This classic novel written in 1968 set in a future dystopian 2021 was the inspiration for the movie Blade Runner. I used to see it on my library shelf long before Bland Runner was made; I always disliked the title and thought it would be too surreal for my taste. If it was called Android Bounty Hunter I would have probably read it back in the 80s.
Since we are now living in a real 2021 dystopia I thought I'd give it a try. I loved all the cool high-tech gadgets Bounty Hunter Rick Deckard uses to defeat the killer androids. But yeah; it is too surreal and I never would have finished it if I had tried to read it back then.
The weird religion of Mercerism and the rival TV show host Buster Friendly along with the strange metaphysical events would have lost me.
I prefer my dystopian nightmare worlds to make some kind of sense and my characters to have at least a little reason for hope.
I wrote these comments for the novel. For some reason, I see these comments are also on the Graphic Novel version. I see the Graphic novel adds some comic book art to the novel and appears to contain the whole novel. This artwork is somewhat good in places but it certainly doesn't match up with how I envision the description in the book.

The novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?", written by Philip K. Dick, follows a plot in a futuristic San Francisco in the year 2021. Following World War Terminus, radioactive debris caused the extinction of many animal species; those which were still alive were cherished and sold at high prices to be kept as trophy pets. Most humans had emigrated to Mars, with the incentive of receiving androids- artificially intelligent robots that were identical to humans, intended to be used as slaves. The protagonist, Rick Deckard, is a bounty hunter whose job is to “retire” (kill) several androids that had escaped life on Mars and displayed nefarious intentions.

Rick Deckard owned a sheep, an electric one to be exact. Real animals were so rare and expensive that he opted for an electric sheep. However, this was looked down upon in society; only the upper class usually owned real-life animals. After the malfunction of his electric sheep, Deckard became motivated to retire a group of six Nexus-6 androids, and collect the bounty money to replace his electric sheep with a real animal.

The rest of the novel entails Deckard’s chase to retire the androids. As a dystopian literature enthusiast, this book beyond satisfied all I was looking for in a read. Dick writes in such an enthralling manner, and the events he created, leading up to the ending, created a masterpiece of a book. I would highly recommend the novel to anyone ages 16+, being that there are mature themes and profanity throughout the novel. Also, Dick’s extensive use of high-level academic vocabulary would best suit the age range of 16+. Overall, I would consider "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" to be one of my favorite books of all time; it’s a must-read!

This book is what the 1982 movie “Blade Runner” was based off of and is one of not my favorite movie of all time. In summary, the time is 2021 when technology has advanced to the point where AI have been created in the form of Nexus 6 androids created by the Tyrell Corporation and used for labor. After a series of incidents involving the androids they were deemed illegal and were “retired” by Blade Runners. The story is about Rick Deckard, a retired Blade Runner brought back to hunt down and retire a group of Nexus 6 androids.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, is a science fiction novel based in San Francisco, CA. Due to the radioactive dust from World War Terminus, most of the world has immigrated to mars with androids as their slaves. Some humans, as well as androids, remain on Earth but Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter, must retire the existing androids on Earth. I really enjoyed this book because it gives a futuristic view on our world and explores the possibilities that the future may bring. This book is great for those who enjoy reading about possible new technological and societal advances as well as those who like to explore different realities.

Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” is the much-praised basis of for the movie “Blade Runner”. This book deals with the more cerebral ideas left out of the action movie. I found the world to be well thought out and there is much to think about, but mostly I found it and the people in it to be pathetic and sad. Published in 1968, I wonder if the author foresaw how people would become self-absorbed and chose to portray us as “androids”. Only caring about themselves; how things affect them. The lack of empathy, which has defined us as human. Sounds like the world we live in.

SO 1968!! This book falls solidly into the 1960's style of dystopian sci-fi. Think Logan's Run, Fahrenheit 451, 1984 (the one with Edmond O'Brien), the original Star Trek series (which weren't so dystopian - but you get my drift.) Just to name a few that come immediately to mind. The forward-thinking social commentary - with androids substituting for 'people' we consider "less than" - is, sadly, an issue we still struggle with in 2020.

1968 - 4.08

Fun!! Made me realize I wanted to read more sci-fi. was super fun to have things you don't expect happen :o

The beginning and middle are all good, but all of the sudden he seems to have decided to rush the end. The main character was able to overcome the "problem" with way too much ease. And it seems in his rush to end the book, the author forgot about somethings that were supposed to aid or challenge the main character. I would recommend the book, I just wish the end hadn't been rushed like it was.

Empathy as a measure of humanity. The protagonist soon learns that androids may be capable of empathy and compassion while humans may be completely devoid of it, a realization that changes his understanding of himself. The novel came to be due to a Nazi journal Dick came across: ...a Holocaust Nazi officer complains about not being able to sleep because he was “kept awake at night by the cries of starving children.” Instead of empathizing with their suffering, the officer only saw them as a nuisance that disturbed his sleep. That one line had a deep impact on Dick who thought, “It is not human to complain in your diary that starving children are keeping you awake.”