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For anyone asking themselves what PKD is (since it's mentioned in the article and in the comments here without explanation), it's apparently Philip K. Dick, the

For anyone asking themselves what PKD is (since it's mentioned in the article and in the comments here without explanation), it's apparently Philip K. Dick, the author of the book "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", on which Blade Runner is based.

gumby 3y ago
BTW there is also a novel from the 80s called “blade runner”. Don’t read it: it’s really terrible. Also it has nothing at all to do with androids or anything. IIRC it’s something to do with illegal surgery, or transplants perhaps, but I remember it being so terrible that I don’t even want to go find the book and see. Whereas Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is subtle and divine — one of PKD’s best and always worth a reread.
- technothrasher 3y ago
  > Whereas Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is subtle and Devine It's also a relatively short read, but packed with so much more to explore than the movie dug into. I really wish Mercerism had been brought into the film. It's such an insightful critique of religion and society, and quite prophetic for time in which the story was written.
  - gumby 3y ago
    And the mood organ (and Dekard’s wife’s abuse of same), also so prophetic
- maxfurman 3y ago
  Technically the film is named after this novel; they optioned the title and then slapped it on their Do Androids Dream script because it sounded better. You're pretty close in your plot summary, it's about a dystopian future where surgery, and specifically possession of surgical instruments, is illegal. The "Blade Runners" are couriers that deliver the scalpels to underground surgery clinics. The name makes a lot more sense for that than for an android hunter but I'm happy we got the Blade Runner we got.
- gs17 3y ago
  Worse, the novel The Bladerunners' story treatment was later published as "Blade Runner (a movie)", not to be confused with Blade Runner, a movie.
  - syntheweave 3y ago
    This has a nice coda with the Commodore 64 game "Blade Runner" (A video game interpretation of the film score by Vangelis).
Trasmatta 3y ago
And if anyone wants to get into PKD, I highly recommend the following books: * Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? * Ubik * The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch * A Scanner Darkly * VALIS (but probably not until you've read some of his others, and also read a bit about his life, because it's pseudo-autobiographical) I just finished reading a biography of him called "Divine Invasions" (not to be confused with his book "The Divine Invasion", which is roughly a sequel to VALIS), which I recommend as well. PKD was an utterly brilliant, fascinating, and sadly broken man.
- prepend 3y ago
  I love the VALIS trilogy and like to recommend Radio Free Albemuth as an intro book to new PKD readers. It’s basically a rewrite of the trilogy in a single, short novel.
  - skhm 3y ago
    Thank you for this - I loved VALIS and read it after most of his other major novels but the fact that the third in the trilogy (transmigration?) was unfinished put me off carrying on. I'll be reading this today.
    - Trasmatta 3y ago
      The Transmigration of Timothy Archer was finished. It was published after his death, but he did complete it. It's also not really related to VALIS at all. I still don't really understand why people call it "the third novel in the VALIS" trilogy. It explores some of the same philosophical and religious themes, but has no connection otherwise. The "second book", The Divine Invasion, feels closer to VALIS (and it's pretty good, I'd recommend it!), especially because of the gnostic themes. But even that is distinctly different. VALIS honestly stands entirely on its own. PKD never wrote another book quite like it -- in fact, nobody has.
      - skhm 3y ago
        Thank you for this clarification - I don't think I ever read Invasion (despite reading relative dross like Frolix) - so I might revisit.

gumby 3y ago

BTW there is also a novel from the 80s called “blade runner”. Don’t read it: it’s really terrible. Also it has nothing at all to do with androids or anything. IIRC it’s something to do with illegal surgery, or transplants perhaps, but I remember it being so terrible that I don’t even want to go find the book and see. Whereas Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is subtle and divine — one of PKD’s best and always worth a reread.

technothrasher 3y ago
> Whereas Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is subtle and Devine It's also a relatively short read, but packed with so much more to explore than the movie dug into. I really wish Mercerism had been brought into the film. It's such an insightful critique of religion and society, and quite prophetic for time in which the story was written.
- gumby 3y ago
  And the mood organ (and Dekard’s wife’s abuse of same), also so prophetic
maxfurman 3y ago
Technically the film is named after this novel; they optioned the title and then slapped it on their Do Androids Dream script because it sounded better. You're pretty close in your plot summary, it's about a dystopian future where surgery, and specifically possession of surgical instruments, is illegal. The "Blade Runners" are couriers that deliver the scalpels to underground surgery clinics. The name makes a lot more sense for that than for an android hunter but I'm happy we got the Blade Runner we got.
gs17 3y ago
Worse, the novel The Bladerunners' story treatment was later published as "Blade Runner (a movie)", not to be confused with Blade Runner, a movie.
- syntheweave 3y ago
  This has a nice coda with the Commodore 64 game "Blade Runner" (A video game interpretation of the film score by Vangelis).

Trasmatta 3y ago

And if anyone wants to get into PKD, I highly recommend the following books: * Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? * Ubik * The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch * A Scanner Darkly * VALIS (but probably not until you've read some of his others, and also read a bit about his life, because it's pseudo-autobiographical) I just finished reading a biography of him called "Divine Invasions" (not to be confused with his book "The Divine Invasion", which is roughly a sequel to VALIS), which I recommend as well. PKD was an utterly brilliant, fascinating, and sadly broken man.

prepend 3y ago
I love the VALIS trilogy and like to recommend Radio Free Albemuth as an intro book to new PKD readers. It’s basically a rewrite of the trilogy in a single, short novel.
- skhm 3y ago
  Thank you for this - I loved VALIS and read it after most of his other major novels but the fact that the third in the trilogy (transmigration?) was unfinished put me off carrying on. I'll be reading this today.
  - Trasmatta 3y ago
    The Transmigration of Timothy Archer was finished. It was published after his death, but he did complete it. It's also not really related to VALIS at all. I still don't really understand why people call it "the third novel in the VALIS" trilogy. It explores some of the same philosophical and religious themes, but has no connection otherwise. The "second book", The Divine Invasion, feels closer to VALIS (and it's pretty good, I'd recommend it!), especially because of the gnostic themes. But even that is distinctly different. VALIS honestly stands entirely on its own. PKD never wrote another book quite like it -- in fact, nobody has.
    - skhm 3y ago
      Thank you for this clarification - I don't think I ever read Invasion (despite reading relative dross like Frolix) - so I might revisit.