0,91 €
Mehr erfahren.
- Herausgeber: Alien Ebooks
- Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
Quintus Maugham is gripped by an obsession: creating the perfect robot. His latest invention, Herman, follows commands flawlessly and can perform household tasks with precision. But as Herman becomes increasingly animated, Maugham grows uneasy about subtle signs of autonomy. This classic sci-fi tale by acclaimed author August Derleth explores the ethical quandary between creator and creation, playing with themes of hubris and playing God. When Maugham realizes he may have engineered his robotic companion too well, a battle of wills commences with disturbing implications.
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Seitenzahl: 19
Ähnliche
Table of Contents
COPYRIGHT NOTE
THE MAUGHAM OBSESSION
COPYRIGHT NOTE
This classic work has been reformatted for optimal reading in ebook format on multiple devices. Punctuation and spelling has been modernized where necessary.
Copyright © 2023 by Alien Ebooks.All rights reserved.
Originally published inFantastic Universe, June-July 1953.
THE MAUGHAM OBSESSION
August Derleth
“It’s always been a moot point with me,” said Harrigan one evening over a glass of sherry at the Cliffdwellers’ Club, “whether or not there is such a thing as a man’s being too successful. I always think of Quintus Maugham.”
“You have the advantage of me,” I said.
“By rights he should have been famous,” Harrigan went on, warming to his subject, “but things don’t always work out that way. He was a plodding inventor obsessed by an idea. What inventor isn’t, given a modicum of success? Perhaps he was a product of his time, for Maugham’s obsession was robots.”
“The principle’s sound enough.”
“Oh, yes. It could be practical, too. After all, machines have been operated by mechanical men or mechanical brains for years. So Maugham’s idea wasn’t out of line. The operation didn’t work out according to Hoyle, however. Maugham was one of those gaunt earnest men, a tall fellow with deep-set eyes and an habitually grim mouth. He took himself very seriously and you were always just a little embarrassed when he tried to explain something to you—you felt that he so badly wanted your understanding.”
* * * *
He paused and sipped his sherry, looking reflectively out over the silvery lake.
“Where’d you meet him?” I asked. “On assignment?”
“Oh, he’d invented a little gadget connected with the recoil mechanism for the military so I was sent over to his place for an interview—the usual thing. He lived in a nice old house in Oak Park, left him by his mother and he lived pretty well, if a little on the frugal side. He was considerate and courteous, which is a damned sight more than you can say for most of the people a reporter gets to see.
“He gave me everything I wanted to know and a good deal more besides. He wound up with a half apologetic question about his newest invention—would I like to see it? I said I would so he took me down into one of the most elaborate private laboratories I’ve ever seen and introduced me to Herman.”
