carl_lazarevic's Full Review: Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric She...
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? is set in the year 1992 (in the spirit of suspension of disbelief you have to assume it has a much later setting) as a dystopion society has taken hold in the aftermath of World War III. A radioactive dust now covers the Earth that has systematically wiped out most of the worlds animal population. Humans effected by the radiation are considered second class citizens, forced to live in the slums of this dying world. As a result of this, most unaffected humans now live on off world colonies. Android slaves are provided by the U.N in order to perform the physical labors, and, due to their being organically constructed and highly intelligent, help the colonists avoid a sense of isolation. The trouble is that these androids are not at all happy with their lives of servitude. Some will even flee their lives in the hope of finding a better life on Earth.
Enter Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter hired by the police to track down and 'retire' these rogue androids. Rick's life is never that interesting though. On his basic salary he can not afford to look after a live animal (an immoral prospect in his world) and has to save face by tendering to an electric sheep on his roof. This all changes with the arrival of 8 highly intelligent Nexus 6 androids so lifelike that only a complicated test of empathic responses can reveal their identity. Rick's superior managed to retire the first 2, but was caught out and almost killed by the third. Now Rick can finally take over the contracts, making himself some real money, but in doing so will be forced to question the very nature of his existence.
From this point on I was quite surprised with the direction the book went in. The book was later adapted into the movie Bladerunner, but it is not the fast paced techno thriller that the film would lead you to believe. Rather it's a slightly more methodical study into the characters at the heart of the story.
Deckard has never really questioned his job before now. He simply wakes up every morning and uses his Penfield mood organ to literally dial in a dose of job satisfaction. By comparison, his wife, who has to sit at home all day, likes to keep a sense of normalcy by scheduling in a few hours depression at least once a month.
Dick uses this bit of technology as a way of raising early questions about the world's hierarchies. Animals are placed as the most important creatures on earth, with humans taking second place, and androids; who are unable to feel empathy, are considered worthless. Yet androids, who strive to better their lives, display much more vitality than the humans who accept their condition and use artificial means to alter their feelings.
It's really fascinating to read through the story as Deckard gradually comes to ask himself this same question. Early on he encounters Rachael Rosen, the niece of the president of the company that produced the Nexus 6 types. Deckard is attracted to Rachael, who tests out positive as an android despite her claiming to be a schizophrenic placed there to discredit the empathic test. He is able to prove that she is, however unknowingly, an android, but everything that happens to him after is clouded by his sexual attraction to her.
This is never more interesting than when Deckard finds himself contracted to retire Luba Luft, an android living out her dream of being an opera singer. He is amazed by her talent, and, due to his new found attraction to Rachael, finds himself empathizing with her. Of course, this makes fulfilling his contract very difficult and he realizes that the only way he'll ever be a great bounty hunter is to stop feeling empathy (the one feeling he can use to justify his hunt, and the basis of the only religion left on Earth) for the androids.
He develops a growing obsession with buying a real animal. Gaining a means of reassuring himself that he has still retained his morality. It rapidly becomes evident however that Deckard feels more for this prospective animal than he does for his own wife, whom he fails to empathize with even while she's willing herself into a clinical depression.
It's to Dick's credit that while he does raise these questions in his characters, he never directly answers them. He shows the androids for what they really are, which includes a number of morally obscene decisions that they carry out because they are incapable of understanding the suffering of others. This then forces you, the reader, to decide the morality of Deckard's actions.
Like the film Dick has included a relationship of sorts between Deckard and Rachael. Yet it's far from the blooming romance portrayed in the film as you're always unclear what their true motives are. You find yourself constantly questioning whether Rachael can genuinely feel 'love' or whether she's just coldly manipulating Deckard on the companies orders. You're also never really sure whether Deckard is getting with her out of emotion, or again, coldly manipulating her as a means of clearing his own head. Both characters will grow a lot throughout the course of the book, and you wont always be happy with the directions they take.
One of the things that surprised me most about the book though was it's tone. Sure the central character is still largely an anti hero, and yes he still lives in a polluted wasteland, but Dick still finds the time to inject the story with his own sly sense of satire. Ignoring the implications of Deckard's dial a mood device (Prozac?) there is also a pretty interesting government control Vs. religious control side plot. In the book there is only 1 religion left on Earth. Mercirism, whereby people literally plug their minds into an electronic device and share their thoughts and feelings. The benefits of Mercirism are obvious to the people, as everyone, even those effected by the radiation, can become one mind (sort of) except, of course, the androids.
As counterpoint to this you will find only 1 TV show left on Earth. Buster Friendly And His Friendly Friends, a comedy chat show, sponsored by the government, that runs throughout the day (and simultaneously on the radio too) spouting propaganda to the audience at regular intervals. While I'm unsure as to the state of affairs in the 60's, both of these ideas struck me as valid in todays world.
Even so, Dick has still managed to tell the entire story in a little over 200 pages. This he achieves by keeping the story flowing at an immaculate pace. It has nowhere near as much action as the film since the androids will accept their fates rather than try and fight out of a corner. Yet still the book is never a slow read. Every single bit of character growth is achieved on the move by observing their actions. Rick's hesitancy to take an active roll in Mercerism at the start of the book, his decision to test himself after retiring Luba Luft, even his simple ability to sleep at night all indicate major changes in the character without slowing down for any pointless narration.
The result is an intelligent, smoothly flowing and highly enjoyable science fiction story. My only real problem with this was that a lot of the dialogue felt kind of stilted. It wasn't horrible by any means, it's just that the characters often felt like they were trying to say what they needed in the most efficient manor possible. It fit the books ideology I guess, but there were times when it just didn't feel real to me.
Other than that I'd definitely recommend Do androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? to any fans of genuine science fiction.
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 W...More at HotBookSale
The most consistently brilliant science fiction writer in the world. --John BrunnerTHE INSPIRATION FOR BLADERUNNER. . . Do Androids Dream of Electric ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.