Most people who've first picked this up like a year ago or so I'd assume were introduced to it from its film adaptation, American Fiction, which I have not seen. It's an absolutely insane book front to back- while the family drama itself is nothing too special, the book within a book, My Pafology, is one of the most insane things I think I've ever read. An absolutely fantastic book, even if the family drama bits do unfortunately fall in the realm of being pretty Hollywood-ified, a sin primarily committed by Gen X and Baby Boomer authors for whatever reason. Read it!

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.”

Hay gys scents todai is ayprel foules dae i wahnted to rereed probuby won of the moast obserd bowks I’ve evur red and then dew a komikly mispilled rephiew uv it But A Pikkel Fore the No Wing Wuns is a kellecshun of memwores and phellosofies of nun uthor then ontreepranaor Timothy Dexter and if you doant no hoo that is then Sam O Nella Academy has a gud videyo on him But this withowt a dout is wun of the weerdissed buks I’ve evore red The foll payge of punkchewashun at the end ads kwite a bitt to the egspeareyence I’d rite a lawngr reevyouge but wutt is thear to rite and tie peng like this is egsaucesteng Solt and peper as you pleese!

The pacing is obviously abysmal, but when the rest of your book is this good, what does it even matter? The conversations feel ripped straight from Wes Anderson. The humor is incredibly subtle and dry, yet you will find yourself laughing at full volume at certain points. The interaction between Heinrich (who is very much like me in many ways except for his receding hairline) and Jack about whether or not it's raining is one of my favorite dialogues in any book. Its critique of consumerism and sensationalism is brilliant and somehow manages to simultaneously tell you a lot without telling you very much at all. It's about the tabloids, the popularity- something that's only aged too well in the era of clickbait. Who's going to die first?

It's a strange story, something not really like anything else I've ever read. The story is 50% the day-to-day slice of life details of three burnt out platonic shadow slackers toiling away at their McJobs, meeting new people, breaking up with partners, and ultimately, other than a relatively anticlimactic reveal at the end, lacks an overarching story beyond just the day to day lives of the characters. The other 50% are allegorical stories the three tell each other that gradually reveal bits of plot and details of each character. Dag is by far the best one, he's the most lesbian-coded male character I've ever read. Also, the ending part WHERE DAG KISSES ANDY was completely unexpected but Coupland W