Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: The inspiration for the films Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049

Dick's style is a bit grating. It's like an adverb factory blew up inside this book. And he spends so much time telling me the thoughts of his characters that I wonder why he chose third person instead of first. Despite his narrative style, however, this book is worth reading for the story, and because Dick excels at crafting complex characters that are easy to empathize with, which is quite appropriate considering the book's central theme is empathy.

There's a lot of buildup for the first three quarters of the story: characters and relationships are detailed; the setting is well described and adds to the tone; the backstory is delivered without breaking pace; and everything was leading to a very exciting climax... Except what you'd think is the climax happens suddenly. For a moment you're stuck until you realize the story is about the meaning/value of life, not hunting androids. It doesn't break the story, it just feels jarring. Still a worthy read

I enjoyed PKD's mystery and philosophical postulating but the trans-existentialism toward the end was a bit much. I guess I just wanted the text to mean more in the end, have a culminating payoff. But what I feel like I got was an over bloviating author who prattles on about how everything and nothing is real in juxtaposed realities/perceptions. Don't get me wrong, the first 4/5 is amazing. The end just left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe he's not the author I was hoping for, this is my first PKD.