Helen O’Loy
Encyclopedia
"Helen O’Loy" is a science fiction
short story
by Lester del Rey
originally published in 1938 in Astounding Science Fiction.
, originally meant only to cook food and clean, in order to allow it to have emotions. They are more successful than intended, and the robot, named "Helen O’Loy" falls in love with the mechanic. He initially flees her advances, but later marries her and she moves with him to his inherited fruit farm. Over subsequent decades, her features are artificially aged to match those of her human husband with the help of Phil. When he inevitably dies, she sends a letter to Phil requesting that he dissolve her metallic structure with acid and bury her with her husband. She also asks that he doesn't let anyone discover their secret.
In the final line of the story it is revealed that the medical student, who had been narrating the story, had secretly been in love with her too.
"Helen O’Loy" was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one the best science fiction short stories of all time. As such, it was published in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929-1964
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Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Lester del Rey
Lester del Rey
Lester del Rey was an American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey was the author of many of the Winston Science Fiction juvenile SF series, and the editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction branch of Ballantine Books, along with his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.-Birth...
originally published in 1938 in Astounding Science Fiction.
Plot summary
Two young men, a mechanic, Dave, and a medical student, Phil, collaborate on modifying a household robotRobot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
, originally meant only to cook food and clean, in order to allow it to have emotions. They are more successful than intended, and the robot, named "Helen O’Loy" falls in love with the mechanic. He initially flees her advances, but later marries her and she moves with him to his inherited fruit farm. Over subsequent decades, her features are artificially aged to match those of her human husband with the help of Phil. When he inevitably dies, she sends a letter to Phil requesting that he dissolve her metallic structure with acid and bury her with her husband. She also asks that he doesn't let anyone discover their secret.
In the final line of the story it is revealed that the medical student, who had been narrating the story, had secretly been in love with her too.
"Helen O’Loy" was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one the best science fiction short stories of all time. As such, it was published in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929-1964
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One, 1929-1964
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929–1964 is a 1970 anthology of science fiction short stories, edited by Robert Silverberg. It is generally considered one of the best, if not the best, of the many science fiction anthologies...
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