Umair Gaines
'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' is a 1968 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco, where Earth's life has been greatly damaged by nuclear global war. The story follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who has to kill six escaped Nexus-6 model androids. The novel served as the basis for the 1982 film 'Blade Runner' and its 2017 sequel 'Blade Runner 2049', as well as several comic books, a stage play, and a radio drama.
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![By Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (2012-02-16) [Paperback]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51s+NVQ6atL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
What You'll Learn
Plot
'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' is a 1968 dystopian science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. It is set in a post-apocalyptic, nuclear-clouded San Francisco, where Earth's life has been greatly damaged by a global war. The plot follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter with a licence to kill, who has to track down and "retire" (i.e. kill) six escaped Nexus-6 model androids. Rick adjusts his mood using a Penfield mood organ, while his wife, Iran, programmes hers for depression, believing it connects her to their grim reality. Rick tends to his electric sheep on the roof, a mechanical replica of the real one he lost to tetanus, to avoid the shame of not owning a live animal. Meanwhile, his neighbour, Bill Barbour, cares for his pregnant horse, which Rick envies. Rick decides to focus on his work to earn enough money to buy a live animal.
Rick learns that his colleague, Dave Holden, was injured by a Nexus-6 android, and takes over his assignment to retire six rogue androids. At the Hall of Justice, Inspector Harry Bryant briefs Rick on the advanced Nexus-6 models. Concerned about the effectiveness of the Voigt-Kampff test, which identifies androids by showing that they lack empathy, Bryant sends Rick to the Rosen Association in Seattle to evaluate their androids. In Seattle, Rachael Rosen greets Rick and volunteers for the test. Rick determines she is an android with implanted memories, despite her insistence that she is human. Eldon Rosen, Rachael’s “uncle,” tries to discredit the test and bribes Rick with an artificial owl, but Rick refuses. The encounter leaves Rick uneasy about the androids’ advanced capabilities. Rick begins his hunt by tracking Polokov, an android posing as a Soviet officer. Polokov attacks Rick, but Rick shoots him. Rick then moves on to Luba Luft, a Nexus-6 android posing as an opera singer.
Luba’s artistic talent unsettles Rick, but he presses forward. When Rick tries to administer the Voigt-Kampff test on her, Luba accuses him of harassment and calls the police. A man named Officer Crams arrives and arrests Rick, claiming that no record of him or Bryant exists. Crams takes Rick to a police station Rick has never heard of before, which Rick eventually discovers is run by androids. At the station, Rick meets Phil Resch, a bounty hunter who suspects he might be an android. Together, they escape and retire Luba Luft. Rick tests Resch and confirms he is human, though Resch’s enjoyment of killing disturbs him. Afterward, Rick buys a live goat with his bounty money, hoping to restore a sense of inner purpose and bolster his social status. Although Rick doesn’t want to finish his work assignment, Bryant insists that he hunt the remaining androids: Pris Stratton, Roy Baty, and Irmgard Baty.
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Setting
The 1968 science fiction novel "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick is set in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian future. The story takes place in January 1992 2021 in later editions of the novel in San Francisco, following World War Terminus, a global conflict that rendered Earth's atmosphere highly radioactive and caused mass extinctions of animal species. The extreme radiation poisoning resulting from the war has led to significant illness and gene damage among the remaining human population, who mostly live in cluttered cities.
In this future world, owning and caring for a real-life animal has become a status symbol and a sign of empathy. This attitude is encouraged by a new technology-based religion called Mercerism, which uses Empathy Boxes to link users to a virtual reality of collective suffering. The protagonist, Rick Deckard, for example, owns a robotic black-faced sheep, and he seeks to earn enough money to buy a live animal to replace it. Animals are bought and sold according to the price listed in the latest Sidney's Animal & Fowl Catalogue, with extinct animals listed at the price of the last example sold.
The United Nations has encouraged mass emigration from Earth to off-world colonies to preserve humanity's genetic integrity, offering incentives such as free personal androids to emigrating families. The androids, derogatorily referred to as "andy", are identical to humans and serve as robot servants. The novel explores the moral crisis of Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who stalks almost-human androids in this future San Francisco. Deckard signs up for a police mission to hunt down ("retire") six Nexus-6 androids that have gone rogue, violently escaping from their creators, the Rosen Association, and fleeing Mars for Earth.
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Characters
The 1968 science fiction novel 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' by Philip K. Dick is set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco, where Earth's life has been greatly damaged by a nuclear global war. The plot follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who has to "retire" (i.e. kill) six escaped Nexus-6 model androids. A secondary plot follows John Isidore, a man of sub-par IQ who aids the fugitive androids.
Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter for the San Francisco Police Department and the protagonist of the novel. His job is to hunt down and "retire" rogue androids by killing them, with the hope of using the bounty money to replace his electric sheep with a live animal. Throughout the story, Deckard increasingly struggles with his job, questioning whether the androids he kills are actually living beings.
John "J.R." Isidore is a lonely "special", a human whose mental faculties have diminished due to radiation poisoning. He works for Van Ness Pet Hospital, a business that discreetly repairs electric animals for those who cannot afford living animals. Through Mercerism, J.R. feels empathy for his fellow humans, but is simultaneously excluded by his classification as a "special".
Other characters include Rachael Rosen, a Nexus-6 android; Resch, another bounty hunter; Inspector Garland, an android posing as a Police Inspector; Pris Stratton, an escaped android; Eldon Rosen, the businessman and engineer behind the Nexus-6 brain unit; and Harry Bryant, Deckard's boss at the San Francisco Police Department.
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Themes
The central theme of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is the nature of empathy and its role in distinguishing humans from androids. The novel's protagonist, Rick Deckard, is a bounty hunter tasked with “retiring” (i.e., killing) escaped androids. Deckard's job requires him to make a clear distinction between organic and artificial life, but he himself blurs this line by keeping an electric sheep instead of a real one. Despite his initial lack of empathy towards androids, Deckard eventually feels empathy for the machines he hunts and even for an electric toad he finds at the end of the novel. This development in Deckard's character suggests that empathy is not exclusive to organic beings and that it can be a powerful and overwhelming force.
The novel also explores the theme of alienation and disconnection in a post-apocalyptic world. Set in a future where Earth has been devastated by nuclear war, the surviving humans are encouraged to emigrate to Mars, leaving behind a largely deserted and decaying San Francisco. The remaining inhabitants of Earth live in cluttered cities, suffering from radiation poisoning and genetic damage. This sense of isolation and decay extends to the personal level, as Deckard experiences estrangement within his marriage and in his interactions with others.
Consumerism is another significant theme in the novel, with owning real animals becoming the ultimate marker of prestige and humanity in a society where most species are endangered or extinct. The relentless desire to acquire and display status through material possessions illustrates how consumer culture can persist even amidst environmental and societal collapse.
Finally, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? examines the interplay between human emotions and technology. The novel introduces the concept of Mercerism, a prominent religious movement that provides a shared empathetic experience for its followers. This exploration of Mercerism reflects on the value of "real" experiences and entities in a world dominated by artificial constructs, raising questions about identity and morality.
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Adaptations
The 1968 science fiction novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick has been adapted into several formats. The book served as the basis for the 1982 film Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford. The film takes place in the year 2019, while the novel is set in 1992 (2021 in later editions). Hampton Fancher and David Webb Peoples wrote the loose cinematic adaptation, and following the film's international success, the title Blade Runner was adopted for some later editions of the novel. The film spawned a franchise, with novels, games, a sequel, comic books, and an anime series.
The novel was also adapted into a comic book by BOOM! Studios, which published a 24-issue limited series containing the full text of the novel and illustrated by Tony Parker. This was followed by an eight-issue prequel subtitled Dust To Dust, written by Chris Roberson and drawn by Robert Adler. The story takes place in the days immediately after World War Terminus.
In 2014, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a two-part adaptation of the novel as part of their Dangerous Visions dystopia series.
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Frequently asked questions
'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' is a 1968 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick.
The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco, where Earth's life has been greatly damaged by a nuclear global war. It follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who has to kill six escaped Nexus-6 model androids.
Hampton Fancher and David Peoples wrote a loose cinematic adaptation that became the film 'Blade Runner', released in 1982. The novel has also been adapted into a comic book, a prequel, a stage play, and a radio drama.
