I'm not sure what it was. I could see it as Deckard's exploring his feelings of empathy for the androids but then it goes too far for me. He told Rachael if he wasn't married already, he would marry her. That just seemed too big a leap when afterward he was still willing to kill the other androids.

Very interesting about the lack of children, I didn't notice that.