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"Fondly Fahrenheit" is a science fiction short story by American writer Alfred Bester, first published in the August 1954 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction . [1]
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"Fondly Fahrenheit" is a science fiction short story by American writer Alfred Bester, first published in the August 1954 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction . [1]
A rich playboy, James Vandaleur, and his expensive "multiple aptitude android" have become two aspects of a single insane murderous personality. Vandaleur's father is dead, having lost the family fortune, and Vandaleur only has the android which, if it works correctly, can bring in more than enough income to support him in the manner to which he had become accustomed. However, the android becomes erratic when his immediate environment exceeds a certain temperature - when the android is put to work in a foundry, it begins to sing and subsequently pours molten metal on the human supervisor when she investigates the singing. When the android is destroyed during a high-speed chase, Vandeleur is shown as continuing his murder spree after purchasing a cheaper model of android.
In 1999, "Fondly Fahrenheit" ranked 4th in Locus 's poll for the best novelette of all time. [2] It has been included in a large number of prestigious science fiction anthologies, including The Science Fiction Hall of Fame , The Road to Science Fiction, The Stars Around Us and Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories .
Robert Silverberg has stated that "Fondly Fahrenheit" has only one technical flaw: that there is no connection between the first paragraph and the second; [3] he also describes it as a "paragon of story construction and exuberant style." [4] In Strange Horizons , Colin Harvey said that the story "fizzles and spits and crackles like superheated bacon in a pan that's about to catch fire." [5]
Bester adapted "Fondly Fahrenheit" for television as Murder and the Android , which aired on October 18, 1959 as part of the Sunday Showcase series. [6] The episode featured Kevin McCarthy in the lead role, whose name was changed to James Valentine, Rip Torn as the android, Suzanne Pleshette as Mari Sutton and Telly Savalas as Cotton. The episode was nominated for a 1960 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. [7]
Alfred Bester was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books. He is best remembered for his science fiction, including The Demolished Man, winner of the inaugural Hugo Award in 1953.
Gardner Raymond Dozois was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the founding editor of The Year's Best Science Fiction anthologies (1984–2018) and was editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine (1986–2004), garnering multiple Hugo and Locus Awards for those works almost every year. He also won the Nebula Award for Best Short Story twice. He was inducted to the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on June 25, 2011.
Robert Silverberg is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Grand Master of SF. He has attended every Hugo Award ceremony since the inaugural event in 1953.
The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine Locus, a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the plaques awarded to the winners, publishers of winning works are honored with certificates, which is unique in the field.
Martin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and anthologist in many genres, including mysteries and horror, but especially in speculative fiction. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. He was also a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel. Greenberg was also an expert in terrorism and the Middle East. He was a longtime friend, colleague and business partner of Isaac Asimov.
James Patrick Kelly is an American science fiction author who has won both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award.
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The Best Science Fiction of the Year #8 is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Terry Carr, the eighth volume in a series of sixteen. It was first published in paperback by Del Rey Books in July 1979, and in hardcover by the same publisher in conjunction with the Science Fiction Book Club in August 1979. The first British edition was issued by Gollancz in the same year.
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Will McIntosh is a science fiction and young adult author, a Hugo-Award-winner, and a winner or finalist for many other awards. Along with ten novels, including Defenders, Love Minus Eighty, and Burning Midnight, he has published dozens of short stories in magazines such as Asimov's Science Fiction, Strange Horizons, Lightspeed Magazine, Clarkesworld, and Interzone. His stories are frequently reprinted in different "Year's Best" anthologies.
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Terry Carr's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year #16 is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Terry Carr, the sixteenth and last volume in a series of sixteen. It was first published in hardcover by Tor Books in September 1987. The first British editions were published in hardcover and paperback by Gollancz in December of the same year, under the alternate title Best SF of the Year #16.
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