Blade Runner

Originally published as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

De: Philip K. Dick

Narrado por: Scott Brick

The classic sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, which inspired two major motion pictures: Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049

By 2021, the World War has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remain covet any living creature, and for people who can’t afford one, companies build incredibly realistic simulacra: horses, birds, cats, sheep. They’ve even built humans. Immigrants to Mars receive androids so sophisticated they are indistinguishable from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans can wreak, the government bans them from Earth. Driven into hiding, unauthorized androids live among human beings, undetected. Rick Deckard, an officially sanctioned bounty hunter, is commissioned to find rogue androids and “retire” them. But when cornered, androids fight back—with lethal force.

Praise for Philip K. Dick

“[Philip K. Dick] sees all the sparkling—and terrifying—possibilities . . . that other authors shy away from.”—Rolling Stone

“A kind of pulp-fiction Kafka, a prophet.”—The New York Times©1968 Philip K. Dick; (P)2007 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Like Quicksand

I found this book very slow going and a lot of it seemed aimless and pointless. Brick's reading drags and is read in a dreary tone. I've listened to approximately 100 audible books and only two were so bad that I set my iPod at fast speed just to get finished with them. This is one of the two. And Scott Brick is usually one of my favorite readers. If this book interests you, you should listen to Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan.

Terrible narrator

As usual, Scott Brick butchers the book. Way too melodramatic. He should be acting in a soap opera.

Far less interesting than the movie

This novel and the film adaptation differ enough that it's probably not even fair comparing them directly. Fortunately, Ridley Scott and his screenwriters had the good sense to leave the silliness about obsessions with having a more interesting pet than the neighbors behind when creating the movie. Normally I love Scott Brick's narration, but he misses the mark here, sometimes reading in a style that's so painfully slow it seems to strip the characters of emotion. I found myself mentally begging him to speed up. Not overly long; I recommend it only for fans of the movie who would like to round out their knowledge of the film with exposure to the source material.

So much more than Blade Runner

It’s such a shame no one has actually made a movie of this great story. In my opinion, the Blade Runner movie (while well-made and enjoyable) borrowed the least interesting parts of this strange and deeply thought-provoking book.

You’ll find yourself examining what it means to be human from several angles, considering the value of organic life in all its forms, and wondering where the hell we’re headed as a species and society.

The narrator is excellent, especially in his reading of J.R. Isidore and the female characters. When listening to a book like this—with quite a few characters, alternating protagonists, and an “unreliable narrator” writing style—it really really helps to have a performer who really knows how to do consistent and distinct character voices.

Amazing Book

This book is very good, I saw both movie adaptations before reading this book. The official name is “Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep” but as I feel the movies gave this book a bit of popularity, you can see why they would add Blade Runner in the title despite it never being said in the book. All in all, it’s a very sophisticated book, and I mean that you need to be a complex reader and if know a large range of vocabulary to understand the book. It’s still very intriguing and interesting and worth a read considering how short it is. It is very different from the movie but you will notice the similarities as you watch the move and read the book. I do find some sections in the book a bit boring but for the most part it kept me hooked, if you are a Blade Runner movie fan i suggest you give this book a go.