Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: The inspiration for the films Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049

Philip K. Dick

Feb 2008 · Sold by Ballantine Books

About this ebook

A masterpiece ahead of its time, a prescient rendering of a dark future, and the inspiration for the blockbuster film Blade Runner

By 2021, the World War has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remain covet any living creature, and for people who can’t afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacra: horses, birds, cats, sheep. They’ve even built humans. Immigrants to Mars receive androids so sophisticated they are indistinguishable from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans can wreak, the government bans them from Earth. Driven into hiding, unauthorized androids live among human beings, undetected. Rick Deckard, an officially sanctioned bounty hunter, is commissioned to find rogue androids and “retire” them. But when cornered, androids fight back—with lethal force.

Praise for Philip K. Dick

“The most consistently brilliant science fiction writer in the world.”—John Brunner

“A kind of pulp-fiction Kafka, a prophet.”—The New York Times

“[Philip K. Dick] sees all the sparkling—and terrifying—possibilities . . . that other authors shy away from.”—Rolling Stone

Ratings and reviews

A highly entertaining, though occasionally obtuse read, this is one book that I enjoyed reading more than I enjoyed finishing. Maybe it's naivety of Dick's work, but I was expecting more out of the the conclusion of the story than I got, and it seemed lacking in meaning while rife with unanswered questions. Certain themes did not seem to be fully explored, and while that may have been the point, I am left wanting to know why Dick wrote this book, and why he ended it the way that he did. Still, as a work of Science Fiction, its style and elements were superb, and the themes were intriguing. I just wish I were able to grasp the point Dick was trying to make with the book. Despite these uncertainties, I would still recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of the genre.

There's a lot of buildup for the first three quarters of the story: characters and relationships are detailed; the setting is well described and adds to the tone; the backstory is delivered without breaking pace; and everything was leading to a very exciting climax... Except what you'd think is the climax happens suddenly. For a moment you're stuck until you realize the story is about the meaning/value of life, not hunting androids. It doesn't break the story, it just feels jarring. Still a worthy read

In high school they made us read a few books, one of them was this book. At first I thought it sounded kinda dumb. But remember what they say, don't judge a book by its cover. I read the whole book in 2 days when most of my class mates were only on the 3rd chapter. If you like the movie blade runner, which is the movie version of this book, the book is 1000000 tines better and if has a real ending not as open as the movies ending. I cannot recommend this book enough

About the author

Born in Chicago in 1928, Philip K. Dick would go on to become one of the most celebrated science fiction authors of all time. The author of 44 published novels and 120 short stories, Dick won a Hugo Award in 1963, and a John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 1975, and was nominated five separate times for the Nebula Award. Eleven of his works have been turned into films, including Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly. He died in 1982.