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 In a post-apocalyptic world, Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter for the
San Francisco Police Department. His job is to retire “replicants” –
biological robots who are identical to humans except in their ability
to feel empathy. Deckard is also captivated by the “holy grail” of the
decimated planet – to own a real biological animal. When a new class of
Nexus-6 replicants escapes from Mars to Earth, Deckard is given the job
of “retiring” them – an assignment in which he is assisted by an
attractive Nexus-6 called Rachael Rosen. With a bored wife at home,
Deckard is attracted to the vivacious Rachael at the same time as he
seeks to destroy her replicant “twin”.
Genre
Science fiction
Year written
1968
Publisher
Orion Books
Plot
In a post-apocalyptic world, Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter for the
San Francisco Police Department. His job is to retire “replicants” –
biological robots who are identical to humans except in their ability
to feel empathy. Deckard is also captivated by the “holy grail” of the
decimated planet – to own a real biological animal. When a new class of
Nexus-6 replicants escapes from Mars to Earth, Deckard is given the job
of “retiring” them – an assignment in which he is assisted by an
attractive Nexus-6 called Rachael Rosen. With a bored wife at home,
Deckard is attracted to the vivacious Rachael at the same time as he
seeks to destroy her replicant “twin”.
Characters
Based on the hard-bitten detective genre, the story is more about plot
than character. However, Deckard is an interesting character who is
struggling to find meaning in his life, where moods are dialled on
demand and anyone left on earth is regarded as a second-class citizen.
Contrasted with his jaded wife Iran, Rachael Rosen is a breath of fresh
air –bright, beautiful and passionate. There is an interesting set of
secondary characters including John.R. Isodore, the “chickenhead” who
befriends the rogue replicants when they move into his abandoned
apartment, and the Nexus-6 replicants who have formed close affinity
relationships among themselves. Over-arching the story is the figure of
Mercer, a mystical character who conducts an endless struggle to the
top of a hill, assailed by rocks, with whom humans empathise
electronically.
Resolution
Deckard is seduced by Rachael as part of a replicants plan to exploit
the empathy of bounty hunters. Although he eventually retires all the
“rogue” replicants, Decard suffers a crisis of conscience that leads
him to a spiritual experience in the Oregon wilderness. At the same
time, Rachael wreaks revenge by killing Deckard’s treasured animal, a
goat. This brutality is redeemed by the tenderness of the final
chapter, in which Iran nurtures Deckard and empathises with his joy and
disappointment.
Theme
Dick’s novel – subsequently made into the film Bladerunner by
Ridley Scott – raises questions about what it means to be human in a
world where emotions are determined by computer and robots are
physically indistinguishable from people. It’s easy to see Mercer as a
Jesus figure who suffers on behalf of all humanity and who invites
humans to suffer with him. The novel’s ultimately asks “what does it
mean to be human’? The answer is “to care”.
Judgement
Even 40 years on, Philip K. Dick’s novel remains a compelling and
relevant portrayal of the future. As we struggle to cope with global
warming and biotechnology breakthroughs, Dick’s world struggles to
adjust to their consequences – a devastated environment and a
post-modern humanity. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Is both
satisfying to read and thought-provoking to reflect on.
Recommendation
By wrapping up a sci-fi scenario within a detective story, Philip K.
Dick did more than lay the foundation for the cyberpunk genre of the
1980s: He created a contemporary classic that is both readable and
enduringly relevant.
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