The Derleth, August 1909-1971 creator text utu 2023 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "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.) Release date is 2023-12-25 Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Originally published: New York, NY: King-Size Publications, Inc., 1953 Science fiction Short stories Inventors -- Fiction Robots -- Fiction PS New York, NY: King-Size Publications, Inc., 1953 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72507 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72507 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134657.0 72507