Book Review # 266: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

https://thetorogichronicles.com/2021/07/18/book-review-266-do-androids-dream-of-electric-sheep/

Apart from horror and young adult fiction, science fiction is a part of the vast literary world that I rarely venture to. I admit, I am not a fan of any of these three genres. However, my aversion from these genres does not prevent me from indulging every now and then. One of these exemptions was Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Ship? It was my first work by the highly regarded American novelist. It was one of the books I purchased during the 2019 Big Bad Wolf Sale but I barely had an iota on what the book was about. I still bought it; after all, it was listed as part of the 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. It is also often regarded as one of the best works of science fiction. So what else is stopping me from opening a classic of science fiction?

Do Androids Dream of Electric Ship? is not only Philip K. Dick’s most popular work. It is also widely regarded as one of the most seminal and most influential works of science fiction. The year was 1992 (although later editions used 2021) and the world was still recovering from the impact of the devastating global war referred to as World War Terminus. Earth has irreversibly been polluted by radioactive waste which prompted the United Nations to encourage mass relocation to off-world colonies. This was also promoted to preserve humanity’s genetic integrity. Those who opted to emigrate were provided with an incentive of free personal androids. The robot servants, which were akin to humans, were manufactured by the Rosen Association on a colony on Mars.

However, some androids go rogue and rebel against their manufacturers. They escape to Earth in the hopes of living undetected. These rebellious androids kept both the American and Soviet police departments on their toes. Thus commences the story of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Following the escape of six androids from Mars to Earth, the San Francisco Police Department commissioned Rich Deckard, a bounty hunter they keep under their payroll, to “retire” (kill) the rogue androids. It was going to be no ordinary manhunt, rather android-hunt as these androids are part of the new and highly intelligent Nexus-6 model.

Because of the similarities, distinguishing androids from real human beings is no easy task. So far, only a posthumous bone marrow analysis can determine the identity of a person. However, a new empathy test, the Voigt-Kampff Empathy Test, showed promise of being able to determine who is who without having to wait for death. To confirm the accuracy of the test, Deckard traveled to the Rosen Association’s headquarters in Seattle. Deckard was apprehensive of the test’s ability to distinguish an android from humans, especially on the latest android models. There was also a possibility that the police have been killing human beings. As the narrative transitioned into a combination of suspense and adventure novel, the question arises, “Is empathy enough a basis to segregate a real human from a humanoid?”

According to the post-apocalyptic society of the book, empathy was an important determinant in segregating humans from humanoids. By being able to feel for others, and living through their experiences by some mystic group connection, one can easily prove that he is a human. Androids, on the other hand, were not capable of either, hence, they were considered as subhuman. However, as the narrative progressed, this central statement was questioned. It was eroded by the fact that not all humans were capable of empathy either, or at least they don’t immediately act upon it. It is safe to infer that empathy alone is not an accurate metric to gauge who is humans and which is android.

The discourse on humanity was present all throughout the story. As Deckard moves to retire all the rogue androids, he got erroneously arrested and detained because the policemen were unable to identify that he was a bounty hunter. At the station, he was accused as an android with implanted memories. The scenes at the police station were seminal in the narrative as Deckard reached an impasse. He started to ponder on the ethics of his line of work. Questions of philosophical nature also filled his mind as he grappled with the definition and value of life. What humanity is left in a bounty hunter who seeks out androids and mercilessly “retire” them? He was on the cusp of an identity and an existential crisis which may very well alter the way he sees the world. This personal dilemma was also a mantle the narrative was painted on.

It was not only Deckard’s moral crisis that underlined the question on humanity. How can one be called empathetic when he leaves the elderly, the weak, and the intellectually below-average (collectively called “chickenheads”) to a dying planet to be stranded forever? As one moves forward with the narrative, it cannot escape one’s notice how the androids have more emotional maturity compared to their human counterparts. The plausibility that the androids can possess emotions was underscored all throughout the narrative. It was this glaring dichotomy between between the protagonist humans and the antagonist androids that was the masterstroke of Dick’s prose. The androids, who exhibited more compassion towards fellow androids and even humans, can be seen as a reflection of a society whose humanity is in decline.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, however, does not reduce itself into an exploration into the definitions of humanity and life. It is a multifaceted narrative that explored a plethora of subjects such as the consequences of a nuclear war, and war in general. The World War Terminus has drastically affected the environment, resulting to the extinction of many animals. The impact was so adverse that owning real animals has become a status symbol and only the rich were able to afford them. Poor people were relegated to owning robot imitations. Deckard, for instance, owned an electric black-faced sheep and with the bounty money from the success of his mission, he was hoping to procure a live animal. Replacing the machine with an authentic Nubian goat will also bring comfort to Deckard’s depressed wife, Iran.

The discourse on the real and the unreal was one of the ideas central to the narrative. These discourses were further complimented by the exploration of subjects such as mind control, intelligence and mental deficiency, and decay and regeneration. The value of individualism against the collective was also explored. On top of these subjects, Dick also incorporated a discourse on the fundamental value of religion to the lives of mankind. This was portrayed through the rise of a new technology-based religion called Mercerism. Centered on a Messianic character named Wilbur Mercer, Mercerism was an offshoot of the rise of empathy and used “empathy boxes” to link users to a virtual reality of collective suffering.

What worked on the novel’s favor was the gradual buildup of pace. It was slow at the beginning but as the story moved forward, the pace started to increase. Dick managed to keep his readers on the edge of their seats. He further complimented the rising tenterhook with unexpected twists. He kept the readers invested and riveted with the story. This was one of the novel’s redeeming qualities as Dick’s writing, for the most part, was dull. He did a commendable job with the worldbuilding but there was a lack of lyrical quality to the prose. This can be owed to the fact that the novel belongs to science fiction. Whilst the characters were believable, the character development was lacking.

With many good things executed properly, it was lamentable that the narrative started to crumble as it draws to a conclusion. Dick provoked his readers with the plethora of questions he raised. He managed to answer many of them but he also left too many questions unanswered in the end. These plot holes could have been excusable if the novel had a sequel but it did not. It was a digression from the progress that Dick made in the narrative. The conclusion was also in wont of something greater. The loose ends were never tied properly. It was rather confusing and, overall, it felt like it was an abstract idea that was simply juxtaposed into the narrative without much of a context.

For all its flaws and monotone storytelling, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was nevertheless a powerful narrative. It was parts-scientific, parts-dystopian, and parts-philosophical, a novel that explored a plethora of subjects and themes that remain seminal in the contemporary. Its exploration and prognosis of the human condition was scintillating, especially with the exponential rise of technology and how it is adversely affecting mankind. The novel gave a haunting albeit realistic picture of a future Earth. Its philosophical facet sets it apart from the typical science fiction and makes it stand out.

Originally published in 1968, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? has proven Philip K. Dick’s innovativeness and imagination. The complexity of his prose and the depth of his analysis proved that he was ahead of his peers. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is, without a doubt, a tremendous product of the science fiction genre, one that will withstand the tests of time and one that every fan of science fiction must read.