K. W. Jeter's BLADE RUNNER Book Sequel Trilogy Review

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[00:00:10] Hello all. Once again, we're discussing everything to do with the Tyrell Corporation, Weightline Attunity, and everything about the outer world that changed the Blade Runner.

[00:01:14] So you've heard us talk about everything. The adaptation of Bill of K. Dick's works that were in comics and movies, as well as other stuff pertaining to Blade Runner, such as the video game, some of the other comic books. But here we go. Talking about K. W. Jeters Book Trilogy. Now, again, K. is a beyond established dude.

[00:01:41] You know, and he has coined the term steam punks, which, you know, very much like cyberpunk, but uses 18th century, you know, industrial steam powered machinery in a somewhat retro futuristic setting.

[00:02:00] And, yeah, K. has been writing steadily since 1975. He's done a bunch of original books, as well as original material like Dr. Adder and George Stower trilogies, respectively.

[00:02:17] And, yeah, he's in the late 90s wrote a bunch of Star Wars books. He also, in the early 90s, wrote some Star Trek Deep Space Nine novels. He's even helped out in some other comic book works. Seems like his last few works were in 2015, so he's been kind of on hiatus for a bit.

[00:02:44] But much like James Swallows, who we've had on the show, Max Al Collins, and just Greg Pack, so many of these other, you know, tie-in authors. It's just so cool to see someone who has their original vision as well as doing a legit, just solid tie-in series. So we're going to decide if that's the case today.

[00:03:10] I mean, come on, this man has even come out with a legit sequel to H.G. Wells' The Time Machine called Morlock Knight. So he can't be all out of his helmet, can he? And he doesn't shy away. He will have some occasional language and risque and violent imagery at times. So much to the times where it took him 10 years to even find a publisher for his Dr. Adder books.

[00:03:35] So, yeah, he was authorized to do free sequels to the original Blade Runner movie. And I had to keep this all in perspective. I had heard about him for years, couldn't find a copy. Now, unfortunately, I was able to find a PDF of all three. And it was interesting to me because just, you know, this is all we had back then.

[00:04:00] You know, these were published in 95, 96, and 2000, respectively. So, yeah, it didn't just come out like it was one of those where it was just kind of word of mouth. And it is interesting when you look at all the different fandoms, you know.

[00:04:29] Blade Runner's in there, but it's always kind of the in-between guy. So, again, Deckard, you know, Harrison Ford's character, you know, is in All Free. And I think he does the character well. He really does. At no point did I feel like, oh, that's someone else's interpretation of it. And yada yada.

[00:04:55] Now, lately, it's been the source of parody by Blade Runner fans because they weren't well received by the likes of, you know, magazines like Entertainment Weekly. They always got some good reviews, don't get me wrong. But, yeah, the biggest plot hole, and this can't be helped, you know. The special editions weren't widely available to everybody yet.

[00:05:25] But long story short, just like the Sebastian character, for instance, you know. So, you know, that's a key, key character, you know, led by, what's his name, William Sanderson.

[00:05:48] And, but, yeah, he's, you know, Roy supposedly, you know, crushes his skull, and yet he's alive here. And so, I don't know.

[00:06:10] I mean, the character even appears in the video game from 97, but I don't know why the author misread and decided, you know, yeah, he's still alive. I mean, he was confirmed in Dial, I was being killed, you know. And, yeah, in the edge of a human, the Priz character shows up, but he refers to her as a human.

[00:06:38] And yet, somehow, Sebastian, the other supposedly dead character, is able to bring her back to life. So, yeah, that opens up a lot of plot holes, and I can't, they're not a forgivable kind, it's just very hackneyed in that sense. But moving on, let's move on to the good.

[00:06:59] So, I like how they have the niece of the Tyrell scientist guy, Sarah, you know, she locates and hires Deckard to eliminate the final replicant in order to retain her corporation's bond over the market. But I like how, when we first see Deckard, he's in a cabin with the frozen Rachel. In exchange for getting her back, you know, he agrees to find the missing sixth replicant.

[00:07:27] And so, then that's where it opens up, unfortunately, the other plot hole. It just can't be avoided. The final cut of Playrunner removed that surviving six replicant reference, as it was considered to be a leftover line from an earlier script that somehow snuck its way back in. And it was one of those, like, in the original movie, it would drive fans crazy. They were like, who's the sixth guy? You know, so.

[00:07:57] And to be fair, it was just inevitable because you have not only three different voices on set, you know, actor Harrison Ford, the writer W. Webb Peoples and Ridley Scott, all with their own opinion on what the material should be. And then, with all the re-rides and re-shoots, there's just still something that sneaks in that even the best editing can't fix. It's just the line was said, so it would drive people crazy. You know, it's already...

[00:08:28] But, it was forgiven because the movie was intelligent, well done. And so you could look past stuff like, hey, how does the other replicant sneak in a gun? So, yeah, this book is okay, but unfortunately it's very involved with trying to recreate the stuff instead to just get comfortable. And because it's needlessly convoluted, it's really going to only appeal to diehard fans of the first movie. It's...

[00:08:57] You're going to be dead in the water if you have not seen the movie and you try to read this book, so I don't recommend it. But the exposition altogether, instead of being scientifically compelling or intriguing, is just drop-dead uninteresting. So, yeah, if you're going to pick this up, get it jerk-cheap. It's 2 out of 5 stars for me. Now, the third one.

[00:09:25] Yeah, which is Replicant Night. The second one in this sequel trilogy. This is good. This is a highlight, you know. I like how Deckard is now a bounty hunter who also works as a film consultant. More on that in the next book. And working with... Not only Ruth Tyrell again, but also her dad, Anson. And...

[00:09:56] Yeah. I like how they're trying to adapt his story. So it's a futuristic, you know, how they would be making movies in the future. And... It's a bit of a prequel to the Tyrell Corporation. Like... It's weird how they decide, let's bring back Roy's...

[00:10:25] The human template that inspired the Replicant in the movie. Let's have his personality reside inside Deckard's briefcase. You know, something that carries on especially into the fourth book. It definitely... The whole concept of a Replicant giving birth is definitely in the actual Blade Runner sequel 2049 a bit. But it doesn't get too weird. It's mainly...

[00:10:55] This is a free out of 5 for me. I... I... Just... There's so much stunning detail. Picks up all the events very well. At one point, Deckard notes that someone in the crowd... Their eyes look like someone who would have lived on Mars. So I felt like that was a blatant... Philip K. Dick or Total Recall reference for long-time hardcore sci-fi buffs. And... Yeah. It was really... I just... Well-paced.

[00:11:25] I... Just... He had Deckard down to a T. Like, just all that grit. There was some language, but it was earned. Instead of feeling like, hey, let's have this character act on naturally. And so then... The last book. Eye and Talon. That's... That concludes Jeter's trilogy. And... Yeah. It takes place concurrently with the third one again. You know, so that's why I recommend it.

[00:11:53] You know, because book two really ultimately doesn't have much to do with anything. But book three and four. Like... To dive straight into it. So... Yeah. They... Decide to... Follow Iris. Who's a different... You know, much like Deckard. A Blade Runner. A guy who goes after... A gal who goes after replicants. And... She's sent on assignment to find Tyrell's real owl. Which...

[00:12:23] Appears to have significance to the corporations. And... Yeah. This is one where... That was an animated owl. That... It was one of those... It was an animatronic.

[00:12:58] And... It's another thing just from the movies. It was one of those... It was kind of an easter egg. What does it mean? You know? And... One point... Line in the movie. They actually say... Do you like her owl? And he asks... It's artificial? And he's like... Of course it is. Must be expensive. They're like... Very. So... It was cool to have that kind of... Very high value thing. Just get some extra exposition. But... Don't worry. They don't spend... As much time on it. That's just kind of the basis to set things up. Um... Again...

[00:13:27] It's more just supervising... Uh... Just languishing on what a neo-noir apocalyptic LA looks like. And... Again... Having a Hollywood type movie in production in this future. However... Despite some of that more vivid detail... And picking up... Near the end... Of this book... Still felt like a partially missed opportunity. But it was at least... Worth reading. Especially if you liked...

[00:13:57] The third book... Replicant Knight. Second in this trilogy. I know it's confusing. But... Yeah. So... Skip... The first sequel... Edgy Human. You really don't need it. And... It's gonna open up... Way too many plot holes... And make you go... Did they even care? And it's like... Well... They did. But they didn't have... You know... The internet... At the point that it was. So... Research was limited. There was... Bound to be plot holes... In a tie-in...

[00:14:26] Spin-off. And then yeah... Go after the second book... Blade Runner Free... Replicant Knight. And... The third book... Blade Runner 4... Eye and Talon. And you'll be... Pretty entertained. At least by... The... Replicant Knight. Because... You know... I just... It was definitely... Labor Love... And it really came across. So... Can't recommend it anymore... Guys. Unfortunately... A lot of these... Seem to have skyrocketed... Collector's items... So...

[00:14:54] If you're gonna go after these... Hunt down... The first thing... At your thrift store... And see if that makes a difference. Best of luck... And hope you enjoyed me... Raving and... Going crazy about these. No.

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