John Jakes 15 min read

The android slaves were built to work and let men like Caffrey relax, but someone made this batch too perfect, and big, tough Caffrey laughs at the terrible irony of it.

John Jakes's 1952 Planet Stories tale is a dark, atmospheric AI-and-dystopia space opera. Vivid, driven golden-age pulp. Read it for a grim, ironic story where too-perfect artificial slaves turn on the careless masters who made them, and a hard man faces the consequences of his contempt.

In its time

Published in 1952, during the 1950s, post-war optimism meets cold war anxiety.

Reading it

15 min read (a short story, a single idea, delivered and gone).

Illustrated by

Ed Valigursky