Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Does itWithstand the Test of Time? NO SPOILERS

[Sandi]

“Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” was first published in 1966. At that time, the setting was 1992. Later editions change the setting year to 2012. It’s quite obvious that the book didn’t predict much of anything for our time, but does that make it irrelevant? How is it a product of its time? How is it relevant to us today? Is it dated or is it timeless? Why?

[Jon]

I was surprised of how well it stood the test of time. Except for the references to television and radio, most of the technological references are "generic" enough science fiction to be convincing. The only mysterious technology is how the androids are made, which left mysterious only adds to the validity of the novel.

Because the androids are so similar to humans, the conflict arises internally in many cases.

I almost feel that this story is about basic trust.

Then again, I could be completely off my rocker. :)

[Michael]

I think the reason the book stands the "test of time" is that it's not as concerned about the technology as it is about the characters. And the questions that PKD raises here about what makes us all human are timeless.

[bsc]

Right, since it isn't about the technology, it being outdated just doesn't bother me. We didn't blow up the Earth, and we aren't colonizing space, we aren't watching CRTs, and for some reason no one ever carries a cell phone. Often, these issues are distracting but PKD pulls it off.

To summarize something William Gibson touched on from a recent book signing, authors can't help but see the future through the present. They may look silly in ten years or so, but the future is unpredictable and to try is to fail. They may get some stuff right once in a while, and thus are seen as some sort of prophet, but really it is just luck. If someone were to write something that accurately predicted life 50 years from now, it would probably just be seen as silly and unbelievable.

[M.D.]

Seeing as none of the Spec Fic writers never even predicted the internet, to say that a book is dated because it doesn't have the right gadgets is moot.

To me, the novella was more about the degeneration of humanity. What is a human worth? What makes it worth living in a world that doesn't value your identity? Or only values it for your flesh and bones?

[Lori]

Jon - I can think of other mysterious technologies, altho they in no way alter the fact that I too feel this book stands the test of time.

The first is, how did the rocks that"hit" Mercer acually cause physical harm to the participants?

And then there's the mood organ. Drugs? Gotta be. But they sure act fast! Plus, Deckard's mood was already altered when he woke up, so he wasn't touching the organ.

And what did happen to earth? Ben, it seems we did blow it up. But I suppose that will always stand the test of time, until we actually do blow it up. :)

[[deleted user]]

Back in the 1960's who would have thought that one day people would interest in electric pets. After reading a article on a robotic baby seal named Paro created in Japan. They found interaction with cute, cuddly robots lowered stress, elevated moods and decreased depression. Also the idea of Identify Theft is well used in the book, which is something becoming more of a modern day crime.

[Shannon]

I haven't actually finished it yet but I'm not worried about spoilers :)

In some ways, it's timeless. In other ways, it's incredibly dated. It has a kind of 30s Raymond Chandler feel to it at times, which helps, but in terms of gender: the wife is "at home, of course", doing little but watching telly, it seems, and the secretaries are always women. So far that I've read, anyway.

But it is interesting, how short a time frame Dick gave it. He has an interesting mix of complete disparagement and complete faith in humans: disparagement because we ruined the planet so quickly, and faith in our ability to escape it. The advent of television and space exploration in that era really got people excited about new technology yeah?

[E.J.]

The book stands the test of time from the perspective that it's really a character novel and while there are many different science fiction creations (hovercrafts and mood organs), Dick does very little "updating" of modern elements, people, organizations or entities, which is where "dating" usually happens because the author fails to accurately predict how these items will change. That being said, the book fails the test of time in that if this novel was published today, the editors would make the author go back and work over numerous elements to the story, making the action more sustained and detailed, flushing out a central entagonist and shaping the love story to be even more poignant than it was back then. IMHO.

[[deleted user]]

To me, the bit that stands out as dated is the Buster Friendly Show. I don't see a lot of tv, but the name and tone seems really off. The old-fashioned office culture also seems very strange. I suppose the emphasis on Russians also dates to the Cold War, but that's not so unbelievable. The thing is, the outdated bits are the window-dressing; they really act as color, though they may not have been intended that way. Noir is probably a good word for it.

Overall, the book is very relevant, because many of the issues raised are just as important today: the dangers of environmental destruction and nuclear weapons; the frequent use of artificial mood changers; the disconnect between love, lust, and marriage; the lack of empathy on the part of government officials; the threat to civil liberties by enemies who can't be distinguished from citizens; the treatment of the mentally ill; and so on...

What is really amazing about this book is the way Dick can cover so much ground without spending much time dwelling on the implications of his words.

[Brooke]

To me, the bit that stands out as dated is the Buster Friendly Show. I don't see a lot of tv, but the name and tone seems really off.

I thought the Buster Friendly Show was purposefully inane, rather than outdated, in order to keep everyone left on Earth from falling into despair. Am I right in remembering that it was shown on the government channel?

[Sandi]

I think all that was on TV and the radio were Buster Friendly and government shows encouraging people to emigrate to the colonies. I suspect everyone watched and listened to Buster Friendly because the government station was too depressing.

[Brooke]

Ah, that was my mistake then. I think I was mixing up Isidore and Deckard, as far as the characters listening to Buster.

[Angie]

I think the book does stand the test of time. I never really felt like something was outdated. Even the laser weapon that was used is still a futuristic weapon to me. So I found the book quite enjoyable even though it was first released in 1966.