Going into sci-fi, I usually have two fears for what the book will be like. ROUTE A: it’s tremendously boring, 99% worldbuilding, absolutely nothing of value happens, and the whole time I’m just completely disinterested. ROUTE B: it’s pretty much just an action movie and has the writing of your average action movie. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep takes neither route, instead writing a book that is strangely philosophical in its discussion of ethics relating to whether or not it’s moral to kill robots, settling on the utilitarian “well, you are killing them to stop other people from being killed.” Other than some of-the-times misogyny and general poorly-aged content (I mean, the book takes place in 2021, after all), Do Androids Dream is a complete subversion of everything science fiction stands for; it’s a brilliant novel unlike anything else I’ve ever read. It’s admittedly kind of a slow burn and doesn’t really get good until after Polokov is retired, and plus, the b-plot with Isodore really isn’t that interesting. Anyway, on a literary level, it’s a treat, chock-full of symbolism throughout its adrenaline filled story that I can only describe as “sci-fi thriller with hints of noir.”