02343cam a22003613u 4500 72507 UtSlPG 20260610134657.0 m cr n 260607r20231953utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d UtSlPG en iso639-1 PS Derleth, August, 1909-1971 The Maugham Obsession Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2023 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Produced from Fantastic Universe June-July 1953. Release date is 2023-12-25 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "The Maugham Obsession" by August Derleth is a science fiction short story written in the early 1950s. The narrative delves into the life of Quintus Maugham, an inventor obsessively perfecting his creation—a humanoid robot named Herman. The story explores the themes of ambition and the potential consequences of pushing the boundaries of invention, highlighting the fine line between success and obsession. In the tale, Maugham's journey reveals the evolution of Herman from a mere invention to an entity that exhibits increasingly human-like characteristics. As Maugham's obsession grows, he becomes increasingly detached, neglecting social interactions and his own well-being in favor of perfecting Herman. The story culminates in Maugham's mysterious disappearance when a flood strikes his new home in Nevada, suggesting a blurred reality where the lines between creator and creation, human and machine, become indistinguishable. The ironic twist at the end, where their identities are transposed in a newspaper report, underscores the story's commentary on the nature of humanity and the dangers of obsession. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Originally published: New York, NY: King-Size Publications, Inc., 1953 Science fiction Short stories Inventors -- Fiction Robots -- Fiction Produced from Fantastic Universe June-July 1953. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72507 113232 113232