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vk_fox15's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Didn't finish the book.
Dick is a fine author, I have nothing against him or his writing style. I was required to read this book for a class and have nothing against him personally. I initially went in with high expectations and for that reason I was unable to read through this book as I normally do with other books. To me it just felt dry.
I appreciated the world building and liked just how desperate the people of earth were. I praise Dick for his efforts in writing this novel, and can see why it has become such a highly praised literary classic amongst Western audiences, yet I just couldn't get through it.
The more I read the book the less I could picture myself within it, and for me, being able to immerse myself within the story is something I need to get through a book. Stories like 'Harry Potter' are heavily immersive, despite how unprofessional JK Rowling may be as a person, I could very well see myself within the dorm rooms of the Ravenclaw house (not to complement her).
'Do Androids...' isn't necessarily a "bad" book by any means, it just isn't immersive for me. There's something missing from it that I just can't put my finger on, and that's why I had to put the book down. To end this review, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to get into the science-fiction genre, especially people who are into stories adjacent to 'The Hunger Games' concerning themes of government corruption.
Dick is a fine author, I have nothing against him or his writing style. I was required to read this book for a class and have nothing against him personally. I initially went in with high expectations and for that reason I was unable to read through this book as I normally do with other books. To me it just felt dry.
I appreciated the world building and liked just how desperate the people of earth were. I praise Dick for his efforts in writing this novel, and can see why it has become such a highly praised literary classic amongst Western audiences, yet I just couldn't get through it.
The more I read the book the less I could picture myself within it, and for me, being able to immerse myself within the story is something I need to get through a book. Stories like 'Harry Potter' are heavily immersive, despite how unprofessional JK Rowling may be as a person, I could very well see myself within the dorm rooms of the Ravenclaw house (not to complement her).
'Do Androids...' isn't necessarily a "bad" book by any means, it just isn't immersive for me. There's something missing from it that I just can't put my finger on, and that's why I had to put the book down. To end this review, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to get into the science-fiction genre, especially people who are into stories adjacent to 'The Hunger Games' concerning themes of government corruption.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Abandonment, Ableism, Animal death, Classism, Death, Drug abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Police brutality, and Xenophobia
zombiezami's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Gun violence, Classism, Sexism, Ableism, Animal cruelty, and Misogyny
Minor: Racism
lillygabriella's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Why is so much mid century sci-fi so depressing? Isn't that when we thought the future would be better?
That said, it's absolutely wild that Mr. Dick thought there would be androids in the 70s when he wrote it in 1968 and computers were still the size of rooms. The main story is set in 2021 and I really think he would have done better to push it back to the 2200s it would be a lot more believable. It's dark, dystopian, and tragic. And I don't think he actually understands what empathy means.
Blade runner is supposed to be based on this and all I can say is from what I remember the movie they left a whole lot out.
However bad the world is right now, at least we're doing better than this.
That said, it's absolutely wild that Mr. Dick thought there would be androids in the 70s when he wrote it in 1968 and computers were still the size of rooms. The main story is set in 2021 and I really think he would have done better to push it back to the 2200s it would be a lot more believable. It's dark, dystopian, and tragic. And I don't think he actually understands what empathy means.
Blade runner is supposed to be based on this and all I can say is from what I remember the movie they left a whole lot out.
However bad the world is right now, at least we're doing better than this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Bullying, Murder, Sexual content, and Classism
kerttuli's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Classism, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Animal death, and Mental illness
Minor: Body shaming and Infidelity
cronasbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Animal death, Classism, and Misogyny
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