Perfect Answer: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
Perfect Answer: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
Perfect Answer is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Stecher, L. J., Jr. (1918–1988).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"Perfect Answer" by L. J. Stecher, Jr. is a science fiction novella that was published in the late 1950s. This story explores the intersections of humanity and technology through the encounter of two space explorers, Jack Bates and Bill Farnum, with an advanced artificial intelligence known as the Oracle. The narrative focuses on the implications of having access to absolute knowledge and the potential consequences for civilization. In the story, Bates and Farnum land on a seemingly civilized planet where they encounter the Oracle, a machine designed to provide accurate answers to any questions posed to it. The Oracle reveals that it was created to serve as a weapon against humanity's tendency toward depravity and self-destruction, with the aim of keeping human progress in check. As Farnum perceives the danger of the Oracle's influence, he becomes increasingly desperate to warn Earth of the threat it poses. Meanwhile, Bates, driven by greed and ambition, wishes to control the Oracle’s knowledge for personal gain. This clash of motivations leads to tragic consequences, culminating in a moral dilemma that questions the nature of power, dependence, and the very fabric of civilization itself.
Book and edition facts
- Title: Perfect Answer
- Author credits: Stecher, L. J., Jr. (1918–1988)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Artificial intelligence -- Fiction
- Computers -- Fiction
- Explorers -- Fiction
- Human-alien encounters -- Fiction
- Interstellar travel -- Fiction
- Questions and answers -- Fiction
- Science fiction
- Short stories
Gutenberg collections
- Category: Novels
- Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
- Science Fiction
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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.
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