Book Chatter

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep book cover. A blurred image of a face set against a metal honeycomb backdrop.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
By Philip K. Dick
Del Rey, May 1996, 240pp.

The Short of It:

This gave me all the feels and not in a great way.

The Rest of It:

By 2021, the World War has killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remain covet any living creature, and for people who can’t afford one, companies built incredibly realistic simulacra: horses, birds, cats, sheep. They’ve even built humans. ~ from the publisher

What a book. It was the inspiration for the film Blade Runner in case you didn’t know but it’s quite different from the film. Living creatures are highly valued and will cost you. A simple house cat? You wouldn’t be able to afford one. Sometimes folks are lucky and can save enough for a goat or a chicken but mostly, all they can afford are simulations of said animal.

People are desperate for interaction but the Androids are so advanced that you can’t tell who is real? Bounty hunters are sent to “destroy”retire” the remaining Androids which are discovered by failing a scientific round of testing in the form of empathy measuring. But still, some of them pass because they’ve nearly become human and want to live.

This is where it gets interesting. When you are so lonely and desperate for human interaction and a droid can provide that AND show empathy in a way you haven’t seen in a really long time? How does that bode well when you are the one hired to destroy them?

I get it. I am the person who will run out of a car when I see the little DoorDash robot floundering in a busy intersection. But Ti, it’s not real. But it FEELS real and it even makes sounds like a tiny child when it’s confused. EEEEEEK. What have we become? It’s terrifying really.

First published in 1968 but so ahead of his time. The story is set in 2021 but look at us now. Talking to Siri, asking Alexa to do stuff for us and people all over conversing with ChatGPT like it’s a friend. Smart refrigerators, vacuums, and cars. I mean, you can’t even buy a car without all the stuff now.

These machines are always watching and listening. Think about that. Does the convenience outweigh the risk? Sometimes. Are we starting to cross a line? Absolutely.

During my most recent hospital stay, I could hear the AI physician talking to patients during their tele-appointments, I also had an AI Nurse that kept asking me how I was feeling. I got up out of that bed and unplugged it. NO. Just No.

Discuss. We all say, “There’s a line I won’t cross” but look at how you live today and really think about it. GPS? Useful for sure but also tracking your every move.

Discuss.

My book club will be discussing this next month. Recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Such Sheltered Lives
By Alyssa Sheinmel
Atria, January 20, 2026, 288pp.

The Short of It:

Such Sheltered Lives had its moments, but ultimately too many characters affected its flow.

The Rest of It:

Tucked among the pristine beaches and lavish manors of the Hamptons sits Rush’s Recovery, a rehabilitation center where ultra-high net worth clients can seek treatment away from prying eyes and paparazzi. ~ the publisher

The center’s patients masquerading as guests:

Lord Edward of Essex, a British aristocrat fighting his black-sheep status and a painful addiction.
Amelia Blue Harris, the daughter of a 90s rock legend struggling with an eating disorder.
Florence Bloom, a pop star trying to lay low after her latest tabloid scandal.

All of these guests are promised high-end care in a luxury setting; the BEST that money can buy. Each have their own therapist assigned to them, 24/7 but as good as this sounds, things are not what they seem.

For one, it’s easy for these guests to imbibe on their addictions. Lord Edward exists on his pocketed pain pills, Amelia starves herself or binges and then forces herself to get rid of all of it and Florence is just a mess, sleeping around and making bad choices. All this, while under 24/7 supervision. What gives?

Each of these characters have compelling reasons for being there but the author lost me with the alternating chapters and revealing a backstory that just didn’t strike me as being realistic. The creeping around and fraternizing with staff seemed inserted for drama, more than story flow. I didn’t care for any of these characters. I love a good flawed character but these characters don’t learn much and just seem to stumble along.

Sadly, I can’t recommend this one. Even the title doesn’t fit the story. They really aren’t sheltered at all. Had the author chosen to focus on one or two of the patients and not woven in that unrealistic backstory about the center itself, the story would have been better for it.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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