The Maugham Obsession

"The Maugham Obsession" by August Derleth is a science fiction short story written in the early 1950s. The narrative delves into the life of Quintus Maugham, an inventor obsessively perfecting his creation—a humanoid robot named Herman. The story explores the themes of ambition and the potential consequences of pushing the boundaries of invention, highlighting the fine line between success and obsession. In the tale, Maugham's journey reveals the evolution of Herman from a mere invention to an entity that exhibits increasingly human-like characteristics. As Maugham's obsession grows, he becomes increasingly detached, neglecting social interactions and his own well-being in favor of perfecting Herman. The story culminates in Maugham's mysterious disappearance when a flood strikes his new home in Nevada, suggesting a blurred reality where the lines between creator and creation, human and machine, become indistinguishable. The ironic twist at the end, where their identities are transposed in a newspaper report, underscores the story's commentary on the nature of humanity and the dangers of obsession. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

August William Derleth was an American writer and anthologist. He was the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. He made contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the cosmic horror genre and helped found the publisher Arkham House. Derleth was also a leading American regional writer of his day, as well as prolific in several other genres, including historical fiction, poetry, detective fiction, science fiction, and biography. Notably, he created the fictional detective Solar Pons, a pastiche of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.