A masterpiece ahead of its time, a prescient rendering of a dark future, and the inspiration for the blockbuster film Blade Runner By 2021, the World War has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remain covet any living creature, and for people who can’t afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacra: horses, birds, cats, … horses, birds, cats, sheep. They’ve even built humans. Immigrants to Mars receive androids so sophisticated they are indistinguishable from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans can wreak, the government bans them from Earth. Driven into hiding, unauthorized androids live among human beings, undetected. Rick Deckard, an officially sanctioned bounty hunter, is commissioned to find rogue androids and “retire” them. But when cornered, androids fight back—with lethal force.
Praise for Philip K. Dick
“The most consistently brilliant science fiction writer in the world.”—John Brunner
“A kind of pulp-fiction Kafka, a prophet.”—The New York Times
“[Philip K. Dick] sees all the sparkling—and terrifying—possibilities . . . that other authors shy away from.”—Rolling Stone
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For the question of the day: like a lot of teenagers I went on a big dystopian novel kick during high school and read 1984, Brave New World, The Handmaid’s Tale, Anthem, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and probably some other ones I can’t remember now. Anyone else go through that phase?
This is one of those books that deviates quite a bit from the movie adaptation, but manages to be just as great even though the movie has reached a much higher iconic status.
The novel deals with dystopian future in which Earth is highly polluted and earthlings are encouraged to emigrate to off-planet colonies. The main protagonist is a cop who’s …
The book made me laugh at the insane premise of the scarcity of live pets. Then made me feel smarter for “getting it”.
I enjoyed the movie many years ago, and seeing now the liberties taken in the script I realize they are two different stories. Yet reading this book makes me appreciate the film even more.
Dick paints a post apocalyptic world …
The book is better and more original than the film. Dick is known for presenting speculative fiction more than specifically science fiction: What if, as in The Man in the High Castle, the Axis won WWII? In this case, what if androids were that sophisticated? Do they dream? Would they think they were superior to their maker, as so many people …
I really enjoyed the story and found it hard t put down once I started it. I actually finished it n two days which is a record for me. One of many really good stories by a master storyteller. I can’t recommend this book enough.
This book is what the movie Blade Runner is based on. For me, it was the first time reading an idea of robots that were not metal but organic. A very engaging read about a dysotopian future.
Dark, disturbing, thought provoking, wonderful. This is the novel that inspired the movie Blade-Runner.
A Classic. Better than the movie Blade Runner and that is saying something because the movie is fantastic!
Did you ever wonder what writers fifty years ago thought 2021 would be like? The answer can be found in “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick. It was written in 1968, and opens on January 3, 2021. What is the world like? The “fictional” 2021 world is filled with both familiar and unfamiliar things. There are video phones, piped …
It is PK Dick, so easy to read. You get what you expect.
This book is not the same as the movie Blade Runner. This book is more nuanced.
I really enjoyed this book, definitely unique from any other sci-fi I’ve read. Also, my first book by Philip K. Dick. The story takes place after World War Terminus (WWT) and follows Rick Deckland, a bounty hunter out to terminate 6 remaining rogue androids. The recurrent theme throughout the book is on empathy and whether the ability to …
One of John Brunner’s four “Club of Rome” novels. We are now -past- the future date of the novel. And so far, we have avoided most of the problems. Still fun to read.
I’m a huge Blade Runner fan and came to Philip K. Dick late. This is a very strange tale (and shorter than expected), but it’s just as grim and haunting as the movie. Just in its own dismal way. More an inspiration than adaptation, but I still loved it.
This is a must read for all who are into cyberpunk and sci-fi. Great characters and the world building is superb. I couldn’t put it down once I opened it up.
This spawned a new generation of stories, and even had movies inspired by it. I enjoyed the overall story, and some of the directions it went.
I was disappointed, though, about the recurring topic of financing, where it seemed that everything was purchased based on a down payment, but no thought given to installments or total cost. I guess it’s …
Genre maker
Good creative sci-fi.
Classic
One of my favorites.