Synopsis

World War Terminus had left the Earth devastated. Through its ruins, bounty hunter Rick Deckard stalked, in search of the renegade replicants who were his prey. When he wasn’t ‘retiring’ them with his laser weapon, he dreamed of owning a live animal – the ultimate status symbol in a world all but bereft of animal life.

Then Rick got his chance: the assignment to kill six Nexus-6 targets, for a huge reward. But in Deckard’s world, things were never that simple, and his assignment quickly turned into a nightmare kaleidoscope of subterfuge and deceit – and the threat of death for the hunter rather than the hunted … (Source: Amazon)

Androids and the Construct of Humanity!

One of, if not the most quintessential, of Philip K. Dick’s novels, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, is a dystopian thriller that questions the reality of what it means to be human. 

Taking place on a version of Earth devastated by World War Terminus, the focus of the story centres around fugitive androids and the bounty hunters who “retire” them. Rick Deckard, the protagonist, is one of the many bounty hunters who make a living by killing androids. Gruff but likeable, he keeps on at his job to achieve a dream that many in the new world share: the chance to own a live animal.

As the story begins, Deckard is given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to own a live animal with a mission to track down and kill a new order of androids, the Nexus-6s. It’s a dangerous job, as the androids are intelligent and can only be uncovered through the use of a Voigt-Kampff test (a series of questions set to force an empathetic response).

Deckard’s introduction and the start of his mission showcase one of Dick’s greatest strengths: interwoven constructs. Dick’s worlds feel fleshed out due to the attention to detail he puts into his imagined world and their differences from ours that still feel familiar. Passing the Voigt-Kampff test, for example, is how Dick delineates the difference between humans and machines. A late reaction, or an empathetic response out of place, is the difference between life and death. Furthermore, as the story progresses, Dick explains how these tests are linked to the societal religion, Mercerism. Empathy towards animals and the understanding of their importance now that they are scarce are routed deep within the two.

As Deckard hunts the Nexus-6s, the line between human and machine becomes blurred. The cat-and-mouse games that the hunter and the hunted play lead to the androids becoming smarter and getting closer to being humans. Able to mislead, scheme, and ultimately blend into their environment, it forces Deckard and the reader to question where we draw the line on being human.

Alongside Deckard’s perspective, the story also follows John Isidore. A consequence of the nuclear war, he is both mutated and mentally challenged. His moments in the novel are my least favourite but still tell an important part of the world.

Isidore’s journey makes for uncomfortable reading. Owing to his lowered status, he’s often taken advantage of, and when he has his own encounter with the Nexus-6s, he isn’t prepared for the rings they run around him. Despite this, Isidore plays an important role regarding Mercerism. A fervent believer, these scenes reiterate the importance of religion to those left on Earth and how it’s one of the ways in which it separates them from the androids.

Lastly, the novel also shares the perspective of the Nexus-6 fugitive androids. Grounded and believable, Dick imagines these androids as being closely related to psychopaths. While they can fake a normal range of emotions, their morbid curiosities often end up being their undoing. They never show empathy towards each other and often enjoy tormenting those they view as lesser, which in a world that follows the teachings of Mercer is a big no-no.

Overall, while Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is undoubtedly a sci-fi classic, I doubt it’ll ever be one of my favourites.

Don’t get me wrong, the novel is fantastic. Dick’s interwoven constructs and flexible views on reality shine just as brightly as in his other works; I just find certain moments within this novel to be unnecessarily cruel. John Isidore’s tale leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth and slightly spoils an otherwise fantastic thriller.

I Give Do Androids Dream: 8.5/10