Thursday, January 15, 2009

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



Plot Summary: By 2021, the World War had killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remained coveted any living creature, and for people who couldn't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacra: horses, birds, cats, sheep. . . They even built humans. Emigres to Mars received androids so sophisticated it was impossible to tell them from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans could wreak, the government banned them from Earth. But when androids didn't want to be identified, they just blended in. Rick Deckard was an officially sanctioned bounty hunter whose job was to find rogue androids, and to retire them. But cornered, androids tended to fight back, with deadly results.
My thoughts: I've read some widely varied reviews of this book from those who LOVED it to those who DID NOT love it. I was interested in reading it because I have heard of it for years and because it was the basis for the movie Blade Runner. While the movie was a lot more suspenseful (it did not follow the book very closely) I truly enjoyed reading this. It was originally published in 1968 so at times seemed a little out of date but it is classic Sci-Fi and will endure. It was thought provoking, a deep book with timeless themes but still easy and interesting to read.

2 comments:

The Oceanside Animals said...

It's amazing how many films have been made out of Philip K. Dick works, and yet probably 90% of people wouldn't know who he was if asked.

Anonymous said...

I've not read this book, but LOVED Blade Runner. Great film. :)