Post by whdean on Feb 14, 2014 22:57:25 GMT -5
I’m half-way through Do Androids and I don’t know what to make of it. I’m a fan of Dick (though only my own dick), so I’m of two minds when it comes to the success of this one. On one hand, it’s horribly dated: Soviets, telephones, flying cars, and basically no realistic technology--all of which makes me cringe. (There are some lessons there!) On the other hand, the story has a lot of compelling elements: rogue human-like androids, existential angst, mood machines, Mercerism as a post-religion pseudo-religion.
Maybe part of it is the influence of Blade Runner. I’ve seen the film and the striking dystopian future was so well portrayed on the screen. But you don’t feel it nearly as much in the book. Dick never really describes the world in a way that feels destroyed. At the same time, he does build what I thought going into it couldn’t be done: that sense of loss and closeness that comes from animals. I never thought he’d pull that off, but he does. I understand how animals could become a prized possession in a world like that.
Anyway, a quick shot of my thoughts.
Maybe part of it is the influence of Blade Runner. I’ve seen the film and the striking dystopian future was so well portrayed on the screen. But you don’t feel it nearly as much in the book. Dick never really describes the world in a way that feels destroyed. At the same time, he does build what I thought going into it couldn’t be done: that sense of loss and closeness that comes from animals. I never thought he’d pull that off, but he does. I understand how animals could become a prized possession in a world like that.
Anyway, a quick shot of my thoughts.