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Quick answer: If you loved Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, try Ubik, The Man in the High Castle, A Scanner Darkly, Neuromancer, I, Robot and Klara and the Sun. Each one asks what makes us human, through androids, artificial minds or a strange future world.
Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel follows Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter in a dusty, post-war San Francisco, who must “retire” six escaped androids nearly identical to humans. Real animals are rare status symbols, and Deckard owns only an electric sheep. As he tests suspects with the Voight-Kampff empathy test, he begins to question the line between humans and machines. It inspired the film Blade Runner. These books share its questions about identity.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Style | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubik | Philip K. Dick | Reality | readers who want more Dick |
| The Man in the High Castle | Philip K. Dick | Alternate history | readers who like alternate worlds |
| A Scanner Darkly | Philip K. Dick | Identity | readers who like paranoia |
| Neuromancer | William Gibson | Cyberpunk | readers who like AI |
| I, Robot | Isaac Asimov | Robots | readers who want robot classics |
| Klara and the Sun | Kazuo Ishiguro | AI companion | readers who want a gentle AI story |
| Never Let Me Go | Kazuo Ishiguro | Humanity | readers who like quiet horror |
| Frankenstein | Mary Shelley | Creation | readers who want the original |
| Machines Like Me | Ian McEwan | AI | readers who like literary AI |
| The Positronic Man | Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg | Robots | readers who like robots wanting to be human |
| The Lifecycle of Software Objects | Ted Chiang | AI | readers who like novellas |
| Murderbot: All Systems Red | Martha Wells | Robots | readers who like grumpy androids |
| Snow Crash | Neal Stephenson | Cyberpunk | readers who like satire |
| The Windup Girl | Paolo Bacigalupi | Biotech | readers who like engineered beings |
| Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan | Identity | readers who like noir |
1. Ubik by Philip K. Dick
Reality unravels after an explosion.
Best for: readers who want more Dick.
2. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
The Axis powers won WWII.
Best for: readers who like alternate worlds.
3. A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
An undercover agent loses himself to a drug.
Best for: readers who like paranoia.
4. Neuromancer by William Gibson
A hacker is hired for a final job.
Best for: readers who like AI.
5. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
Stories about robots and their laws.
Best for: readers who want robot classics.
6. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
An artificial friend watches over a girl.
Best for: readers who want a gentle AI story.
7. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Students learn their purpose.
Best for: readers who like quiet horror.
8. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
A scientist creates life.
Best for: readers who want the original.
9. Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan
A man buys an artificial human.
Best for: readers who like literary AI.
10. The Positronic Man by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg
A robot seeks to become human.
Best for: readers who like robots wanting to be human.
11. The Lifecycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang
Digital pets grow into minds.
Best for: readers who like novellas.
12. Murderbot: All Systems Red by Martha Wells
A security android wants to watch TV.
Best for: readers who like grumpy androids.
13. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
A hacker fights a virus.
Best for: readers who like satire.
14. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
An engineered woman lives in future Bangkok.
Best for: readers who like engineered beings.
15. Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
Minds move between bodies.
Best for: readers who like noir.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
For more Philip K. Dick, Ubik and A Scanner Darkly are essential. If you loved the questions about androids, Klara and the Sun and Machines Like Me are moving literary takes. I, Robot is the classic robot collection. Cyberpunk fans should read Neuromancer.
Related: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick: Summary and Key Takeaways · The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick: Summary and Key Takeaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? about?
A bounty hunter hunts escaped androids and questions what makes someone human.
Is it the basis for Blade Runner?
Yes. The 1982 film is loosely based on it.
What is the Voight-Kampff test?
A test measuring empathy responses to tell androids from humans.
Why does Deckard own an electric sheep?
Real animals are rare and expensive, so owning one shows status.
What is the empathy box?
A device people use to share feelings with others in the novel's future world.
Is it hard to read?
It is short and readable, though strange.
What should I read next?
Ubik.