DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?

By Philip K. Dick

Have you ever wondered what's the meaning of being self-concious? In fact, this topic is even more tricky than it seems.

Philip K. Dick proposes us to consider if a machine can be self-concious  and the meaning of the term. Are emotions what really makes us intelligent beings?.

 Rick Deckard, the main character of the novel, works for the police as a bounty-hunter. His duty consists of "retiring" renegade "andys". An "andy" was the name given to intelligent robots that have escaped. And Deckard's job is to capture them.

But  things get more complicated when he takes up a new and more challenging mission.  He is assigned the task of indentificate and "retire" some Nexus-6 robots that have escaped from Mars. 

However, the task will reveal to be more difficult than it appeared to be. The fisrst part is to get used to the usage of a machine wich performs a test that should help him to determine whethter he is dealing with a robot or with a human.

The machine measures the emotional reaction to several situtations. The test relies on the assumption that robots will never be as emotional as humans, no matter how intelligent are they. The test  takes for granted that if the responses are emotional enough the subject is a human. On the contrary, if the subject is not emotional enough, the subject is a robot a should be "retired".

The  book, considered as a masterpiece of the Science-Fiction, inspired the film "Blade Runner".

NORSE MYTHOLOGY

By Neil Gaiman

Mythology is more than a set of stories told to children but a reflection of the culture and beliefs of
the people, no matter if we talk about Greece, the Roman Empire, Japan or African cultures

It is a matter of fact that all cultures have their own explanation of natural fenomena and  even the origin of the world and how will be the end of the world. This compilation of norse myths show us the way people in northern Europe thought.

From the begginig of the world to the Rangarok (the final battle in wich the gods will die and the world will be destroyed) we can read some delicious stories that contain the nordic people beliefs.

Neil Gaiman brings us some stories that explain the way gods in Asgard struggled to maintain their sovereignity above the rest of creatures, good or evil.

THE CLIENT

By John Grisham.

A child witnesses the suicide in Memphis of a lawyer that was defending a mob capo in New Orleans.

Before the lawyer dies, he confesses the child where the corpse of a U.S. senator is. And his troubles start. He has to decide whether telling the federal cops where the body is and be the target of a mafia killer or not talking and not only confronting a trial for contempt charges and obstruction of law but also let the killer go free.

The boy decides to hire a lawyer for advising him. And he finds a novice lawyer willing to help him.

During the plot, the boy grows mentally and he prefers to be in detention where he feels protected until everything is fixed up.

This is another novel based on the dilemma between collaborating with justice or being safe and not telling what you know just in case your life is in danger.

This is the second novel by John Grisham I review on my blog and I admit that his novels have caught me.

THE FOUNDATION TRILOGY: FOUNDATION

By Isaac Asimov.

Thousands of years have passed and new generations are now crowding the Galaxy.

By that time, the Earth is just a legendary planet and the humanity has spread throughout the Universe. Most part of the galaxy is populated and an Empire called the Gallactic Empire rules the fates of  it.

The Gallactic Empire faces a decayment but no-one wants to recognize it. Hari Seldon, creator of the Psychohistory, a new branch of Mathematics that is able to predict the future very accurately with the help of the Probability Theory, is able to predict the fall of the Empire  and the years of chaos comming after its falling.

Not only has  the Empire refused to accept the evidence,  but Hari Seldon is prosecuted for his predictions and faces the death penalty. He is accused of trying to weaken the power of the Emperor. But he isn't executed. He is offered the exile in a small and distant planet called Terminus.

In Terminus, he and his followers start the writting of the Gallactic Enciclopedia. A huge project to keep the knowledge for the incoming generations that will keep them busy for a good amount of time.

Meanwhile, Seldon's predictions became accurate and the Empire starts  its decayment. As a result  of this, the chaos settles in the Galaxy and this state will last centuries.


But  the Foundation will also have its own crisis. Seldon, offers them predictions and help to solve the crisis that are to come even after his death, in the fiftieth year of the Foundation.

This is quite a remarkable novel. Written in a very direct style, Asimov leaves a truly enjoyable story.

No matter how deep is your knowledge in Science and Technology, Isaac Asimov always wrote  clearly so that you can follow the plot.

CATCHING FIRE

The districts in Panem are desperate. And president Snow fears that the revolution bursts out.

Mr. Snow visits  Katniss to persuade her to continue with his love affair with Peeta. He thinks that going on pretending  that she and Peeta are in love and they intend to marry would keep the districts calmed.

Soon after the presidential visit, it began the Victor's Tour around the  twelve districts.

But the truth is differnt. The uprising is growing. The unbearable opression gives place to a feelling of hate and Snow is aware of that.

Snow summons the survivors of the differents editions of previous hunger games to the "Quarter Quells". A sort of special edition held every 25th games. And that means that Katniss will come back to the Arena.

This time the "Arena" is an island that resembles a clock.

By the end of the Quarter Quells the real revoultion bursts out.