The Ultimate World: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
The Ultimate World: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
The Ultimate World is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Walton, Bryce (1918–1988).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"The Ultimate World" by Bryce Walton is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century, specifically during the 1940s. The story explores themes of perfection, purpose, and the consequences of achieving all conceivable goals within an advanced civilization. Set in the ultimate City of Dhoma, the narrative questions what happens when perfection leads to stagnation and existential crisis. The plot centers around Amco, a resident of Dhoma, who awakens to find their utopian City in crisis due to a lack of purpose and motivation. The City, once vibrant and full of life, is now facing the possibility of annihilation after reaching an intellectual saturation point where no new challenges exist. Tasked by the City's Coordinator to explore the future via a space-time converter to find a solution, Amco discovers that civilization has devolved into sleep, where the inhabitants lie dormant, cut off from reality. They live in a state of endless dreams but at the cost of true existence. Ultimately, Amco learns that the pursuit of knowledge and experience leads to the realization that oblivion may be the true ultimate state, challenging the very essence of life and existence itself. The story culminates in the unsettling conclusion that further evolution may only circle back towards nothingness.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The Ultimate World
- Author credits: Walton, Bryce (1918–1988)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Science fiction
- Short stories
- Time travel -- Fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
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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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