The Maugham Obsession

Reporter Harrigan's first meeting with the brilliant inventor Quintus Maugham opens a chilling glimpse into a future where machinery can almost pass for life. Maugham proudly introduces Herman, a humanlike robot with a steel skeleton, plastic skin, and carefully crafted features, but what begins as a technical marvel soon reveals a far more disturbing obsession. As Harrigan returns over time, Herman grows increasingly lifelike, learning to speak, respond, and perform household tasks with uncanny ease. Yet Maugham's satisfaction never lasts; he condemns his creation as "too mechanical," even as his pride curdles into anxiety. The inventor's relationship with Herman becomes intimate, uneasy, and increasingly consuming, suggesting that the act of making intelligence may awaken emotions no one can control. This eerie science-fiction tale becomes a haunting meditation on ambition, loneliness, and the peril of creating life in one's own image. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.