Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep begins with Rick Deckard and Iran Deckard awaking from sleep to a dreary post apocalyptic earth, complete with radioactive fallout which has killed off nearly all life leaving the strong that have survived (the regulars) and those who have fallen victim to the degenerating radioactive fallout (the degenerates/chickenheads) which bars them from emigrating to colony planets. Accompanying the the omnipresent dust are the varying technological advancements including animal replacements who serve as mere status symbols to owners.
On colony planets such as Mars androids play a future version of slavery, forming the underclass of society. Many androids/replicants escape to earth and hide among the remaining population. Rick Deckard is charged as a bounty hunter to seek and 'retire' (kill) escaped androids. The morality of killing a replicant and understanding what it means to be human are major themes that run throughout the book.
often the actions of human characters strike me as very robotic such as the "penfield mood organ" which is used by Rick and Iran to artificially modulate their moods on a whim. And the callous unforgiving nature of bounty hunting androids on the premise that they are emotionless and lack empathy. How can the killing of sentient beings be allowed when no empathy is shown towards replicants in the first place?
