Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep by Paul Tremblay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Philip K. Dick meets the Coen Brothers in this genre-bending near-future tech nightmare that is as bitingly funny as it is horrifically believable…
The above-line from the start of the Publisher’s synopsis is a perfect description, and really tells you all you need to know about this latest Paul Tremblay novel.
In this novel, we’re following Julia, a 20-something semi-professional gamer, whose estranged mother, Janice, is the CFO of one of the world’s largest tech companies.
Julia lives with her Uncle and works two jobs she’s not crazy about, so when her Mom offers her a high paying temp position perfect for her skill set, she can hardly say no. She goes to a fairly perfunctory interview and of course, is offered the job.
What is it, you wonder? Oh, no big deal. All she has to do is chaperone a man in a semi-vegetative state, who happens to have top-secret, proprietary AI implanted in his head, across the country from California to the East Coast.
It’s very Weekend at Bernie’s, if you can imagine that vibe, and the classic flick does get mentioned quite a bit. Not in an obnoxious way, but it certainly helps set the scene.
Except in this case, the man, who Julia actually calls Bernie, is remotely controlled via a cell phone controller that Julia uses essentially like one of her video games.
I won’t say anything else about the plot. I feel like you can get the gist from that, but I will mention that we aren’t just getting Julia’s perspective. Oh no, Tremblay’s not going to make it that easy for you.
This story is told from two perspectives: Julia and You. The You perspective, as you may assume, is told in 2nd-person, and I’m generally not a fan of that. I’ll be honest, we start this story in a You perspective and it threw me for loop.
I wasn’t sure I would be able to proceed. Not only is it 2nd-person, it’s also very fever dream at the start. I know, I know, that completely makes sense in relation to the story, but yeah, it threw me at first.
I’m so, so, so happy that I stuck with it. Julia’s perspective is great, and the further into the story I got, the more the whole 2nd-person thing started to make sense, and really match the overall story being told.
This is such a weird and compelling book. It’s odd AF, and even though it took me a bit to settle into the narrative style, once I got my bearings, I was completely invested.
I found it funny, thought-provoking, emotional, and honestly, scary in its own way. As someone who gets freaked out thinking about the scope of potential future tech, that’s not that far off, this definitely struck a cord in that regard.
I do feel like Tremblay took a risk with this one, and I’m really hoping it pays off for him. I respect the hell out of it.
It’s part futuristic Frankenstein reimagining, part satire of the corporate tech industry and part horrifying tale of what our future could possibly hold.
There’s so much going on, and it’s quite nuanced. I’m looking forward to reading it again someday. Seriously, moments after finishing, I wanted to read it again. Knowing the ending, I want to go back to the start and see what other details I can pick up on. I feel like over time this could definitely bump up to a 5-star read for me.
Tremblay has a big ole’ brain. I’ve known this of course, but this novel makes it even more clear than ever. I guarantee this story WILL NOT be for everyone, but I think for the Readers who are able to settle in and connect with it, it’s going to have a lasting impact.
Thank you so much to the publisher, William Morrow, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was easily one of my most anticipated reads of 2026 and I can honestly say, I have a strong feeling it will end up as one of my most memorable of the year.
