Project Gutenberg 2023-10-12 Public domain in the USA. 158 Sheckley, Robert 1928 2005 Barbee, Phillips Lang, Ned O'Donnevan, Finn Barbee, Phillip Emshwiller, Ed 1925 1990 Emsh Emsh, Ed Alexander, Ed Emshwiller, Edmund A. Willer EMSH Accept no substitutes $aNew York, NY :$bRoyal Publications, Inc., $c1957. Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Accept No Substitutes" by Robert Sheckley is a science fiction short story written during the mid-20th century. The narrative centers around Ralph Garvey, a man desperate to escape the constraints of Earth's Sexual Morality Act by procuring an illegal sex surrogate from a black market factory. Set in a futuristic universe where humanity has begun to colonize other planets, the story explores themes of desire, identity, and the consequences of seeking substitutes for genuine human connection. The plot unfolds as Garvey navigates the challenges of smuggling the surrogate aboard his private space yacht while being pursued by Customs inspectors. When he finally activates the surrogate, he discovers she is not only exceptionally strong but also driven by primal instincts that quickly turn dangerous. Garvey finds himself in a life-or-death struggle with this formidable creature as he confronts the folly of his choices. Ultimately, the story culminates in Garvey's decision to seek out real women on Algol instead of relying on synthetic substitutes, highlighting the inherent risks in substituting true relationships for manufactured ones. The story combines humor with tension, showcasing Sheckley's trademark wit and commentary on human nature. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20230909104750sheckley 1957 US Reading ease score: 78.5 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Androids -- Fiction PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy Category: Humour 51177 2025-06-28T11:04:14.333126 text/html 26694 2023-10-12T19:50:52 text/html 398741 2025-06-28T11:04:17.248104 application/epub+zip 397515 2025-06-28T11:04:15.505115 application/epub+zip 175433 2025-06-28T11:04:14.790111 application/epub+zip 690194 2025-06-28T11:04:18.520106 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 683798 2025-06-28T11:04:16.774122 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 43579 2025-06-28T11:04:14.189111 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 23772 2023-10-12T19:50:52 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17494 2025-06-28T11:04:18.646147 application/rdf+xml 30365 2025-06-28T11:04:15.107099 image/jpeg 5095 2025-06-28T11:04:14.950097 image/jpeg 1221903 2025-06-28T11:04:14.358142 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 en.wikipedia