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Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep
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 from the
New York Times
bestselling author of
Horror Movie.
Meet Julia Flang, a twenty-something former semi-professional gamer, living with her retired uncle, and working two jobs she doesn’t like. Out of the blue, her estranged mother, a CFO for one of the world’s largest tech companies, offers her a temp job with a payday Julia can’t refuse. One sham interview later, she’s offered the to chaperone a man in a vegetative state—one with proprietary AI implanted in his head—from California to the East Coast.
To sum up in Julia’s own “You want me to remote control this dead dude across the country.” In a word, yes. But he’s not dead dead.
Meet a middle-aged man who wakes within a disorienting hellscape filled with monstrous grotesqueries. Worse than the fluid, morphing reality in which he’s trapped, he has no memory of who he is. He certainly doesn’t remember getting the rabbit tattoo on his arm. He only knows that he must find a certain person. Who? He can’t remember.
Using a cell phone modeled after a video game controller, Julia fumblingly navigates the man she calls “Bernie” from the company campus and onto planes and through one of the largest airports in America. All the while, the man endures an ever-changing and worsening nightmare that offers clues as to who he was—and who he must track down. And as their two lives intertwine, Julia and Bernie become unlikely allies and fugitives on a collision course with reality.
Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep is a heady, horrific genre-bender from one of the most groundbreaking voices in fiction today.
Meet Julia Flang, a twenty-something former semi-professional gamer, living with her retired uncle, and working two jobs she doesn’t like. Out of the blue, her estranged mother, a CFO for one of the world’s largest tech companies, offers her a temp job with a payday Julia can’t refuse. One sham interview later, she’s offered the to chaperone a man in a vegetative state—one with proprietary AI implanted in his head—from California to the East Coast.
To sum up in Julia’s own “You want me to remote control this dead dude across the country.” In a word, yes. But he’s not dead dead.
Meet a middle-aged man who wakes within a disorienting hellscape filled with monstrous grotesqueries. Worse than the fluid, morphing reality in which he’s trapped, he has no memory of who he is. He certainly doesn’t remember getting the rabbit tattoo on his arm. He only knows that he must find a certain person. Who? He can’t remember.
Using a cell phone modeled after a video game controller, Julia fumblingly navigates the man she calls “Bernie” from the company campus and onto planes and through one of the largest airports in America. All the while, the man endures an ever-changing and worsening nightmare that offers clues as to who he was—and who he must track down. And as their two lives intertwine, Julia and Bernie become unlikely allies and fugitives on a collision course with reality.
Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep is a heady, horrific genre-bender from one of the most groundbreaking voices in fiction today.
320 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 30, 2026
7 people are currently reading
11490 people want to read
About the author
Paul Tremblay
50 books12k followersPaul Tremblay has won the Bram Stoker, British Fantasy, the Sheridan Le Fanu, and Massachusetts Book awards and is the author of the New York Times bestselling Horror Movie, The Beast You, Are, The Pallbearers Club, Survivor Song, Growing Things, Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, A Head Full of Ghosts, and the crime novels The Little Sleep and No Sleep Till Wonderland. His novel The Cabin at the End of the World was adapted as the Universal Pictures film Knock at the Cabin. His short fiction and essays have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly online, and numerous year’s-best anthologies. He has a master’s degree in mathematics and lives outside Boston with his family. He is represented by Stephen Barbara, InkWell Management.
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November 2, 202511/2/25 There's a brief excerpt from the book at VARIETY: https://variety.com/2025/scene/news/p...
February 8, 2026
Reading for review in the April 2026 issue of Library Journal
Three Words That Describe This Book: AI Horror, character centered, unique, disorienting (on purpose) and compelling narrative style.
I know that is a lot more words than 3, but this is my review and I get to make the rules.
More words: unforgettable, overlapping narratives with dual POV, meta, existentially terrifying, biting satire, middle finger to the AI companies, heartwarming and full of love even in the face of evil.
This is THE standard for AI horror as of this moment and it will be for a long time to come. It is also the darkest buddy comedy you have ever read.
Are there more than 5 stars to give? Well I would if I could. Let me back up. I love the way Paul Tremblay writes. As a professional reviewer I am even tougher on the authors to whom I hold to the highest standard. This book exceeds that standard-- in every facet of its writing and as a superior horror novel.
The allusion to Philip K Dick is there to put you in the right frame of mine to read this book. There are also two characters with Richard in their name (one first and one last). They are both corporate shills. But I point this out because it adds to the dark humor here. This book is deadly serious and existentially terrifying-- readers will not be able to NOT see themselves as part of the horror. And yet, I need to say this before I write more-- Tremblay is able to tell this deadly serious story and still imbue it with heart and humor. This is key to why it is such a great read.
All you need to know about the plot is this-- Julia is a recent college grad whose mom is an executive for a HUGE computer company. Julia is a former semi-pro gamer and her mom calls her up to San Fran up to LA. They have a strained relationship, but Julia agrees because her mom is offering a job that pays very well. She is asked to help the company test a new AI that they have implanted in an employee who had a stroke. He is brain dead. She is supposed to pilot him across the country using a controller and bring him to RI, back to his mother.
This is a horror novel, so come on, you know the big tech company is not telling the truth about its motives.
Julia ia whole and real from the start, Without sacrificing the narrative pacing, we get a fully fleshed out woman while the action is moving briskly. So by the time she gets to San Fran, we know who she is.
But it is the alternating narrative-- which is why this novel goes from just terrifying to excellent.
The story fluctuates between chapters told by Julia and those told by "You." You is the man that this AI is implanted in. First of all, the choice to make it "you" is perfect! "You" as the narrator instantly makes the reader an intimate player in the story. The man, who Julia calls Bernie because it is like she is in the movie Weekend at Bernies, is for all intents and purposes all of us readers, or he could be, at first. His narration begins oddly to us the reader. We are seeing the story we get from Julia overlap with how it appears from inside "Bernies" head. As the story moves on, Bernie begins to remember more of who he was, even as the
This adds a level of heartbreaking emotion to the story. It also allows Julia to connect to Bernie as well-- even though she does not know what is happening in his head, she knows he is regaining himself as they move across the country, but our chapters in his head help.
Tremblay uses textual images to help make the "You" chapters easier to from his perspective. Trapped in his head, part the man he was and part AI technology, we need to be able to see how he is interacting insides his own head with himself. It works very well and helps to orient the reader into a perspective that is purposely disorienting and hard to understand. But again, as it moves along, the reader and Bernie get more comfortable. Great narrative choice.
I also enjoyed all the Big Lebowski references. It helped to flesh out Julia's character and get the reader to know her as a person before this story's events. I am going to add something about Julia and Bernie "abiding" in the review to make reference to this (I only get 200 words so I have to make them count).
Also Tremblay fans will chuckle as Bernie's real identity comes to light.
Julia and Bernie will come to feel like friends as they follow them across the country. The characters are so fully developed that you will miss them when it is over. This novel will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you think long and hard about how AI is encroaching on our lives, stripping away our humanity and leading us down a road to ruin. It will make you feel a fear that will worm its way off the page and into your body, a fear you will not be able to shake. But all of this is the entire point.
And get ready for the ending because it is doozy. Terrifyingly realistic. And spoiler alert-- not really if you have ever read any AI horror (Sea of Rust is a good comp here)-- rise of the machines sf/horror never works out well for the humans.
For readers who enjoyed The Wanderers Duology by Wendig, Sea of Rust by Cargill, and the world of Blake Crouch. But in terms of the tone here, the dark humor mixed with existential terror but always centering love of Lucky Day or Bury Your Gays by Tingle. Also the real world horror being novelized in a way that makes is a good horror read but doesn't allow you to not think about the real world implications is similar to Mariana Enriquez.
And if you made it this far-- touche to Tremblay for the NOS4A2-esque use of the "Notes on the Type" to enhance the novel.
Three Words That Describe This Book: AI Horror, character centered, unique, disorienting (on purpose) and compelling narrative style.
I know that is a lot more words than 3, but this is my review and I get to make the rules.
More words: unforgettable, overlapping narratives with dual POV, meta, existentially terrifying, biting satire, middle finger to the AI companies, heartwarming and full of love even in the face of evil.
This is THE standard for AI horror as of this moment and it will be for a long time to come. It is also the darkest buddy comedy you have ever read.
Are there more than 5 stars to give? Well I would if I could. Let me back up. I love the way Paul Tremblay writes. As a professional reviewer I am even tougher on the authors to whom I hold to the highest standard. This book exceeds that standard-- in every facet of its writing and as a superior horror novel.
The allusion to Philip K Dick is there to put you in the right frame of mine to read this book. There are also two characters with Richard in their name (one first and one last). They are both corporate shills. But I point this out because it adds to the dark humor here. This book is deadly serious and existentially terrifying-- readers will not be able to NOT see themselves as part of the horror. And yet, I need to say this before I write more-- Tremblay is able to tell this deadly serious story and still imbue it with heart and humor. This is key to why it is such a great read.
All you need to know about the plot is this-- Julia is a recent college grad whose mom is an executive for a HUGE computer company. Julia is a former semi-pro gamer and her mom calls her up to San Fran up to LA. They have a strained relationship, but Julia agrees because her mom is offering a job that pays very well. She is asked to help the company test a new AI that they have implanted in an employee who had a stroke. He is brain dead. She is supposed to pilot him across the country using a controller and bring him to RI, back to his mother.
This is a horror novel, so come on, you know the big tech company is not telling the truth about its motives.
Julia ia whole and real from the start, Without sacrificing the narrative pacing, we get a fully fleshed out woman while the action is moving briskly. So by the time she gets to San Fran, we know who she is.
But it is the alternating narrative-- which is why this novel goes from just terrifying to excellent.
The story fluctuates between chapters told by Julia and those told by "You." You is the man that this AI is implanted in. First of all, the choice to make it "you" is perfect! "You" as the narrator instantly makes the reader an intimate player in the story. The man, who Julia calls Bernie because it is like she is in the movie Weekend at Bernies, is for all intents and purposes all of us readers, or he could be, at first. His narration begins oddly to us the reader. We are seeing the story we get from Julia overlap with how it appears from inside "Bernies" head. As the story moves on, Bernie begins to remember more of who he was, even as the
This adds a level of heartbreaking emotion to the story. It also allows Julia to connect to Bernie as well-- even though she does not know what is happening in his head, she knows he is regaining himself as they move across the country, but our chapters in his head help.
Tremblay uses textual images to help make the "You" chapters easier to from his perspective. Trapped in his head, part the man he was and part AI technology, we need to be able to see how he is interacting insides his own head with himself. It works very well and helps to orient the reader into a perspective that is purposely disorienting and hard to understand. But again, as it moves along, the reader and Bernie get more comfortable. Great narrative choice.
I also enjoyed all the Big Lebowski references. It helped to flesh out Julia's character and get the reader to know her as a person before this story's events. I am going to add something about Julia and Bernie "abiding" in the review to make reference to this (I only get 200 words so I have to make them count).
Also Tremblay fans will chuckle as Bernie's real identity comes to light.
Julia and Bernie will come to feel like friends as they follow them across the country. The characters are so fully developed that you will miss them when it is over. This novel will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you think long and hard about how AI is encroaching on our lives, stripping away our humanity and leading us down a road to ruin. It will make you feel a fear that will worm its way off the page and into your body, a fear you will not be able to shake. But all of this is the entire point.
And get ready for the ending because it is doozy. Terrifyingly realistic. And spoiler alert-- not really if you have ever read any AI horror (Sea of Rust is a good comp here)-- rise of the machines sf/horror never works out well for the humans.
For readers who enjoyed The Wanderers Duology by Wendig, Sea of Rust by Cargill, and the world of Blake Crouch. But in terms of the tone here, the dark humor mixed with existential terror but always centering love of Lucky Day or Bury Your Gays by Tingle. Also the real world horror being novelized in a way that makes is a good horror read but doesn't allow you to not think about the real world implications is similar to Mariana Enriquez.
And if you made it this far-- touche to Tremblay for the NOS4A2-esque use of the "Notes on the Type" to enhance the novel.
Want to read
October 23, 2025Nobody else could make me read sci-fi xxx
February 8, 2026
This is somehow the most Paul Tremblay book that ever Tremblayed (yes, it is now a verb), despite it being entirely unlike any of his other novels. Thank you to the man himself and William Morrow Books for an arc that I was able to read and honestly review ahead of its release day.
This novel is broken up into two main perspectives that alternate back and forth. One perspective follows Julia, who is an incredibly compelling character to read about, especially as the novel kicks off and she struggles with the morality of the situation she has been put in. The other perspective is written entirely in second-person POV, and "You" is a bit of a mystery (at least at the start). I think some readers will struggle with this second-person narrative, but I am a huge fan of second-person and don't think it is utilized enough in stories. Second-person was, in my opinion, the best way to tell half of this narrative. It forces the reader to be as close as possible to the horror that is occurring.
As someone who works in biotech, I struggle to even call this book science fiction due to the believability of the plot. And just because I am calling it science fiction does not mean it is not horror. I'd argue this is one of Tremblay's most horrifying books, if not the most horrifying, because of its believability. The overarching theme of this novel is the AI takeover. The novel does not hide Tremblay's stance (the correct one) on AI, and if you follow him on any social media, you already know it. I think that is where this novel differs vastly from a chunk of Tremblay's back catalog. There is no ambiguity in this novel. If anything, this novel is anti-ambiguity. The themes present a narrative that you would be hard-pressed to find a different meaning in. This does not mean the story is not nuanced, as I think Tremblay explores nuance in different ways throughout the novel, especially when following Julia.
As previously mentioned, this novel alternates between two perspectives, and this decision does wonders for the pacing. I think this is a nearly perfectly paced novel. I took it extremely slowly, annotating as I went, but I could've finished this rapidly in one setting because of how compulsively readable it was.
I can't end this review without talking about the different way the "You" chapters are comprised. I hesitate to call it a mixed-media aspect of the story, but I don't really know what else to call it. Other Tremblay novels have something fun/different within them; The Pallbearers Club has the notes in the margins, Horror Movie contains a script. This novel has a different aspect entirely, so much so that I am not sure how an ebook or audiobook version captures the experience of reading this book physically. And I think these extra/ different bits add so much to the novel and truly elevate the reading experience and the story.
I am going to end this review despite the fact that I could go on and on about this novel. This book forces people to look at the catastrophe going on around us in the world today and acknowledge that AI is, can, and will be bad for human civilization. I was filled with so many emotions while reading. I was disgusted, horrified, depressed, hopeful, confused, enlightened, and so much more. I laughed, I cried, and I cringed. I wanted to make it to the end, but I never wanted it to end. Chills ran down my spine as the last lines of this novel consumed me.
This novel is broken up into two main perspectives that alternate back and forth. One perspective follows Julia, who is an incredibly compelling character to read about, especially as the novel kicks off and she struggles with the morality of the situation she has been put in. The other perspective is written entirely in second-person POV, and "You" is a bit of a mystery (at least at the start). I think some readers will struggle with this second-person narrative, but I am a huge fan of second-person and don't think it is utilized enough in stories. Second-person was, in my opinion, the best way to tell half of this narrative. It forces the reader to be as close as possible to the horror that is occurring.
As someone who works in biotech, I struggle to even call this book science fiction due to the believability of the plot. And just because I am calling it science fiction does not mean it is not horror. I'd argue this is one of Tremblay's most horrifying books, if not the most horrifying, because of its believability. The overarching theme of this novel is the AI takeover. The novel does not hide Tremblay's stance (the correct one) on AI, and if you follow him on any social media, you already know it. I think that is where this novel differs vastly from a chunk of Tremblay's back catalog. There is no ambiguity in this novel. If anything, this novel is anti-ambiguity. The themes present a narrative that you would be hard-pressed to find a different meaning in. This does not mean the story is not nuanced, as I think Tremblay explores nuance in different ways throughout the novel, especially when following Julia.
As previously mentioned, this novel alternates between two perspectives, and this decision does wonders for the pacing. I think this is a nearly perfectly paced novel. I took it extremely slowly, annotating as I went, but I could've finished this rapidly in one setting because of how compulsively readable it was.
I can't end this review without talking about the different way the "You" chapters are comprised. I hesitate to call it a mixed-media aspect of the story, but I don't really know what else to call it. Other Tremblay novels have something fun/different within them; The Pallbearers Club has the notes in the margins, Horror Movie contains a script. This novel has a different aspect entirely, so much so that I am not sure how an ebook or audiobook version captures the experience of reading this book physically. And I think these extra/ different bits add so much to the novel and truly elevate the reading experience and the story.
I am going to end this review despite the fact that I could go on and on about this novel. This book forces people to look at the catastrophe going on around us in the world today and acknowledge that AI is, can, and will be bad for human civilization. I was filled with so many emotions while reading. I was disgusted, horrified, depressed, hopeful, confused, enlightened, and so much more. I laughed, I cried, and I cringed. I wanted to make it to the end, but I never wanted it to end. Chills ran down my spine as the last lines of this novel consumed me.
February 4, 2026
I love you Paul and I'm so sorry and ashamed to admit that I didn't click with this one.
As always, the prose was impeccable; no one else publishing in my preferred genres is giving me a vocab list like Tremblay does. The idea was solid as fuck, and the true horror of it lay right there: the absolute likelihood of this tech existing in our real world. It probably already is ffs. Maybe this world is my own nightmare consciousness realm the whole time.
Alas it was the very thing that sold me (besides being a Tremblay stan) that broke me: the Philip K Dick stuff was a very cool idea and I didn't care about it at all :( The nightmare POV was difficult to read through, grasp what was happening, and yes that was the POINT, I get it... alas. It didn't work for me. Especially when it was just a twisted lens into what I already read in the "normal world" POV. Like, interesting experiment, but I could have used less of one or the other.
Also I don't like the Coen Brothers stuff lol so, yeaaaaaaaaaaah.
As always, the prose was impeccable; no one else publishing in my preferred genres is giving me a vocab list like Tremblay does. The idea was solid as fuck, and the true horror of it lay right there: the absolute likelihood of this tech existing in our real world. It probably already is ffs. Maybe this world is my own nightmare consciousness realm the whole time.
Alas it was the very thing that sold me (besides being a Tremblay stan) that broke me: the Philip K Dick stuff was a very cool idea and I didn't care about it at all :( The nightmare POV was difficult to read through, grasp what was happening, and yes that was the POINT, I get it... alas. It didn't work for me. Especially when it was just a twisted lens into what I already read in the "normal world" POV. Like, interesting experiment, but I could have used less of one or the other.
Also I don't like the Coen Brothers stuff lol so, yeaaaaaaaaaaah.
tbr-arc
January 27, 2026surprise me, mr Tremblay! i'm sure you will. can't wait to dig in.
*thank you to William Morrow for the ARC*
*thank you to William Morrow for the ARC*
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