Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, #3)

by Philip K. Dick

"The most consistently brilliant science fiction writer in the world".
--John Brunner
THE INSPIRATION FOR BLADERUNNER. . .
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was published in 1968. Grim and foreboding, even today it is a masterpiece ahead of its time.
By 2021, the World War had killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remained coveted any living creature, and for people who couldn't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacrae: horses, birds, cats, sheep. . .
They even built humans.
Emigrees to Mars received androids so sophisticated it was impossible to tell them from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans could wreak, the government banned them from Earth. But when androids didn't want to be identified, they just blended in.
Rick Deckard was an officially sanctioned bounty hunter whose job was to find rogue androids, and to retire them. But cornered, androids tended to fight back, with deadly results.
"[Dick] sees all the sparkling and terrifying possibilities. . . that other authors shy away from".
--Paul Williams
Rolling Stone

• ISBN10: 0451047583
• ISBN13: 9780451047588
• Publish Date: 1 August 1971 (first published 1 March 1969)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 28 September 2021
• Imprint: Roc
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Language: English

Reviews

[rohshey]

So I employed my shoddy doodling to make this sketch inspired by the book.

When is an android not an android? PKD's protagonist gets ever more deeply drawn into the dilemma of what makes us human.

This book is not anti-robot, in fact the androids have more ambition and more drive than any of the humans, including the protagonist.

We witness a society in its death throes, killing artificial life that is stronger, smarter and more capable than the humans on earth.

The story may not make sense in logical terms, and the characters', both human and android, emotional lives lurch around in a not quite believable way, but despite these idiosyncracies, I was transported into the Philip K. Dick world and had no trouble reaching the end of this crazy vision.

[celinenyx]

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a science-fiction classic from the 1960s that has been largely forgotten outside of the genre.

After World War Terminus, Earth is covered in radioactive dust, destroying the ecosystem. Most people have emigrated to the colony on Mars. Rick is one of those who stayed behind. He is a bounty hunter charged with killing androids that have escaped from Mars. After his superior hunter is hospitalized, it's up to him to "retire" a few dangerous and near-human androids.

I haven't read a lot of science-fiction, but the genre in general appeals to me in how it treats philosophical concepts. Do Androids Dream is a fantastic example of this. While the book could have easily been a action-packed novel with many fighting scenes and chasing androids across the galaxy, it's much more concerned with ideas. Though I'm slightly hesitant to use this label, but I think the book has many elements of literary fiction. It's incredibly layered and the easy-to-read plot keeps the book accessible.

Among other things, Do Androids Dream is concerned with identity, empathy, and ultimately, what makes us human. There is a dash of religion, but while it was inspired by Christianity to a limited extent, it's served with a big heap of post-modernity, making it much more palatable to my agnostic tastes. There is a lot going on in this book, but I never felt overwhelmed. Mr Dick writes in a clear, though sometimes surrealistic, style. The book isn't much concerned with futuristic tech, but some of the inventions made me chuckle.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a book that makes you think, something all good science-fiction does. I would love to reread this book with my academic-reader hat on, because there is still so much to discover. Would recommend it for readers who enjoyed Brave New World.

I picked up this book back in my Jr. High days after seeing the movie and fell in love even more with Dick's world of a dystopian future. He was truly ahead of his time and is worthy of being hailed as one of the all time greats.

[clementine]

OKAY. Finally getting around to reviewing this!

So, as we all know, I love dystopian books, etc etc. You may also know that Blade Runner is my second favourite movie (after The Godfather), and it's based loosely on this book, so it was imperative that I read it at some point. My mom asked me which I liked better, Blade Runner or Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and I found it really difficult to answer. Blade Runner really is loosely based on the book; the general premise of the android/bounty hunter relationship, as well as some character names, were the same, but the plot was overall quite different, and even some of the relationships between characters had been changed beyond recognition. It's a hard comparison to make since the movie is really not a direct adaptation of the book.

I really liked it, though. It was interesting. It was well-written. I loved the exploration of humanity, and it was pretty difficult to know whether or not to side completely with Rick or if the androids deserved sympathy. I thought some of the details like the empathy boxes and the burning societal desire to keep animals as a symbol of wealth and status were cool.

I think the biggest issue is that there were certain contradictions (specifically with the nature of the androids - although perhaps that was intentional) and that some things were not entirely clear. Mercerism should have been expanded upon more, I think, since the idea that Mercer is a fraud is a huge part of the climax. It didn't feel like it was central to the plot, though, so that revelation wasn't as shocking as I think it could have been.

I can't possibly write this review without making one big comparison to the movie, which is the idea of Rick Deckard's own humanity. In the movie, one of the most intriguing parts is wondering if he's a replicant or not (and he totally is. He definitely is, guys), whereas that subtext was left out of the book and explored with Phil Resch instead. I think it's one of the most compelling parts of the movie, to be honest.

I guess, to answer my mom's question, I would say I prefer the movie to the book - but it really does seem like an unfair comparison, since they are so deliberately different.