Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" Synopsis and Comments - A masterpiece of science fiction that became the basis for "Blade Runner"!
I am pleased to present "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" published by Philip K. Dick in 1968. published by Philip K. Dick in 1968.
I read "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" translated by Hisashi Asakura, Hayakawa Shobo. 77th printing edition in 2017.
This work is based on the famous science fiction film "Blade Runner.
This work is known as a milestone in science fiction film, and its original story "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is also a highly recommended novel. The story of the movie and the original work are quite different, so they can be read as completely different works. The novel version is also very good! The novel has a different charm than the movie.
Let's take a quick look at this work.
After World War III, on an Earth contaminated with radioactive ashes, having a live animal is a symbol of status. Rick, who has only an artificial electric sheep, begins a deadly hunt for the huge bounties on the heads of eight androids who have escaped from Mars in order to obtain real animals! Dick, the standard-bearer of modern science fiction, has created a dazzling world of daydreams with his innovative ideas and brilliant brushwork!
Based on Ridley Scott's classic film "Blade Runner".
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This work is set in a world where most of the animals have died out due to the death of most of the animals in the aftermath of World War III.
And "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" As the curious title suggests, androids and electric sheep (mechanical sheep) are of great significance in this work.
The theme of androids and mechanical animals is the royal road to science fiction.
And among the many masterpieces of the royal road, the most acclaimed is "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is one of the most critically acclaimed works on the royal road, which is filled with many masterpieces.
The translator's afterword at the end of the book describes the work as follows
Philip K. Dick's world of the future is a distorted mirror image of our own world. The distortion makes it science fiction, and the image gouges out the sharp edges.
If you want to read a master's work that treats the underlying themes and symbols of the genre from a perspective we would never expect, read any of Philip K. Dick's books. No, don't be so stingy, read them all.
In my opinion, only Philip K. Dick and J. G. Ballard are producing work worth watching in terms of contemporary, readable fiction.Isn't that a great compliment? Moreover, I have always been a person who starts a translation with great enthusiasm, only to lose it before the halfway mark. No, even when I re-read the manuscript for proofreading (and even when I re-read the manuscript again for this new edition), my conviction that it is a masterpiece remained unshaken. So, if you happen to be in a bookstore right now and open this page, I think you should buy it without hesitation. （I am sure that you will find it a masterpiece.)
Taking a seemingly action thriller-like plot about eight wanted androids escaping from Mars and the cops who are chasing them, the film tackles the big question, "What is a human being? The novel is a long work that tackles the big question, "What is a human being?" But Dick's trademark dizzying pace and flood of ideas are somewhat restrained, and the novel is cloaked in humor, making it an accessible novel with little sense of discomfort. The two rounds of empathy tests are hilarious, especially when the protagonist, no longer convinced of his own humanity, tries the test on himself.
Hayakawa Shobo, Philip K. Dick, translated by Hisashi Asakura, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? P321-324
I know, it's a great acclaim, isn't it? I also thought that this work is a masterpiece. The more you read it, the more you get the flavor of it. There is a charm in this book that you will never get tired of no matter how many times you read it.
As the above quote says, this work looks just like a human being, no.In a way, they're more human than we are."Through the confrontation with androids, we are confronted with the question of what we are as human beings.
I would like you to read this novel to find out what makes them "more human than humans in a sense," but this work makes the crucial difference between humans and androids as being the presence or absence of empathy.
Androids have no empathy for other beings. No compassion or pity exists at all.
This is said to be the decisive difference between human beings and humans, but I am beginning to wonder if human beings are not so different. I am beginning to think that human beings are no different from humans.
What in the world is the difference between a human and an android? Yes, something may be different, but can we handle, or even kill, them with impunity?
I felt that this book is very good as an introduction to science fiction.
The film "Blade Runner" has steadfastly maintained its status as a masterpiece of science fiction cinema with its overwhelming visual beauty, action, and composition.
But this original work, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a "static" work that makes you face your own mind slowly in a dark atmosphere rather than such visual beauty and sweaty action.
I believe this is the unique appeal of books.
Listening to the author's words carefully and ruminating over them.... The charm of a novel is that you can experience such a deep feeling as if drops are dripping into the depths of your heart.
I highly recommend this work as well; it is a classic of the royal road of science fiction. I hope you will experience the fun and depth of this work.
This is "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" Synopsis and Impressions - The science fiction masterpiece on which "Blade Runner" was based!
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