Project Gutenberg 2019-01-26 Public domain in the USA. 80 Love, Joe Les Machines Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, December 1954 Reading ease score: 88.6 (6th grade). Easy to read. Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Les Machines" by Joe Love is a science fiction short story written in the mid-20th century. The narrative explores the blurred lines between human and machine, delving into themes of identity, love, and societal perception. The storyline revolves around Isobel d'Larte, a woman placed on trial for the murder of her husband, Arnaud d'Larte, in a future where machines and robots play critical roles in daily life. Set against the backdrop of a cold, mechanized society, the story follows Isobel as she grapples with accusations of murder after her husband is found dead, beaten with an iron statue. During the trial, witnesses hint at her supposed lover and questionable motives, while Isobel maintains her innocence until a dark twist reveals her complex feelings for a robot, who embodies the kindness and understanding lacking in her marriage. Ultimately, Isobel confesses to protect her love for the robot while facing the harsh punishment of being sent to war. The poignant conclusion emphasizes her search for emotional connection, illustrating the profound implications of her decision amid a society preoccupied with machines. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Science fiction Short stories Trials (Murder) -- Fiction PS Text Browsing: Literature Browsing: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Browsing: Fiction 48691 48572 2025-03-23T11:03:02.938589 2023-09-25T08:45:51.150396 text/html text/html 45491 2019-01-26T12:07:16 text/html; charset=us-ascii 422679 2019-01-26T12:07:18 text/html; charset=us-ascii application/zip 236216 2025-03-23T11:03:04.880624 application/epub+zip 235060 2025-03-23T11:03:03.319625 application/epub+zip 83607 2025-03-23T11:03:03.103616 application/epub+zip 272551 2025-03-23T11:03:06.124617 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 265690 2025-03-23T11:03:04.557605 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 114563 2022-09-26T17:00:07.226079 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 41663 41568 2025-03-23T11:03:02.808602 2023-09-25T08:45:51.002407 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 41907 2019-01-26T12:07:16 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 15495 2019-01-26T12:07:16 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 19574 2025-03-23T11:03:06.250556 application/rdf+xml 28805 2025-03-23T11:03:03.186579 image/jpeg 4922 2025-03-23T11:03:03.144598 image/jpeg 424133 2025-03-23T11:03:02.950652 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog