5 Stars / Favorite
Pub. Date: May 1996
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Format: Paperback, 256pp
ISBN: 0345404475
Edition Description: Reissue
OWN: Keeper Shelf
In the year 2021 (the original printing is set in 1992, but this version has 2021 at the setting), years after World War Terminus, humans have either died or emigrated to Mars. Those who choose to emigrate are enticed with andriod servants and those who have stayed behind on earth risk radiation poisoning and risk being classified as "Special".
One of the most important things when staying behind on earth is the status of owning an animal. Caring for an animal somehow shows you have empathy and humanity. Some, even the protagonist Rick Deckard, pretend to have animals or have synthetic animals. Deckard when his sheep Groucho died, didn't want anyone to know that he no longer had an animal so he replaced it with a synthetic sheep. One of the most interesting elements for me was the Empathy Box, a box that controls your emotional state of mind.
In this novel we follow Dekard while he hunts down androids who are pretending to be human. We also follow John Isidore, who is a driver for an synthetic animal repair shop, who is classified as "Special" and cannot leave Earth. The stories and relationships that develop in this story explore the age old question of "what makes us human?" I personally love stories like this and this was no exception. Do Andriods Dream of Electric Sheep is staying with me on my keeper shelf. This book was the inspiration behind the BladeRunner movie, which I don't think I've ever seen but I will now for sure. I am not sure what kept me from reading this book, but Im glad I finally did.
This book fits the following categories/challenges for me:
- Hogwarts Reading Challenge
- RYOB Challenge
- New Authors Challenge
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