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A review by neko_cam
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
3.0
I loved the hell out of the first chapter. If I was reviewing that chapter alone I'd give it an easy 5 stars, no question. If only the rest of the novel had presented itself and its themes so succinctly then I'm certain that It'd also score 5 stars, but alas 'twas not to be. Don't get me wrong; I enjoyed the story. It just wasn't as good as I expected it to be based on what I'd heard about it beforehand and how brilliant the first chapter was.
For starters, some of the writing itself was confused and at times ambiguous. A couple of times I found myself discovering mid-paragraph that the setting had changed without announcement (‘oh, we’re back in the car now? Okay’). Occasionally I would also be tripped up by the absence of quotation marks (either single or double) when a character says something to themselves; jumping unexpectedly from third-person to first-person perspective and back again was jarring.
Though the story presents a whole lot of interesting questions and ideas about empathy, identity, religion, and reality, and even tries to wade around in them, exploring them, it doesn't offer much in terms of answers. I understand that PKD was personally exploring these questions himself around the time he wrote 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?', and logically he can't provide answers that he himself does not possess, but it leaves the whole experience somewhat dissatisfying. I find myself wondering how particular leaps of logic were made (such as when Deckard identifies the first android), and the motivation behind some seemingly irrational actions. But I suppose it succeeds in instilling the reader with a similar sense of confusion and a lack of understanding that PKD must have been feeling; how ironically empathetic.
There are a number of moments during the story that I found myself particularly engaged and involved, though I can’t discuss them in any real detail for fear of spoilers. Let me just say that I thought the scenes concerning Phil Resch were amazing and that the scene with the Isidore’s spider was surprisingly unsettling.
I’d suggest ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ to the sort of reader who doesn’t mind being presented with philosophical questions that will go unanswered. I’m sure some people love receiving such food for thought and then being left to ponder it for themselves, but personally I need greater guidance than that. Also, if you’re curious about the novel that lead to the ‘Blade Runner’ film, it’s interesting to see what was used from this story and what was discarded, what was expanded and what was brushed over.
For starters, some of the writing itself was confused and at times ambiguous. A couple of times I found myself discovering mid-paragraph that the setting had changed without announcement (‘oh, we’re back in the car now? Okay’). Occasionally I would also be tripped up by the absence of quotation marks (either single or double) when a character says something to themselves; jumping unexpectedly from third-person to first-person perspective and back again was jarring.
Though the story presents a whole lot of interesting questions and ideas about empathy, identity, religion, and reality, and even tries to wade around in them, exploring them, it doesn't offer much in terms of answers. I understand that PKD was personally exploring these questions himself around the time he wrote 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?', and logically he can't provide answers that he himself does not possess, but it leaves the whole experience somewhat dissatisfying. I find myself wondering how particular leaps of logic were made (such as when Deckard identifies the first android), and the motivation behind some seemingly irrational actions. But I suppose it succeeds in instilling the reader with a similar sense of confusion and a lack of understanding that PKD must have been feeling; how ironically empathetic.
There are a number of moments during the story that I found myself particularly engaged and involved, though I can’t discuss them in any real detail for fear of spoilers. Let me just say that I thought the scenes concerning Phil Resch were amazing and that the scene with the Isidore’s spider was surprisingly unsettling.
I’d suggest ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’ to the sort of reader who doesn’t mind being presented with philosophical questions that will go unanswered. I’m sure some people love receiving such food for thought and then being left to ponder it for themselves, but personally I need greater guidance than that. Also, if you’re curious about the novel that lead to the ‘Blade Runner’ film, it’s interesting to see what was used from this story and what was discarded, what was expanded and what was brushed over.