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001 51050
003 UtSlPG
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040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aSmith, Evelyn E.,
_d1922-2000
245 1 0 _aMan's Best Friend
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2016
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aProduced from Galaxy Science Fiction April 1955
500 _aRelease date is 2016-01-27
508 _aProduced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
520 _a"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.)
534 _nOriginal publication data not identified
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aShort stories
700 1 _aHunter, Mel,
_d1927-2004
830 0 _aProduced from Galaxy Science Fiction April 1955
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51050
999 _c91888
_d91888