The assistant self: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
The assistant self: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
The assistant self is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Wallace, F. L. (Floyd L.) (1915–2004).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
The assistant self by F. L. Wallace is a science fiction short story written in the mid-20th century. It explores an empath’s entanglement with corporate power, identity, and ethical limits as a giant spaceflight firm hunts for a “perfect rocket motor” that could open interstellar travel. Hal Talbot, gifted with extraordinary empathy, is recruited by executive Evan Soleri to discreetly uncover sabotage at TRANSPORTATION’s rocket project. A thermal bomb kills Soleri as he saves Talbot, and under the shock Talbot’s empathy collapses the boundary between them, enabling him to assume Soleri’s identity so completely he even passes fingerprint checks. Posing as Soleri, he works with Randy, a “secretary” who is actually a psychologist, and navigates tense meetings with company president Andrew Taft and the famed scientist Fred Frescura. Talbot ultimately discovers Frescura is the saboteur, convinced humanity is not ready for the stars; in a final act, Frescura triggers multiple thermal capsules, destroying the main shop and killing himself. The trauma breaks Talbot’s assumed persona and he reverts to himself. Randy reveals she had seen through the impersonation yet trusted his motives, and with the company reeling but still standing, the story closes with Talbot poised to take an honest leadership role—his empathy now tempered by hard-won insight.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The assistant self
- Author credits: Wallace, F. L. (Floyd L.) (1915–2004)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Identity -- Fiction
- 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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