Science Fiction: Michaelmas By Algis Budrys Redux

(Drivebycuriosity) - Some books stay in the memory and need to be reread sometimes. The science fiction novel "Michaelmas" by Algis Budrys, published in the year 1977, belongs to them (amazon). The book focuses on Laurent Michaelmas, a highly influential and ultra rich newsman. When I read the novel in the 1970s I was fascinated by "Domino", a self-aware artificial intelligence. Michaelmas had created this device himself and developed it from a modest telephony appliance into an intelligent being. Now "Domino" communicates with Michaelmas like a friend and gives him access to almost any available information on the globe, the basis of Michaelmas` power & wealth. I was really envious on Michaelmas` relationship with "Domino" which fanned my fantasies. How much fun would it be to own such a smart device. I was also fascinated by the described advanced media systems which give instant access to almost any information.

"Michaelmas" is a milestone of science fiction because the visionary author depicted today`s Internet - at least a kind of - and featured an artificial intelligence which could be around the corner. Unfortunately the plot seems confusing to be me. The owner of a remote clinic in the Swiss mountains, a super star surgeon, claims that he had revitalized an American astronaut, who was reported as being killed in an accident and Michaelmas starts to investigate this case. I would have preferred to read about Michaelmas & "Domino" in a more plausible tale.