Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Philip K Dick’s name has gained notoriety in recent years with a string of Hollywood films, but none of them have done justice to the dark and paranoid worlds created in his books. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (filmed as Blade Runner in 1982) is Dick at his best, combining so many of his favourite themes; post-nuclear war, religion, identity, technology and dis-utopia. It is...more

Philip K Dick’s name has gained notoriety in recent years with a string of Hollywood films, but none of them have done justice to the dark and paranoid worlds created in his books. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (filmed as Blade Runner in 1982) is Dick at his best, combining so many of his favourite themes; post-nuclear war, religion, identity, technology and dis-utopia. It is set in the near future, on an Earth that has suffered a nuclear war but at a cost. This Earth is dying, everywhere is surrounded by “kibble” (rotting bomb debris), all the animals have died from radiation, people wear lead-lined underwear and anyone successful has emigrated for Mars or beyond. In this world is Dekker, a bounty hunter, who is hunting down “replicants” (more artificial copies of humans then robots), who have illegally returned to Earth. Using the structure of a PI thriller Dick here asks unsettling questions, how do you cope in a world were you can’t tell the real humans from the copies. Other of Dick’s novels have good premises but the plot often doesn’t follow it through. With Do Androids… there is no disappointment, the plot lives up to all of the promise of its premise. It’s dark, twisting with a truly unsettling ending. The characters here are dark too, the people are worn down by their dying world and not bright and glamorous – don’t think of the actors from Blade Runner. If you’ve never read any of Philip K Dick’s novels then this is an excellent entry into his dark and dis-utopian world, if you’ve encountered him before then this novel is were so many of his most telling themes come together. Drew Payne    hide

This is the first thing by Philip K. Dick I have read. I came upon it in the bookstore while looking for something he wrote, and when I realized this was the book "Bladerunner" was based on, I nearly bought it (I opted for the library instead, thrifty German that I am). It was very different from any book I've read. I feel like I need to re-read it, yet I also have the feeling that the "loose...more

This is the first thing by Philip K. Dick I have read. I came upon it in the bookstore while looking for something he wrote, and when I realized this was the book "Bladerunner" was based on, I nearly bought it (I opted for the library instead, thrifty German that I am). It was very different from any book I've read. I feel like I need to re-read it, yet I also have the feeling that the "loose ends" I couldn't quite tie up were *meant* to be that way (and that they do not just result from the fact that tend to read really fast, which I do). The story didn't immediately hook me, but I think that was because I had already seen the movie and so had some idea what was happening. But as I got deeper into it, it did keep me wondering what would happen next. I personally would have liked it if the book was a little longer and a little more "complete" feeling... but, on the other hand perhaps the lack of that is part of it's charm. The reader sort of falls into the middle of this world that seems "so near and yet so far" to human experience, and is left sorting it out and forming impressions without the benefit of the author providing complete background information or neatly answering all the questions... somewhat more like information gathering in those real-life situations where we find ourselves suddenly thrust in the unfamiliar. In any case, I look forward to sampling some of the author's other work in future.   hide

The most interesting thing about this book is how much worse it is than the film.The film is mysterious and beautiful, whereas in the book Dick tries to explain everything, the sci-fi writer's curse. Also the film's major themes are handled with some ambiguity - is the Deckard character a replicant, for instance, are the replicants actually a higher form of life, is Deckard justified in killing...more

The most interesting thing about this book is how much worse it is than the film.The film is mysterious and beautiful, whereas in the book Dick tries to explain everything, the sci-fi writer's curse. Also the film's major themes are handled with some ambiguity - is the Deckard character a replicant, for instance, are the replicants actually a higher form of life, is Deckard justified in killing the them, these are all questions that are offered to you in the film to think about. In the book Dick prefers to do most of the thinking for you. The writing is only ok actually. There's some schoolboyish description. I haven't read any other books by Dick, but I've liked all the film adaptations. Has anyone else noticed that Total Recall, Blade Runner and Through a Scanner Darkly are all the same story? Someone thinks they are part of the establishment, but turns out to be a part of the underclass they are persecuting. The whole levels of reality thing - it's just the kind of thing you might start thinking about in the toilet at a party if you were on acid. ("They are all androids! Oh my god, I'm an android too"). But, you know, just don't do those kinds of drugs, I mean, if it's bothering you.   hide

This is the book that inspired the Harrison Ford movie, Bladerunner. Even though written in 1968, it is still a masterpiece by all standards. It is nothing like the movie, perhaps because the movie was made in the 80's and although a hit, cannot stand up to the book. I am now a huge fan of Philip K. Dick and his works. After all, if eight of your novels have been made into films, you probably...more

This is the book that inspired the Harrison Ford movie, Bladerunner. Even though written in 1968, it is still a masterpiece by all standards. It is nothing like the movie, perhaps because the movie was made in the 80's and although a hit, cannot stand up to the book. I am now a huge fan of Philip K. Dick and his works. After all, if eight of your novels have been made into films, you probably are good. But this is not just a Sci-Fi novel, it is a philosophical theme ponderer. It explores the fact about what would happen if robots became indistinguishable from humans. Dick here, draws a lot of similarities from the Afro-American race struggling to gain independence at that time. The novel has a lot of elements of human supremacy and robot self-sufficiency which, to be honest, sounds pretty much like the racial riots of the late 1960's in America. After reading this fascinating novel, I am definitely going to explore other works of dick and see how this man changed the genre of Sci-Fi and alternative reality once and forever.    hide