Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep



For those not in the know, like me, this is the book on which Ridley Scott set his 1982 cult classic movie, Blade Runner.  The book is set in the post apocalyptic future of 1992.  The world is destroyed, covered in a toxic dust and Mars is a colony and emigration destination.  Most animal life has been wiped out and owning a live animal is the ultimate social status.  The production of androids is the tech industry of its day and fortunes are to be made by supplying the emigrants with the latest models.  Supplied with intelligence but not empathy androids repeatedly escape the colonies and servitude to mingle with the humans back on earth.   It is bounty hunter Rick Deckard's job to "retire" or kill the escapees.
Rick is unsure of his place in the world and is angst ridden over his lowly status.  On the roof of his building he keeps an electric sheep as a substitute to owning a real one.  Stressed by his insecurities and his dirty secret about his animal Rick lives on the edge.  
On reporting to work at the San Francisco Police Dept. Rick is handed an assignment to retire six escaped Nexus-6 that have appeared in San Fran.  These are the latest, most human like androids and difficult to identify.  In order to calibrate his identity test Rick flys to Seattle to visit the Rosen Asscoiation, inventors and developers of the Nexus-6 android.   On this visit Rick meets with Rachel Rosen and identifies her as an android.  He subsequently falls in love with Rachel in contravention of human android relationship laws.
On his return to San Fran Rick tracks down and retires 3 of the 6 escapees to earn a $3,000 bonus.  This he uses as a down payment on a real goat which he takes home in triumph to his wife, Iran.  Preparing to spend time with his wife celebrating their new status, Rick gets a call from his boss to say that the last three rogue androids have been traced to an apartment building in the remote suburbs.  Rick is tired and not sure he has the stomach for killing anymore he rings Rachel Rosen and takes up her earlier offer of help in dealing with the rogue androids.  They meet in a hotel and spend the night together after which they set out together to retire the remaining three androids.  On the journey to the killing they argue and Rick threatens to kill Rachel.  Calming down he takes her back to collect her car and continues to the suburbs alone.  
Having successfully retired the three androids Rick returns home to find that Rachel had pushed his newly purchased goat off the buildings roof, killing it.  The book ends with Rick finally getting to bed exhausted with his wife ringing to enquire about purchasing an electric goat.

And that folks is that.  A sad bleak book filled with one mans angst, insecurities and struggles with his standing and status. Personal, professional and social. Strangely perceptive of modern life.  The Professor picked it as the October book for @bmwa17 and I'm a bit confused.  Hailed as a classic, I feel I'm missing something and am too stupid to recognise what it is. Maybe you know. 
  

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