Blade Runner 2 (K.W. Jeter) - Bantam Books - 1995 - 340 pages

Philip K. Dick (1928-1982) was a science fiction writer who wrote the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? in 1968.  This was the first of Dick's books to be made into a movie.  Director Ridley Scott changed the title to Blade Runner starring Harrison Ford and released the movie three months after Dick's death.  The movie grossed $27 million in the U.S. which was much more than author made in his lifetime.  To date there have been 29 movies and television shows made from Dick's books and short stories including Total Recall (1990), Screamers (1995), Minority Report (2002) and The Adjustment Bureau (2011).  All but one TV show were made after his death.  Author Jeter was a friend of Philip K. Dick who brought the Ford character back out of retirement in 2020 to find the missing "sixth replicant."  The main purpose of this sequel seems to be to confuse the reader regarding the differences between androids (replicants) and humans.  All of the main characters from Blade Runner return for the sequel and, again there is no attempt to explain the science.  The Jeter story should not be confused with the movie sequel (Blade Runner 2049) that has grossed $259 million worldwide.  Apparently, the producers of "2049" were unimpressed with Jeter's book and therefore opted for an original screenplay by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green.  Having struggled through the Jeter book, I doubt that "Blade Runner 2020" will ever see the big screen. [JAM 3/24/2019]