Definitely a sci-fi classic, but not all it's hyped up to be. The exploration of emotion/empathy as a largely defining characteristic of humans is an interesting one within the context of a world wherein androids are otherwise indistinguishable from humans. However, even as a short book, it seemed like it could have been more effectively conveyed through a novella or short story. I don't think that it dragged on, but there was too much filler. I wouldn't recommend against reading it, but if you're looking for a great story instead of filling in gaps in your sci-fi repertoire, move on.

More different from the Bladerunner movie than I expected. It thoughtfully explores the uniquely human quality of empathy, which turns out to be more like a curse in Deckard's bleak world.

If you're looking for Blade Runner, move on. This is a beautifully strange, sad tale of a man who comes to doubt everything he knows (even his own identity). Best parts for me: Mercerism, live animals as status symbols, and the married couple's arguments over which mood to dial on the "mood organ."

Some regard this as a scientific classic. They must mean the movie Blade Runner. The novel had to be adapted and the title changed because it simply wasn't exciting enough. The action scenes in the novel are are about as exciting as reading a cookbook recipe. There is no suspense and Dick has had no success at all in predicting the future, which is here now and bears no resemblance to the novel. Waste of time.

I enjoyed this novel, and was particularly intrigued by the essay featured at the end of the book (it discusses all of the conflicts which arose when the screenplay for the movie "Blade Runner" was being written). I then watched the movie, actually, just to have a better understanding of why these conflicts had erupted. Like 99% of viewers, I found the movie to be a colossal waste of time (sorry Ridley Scott - I loved the Alien movies and always will!). But I digress. This is not a movie review. It's a book review. The plot was satisfying and I appreciated the significant theme of the novel - were clones to exist, (the beings in this book are not true clones, but rather "androids") what rights would they have, if any? Would it be ethically offensive to use them as slaves? What would our response be if these clones chose to assert their rights? Would they HAVE rights? I did not find the romance in this novel believable, but rather mechanical. The love between the protagonist and the android that he must "retire" (kill) was not well developed. I say this only because the essay at the end of the book indicates that it was an important idea to the author, one which he vehemently defended when screenplay writers threatened to "write it out" of the movie. I struggled with two concepts in the novel - the veneration of animals, and "Mercerism", which is the religious ideology followed by the characters. Upon those concepts the most important messages of the novel were built - it's too bad they were both stripped from the movie. I would still recommend this novel, despite some of the drawbacks - its underlying philosophies are provocative. Moreover, I think it's important to be familiar with the classic canon of any genre, and I intend to read more PKD.

It's true the text is much stronger than the art but I am enjoying the graphic format, the book's overarching theme seems to me to be hyperreality, rather than empathy per se, and the visualization, because it is a visualization, adds an interesting sensory dimension. Blade Runner went for hyperreal immersion and substituted a film noir style narrative for Dick's flatter, grimmer world building/destroying writing, but this version retains every word of Dicks original and that works for me. In general I would like to see more graphic adaptions retain the original text, word for word.

Some regard this as a scientific classic. They must mean the movie Blade Runner. The novel had to be adapted and the title changed because it simply wasn't exciting enough. The action scenes in the novel are are about as exciting as reading a cookbook recipe. There is no suspense and Dick has had no success at all in predicting the future, which is here now and bears no resemblance to the novel. Waste of time.

All the characters seemed so unlikeable or stupid. Usually I like books such as these; I suppose I just didn't understand it.

Well, now I know what the heck "Blade Runner" was about. For years that movie eluded me with it's convoluted plot. After reading what the film was based on, I now have a much better understanding of what the movie is about... and yes that includes the director's cut which didn't really clear up any questions I had. P.K.D. is a strange sort of writer who's work takes a bit of getting used to. He writes great short reads that leave you deep in thought long after the last page. I'm not much of a Science Fiction guy but everything I've read from P.K.D. has been very engaging for me.

Sure, the movie was iconic and pretty awesome but it was so different from the book. The book will make the gears of your brain turn for sure and at times may also make your heart break. Full of intellectual ponderings on reality, the nature of humanity and warnings of the future this is a must read for science fiction fans.