Smith, Evelyn E. 1922-2000 creator Hunter, Mel 1927-2004 text utu 2016 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "Man's Best Friend" by Evelyn E. Smith is a science fiction short story written during the mid-20th century. The narrative explores themes of fate, leadership, and the interplay between technology and human nature. It follows the absurd yet intriguing journey of a young man, Gervase Schnee, who is unexpectedly thrust into the role of ruler in a society governed by a machine that predicts destiny. In the story, Gervase learns that he has been chosen by the Prognosticator to assassinate the current ruler, Overlord Kipp, as part of a bizarre tradition that determines leadership. Despite his initial resistance to this violent fate, Gervase navigates the absurdities of his situation with a mix of resignation and humor. As he encounters various characters, including salesmen and former rulers hiding their identities, he ultimately discovers that the mystical machine's pronouncements are influenced by more personal and mundane forces. The story culminates in a comedic twist, revealing that Gervase's mother is the one manipulating events through the Prognosticator, underscoring the themes of familial influence and the randomness of political power. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2016-01-27 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net Original publication data not identified Science fiction Short stories PS Original publication data not identified https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51050 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51050 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134156.0 51050