The Dueling Machine by Ben Bova and Myron R. Lewis

"The Dueling Machine" by Ben Bova and Myron R. Lewis is a science fiction novel written in the early 1960s. The story explores a futuristic society where personal disputes are settled through a high-tech dueling machine that creates a shared hallucination for the participants, allowing them to engage in combat without physical harm. The main character, Prime Minister Dulaq, finds himself in a life-or-death duel against Major Odal, which not only threatens his life but also the political stability of the Acquataine Cluster. At the start of the narrative, Dulaq prepares for his duel within an intricate cityscape created by the machine, fully believing in the authenticity of the simulated environment. As he searches for Odal, the tension builds, revealing Dulaq's internal struggle and desperation as he attempts to navigate the surreal and often nightmarish world the machine conjures. While he grapples with the illusion of reality, the stakes of his fight go beyond personal survival, intertwining with broader political ramifications. This intricate setup lays the groundwork for a compelling exploration of power, technology, and the nature of conflict in a world where reality and fiction collide. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Bova, Ben, 1932-2020
Author Lewis, Myron R.
Illustrator Schoenherr, John, 1935-2010
Title The Dueling Machine
Series Title Produced from Analog Science Fact & Fiction May 1963.
Credits Sankar Viswanathan, Greg Weeks, and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net
Reading Level Reading ease score: 76.3 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
Language English
LoC Class PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
Subject Science fiction
Category Text
eBook-No. 30796
Release Date
Last Update Jun 21, 2022
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 363 downloads in the last 30 days.

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