Super-Toys Last All Summer Long
Encyclopedia
"Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" is a short story
by British science fiction author Brian Aldiss
, first published in 1969. The story deals with humanity in an age of intelligent machines, and of the aching loneliness endemic in an overpopulated future where child creation is controlled.
, posthumously developed and filmed by Steven Spielberg
and released in 2001
.
In 2001 the short story was re-published in the eponymous Aldiss short story collection Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, along with the tie-in stories "Super-Toys When Winter Comes" and "Super-Toys in Other Seasons." The collection also contained a number of stories not tied to the Super-Toys theme.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by British science fiction author Brian Aldiss
Brian Aldiss
Brian Wilson Aldiss, OBE is an English author of both general fiction and science fiction. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss. Greatly influenced by science fiction pioneer H. G. Wells, Aldiss is a vice-president of the international H. G. Wells Society...
, first published in 1969. The story deals with humanity in an age of intelligent machines, and of the aching loneliness endemic in an overpopulated future where child creation is controlled.
Plot
The story has three principal characters: David, a preschool boy who struggles to express his feelings to his mother and ponders the question of what is real; his mother Monica Swinton, who struggles to endure the loneliness of her typically isolated lifestyle; and her husband Henry, who is involved in the development of intelligent robots that will be able to serve as social companions for humans. At the end, it is revealed that the couple have been waiting for permission to have a child; David is not a "real" boy.Film
It was the literary basis for the first act of the feature film A.I. Artificial Intelligence, which was an unrealized film project of Stanley KubrickStanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
, posthumously developed and filmed by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
and released in 2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
.
In 2001 the short story was re-published in the eponymous Aldiss short story collection Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, along with the tie-in stories "Super-Toys When Winter Comes" and "Super-Toys in Other Seasons." The collection also contained a number of stories not tied to the Super-Toys theme.