From the Bookshelf of RMFAO (Reading My Frigging A** Off)…

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Philip K. Dick

Start date: January 1, 2015

Finish date: January 31, 2015

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Discussion leader: Heena Rathore Rathore-Pardeshi

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What Members Thought

Mar 13, 2017 Markus rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017, dystopia, science-fiction

Curiously, this one has always fit on my very small list of books which have been surpassed by their adaptations. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is indisputably a classic, and a remarkably important work within the genres of science fiction and dystopia, but it never really struck a chord with me.

There is little doubt that Philip K. Dick was one of the most innovative writers in speculative fiction of the 20th century. His ideas were brilliant, and he gave the world a whole series of quest Curiously, this one has always fit on my very small list of books which have been surpassed by their adaptations. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is indisputably a classic, and a remarkably important work within the genres of science fiction and dystopia, but it never really struck a chord with me.

There is little doubt that Philip K. Dick was one of the most innovative writers in speculative fiction of the 20th century. His ideas were brilliant, and he gave the world a whole series of questions worth pondering, many of which are still being pondered today. However, I revere him primarily for writing something that gave birth to not one, but two of the greatest cinematic masterpieces ever to hit the screens.

Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner is one of my favourite movies of all time. Given the genre and the time of its release, it contends with the original Star Wars movies and Scott’s own Alien for the crown of early sci-fi, and in many ways I would argue that it comes out favourably in that comparison. Blade Runner, although rather different from the book, added so much depth to the debate about artificial intelligence, gave significantly more nuance to the plot and the characters, and truly shone in the aspects that a book can never benefit from: visuals and sound.

And while the 1982 film faced tough competition in its time, it is my firm belief that Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 is the greatest sci-fi movie of the 21st century so far. The visual perfection alone makes it an artistic wonder, and the soundtrack is not a bit worse than Vangelis’ calming tones. All in all, it was a pure joy to watch everything from the bleak and dusty streets of futuristic Los Angeles, to the utterly glorious fistfight between Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford to the backdrop of a holographic Elvis singing ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’.

I hold these films in the highest regard as far as art goes. Philip K. Dick’s novel never gave me any of the same feelings, but of course the man deserves high praise for igniting the artistic spark that created them. ...more

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May 09, 2017 B. R. Kyle (Ambiguous Pieces) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, science-fiction, classics-literary

Aspects I Enjoyed:
~Intense Subject Matter: From my point of view, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? will probably need a couple of re-reads before the reader is able to grasp everything, there’s a lot of stuff occurring over a short in-universe time-line, it’s a lot to take in. It doesn’t help that every person in the novel suffers from some level of fallout-related brain damage and detachment from reality. I also think reading this book has helped me gain a better understanding of my Metamor Aspects I Enjoyed:
~Intense Subject Matter: From my point of view, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? will probably need a couple of re-reads before the reader is able to grasp everything, there’s a lot of stuff occurring over a short in-universe time-line, it’s a lot to take in. It doesn’t help that every person in the novel suffers from some level of fallout-related brain damage and detachment from reality. I also think reading this book has helped me gain a better understanding of my Metamorphosis project.

~Villain Antagonists: Rosen Industries will stoop to any and all levels to undermine the bounty hunters and their empathy tests, I would consider Rosen Industries the go-to example for Nebulous Evil Organisation

~Complex Characters: I found the all androids to be much more interesting than Deckard (who came across as bit of an arse), however I think their quest to prove Mercerism fake (and therefore empathy fake) was tragic but intriguing. I understand that the android’s greatest weapon is their intelligence and ability to blend in with their environments were their greatest strengths, however their sociopath behavior and naïvety about Human reactions made me realise that (emotionally) they were essentially beings with the minds of children in powerful adult bodies The notion of empathy as a learned behavior as opposed to instinctive behavior is a complex issue.

Aspects I had Problems with:
~Damsel in Distress: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was published in 1968 and it most certainly shows. This novel was supposed to be set in the future, yet had a lot of social norms of that time, particularly displayed with the Iran (Rick Deckard’s wife) and the other female characters Rick Deckard interacts with. As a character, Iran annoyed me, she didn’t seem to serve a greater purpose and could easily have been removed.

~Always Save The Girl and Women Are Delicate: I got the feeling it was because of these tropes and Deckard’s attraction to Rachael was the reason he had such a problem with retiring Luba Luft and Rachel Rosen. He had no problems retiring the male androids.

~Big Lipped Alligator Moment: I understand Deckard and J.R. Isidore hallucinatory episodes are meant to be metaphorical, however that didn’t make them easier to understand, there’s a fine line between deep and meaningful symbolism and confusing obscurity. ...more

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