The Dueling Machine

Lewis, Myron R.Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 127K words
Chapters: 13

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Dueling Machine by Ben Bova and Myron R. LewisAuthor: Lewis, Myron R.,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Dec 29, 2009

Editor's review

The Dueling Machine is a short science fiction work in English, co-written by Ben Bova and Myron R. Lewis, an early science fiction text in the Project Gutenberg free ebook corpus. The story revolves around a machine that replaces real violence with simulated duels, and carries the typical Golden Age science fiction pleasure: using one technological premise to extrapolate social institutions and human consequences, offering entertaining conflict scenes while leaving room to think about violence, honor, and institutional substitution. It is short and briskly paced, suitable as a light sample of genre reading and for observing the optimism and hesitation of mid-20th-century English-language science fiction toward the proposition of "technology solving social problems." As a public-domain ebook, the edition prioritizes readable text; one should not expect detailed annotations or an introduction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Golden Age-style short science fiction and fast-paced reading
Fans who want to learn about Ben Bova's early collaborative work and science fiction premise extrapolation
Readers who need short English-language science fiction material for classroom discussion or book clubs
General science fiction readers interested in the theme of "technology replacing violence"

Not a good fit for

Deep science fiction readers who prefer long-form worldbuilding and complex character arcs
Academic users who need detailed annotations, research-oriented introductions, or authoritative editions
Readers sensitive to the gender depictions and narrative tropes of early science fiction

Reading tips

Read the story through in one sitting first, then revisit the opening setup to appreciate how the author uses rules to drive conflict.
After reading, write a few notes on your position regarding "whether a machine can replace real duels" to facilitate book club discussion.
Compare with other Golden Age short stories to observe the common narrative structure of premise-driven science fiction.
The English original is short; mark unfamiliar words and look them up later to avoid interrupting the reading rhythm.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this work long?

It is a short novella or novelette, usually taking little time to read, suitable for finishing in one or two evenings. The structure concentrates on the core premise and the extrapolation of conflict, without expanding into an elaborate world, so it is better as a genre reading sample than as a long immersive work.

Can I read it without a science fiction background?

Yes. The core premise is explained fairly directly and does not depend on extensive prior knowledge. If you seldom read English-language science fiction, you can first read through the plot, then revisit the technical setup to understand how the author uses rules to create tension and reversals.

Does this edition have annotations or an introduction?

This is a public-domain electronic text provided by Project Gutenberg, intended primarily for readable content, and usually does not include research annotations or a detailed introduction. If you need background material, it is advisable to find overviews of the author and Golden Age science fiction to read alongside.

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About the author

Lewis, Myron R. Author

Myron R. Lewis is an author about whom little public information is available; his dates of birth and death, nationality, and main life experiences are all unknown, and only one of his works is currently held in the library. Based on the available information, his best-known representative work is The Dueling Machine. Judging from the title and its usual categorization, the work has a science-fiction flavor, revolving around some kind of machine used for duels and combining technological speculation with character conflict. Because biographical material on the author is scarce, it is difficult to confirm the full range of his writing or the development of his creative career, nor is it possible to determine whether he produced other works or wrote over a long period. For readers, the most suitable approach to Lewis is to begin with this representative work, observing how he uses the machine premise to drive the plot and present his characters' choices, and thereby to appreciate the work's place and influence within its genre.