Project Gutenberg 2009-05-20 Public domain in the USA. 91 Smith, George H. (George Henry) 1922 1996 Smith, George Henry Smith, Jan Benefactor Produced from Fantastic Universe August 1958. Produced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "Benefactor" by George H. Smith is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. The story explores themes of progress and societal backlash against technological advancements, particularly the role of robots in the workforce. It delves into the consequences of innovation and the fear that such changes evoke in humanity, ultimately questioning what it means to be a benefactor of mankind. The narrative follows Jacob Clark, an inventor whose revolutionary robots lead to mass unemployment, inciting a furious mob that seeks to harm him for what they perceive as his betrayal. In a desperate attempt to escape, Clark inadvertently activates a time machine, transporting him a thousand years into the future. There, he discovers that robots have thrived and taken over the Earth, while humans have become extinct. As Clark regains consciousness, he is mistaken for a damaged robot and disassembled by the very creations he once brought to life. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the unintended consequences of technological progress and highlights the tensions between creator and creation. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 84.5 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Time travel -- Fiction Robots -- Fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 31120 2025-08-12T04:50:20.016037 text/html 26885 2021-01-05T03:30:51 text/html 77953 2025-08-12T04:50:23.458967 application/epub+zip 76766 2025-08-12T04:50:21.555977 application/epub+zip 76766 2025-08-12T04:50:20.549981 application/epub+zip 137351 2025-08-12T04:50:24.841991 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 130396 2025-08-12T04:50:22.862971 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 98045 2022-09-13T11:53:00.280688 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 25345 2025-08-12T04:50:19.802978 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 25216 2021-01-05T03:30:51 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 19036 2025-08-12T04:50:24.961955 application/rdf+xml 10749 2025-08-12T04:50:21.042974 image/jpeg 2923 2025-08-12T04:50:20.793976 image/jpeg 10409 2021-01-05T03:30:51 application/octet-stream application/zip 9540 2021-01-05T03:30:51 application/octet-stream application/zip 74936 2025-08-12T04:50:20.020005 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia