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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Book Review - The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick


















Title: The Minority Report  
Author: Philip K. Dick
Year: 2002 
Page: 112 
Genre: Fiction - Sci Fi

New to me author? Yes 
Read this author again? Yes 
Tearjerker? No 
Where did it take place? US
FTC Disclosure: Borrowed from the library

Summary (from amazon.com):
Police Commissioner John Anderton finds himself at the mercy of his own crime-prevention system when the prescient precogs he's hired to stop crime before it starts peg him as a soon-to-be murderer in Philip K. Dick's masterful short story The Minority Report. This slim volume is top-bound like an office account and perfectly timedthe movie version, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, is due out this summerbut whether fans will shell out the dough for a single short story that's available in various collections remains to be seen.


First Sentence:
The first thought Anderton had when he saw the young man was: I'm getting bald.
 
Why did I pick this book?
I came upon this book while browsing the library shelves. This book has a different format - it opens vertically. It is also a very slim book. I have heard of the movie Minority Report with Tom Cruise, and had heard good things about it but never watched it. I was intrigued by the different format of the book, and since most books are better than the movies, I thought I'd give it a try since it won't take that long to finish it anyway. It'll also expand my genre since I don't read a lot of sci-fi.


My thoughts:
  • I'd call it a novella (or even a short story!) instead of a novel. But regardless what it is called, I enjoyed it! 
  • It is definitely a plot-based story. Fast-paced. I wish it was written a little longer just so the characters could be developed more - I think that's why I don't usually like reading short stories because you don't really get to know the characters - and if you do care about them, you really want a longer story so they can hang around longer!
  • It has a good plot twist, I didn't guess it. 
  • However, I think if Anderton and his wife's relationship are developed more, it'd make a better story because it would explain more about the thoughts or decisions the characters make - why they acted the way they did. 
  • I don't like sci-fi that's too out there, but this one is plausible so I think easier for me to read 
  • I may borrow the movie at some point. I google the differences between the book and the movies, and there are some. Why do they do that? Why can't the movies just be true to the book? I mean, they bought the right because they like the book right, so why change?? Anyone watched the movie - is it worth watching?

     
    Rating: 4 Stars



     
    Have you read this book? 
    If you have, I would love to hear what you think! I'll link your review here if you wish!


    Challenges:
    100+ Reading

    4 comments:

    1. I haven't read the book, but I enjoy the movie. I've seen it a couple of times. They don't develop Anderton and his wife's relationship that much in the movie either. The noirish atmosphere is cool. It has a really interesting action scene, and I'm not usually someone who is moved to comment on action scenes.

      - Christy

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    2. @agoodstoppingpoint - cool that it's a good movie! Thanks for letting me know. Think may have to borrow it :)

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    3. Wow, you've been on a dystopia/scifi kick this month. (Mind you, I'm reading your posts from newest first.) I loved this movie, but didn't realize that it was based on a book, or is it the other way around? Glad the book is great too!

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    4. @Aths - dystopia/scifi is totally untentional! though I have 2 more waiting in the pile too (Veracity and Ender's Game). I think the movie is based on the book, but not 100% sure, since I read the movie is not entirely the same so I am guessing the script writer/producer/director changed it instead. Glad to hear it's still a good movie! This is a VERY quick read. Not much character development (even a little lacking for me lol :) but I enjoyed the twist.

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