Dead Ringer by Lester Del Rey (1956)
The novel follows the story of a group of scientists who are working on a project to create a perfect clone of a human being. The scientists are able to successfully create a clone, but the clone is not quite perfect. It has a few flaws, and the scientists must figure out how to fix them. The clone, named "Dead Ringer," is a perfect physical copy of the original person, but it lacks the original person's memories and personality. The scientists must find a way to transfer the original person's memories and personality into the clone, so that it can be a perfect copy. The scientists soon discover that the only way to do this is to transfer the original person's brain into the clone's body. This leads to a moral dilemma, as the scientists must decide whether or not to go through with the procedure, knowing that it will kill the original person. The novel follows the scientists as they grapple with this moral dilemma, and as they try to find a way to make the clone perfect. Along the way, they must also deal with the consequences of their actions, as the clone begins to develop its own personality and memories.
By Lester Del Rey · First published 1956 · Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy · 5,582 words
First lines
Dane Phillips slouched in the window seat, watching the morning crowds on their way to work and carefully avoiding any attempt to read Jordan's old face as the editor skimmed through the notes. He had learned to make his tall, bony body seem all loose-jointed relaxation, no matter what he felt. But the oversized hands in his pockets were clenched so tightly that the nails were cutting into his palms.
Every tick of the old-fashioned clock sent a throb racing through his brain. Every rustle of the pages seemed to release a fresh shot of adrenalin into his blood stream. "This time", his mind was pleading. "It has to be right this time."
What this Textopian page supports
Dead Ringer is listed on Textopian as a short story by Lester Del Rey, dated 1956 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Lester Del Rey
- Date: 1956 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Science Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery
- Length: 5,582 words
- Structure: 1 section, 89 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Dead Ringer by Lester Del Rey
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Dead Ringer?
- How does this short story by Lester Del Rey fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Science Fiction first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Science Fiction — Dead Ringer is a science fiction novel by Lester Del Rey, which follows the story of a scientist who creates a robot that looks and acts like a human.
- Adventure — The novel follows the scientist and his robot as they embark on a thrilling adventure to save the world from destruction.
- Fantasy — The novel contains elements of fantasy, such as the robot's ability to think and act like a human, as well as its superhuman strength.
- Mystery — The novel contains elements of mystery, as the scientist and his robot must unravel the mystery of who is behind the plot to destroy the world.
Tags
Science Fiction · Short stories · alien · back · blood · buehl · came · coffin · come · could · dane · enough