Author:	Philip K. Dick
Copyright:	1968
Date Reviewed:	7/28/84
Rating:	7.5

Synopsis: This novel takes place some 50 years in the future. Earth has rebuilt itself after a Nuclear War. The war killed many people and more importantly, many species of animals. The careful care of the remaining animals, once encouraged by the government, is now of primary importance to all humans, including Rick Deckard the hero of the story. Deckard is a bounty hunter; his job is to track down and kill escapee androids that are posing as humans. Eight Nexus-6 androids, the most complicated brain ever built by man, have come to Earth. Two are dead, and in one 24 hour period, Deckard "retires" the other six. For the first time in his career, he feels guilt because of his action. He only continues because Mercer, some kind of spiritual being, tells him that he must do this, even though its wrong.

Review: "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" is interesting to me for a few reasons. It was one of only about a dozen science fictions in the library of my Junior High School. I read the jacket many times but could never quite decide to read it (that was back when reading a book was a very big deal). Years later, I saw the movie "Blade Runner" which is based on the book. I bought the book and it stayed in my library for several months until I read a review in Netnews comparing the book with the movie. The review said the movie was made as if someone shortened the book to three pages and then someone else re- expanded it into a screenplay. I quite agree.

The are three important themes in the book. The first and most important, is the role that animals, real and fake, play in the lives of the people of this latter day Earth. That part was a little hard to relate to but interesting never the less. The second theme is the androids and Deckard's new found guilt about terminating them. The third theme, hinted at several times but never really explained, is the religion of Mercer, which the androids would like to destroy because they can't feel Mercer. At times Mercer is a spiritual being, at times he is a retired bit part actor, and at still other times he is real man. I would have liked more information about what Mercer really is.

The movie, which I don't remember too well because it didn't impress me that much, was simply an action flick about a detective hunting, killing and almost being killed by powerful androids. The other themes were not touched upon. Overall, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep" is a good science fiction. At many parts, though not all, I found it hard to put down. It was confusing in some parts until I realized I that the inconsistencies that I thought were there, were really lies perpetrated by characters in the book.