A Book Review of Philip Dicks Blade Runner

This paper analyzes the novel Blade Runner, through the authors intent and history. This paper examines the novel, `Blade Runner,` through two important questions, what is the authors message and what is the historical importance of this novel? The paper gives a background to the science-fiction plot and the central theme of the book, human identity. It further focuses on the central character, Rick Deckard, and his role central to that theme. The work centers around the question of what it means to be human. San Francisco Police bounty hunter Rick Deckard tracks down renegade androids who have escaped from colony worlds and retires them. The catch is that these androids are so human-like in appearance that no one can tell from looking at them whether they are real (i.e. human) or not and so that Deckard has to determine what they are before he can know whether or not to kill them. He has, in other words, to be able to look into their souls, into their hearts.