Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Author: Philip Dick
Published: 1968
Pages: 210
Genre: Science Fiction
Target Age: Adult
Movie: Adapted for the big screen in 1982 as Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford
Other works by Dick: A Scanner Darkly, Minority Report
Synopsis:
Set in the not-so-distant future, this story takes place in the fallout of a nuclear war that has left the earth barely inhabitable. People are encouraged to colonize nearby planets, with the incentive of a personal android servant for those who emigrate. Protagonist Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter of sorts, charged with hunting down escaped androids who return to earth after killing their masters. We meet Deckard as he is attempting to 'retire' the largest group of escaped androids while grappling with his own unsatisfying life.

My Thoughts:
The title Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a bit misleading; yes, the story is about androids and even has an electric sheep (or two), but to me, it implies a more...whimsical...tale, not the dystopia (isn't that a fun word?) that Dick creates. As dreary as he paints the future I still found the intricacies of his imagined world to be fascinating, from the tests created to distinguish androids from humans to the black market for 'real' (versus electric) animals. I particularly enjoyed Dick's treatment of what makes us human: our empathy. The basis for religion and spirituality in Rick Deckard's world is the ability to care for other living things and, quite literally, feel their pain. (Followers of 'Mercerism'--the empathic faith--commune with its founder via machine as he struggles up a hill and is pelted with rocks. When a rock hits Mercer, the faithful are struck as well. It's all very deep and symbolic.) While I enjoyed these details of Do Androids Dream, the overall plot was disappointing. It felt like Dick was trying to take the story in different directions at the same time and at parts left me confused. For those who have read previous posts, you're probably aware of my need for a satisfying conclusion, and while this story had one to a degree, I couldn't shake the general malaise and sense of impending doom inherent in Dick's writing.

My Recommendation:
Read this if you enjoy science fiction and/or the common elements of short stories mentioned in my review of Nine Stories.

Selected Quote:
"...victims of the despotic force of time..."