The Dueling Machine

by Ben Bova

Book Overview

First appearing in the 1963 issue of Analog Science Fact & Fiction, this story may have inspired the "holodeck" concept. Imagine a mechanism that would end all wars and bloodshed. A machine that can... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441172393
• Release Date: January 1978
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 247 Pages
• Weight: 0.22 lbs.

Customer Reviews

duel against boredom

This is a great futuristic science fiction for young adolescents. Imagination and adventure existed long before The Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter. Enjoy the Dueling Machine and avoid the commercialized exploitation.

The Dueling Machine (Alas, does not only facilitate duels)

This novel feels like two separate stories connected by the presence of the dueling machine. The story when the dueling machine is a dueling machine and the story when the Bova decides that the dueling machine is also teleporter and a therapy device and only occasionally used for duels. The first part of the novel deserves five stars while the second (after the machine's use transformation) flounders around at the level of dismal cliché. (When the Dueling machine is a Dueling machine) This part is simply amazing. It conjures images of Asimov's Foundation series with some forward plot movement. Dueling machines invented by Dr Leoh (one of the main characters) have helped to bring stability to the galaxy since when people get very angry at each other they simply hop into the box and fight in imaginary worlds they have created in their minds: on planetoids with pebbles, on horses with pikes, in deserts with clubs, on glaciers with oxygen bombs, and in a lab that explores the basic rules of physics with physics. This does present the greatest confusion of the story, how in the world can a mind create worlds as complicated as these? Does the machine add stability to an imaginary world? But, Ben Bova raises interesting questions about the effect such a machine would have on society and politics. The plot is simple, a purely evil Kerak Dictator has his assistant infuriate people so that they initiate duels and then somehow (contradictory to the supposed nature of the machine) actually kills them in the imaginary world so that he can gain political advantage and take over neighboring systems. The novel should have ended here. Except.... (When the Dueling machine fills in whatever science fiction gimmick he can imagine) Ben Bova decides that 69 pages is not long enough for a novel and embarks on a great mindless adventure using the dregs of Sci-Fi's rehashed ideas. Dueling in cool worlds with unusual weapons is not enough, the machine also has to be a teleporter (since Kerak is initially defeated he has to have another nefarious scheme up his sleeve) etc. The influence of the machine on society is not longer important but rather all the problems that science fiction plots routinely have to deal with (extreme distances between planets, telepathy, etc) are all solved with the dueling machine. The ending is anti-climatic, although Bova does throw in some wacky-sentence structure mind melding, for kick. Overall, this is a fun read. While some parts are laughable, others are positively mind tickling and genuinely entertaining.

Not Free SF Readersf, c, not free sf reader

Cheaters hopefully never prosper. A machine has been invented that allows complete virtual reality conflicts to take place, private duels betwen citizens. It is not supposed to leave any lasting harm after the duel is complete. Some top duellists get paid to do jobs for others. After one of them keeps winning and bad things happen to his opponents, law enforcement smells a rat. The boss guy chooses a naive young man to try and help him out, because of his particular mental qualities, and a rather less naive woman to assist.

When surrounded by giants..

Bova comes from out of the past at us like a bright light on a fast moving train. He worked around, beside, with and knew Asimov, RAH, Campbell, and [fill-in-your favorite author here]... Giants all of them, and Bova a work-a-day damn fine writer. In a crowd like THAT even the best and brightest can be unappreciated. THE DUELING MACHINE was one of the early book I cut my S-F teeth on that WASN'T one of the names above and it has stayed with me to this very day. Why? because the people in it, yes I said PEOPLE, had faces and hearts and troubles beyond the framistat finagling in in the raygun fight.. Like RAH you got a sense that these were people you'd like to know and even the bad guys were interesting. Glad to see it back in print even if briefly. Like somebody once said 'when surrounded by giants it pays to be a little quiet.. and carry a razor sharp ax.'.