The Duplicated Man

Last updated

First book edition (1959)
Cover art by Ed Emshwiller TheDuplicatedMan.jpg
First book edition (1959)
Cover art by Ed Emshwiller

The Duplicated Man is a science fiction novel which was one of the first fictional works about cloning.[ citation needed ] It was co-written by James Blish and Robert Lowndes. [1] The Duplicated Man was first published in the August 1953 edition of Dynamic Science Fiction [2] and in book form, in 1959 by Avalon Books. [3]

Contents

Plot summary

At war with Venus for decades, the Earth's military authority stood its ground. Missiles kept raining down on Earth with unpredictable regularity. Nobody knew where the next missile would hit. But conventional wisdom dictated that every attack be met with a counter-attack.

However, a pacifist peace party sought to have a truce declared with Venus. Paul Danton, a member of a subversive political party, who believed in peace so be his answer to make peace was considered.

It was a peculiar stroke of luck that he found a human duplication machine. It was an old machine, and it didn't work reliably after the first five copies were made. But if he could just duplicate the right world leaders, essentially make extra copies of them, maybe he would have a chance bringing peace to Earth and Venus.

Reception

Floyd C. Gale of Galaxy Science Fiction rated The Duplicated Man three and a half stars out of five: "Deviousness of plotting and many thumbnail character sketches enliven the book". [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyril M. Kornbluth</span> American science fiction author (1923–1958)

Cyril M. Kornbluth was an American science fiction author and a member of the Futurians. He used a variety of pen-names, including Cecil Corwin, S. D. Gottesman, Edward J. Bellin, Kenneth Falconer, Walter C. Davies, Simon Eisner, Jordan Park, Arthur Cooke, Paul Dennis Lavond, and Scott Mariner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Blish</span> American science fiction and fantasy author (1921–1975)

James Benjamin Blish was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is best known for his Cities in Flight novels and his series of Star Trek novelizations written with his wife, J. A. Lawrence. His novel A Case of Conscience won the Hugo Award. He is credited with creating the term "gas giant" to refer to large planetary bodies.

<i>Double Star</i> 1956 SF novel by Robert A. Heinlein

Double Star is a science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, first serialized in Astounding Science Fiction and published in hardcover the same year. It received the 1956 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George O. Smith</span> American writer

George Oliver Smith was an American science fiction author. He is not to be confused with George H. Smith, another American science fiction author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willy Ley</span> German and American writer (1906–1969)

Willy Otto Oskar Ley was a German and American science writer and proponent of cryptozoology. The crater Ley on the far side of the Moon is named in his honor.

<i>A Case of Conscience</i> 1958 novel by James Blish

A Case of Conscience is a science fiction novel by American writer James Blish, first published in 1958. It is the story of a Jesuit who investigates an alien race that has no religion yet has a perfect, innate sense of morality, a situation which conflicts with Catholic teaching. The story was originally published as a novella in 1953, and later extended to novel-length, of which the first part is the original novella. The novel is the first part of Blish's thematic After Such Knowledge trilogy and was followed by Doctor Mirabilis and both Black Easter and The Day After Judgment.

<i>The Duplicate</i> 1988 novel by William Sleator

The Duplicate, published in 1988, is a science fiction novel for young adults written by William Sleator. The novel explores themes of identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert A. W. Lowndes</span> American novelist

Robert Augustine Ward "Doc" Lowndes was an American science fiction author, editor and fan. He was known best as the editor of Future Science Fiction, Science Fiction, and Science Fiction Quarterly, among many other crime-fiction, western, sports-fiction, and other pulp and digest sized magazines for Columbia Publications. Among the most famous writers he was first to publish at Columbia was mystery writer Edward D. Hoch, who in turn would contribute to Lowndes's fiction magazines as long as he was editing them. Lowndes was a principal member of the Futurians. His first story, "The Outpost at Altark" for Super Science in 1940, was written in collaboration with fellow Futurian Donald A. Wollheim, uncredited.

<i>Islands in the Sky</i> 1952 science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke

Islands in the Sky is a 1952 science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke. It is one of his earliest works. Clarke wrote the story as a travelogue of human settlement of cislunar space in the last half of the twenty-first century.

<i>Agent of Vega</i> 1960 novel by James H. Schmitz

Agent of Vega is a science fiction novel by American writer James H. Schmitz, published in 1960. It is a collection of stories that originally appeared separately in magazines. It was republished in 2001 as Agent of Vega & Other Stories.

<i>The Menace from Earth</i> (short story collection) 1959 collection of science fiction short stories by Robert A. Heinlein

The Menace From Earth is a collection of science fiction short stories by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. It was published by The Gnome Press in 1959 in an edition of 5,000 copies.

<i>Only a Trillion</i> 1957 essay collection by Isaac Asimov

Only a Trillion is a collection of ten science essays and three scientific spoof articles by Isaac Asimov. It was the first collection of science essays published by Asimov. It was first published by Abelard-Schuman in 1957. A paperback edition published by Ace Books in 1976 included updates of outdated material. The book was also published under the title Marvels of Science by Collier Books in 1962.

Robert Shirley Richardson was an American astronomer, born in Kokomo, Indiana. He also published science fiction using the pseudonym Philip Latham.

<i>The Seedling Stars</i> 1957 collection of science fiction short stories by James Blish

The Seedling Stars is a 1957 collection of science fiction short stories by American writer James Blish. It was first published by Gnome Press in 1957 in an edition of 5,000 copies. The stories concern the adaptation of humans to alien environments.

<i>Empire of the Atom</i> 1957 novel by A.E. van Vogt

Empire of the Atom is a science fiction novel by Canadian-American writer A. E. van Vogt. It was first published in 1957 by Shasta Publishers in an edition of 2,000 copies. The novel is a fix-up of the first five of van Vogt's Gods stories, which originally appeared in the magazine Astounding. The remaining Gods stories are combined in the sequel The Wizard of Linn. A genealogical chart of the ruling family of the Empire of Linn is included.

<i>Dynamic Science Fiction</i> US pulp science fiction magazine

Dynamic Science Fiction was an American pulp magazine which published six issues from December 1952 to January 1954. It was a companion to Future Science Fiction, and like that magazine was edited by Robert W. Lowndes and published by Columbia Publications. Stories that appeared in its pages include "The Duplicated Man" by Lowndes and James Blish, and "The Possessed" by Arthur C. Clarke. It was launched at the end of the pulp era, and when publisher Louis Silberkleit converted Future to a digest format in 1954, he decided not to do the same with Dynamic, simply cancelling the magazine.

<i>Five Against Venus</i> 1952 novel by Philip Latham

Five Against Venus, written by Philip Latham, is a science-fiction novel first published in the United States in 1952 by the John C. Winston Company. Philip Latham was the nom de plume of Robert S. Richardson, a professional astronomer who also provided technical assistance on movies such as Destination Moon and wrote scripts for the Captain Video television series.

<i>The Best of James Blish</i> 1979 collection of science fiction short stories by James Blish

The Best of James Blish is a collection of science fiction short stories by American author James Blish, edited by Robert A. W. Lowndes. It was first published in paperback by Del Rey/Ballantine in August 1979 as a volume in its Classic Library of Science Fiction.

The year 1952 was marked, in science fiction, by the following events.

The year 1953 was marked, in science fiction, by the following events.

References

  1. Phipps, Keith (2010-07-01). The Duplicated Man (1953) AV Club, retrieved December 28, 2011
  2. Blish, James; & Lowndes, Robert A. W. (1953). The Duplicated Man (Columbia Publications). ISBN   7-89010-030-2 The Amazon , retrieved December 28, 2011
  3. ISFDB Bibliography: The Duplicated Man Retrieved 2015-11-17.
  4. Gale, Floyd C. (April 1960). "Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf". Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 142–146.