posted
Well, to be perfectly honest I haven't read Electric Sheep in quite a while, although I have read "A Man in a High Castle" about four months ago.
As for the drug culture reference, when a friend of mine recommended High Castle to me, the story went something along the lines of, he was on drugs while writing many of his books, and he also consulted an I Ching device for that particular book, which seemed to ring true at the time since both books seemed particularly random and at times incoherent, while still enjoyable.
Perhaps I may develop a different opinion soon, "A Scanner Darkly" is high on my reading list after my genetics and CS exams this week.
As for Minority Report as compared to Blade Runner, I already noted that I find it difficult to evaluate the merits of Minority Report without having read the book.
However, based on what I do know, I do agree with you. Minority Report may be a better PFD film, wheras Blade Runner was more enjoyable, and definitely more stylish taking into account how much older it is
Here's the thing, what about the whole Deckard is or isn't a replicant deal. That could be considered a twist, but while its definitely in the sequels, I can't seem to recall if its in the actual book. (And the sequels were written by another author which further clouds the issue) Admittedly, it isn't a "getting hit by a truck" revelation, there are hints....the unicorn/origami and the five replicants deal.
Mercerism on the other hand, is definitely something that I could live without.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
But Mercerism, and more importantly the idea of empathy which it embodies, is the whole point of the story, I think.
As for The Man In The High Castle, the book within it, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, was written entirely by the I Ching. The Man... on the other hand, was only partially written by the I Ching. Dick consulted it on occasion. He later said that it was a rather insidious book and shouldn't be trusted.
Dick, of course, was on amphetamines, I believe, for a good portion of his writing career, a double-edged sword in that it allowed him to complete entire novels in one sitting, over a weekend, while also nearly killing him (and maybe getting him in the end anyway) and making some of those novels not so good because they were written so quickly.
But to say that when Dick wrote _about_ drugs he was somehow incoherent doesn't ring true to me. Whatever else he knew, he understood drugs, as A Scanner Darkly displays in frightening detail.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Personly I've always perfered his "Gods Dead, They found the body orbiting Alpha Centarui" myself, now if only I could find out where it is from.
Registered: May 2001
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