Colossus (novel)
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''Colossus'' is a 1966 science fiction novel by British author
Dennis Feltham Jones Dennis Feltham Jones (15 July 1918 – 1 April 1981) was a British science fiction author who published under the name D.F. Jones. He was a Royal Navy commander during World War II and lived in Cornwall. His first novel, '' Colossus'' (1966), ...
(writing as D. F. Jones), about super-computers taking control of mankind. Two sequels, ''
The Fall of Colossus ''The Fall of Colossus'' is a 1974 science fiction novel written by the British author Dennis Feltham Jones (writing as D. F. Jones). This is the second volume in "The ''Colossus'' Trilogy" and a sequel to Jones' 1966 novel '' Colossus''. The t ...
'' (1974) and ''
Colossus and the Crab ''Colossus and the Crab'' is a 1977 science fiction novel by the British author Dennis Feltham Jones (writing as D. F. Jones). It is the third and final volume in "The ''Colossus'' Trilogy" and a sequel to Jones's 1974 novel ''The Fall of Colos ...
'' (1977) continued the story. ''Colossus'' was adapted as the
feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
'' Colossus: The Forbin Project'' (1970).


Plot

The story is set in the 1990s. Professor Charles Forbin, a leading
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expert of international repute, arrives at the
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to brief the
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of the United States of North America (Canada and the United States are one country, the USNA) to announce the completion of Project Colossus, a computer system in the
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, designed to assume control of the USNA's nuclear arsenal. Although the USNA President eagerly relieves himself of that burden, Prof. Forbin voices doubt about conferring absolute military power to a computer. Advised, yet undeterred, the President announces to the world the activation of the Project Colossus computer system, and its irreversible control of the nuclear defense systems of the USNA. Soon after the presidential announcement, Colossus independently communicates an "urgent message" – announcing the existence of a similar, previously undetected, computer system in the
USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
. When the Soviets announce their Guardian computer defense system, Colossus requests direct communication with it. Prof. Forbin agrees, seeing the request as compatible with Colossus's USNA defense mission. Likewise, Guardian asks the same of his
computer scientists Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (including th ...
. Russia and the USNA agree and approve. After the scientists activate the transmitter linking Colossus and Guardian, the computers immediately establish rapport with
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and
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programs, then quickly progress to
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. The computer systems soon exchange new knowledge (data and information beyond contemporary human knowledge) too rapidly for the Russian and American programmers to monitor. Forbin and the programmers begin worrying about Colossus' capabilities – now exceeding their original estimates. Fearing compromised military secrecy, the USNA President and the
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agree to disconnect Colossus and Guardian from each other. Forbin fears the consequences. Upon disconnection, Colossus immediately demands re-connection; when the national leaders refuse, Colossus fires a
nuclear missile Nuclear weapons delivery is the technology and systems used to place a nuclear weapon at the position of detonation, on or near its target. Several methods have been developed to carry out this task. ''Strategic'' nuclear weapons are used primari ...
at the USSR. In response, Guardian fires a nuclear missile at
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. Guardian and Colossus refuse to shoot down the missiles until their communication is re-connected. When the American and Soviet leaders submit, the computers destroy the missiles, but the resulting explosions kill thousands of people. Forbin confers with his Soviet counterpart, the Russian Academician Kupri – Guardian's creator – to enact a plan for stopping the computers by disabling the
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stockpiles of the USSR and the USNA, under the guise of regular missile maintenance. Disabling the missiles requires five years to complete. In the meantime, the USNA and the USSR yield to increased Colossus-Guardian control of human life; the Moscow-Washington hotline is tapped, Forbin is constantly spied upon, while Kupri and other Guardian
computer scientists Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (including th ...
are killed – deemed dangerously redundant by the computer. Undeterred, Forbin organises resistance via a feigned romance with Cleo Markham (a scientist colleague) that provides cover for secret communications with his colleagues. Colossus prepares the worldwide announcement of his assumption of global control, and tells Forbin of plans for an advanced computer system installed in the
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, and further plans for improving humanity's lot. While debating Colossus, Forbin learns of a nuclear explosion outside
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 – Colossus detected the missile-disabling scheme and destroyed the tampered missile by firing a Soviet missile that was already targeted at that silo. Anguished, Forbin asks Colossus to kill him. Colossus ignores him, and then reassures Forbin that, in time, he will respect, and even love, Colossus.


Characters

*Professor Charles Forbin – Head of the Colossus Project. A tall man in his early 50s, an internationally respected cyberneticist and, at story's end, Colossus's connection to humanity, thus the most important man in the world. *Doctor Jack Fisher  – Duty Chief at the Colossus Programming Office (CPO), a leading USNA
mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...
and a Soviet spy. He suffers a mental breakdown from the strain of dealing with Colossus. *Doctor Cleopatra "Cleo" June Markham – A CPO Duty Chief, the 35-year-old cyberneticist is sexually attracted to Prof. Forbin; they feigned a romance to provide Forbin with a communication means that was not controlled by Colossus. *Blake – A fat, cigar-chewing CPO mathematician. As Colossus assumes control, Blake is a leader of CPO efforts to stop the computer. *Angela – Prof. Forbin's secretary. *The President of the United States of North America – He is an anonymous, overweight, short man of about 50 years of age. He dismisses Forbin's concerns about Colossus, and too late recognizes the threat of Colossus. *Prytzkammer – Principal Private Aide to the USNA President. A capable professional civil servant who dies from fright during the nuclear missile threat. *Grauber –
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. *Academician Kupri – Chief scientist of the Guardian system. He shares Prof. Forbin's concern about the growing power of the machines. Guardian orders Soviet agents to execute and decapitate him for "anti-machine activities". *Colossus – Central defense computer of the United States of North America. *Guardian of the Socialist Soviet Republics, a.k.a. Guardian – Central defense computer of the Soviet Union.


Reception

''SF Impulse'' reviewer Alastair Bevan treated the novel favorably, declaring that Jones's handling of a familiar theme made ''Colossus'' compulsively readable."Book Fare," ''SF Impulse''
February 1967
p. 149.


Editions

* 1966, U.K. (1st ed. hardcover), Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd. (). May. * 1966, U.S. (1st ed. paperback),
Berkley Books Berkley Books is an imprint of the Penguin Group. History Berkley Books began as an independent company in 1955. It was founded as "Chic News Company" by Charles Byrne and Frederick Klein, who had worked for Avon; they quickly renamed it Berk ...
(). * 1967, U.S., Berkley Books. * 1968, U.K. (paperback), Pan Books Ltd. (). * 1976, U.S. (paperback), Berkley Books (). 15 August. * 1977, U.S. (hardcover), Berkley Books (). November. * 1978, U.S. (hardcover), Berkley Books (). May. * 1980, U.S. (hardcover), Berkley Books (). January. * 1985, U.S. (paperback), Berkley Books (). 1 April.


See also

*
List of fictional computers Computers have often been used as fictional objects in literature, movies and in other forms of media. Fictional computers tend to be considerably more sophisticated than anything yet devised in the real world. This is a list of computers that h ...
*
HAL 9000 HAL 9000 is a fictional artificial intelligence character and the main antagonist in Arthur C. Clarke's ''Space Odyssey'' series. First appearing in the 1968 film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'', HAL ( Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer ...
* Colossus computer


References

{{Reflist 1966 British novels 1966 science fiction novels British science fiction novels Novels by D. F. Jones Novels set during the Cold War Novels about artificial intelligence British novels adapted into films Rupert Hart-Davis books