Scan barcode
leona's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Universally probably one of the most famous sci-fi novels (and films), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? seemed very current. With delivery robots, robovacs and other AI's starting to serve humankind, as well as the destruction we are doing to our planet, this book was very relatable to our modern situation. The problems and themes presented in this novel were extremely thought-provoking. Yes, it sounds cliched, but it really was. It is one of the books that feel like they could be read countless times, with new meanings arising through every re-read. The novel was mysterious and almost slightly creepy in tone. One criticism about this is sometimes I felt a bit lost by the plot, and didn't really understand what was happening. Especially in the second half of the book.
To talk more about the strengths of this novel:
- Extremely quotable and thought-provoking
- Thematically, I think it is excellent.
The devotion to the virtually extinct animals from nearly all of the characters felt so real, and it was almost laughable in Deckard's case. It seems so absurd to us, with the animals that we take for granted, that someone could ever be so obssessed with possessing a real animal, or that I could feel such genuine remorse for Isidore's spider.
The way empathy, morality, and what it means to be human was explored was also incredibly engaging. Is an electric animal any less worthy of love than a real animal? To what extent can a robot be considered a human, and is it 'retiring' or 'murder' of the 'poor andys'? Is Deckard an android? I'm not convinced he is, but maybe upon re-read I could be persuaded otherwise. I'm sure someone else has summarised my thoughts on the theme exploration much more efficiently than I can, sorry, my head is a bit scrambled after reading this amazing novel.
- Also that cover is just stunning. Yes, don't judge a book by its cover but wow.
Despite the praise I have given this book, I have to mention that though it is relatable in terms of it's sci-fi themes, I do think this book was quite problematic. Women didn't have great representation, (every time one of the male characters set eyes on a woman they couldn't help but comment on how perfectly formed, high and large their breasts were), as well as the fact Deckard cheats on his wife with an android woman, the same day he meets this woman, and I feel like it was passed off as 'not counting' because she was an android 'machine' who didn't have feelings. Also, this was after Deckard had commented on how her figure looked like that of a teen girl, not a woman, however he still found her attractive. I do think that this scene somewhat furthers the moral argument of whether androids should be treated on the same level as humans (much like how has been explored with other entities like clones). It also brings into question our protagonist and makes him more morally grey, however I still didn't appreciate this scene. I just felt sorry for his wife, Iran, whose character I actually really liked. For reference, 'arms folded self-consciously before her small high breasts she faced him,' (well I'm not surprised she's self conscious with you staring at her boobs you perv), 'as near as I can make out, most women, even young ones like her, like to cook: it's an instinct.', 'I wish I had gotten rid of her two years ago when we were considering splitting up,' (about his wife, when Deckard realises that she doesn't really care about an animal (because she'd rather have him home safe)), there were a couple of other comments but I'm not going to search through the book again to find them. For those who use the excuse of it being written in the 60s, I would argue that Shakespeare could write decent female characters and that was 400 years ago, so I don't think there is much of an excuse.
People who struggle with animal abuse / death in books should also be warned before reading. There was the murder of a goat, the mutilation of a spider (with it's legs being cut off) and also mentions of animal and human hide being used for furniture (however this part wasn't real and was only used to detect emotional response when subjects were being tested with questioning).
I think I would have given this book a 5 star rating if not for the problems I mentioned, or the confusion I felt at some points in the book, especially regarding Mercerism and the empathy box. I definitely think it is worth reading despite its flaws, and I do think it is for the most part accessible to teenagers as well (if any are worried about its contents.)
To talk more about the strengths of this novel:
- Extremely quotable and thought-provoking
- Thematically, I think it is excellent.
The devotion to the virtually extinct animals from nearly all of the characters felt so real, and it was almost laughable in Deckard's case. It seems so absurd to us, with the animals that we take for granted, that someone could ever be so obssessed with possessing a real animal, or that I could feel such genuine remorse for Isidore's spider.
The way empathy, morality, and what it means to be human was explored was also incredibly engaging. Is an electric animal any less worthy of love than a real animal? To what extent can a robot be considered a human, and is it 'retiring' or 'murder' of the 'poor andys'? Is Deckard an android? I'm not convinced he is, but maybe upon re-read I could be persuaded otherwise. I'm sure someone else has summarised my thoughts on the theme exploration much more efficiently than I can, sorry, my head is a bit scrambled after reading this amazing novel.
- Also that cover is just stunning. Yes, don't judge a book by its cover but wow.
Despite the praise I have given this book, I have to mention that though it is relatable in terms of it's sci-fi themes, I do think this book was quite problematic. Women didn't have great representation, (every time one of the male characters set eyes on a woman they couldn't help but comment on how perfectly formed, high and large their breasts were), as well as the fact
People who struggle with animal abuse / death in books should also be warned before reading. There was
I think I would have given this book a 5 star rating if not for the problems I mentioned, or the confusion I felt at some points in the book, especially regarding Mercerism and the empathy box. I definitely think it is worth reading despite its flaws, and I do think it is for the most part accessible to teenagers as well (if any are worried about its contents.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Animal death and Sexism
Minor: Sexual content and Fatphobia
More...