Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is a science-fiction dystopian novel written by Philip K. Dick and published in 1968. The basis for the movie Blade Runner, the story takes place in a devastated Earth following a global nuclear war called World War Terminus leaves most animals extinct or endangered. Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter who must seek out and "retire" (kill) six illegal androids on Earth.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Can you say awesome title? This one immediately catches the reader's attention and has a surprising amount to do with the actual plot.
 * 2) The world is highly detailed, and in a way that's not confusing. In this world, the UN encourages people to immigrate off Earth and give people free android servants, which are shown to be able to develop sentience and hatred towards humans at times. Owning a real animal is also a huge mark of social prestige due to the limited amount there are.
 * 3) A very interesting existential tone which shows how humans and androids collectively seek fulfillment in their lives, with humans trying to achieve the aforementioned social prestige through very difficult means while androids try to find their own way to be of some worth other than just illegal beings on planet Earth. Ultimately, it gives a complex question of what really makes a human and the ethics that can be brought up in one's line of work.
 * 4) Scenes are described in very good detail, giving you a mental view of the world it takes place in and what's happening. The book is often credited for the creation of the Cyberpunk genre.
 * 5) One of the earliest examples of virtual reality in any media, with such a world playing a major part into the story due to Mercerism, a religion where humans try to empathize with each other by suffering collectively using such technology.
 * 6) This book was basically the first to sympathize with robots, showing how their design makes them almost completely identical to humans in every way, shape, and form, which makes the jobs of the Blade Runners that much more difficult, as people in positions of power could be Androids, whether or not they're actually malicious.
 * 7) Speaking of, Deckard himself even sympathizes with the Androids, even delaying "retiring" one to fulfill it's last request to simply see an art book.
 * 8) An interesting side plot where a mentally handicapped human (since an IQ test is needed to get the benefit of going off-world) harbors some of the remaining androids out of sympathy and starts to believe himself to be an android as he starts to agree with their philosophies and grow connected to them.
 * 9) Spoiler alert: An interesting plot twist where it's revealed that Mercerism is, in fact, BS, and was founded by someone with a god complex.
 * 10) Each of the characters are very relatable as they suffer from existential ennui and try to find some purpose, even if they're forced to stay on a planet that's practically dying.
 * 11) Inspired a whole plethora of adaptations within the same world, such as some sequel books that were written after Philip K. Dick's death and comic book adaptations as well. There's even been plenty of video games.
 * 12) The movie adaptation is one of the most beloved sci-fi movies of all time. It deviates greatly from the source material, but in a good way and boasts stunning production design and acting from Harrison Ford and Rutger Haur.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) As discussed in A Scanner Darkly, Philip K. Dick's writing style may not be to everyone's taste as it is often intentionally confusing. While this book is a bit less so by comparison, it's still a little strange.
 * 2) The sequel books were not written by Philip K. Dick, and predictably suffered for it.
 * 3) Some questions are intentionally left unanswered, like what happened to Rachael.
 * 4) The final fight between Deckard and the other three androids is a little disappointing compared to the buildup that went into it, and how the movie chose to handle it instead.

Trivia

 * 1) Philip K. Dick personally approved of the screenplay for the movie adaptation, and got to watch the first twenty minutes of finished footage. Though he died of a stroke before the movie was fully released, he stated that it "Captured [his] imagination perfectly."
 * 2) The writer of the sequel books, K. W. Jeter, was a personal friend of Philip K. Dick.