Summary
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Philip K. Dick's seminal 1968 science fiction novel, explores a post-apocalyptic world where androids are nearly indistinguishable from humans. Set in a radioactive San Francisco after World War Terminus, the story follows bounty hunter Rick Deckard as he pursues rogue androids. The novel grapples with profound questions of empathy, consciousness, and what it means to be human. It served as the basis for Ridley Scott's influential 1982 film adaptation Blade Runner, which brought Dick's dystopian vision to the big screen and cemented the book's place in the science fiction canon.
Plot
In a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by nuclear war, Rick Deckard works as a bounty hunter tasked with “retiring” rogue androids. These androids, nearly indistinguishable from humans, have escaped from Mars and pose a threat on Earth. Deckard hopes to earn enough money from this mission to replace his electric sheep with a real animal, a status symbol in this desolate future.
As Deckard hunts down the androids, he encounters various challenges and moral dilemmas. He meets Rachael Rosen, an android who initially tricks him into believing she's human. Deckard also faces a group of androids masquerading as police officers, forcing him to question the nature of humanity and empathy. Throughout his mission, he struggles with his own emotions and the blurring line between humans and androids.
The story culminates in Deckard's final confrontation with the remaining androids in an abandoned apartment building. After successfully retiring them, he returns home to find his newly acquired real goat has been killed by Rachael. Disillusioned, Deckard retreats to the Oregon wilderness, where he has a mystical experience reminiscent of Wilbur Mercer, a religious figure in this world. The novel ends with Deckard discovering an electric toad, symbolizing the uncertain future of both artificial and natural life in this dystopian world.
Themes
The nature of humanity and what it means to be human
Empathy and emotional connections
The blurring line between artificial and real
Environmental destruction and its consequences
The impact of technology on society
The search for meaning in a post-apocalyptic world
The ethics of creating and “retiring” artificial life
Setting
Set in the year 2021, Blade Runner takes place in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic San Francisco. The Earth has been devastated by a global nuclear war, leaving much of the planet uninhabitable and driving many species to extinction. As a result, the United Nations has encouraged mass emigration to off-world colonies to preserve humanity's genetic integrity.
The story unfolds against a backdrop of environmental ruin, with a radioactively polluted atmosphere and desolate urban landscapes. San Francisco serves as the primary setting, though the narrative also briefly shifts to Seattle when the protagonist visits the headquarters of the Rosen Association. The stark contrast between Earth's deteriorating conditions and the promise of a fresh start on Mars underscores the novel's themes of survival and identity.
Within this bleak world, the remaining human population places great value on owning living animals, which have become rare and expensive status symbols. Those who can't afford real animals often resort to purchasing electric imitations, highlighting the societal obsession with authenticity and empathy.
Characters
Rick Deckard: The protagonist, a bounty hunter tasked with “retiring” escaped androids. He struggles with empathy for the androids he hunts.
Iran Deckard: Rick's wife, who suffers from depression and relies on a mood organ to regulate her emotions.
John Isidore: A “special” (intellectually disabled) man who befriends a group of androids. He shows more empathy than many humans in the story.
Rachael Rosen: An advanced Nexus-6 android who develops a complex relationship with Deckard. She attempts to manipulate him to protect other androids.
Pris Stratton: An escaped Nexus-6 android who takes refuge with John Isidore. She is physically identical to Rachael Rosen.
Roy and Irmgard Baty: A married pair of escaped Nexus-6 androids. Roy is the leader of the group hiding with Isidore.
Phil Resch: A fellow bounty hunter who questions whether he himself might be an android.
Wilbur Mercer: A messianic figure in the Mercerism religion, who may or may not be real.
Luba Luft: An android posing as an opera singer, who Deckard is tasked with retiring.
Dave Holden: A bounty hunter who is injured while testing a Nexus-6 android, leading to Deckard taking over the case.
Quick facts
The novel was originally published in 1968, over a decade before the Blade Runner film adaptation was released in 1982.
Philip K. Dick wrote the first draft of the novel in only two weeks.
The book's original title was Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, but it was later retitled Blade Runner to tie in with the film.
The story is set in the year 2021, which was the distant future when it was written in the 1960s.
Dick was inspired to write the novel after reading about Nazi officers' journals during World War II.
The “empathy box” described in the book was based on Dick's own experiences with hallucinogenic drugs.
The novel explores themes of empathy, identity, and what it means to be human.
Electric animals play a significant role in the story as status symbols in a world where most real animals have gone extinct.
The book introduces the concept of “Mercerism,” a religion centered around shared empathy, which doesn't appear in the film adaptation.
Dick wrote three sequels to the novel, but they were never published due to disputes with his publisher.
About the Author
Philip K. Dick was one of the most influential and prolific American science fiction authors of the 20th century. Over a three-decade career, he published 44 novels and 121 short stories that explored themes like the nature of reality, human identity, and the dangers of authoritarianism. Some of his most famous works include The Man in the High Castle, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and Ubik.
Dick's writing frequently blurred the lines between reality and illusion, with characters struggling to determine what is truly real in worlds of paranoia and shifting perceptions. He drew inspiration from his own experiences with mental illness and drug use, infusing his stories with a surreal, philosophical edge. While not widely recognized in his lifetime, Dick's work gained critical acclaim after his death in 1982 and has since been adapted into popular films like Blade Runner and Minority Report.
In addition to science fiction, Dick wrote mainstream novels and essays exploring metaphysical and theological ideas. His later works, like the VALIS trilogy, were heavily influenced by mystical experiences he had in 1974 which he spent years trying to rationalize. Dick's personal struggles with mental health, financial difficulties, and substance abuse often informed the themes in his writing.
Today, Philip K. Dick is considered one of the most important figures in 20th century science fiction. His explorations of reality, consciousness, and what it means to be human continue to resonate with readers and inspire new generations of writers and filmmakers. Dick's paranoid, reality-bending style has become synonymous with modern science fiction.
