Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Media:	Paperback
Author:	Philip K. Dick
Publisher:	Del Rey
Release date:	28 May, 1996
List price:	~~$13.00~~
Our price:	$10.40 that is 20% off!

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Average rating: Stars

Dreaming of the Perfect Sci Fi novel?? Here it is!!!!!

+++++

The essence of this science fiction novel, by Philip K. Dick, is about bounty hunter Rick Deckard finding and "retiring" several sophisticated rogue androids or "andys" that look and act like humans. His assignment is not that simple. Why? Because these androids don't want to be found. As the story proceeds, Deckard develops a relationship with an even more sophisticated android.

This is just the "essence" of this novel. It is really a philosophical, introspective story and as a result action is kept to a minimum. This story deals with a wide range of themes, the main one being: what does it mean to be human? As well, there are twists and turns along the way that kept me interested and surprised.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I found the actual writing fantastic. Dick thoroughly convinced me that his story was taking place in the year 2021. He superbly creates a portrait of the Earth devastated by a nuclear war and how humans cope in this now new world. The science and science fiction were also well presented as were characterization and dialogue.

Here is an example of Dick's writing where he describes the more sophisticated android, Rachael:

"Rachael's proportions...were odd; with her heavy mass of dark hair her head seemed large, and because of her diminutive breasts her body assumed a lank, almost childlike stance. But her great eyes, with their elaborate lashes, could only be those of a grown woman; there the resemblance to adolescence ended. Rachael rested very slightly on the forepart of her feet, and her arms, as they hung, bent at the joint: the stance, he [Deckard] reflected of, a wary hunter of perhaps the Cro-Magnon persuasion. The race of tall hunters, he [Deckard] said to himself. No excess flesh, a flat belly, small behind, and smaller bosom-Rachael had been modeled on the Celtic type of build, anachronistic and attractive. Below [her] brief shorts her legs, slender, had a neutral, nonsexual quality, not much rounded off in nubile curves. The total impression was good, however. Although definitely that of a girl, not a woman. Except for the restless, shrewd eyes."

This novel is also sold under the title of "Blade Runner" because the 1982 movie of the same name was based on this novel. I definitely agree with the publisher when he/she says:

"Though the novel's characters and backgrounds differ in some respects from those of the [movie], readers who enjoy the latter will discover an added dimension on encountering the original work."

This was what happened to me. I saw many years ago the original, theatrical movie first, read this novel, then saw the original movie again. From my experience, reading the novel does add another dimension to the movie. (Note that the movie is the original, theatrical release, not the cut up and, in my opinion, bad "Director's Cut.") Be aware that Deckard in the movie is called a "Blade Runner" but in the novel he is only referred to as a bounty hunter. As well, in the movie the androids are called "Replicants" but in the novel they are only called androids.

Thus, I am puzzled when some of the other reviewers say that this novel and the movie are totally different. Did they actually read this novel?

Finally, the only problem I had with this novel is that occasionally the author goes into talking about things that I had a difficult time following. This was sometimes frustrating. But, like I said, this only occurs occasionally and so I was able to tolerate this. Also, some readers may find that the androids were not as ferocious and cunning as they were in the movie. This is because this novel is more philosophical while the movie is more action-orientated.

In conclusion, this novel is, in my opinion, a masterpiece of science fiction that really makes you think. This is truly an intelligent, science fiction novel!!

(first published 1968; 22 chapters; main narrative 215 pages)

+++++

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick

Mind Openingly Good

Ok, so I'll admit I had a brief bout of aphasia when I picked this title up at the bookstore. A quarter of the way through, I realized the story was painfully familiar as I was certain I already knew this tale...why did images of Harrison Ford keep popping into my head? I finally made the connection to "BladeRunner" and went on reading. It is not the best of ideas to compare source material to film versions. Each has it's own special qualities and needs to be viewed as seperate entities.

The book is far deeper and explores many interesting themes that the movie only touched upon. There is an ongoing underlying tone of religion and purpose in life. The quality of "empathy" being the only feature that distinguishes humans from the androids is one that makes the reader take pause. If you feel this emotion, then you are indeed human...but how does one contend with the "killing" of the rogue androids that look and seem so real and not suffer the consequences as if you had commited murder? Herein lies Deckard's dilemma.

The religious undertones are evident in the human's faith in "Mercerism"...a type of oneness someone can feel when experiencing the uphill battle of a man climbing a mountain and being struck down by rocks as he reaches the top, only to start his journey again. The book decribes this as a way for all earthly humans to feel unification with one another and the trials of struggling through life. Truth be told, this is a profoundly depressing concept!

There is a big brother aspect here too. The television plays one particular show 24/7 broadcasted from the colonies and one that all humans seem to watch as if they cannot get enough of it...it seems to be a slow paced and redundant broadcast that, in a strange way, feels brainwashing is taking place, showing only one side of life and urging all earth bound folk to make there way to the colonies where life is infinitely better. Not so. At one point, this program does its utmost to crush Mercerism as being a complete fraud of a belief.

The empathy factor is ongoing as well. The need for humans to own animals (real or electric) seems to be an important status symbol as owning houses and cars are for us today.

This post nuclear world is dark and depressing with a sense of nothingness that appears to be taking over. Yet, society still exisits on earth. People are living sparse yet purposeful lives, however one gets the sense of even more emptiness and a lack of purpose in the colonies. This is an "us and them" story on two levels: humans vs. androids as well as earth dwellers vs. colony dwellers.

Philip K. Dick has written a story with substance and philosophy. Yes, there is action plotline, but there are deeper messages abound.

Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

thought provoking but less than great prose

Androids takes place in a not-so-distant future where a world war has spread a cloud of radioactive dust across the globe, many forms of animal species are extinct, many of the survivors have emigrated to colonies on Mars and the remaining humans are encouraged to emigrate, except for those who have been tested and classified as "specials" meaning the ones with deminished mental abilities because they have been affected severely from radiation. Emigrants are given androids, very sophisticated robots, as slaves. As the technology gets better, newly manufactured androids become more and more human-like, both in appearance and behavior, to the point that they are very hard to distinguish. Discontented androids sometimes kill their masters and find ways to smuggle themselves to earth, in hopes for a better life. In the post-world war earth, life is regarded so precious that owning and caring for an animal is both considered a highly moral life and a status symbol. Because real animals are so rare, many people have fake, very sophisticated and real-like electronic animals that they care for and hide from their neighbors the fact that their animal is fake. On the one hand there are bounty hunters who catch and kill androids, human robots which dreamt of a better life, evidently with some feelings. And on the other hand there is the value which people place upon animal robots. On the one hand there are intelligent, sophisticated androids like the one who made a successful carier on earth as an opera singer; on the other hand there are hunters who emotionlessly kill her without regard to her artistic talent, or there are simple-minded specials. Throughout the plot, readers are given a lot to think about questions like what is life, what is emphaty, where do you draw a line between the value of real and artificial life? It is a philosophical novel and the author puts all these questions before us with brilliant comparisons between characters. The only negative feeling that one might get is the unusual, somewhat simple prose style but overall, a very good, thought provoking novel.

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