Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Ratings882
Average rating3.9
Fascinating world, good twists. I just didn't fully grasp the tail end of the book, especially in regard to Mercerism.
A fantastic, strange, absorbing story. The writing is sometimes clunky, with off-putting casual misogyny. Much more different than the films than I had expected.
A wonderfully dark and intellectual look at a dystopian future and the meaning of what it is to be called ‘human'. An essential read for any fan of sci-fi as well as Blade Runner fans.
This is a P K Dick classic, you could almost compile a check list of dystopian sci-fi must haves and it would tick nearly all of them. But this would be doing it a disservice as it is much more more than that.
The only thing that I regret about reading this book, is that I like the film Bladerunner a little less. The book is deeper, more engaging and more complete and it makes the film feel shallow by comparison, but I guess that's books and films for you...
Re-reading some 20 or thirty years later - mainly because the 3 stars I attributed on joining GR wasn't really reflective of my vague memories of the novel.
I will avoid comparison with the film (I will only say it cuts away some of the content and simplifies the flow, which was probably the right thing to do. Harrison Ford is perfect casting for Deckard though... ok I will stop).
There is no real need to plot outline, almost everyone who will read this novel probably already has. But noting it was written in 1968, and is set in futuristic 1992 (updated to 2021 in newer editions?) (where are our hovercars we were so blatantly promised by SciFi?) post-nuclear war, where most of the humans live off-planet. Only those who don't qualify to leave, corporates, law enforcement employees and I guess people who can't be bothered, stay on earth. Radioactive dust contributes to their deterioration (physically and mentally). Deckard is a bounty hunter, tracking down androids who have made their way to Earth to get up to no good.
There are issues with the novel - there are some nonsensical events, but they can be forgiven in the context of the human vs andy (android) situation, with this fast paced read - all taking place in a single day.
Themes I enjoyed - the replacement of religion with following of media - Mercer and Buster Friendly; the principle of the empathy test - how badly that would fail to assess humans in modern society!; the use of the term ‘kipple' for useless objects people accumulate in their houses - the crap we buy, with no good use, probably quite presaging of the future for 1968.
Probably 4.5 stars, but I will round down.
Contains spoilers
Never in my life I felt so sorry for a spider... safe to say I'm really a human (not a flex). I know back in 70s the sexism was pretty "normal" but oof. Besides that, PKD had really beautiful and terrifying visuals of the future. Started reading cause of the movie adaptations, stayed for the philosophical aspect.
Contains spoilers
I was Very surprised to find this was pretty much a different story than the movie. I was happy to have some gaps in the movie's world building, filled in; especially regarding animals and the origami.
Still not sure what the title has to do with the plot, sounds like a throw of word magnets at a fridge door.
This would be an interesting literary read. I find I have lots of questions about world events or prevalent ideas that inspired the author.
For the story itself, it's clear there are lots of ideas being presented, but it all feels more tell than show.
In every book it's obvious how destructive artificial intelligence is and expansionist colonialism is and yet here we are.
Great book, love how simple the plot is, it could be summarized in one sentence and it all happens in one day, yet there's depth and it's a bit heavy, and i enjoyed taking my time reading it. And even tho the world of the book is a very different world than the one we exist in, we get introduced to it so efficiently, that we feel we're a part of it only a couple of pages in.
The basis for the Blade Runner movie. I saw the first movie ages ago and the second movie not so long ago, but hadn't read the book. One thing I missed from the book was the atmosphere of the movies. PKD says very little about the visual state of the world, being content to say nuclear war and fallout has seen people move to Mars and lots of animals go extinct. Radioactive dust is everywhere but we are left to ourselves to put together an inner image. The movies are both visual masterpieces, as if a minor character has been elevated to star status. The Android replicant characters are also much more developed in the movie. In the book Deckard mostly just turns up and shoots them, with only one of them getting under his skin, and she's not even on his target list. Baty's hostility and the 'tears in rain' piece are movie only.
For me the movie fell into what my son and I call, the 'needs more exploding helicopters' genre and comes out at the head of the pack. The book stands in the line of PKD's exploration of what it means to be a thinking human vs an AI. The movie invents the android's goal of extending their life span to that of humans. The book emphasises the contest for the popular mind between the religion of Mercerism and the media saturation by an AI TV personality named Buster Friendly.
Finally, concerning the title. In the book Deckard and his wife have an electric sheep. Living animals are too expensive. Ridley Scott thought the title was too cumbersome for a movie and an associate said 'I've just read this dystopian book called Blade Runner about a guy smuggling medical supplies to poor people. That title sounds pretty good." And so we have a movie based on one book and named after a different book entirely. :)
I've read the book Blade Runner and will put up a review.
Considering where we are with technology and AI this was certainly an interesting read for 2024.
Bladerunner is one of my favourite movies and although “do androids dream of electric sheep” was nothing what I was expecting, I still enjoyed it.
A good book. It honestly got a bit confusing towards the end and had to re-read several times to understand if I had missed something.
This was one of the most bizarre and intense books I've read in recent memory. About halfway through, I thought, “I'm going to have to re-read this as soon as I finish it.” That thought wasn't anxiety, it was thrill. I'm going to do all I can to resist that urge and give it some space before a re-read. I loved this but couldn't tell you at all what I thought about it in detail yet, 5 minutes after finishing it.
Tl; dr: Masterpiece.
Format read: Paperback
Reading time: 5-7h
Tags: philosophical, psychology, science fiction, speculative, robotics, artificial intelligence, androids, animals, dying earth, post-apocalyptic
Own a copy: yes
Reread likelihood: 1000/10
Summary
Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter who specialises in ‘retiring' andys: Android escapees from Mars. Deckard uses a psychological test, the Voigt-Kampff, that detects levels of empathy in the suspect. Androids are naturally devoid of empathy, which makes Deckard's job easy, until a new type of android is created, the Nexus-6. This type is not only very difficult to deal with, but it is also virtually indistinguishable from humans. Deckard's bounty hunting days are at risk if he can't find and retire eight escaped and dangerous Nexus-6 android criminals.
Review
Where to begin with this review? Perhaps I should preface this by saying that this is my fourth reread of this book, and the story never ceases to amaze me.
The novel focuses on a dying humanity that is about to be overrun by humanoid androids. Earth has all but been destroyed, and most of the animals and plants have died out, making for a grim and cheerless environment. The majority of humans have emigrated to Mars for a chance at a better life, but we soon find out that humanity is doomed out there, too, where humans are regularly killed by their android servants. The humans who remain on Earth are the lowest on the social ladder: They cannot emigrate because they are either 1) too poor or 2) contaminated by the radioactive dust and can therefore not reproduce. Those who are not yet contaminated, like Deckard, are only hanging on by a thread. It's only a question of time before the dust contaminates them, too.
One of the major themes of the book is the use of empathy. Humans are distinguishable from androids only through their strong feelings of empathy, in particular towards animals. In fact, human-human empathy is not a necessity in this world; we are repeatedly shown how humans mistreat other humans based on their social status and/or mental faculties. Instead, the ultimate sign of empathy–and thereby humanity–is having the ownership of an animal. However, animals are incredibly rare and expensive, which puts them out of reach of most people on Earth unless they work tirelessly. This is the case for Deckard who desperately wants to buy a real animal to replace his electric sheep. Having a flesh and blood animal to care for is the ultimate luxury and status symbol, and Deckard chases this dream throughout the novel. To achieve this, he must hunt and kill the rogue androids from Mars. Each kill nets him 1000$ bonus on top of his salary with the police, which makes bounty hunting a lucrative side job. Naturally, this is a very dangerous job, and Deckard finds himself in hairy situations more than once. However, his dream of owning an animal surpasses everything, even when he begins to develop empathy for the androids–an anomaly that should not happen in humans.
He thought, too, about his need for a real animal; within him an actual hatred once more manifested itself toward his electric sheep, which he had to tend, had to care about, as if it lived. The tyranny of an object, he thought. It doesn't know I exist. Like the androids, it has no ability to appreciate the existence of another. (p. 40)
“That goat,” Rachael said. “You love the goat more than me. More than you love your wife, probably. First then goat, then your wife, then last of all [me]” (p. 185)
“My schedule for today lists a six-hour self-accusatory depression.” she's just like me fr
Such a strange and imaginative experience this book was. Dick's ability to imbue a scene or book with paranoia and uncertainty is astounding. If this is mid-tier Phillip K Dick, then I certainly will be reading more.
The ideas are interesting and thought-provoking, but the characters and the plot are paper thin.
A very thrilling and immersive read! The prose was clear and easy to read, and all descriptions of the setting were easy to picture in my mind (as opposed to Dune, with Herbert coming up with outlandish ways to describe a slope of sand). The plot was entertaining and thought-provoking, the two qualities I look for in any good book. Being set in 2021, it's also enjoyable to compare the world today and Dick's world. Highly, highly recommend!
It was hard to tell when this book was published from the writing. In some respects, it seemed really dated (eg. references to use of paper in a future with AI-powered androids and the sexism) and yet there are emotional complexities in a cast of characters who are almost universally loathsome. It makes sense that it was published in 2008.
I don't think this is a spoiler, but I kind of love the fact that when I finished the book I was convinced that humans are extinct (except maybe the specials) and everyone is an android.
I can see why this book has such popularity although it's, stylistically, not my cup of tea.
Contains spoilers
I have complex feelings about this book.
Pros: Excellent writing, and world building. Good science discussion for it's time. I found the desire to have a pet, and the scarcity both funny and sad.
Cons: I didn't find the characters very likeable.
(Rant) The sci-fi trope of men wanting to have sex with android women is just disturbing to me...