Set on an Earth reeling from the impact of a devastating World War that nobody knows the reason for, Philip K. Dick’s ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ is less a story than a description of an alien world.
We journey through this parched landscape led by Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter tasked with retiring rogue humanoids, and John Isidore, who let’s just say is “special”.
The Earth they inhabit is a contaminated wasteland, devoid of any real animal or plant life. It is a normal day in the life of the characters until some unexpected events put them in situations they’ve never been in before. Their response to their changing circumstances, along with the places it takes them, helps us appreciate the different aspects of their existence - from the crony capitalism to their conflicting leaders.
The book is a quick read and the storyline is simple, comparable to maybe a little thought experiment in the middle of a busy day. Don’t expect it to be life altering or profound in any way - it’s really a silly little book that skirts the larger issue of Artificial Intelligence.
— The reader is a student based in Abu Dhabi.
