Bratton's Idea: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
Bratton's Idea: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
Bratton's Idea is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Wellman, Manly Wade (1903–1986).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"Bratton's Idea" by Manly Wade Wellman is a short story written in the early 20th century, likely during the mid-1900s, that intertwines elements of science fiction with dark comedy. The narrative centers around an aging janitor named Old Bratton, who is obsessed with creating life through electricity. His ambitions and experiments take an unexpected turn when he acquires a ventriloquist's dummy, Tom-Tom, and infuses it with life through his mechanical inventions, leading to a series of chaotic and dangerous events in the world of show business and organized crime. In the story, Old Bratton's endeavors to animate Tom-Tom result in unintended consequences when the dummy gains a twisted form of sentience. As Tom-Tom embarks on a crime spree after Bratton's death, he wields his unwitting abilities to command a gang and orchestrate kidnappings, including that of the beautiful Shannon Cole. The tale unfolds with Ben Gascon, a ventriloquist, trying to uncover the connection between his former partner, Bratton, and Tom-Tom's sudden malevolence. As a cat-and-mouse game ensues between Gascon and the doll, the story explores themes of creation, ambition, and the darker sides of sentience, culminating in a climactic confrontation where the true nature of life and morality is sharply questioned.
Book and edition facts
- Title: Bratton's Idea
- Author credits: Wellman, Manly Wade (1903–1986)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Inventions -- Fiction
- Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Fiction
- Man-woman relationships -- Fiction
- Robots -- Fiction
- Science fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: Crime, Thrillers and Mystery
- Category: Humour
- Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
- Category: Short Stories
Read this edition
View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
Sources
More in Books & Authors
Keep reading
