The Colossus Trilogy by D. F. Jones
The Colossus Trilogy is a science fiction narrative that explores the consequences of advanced technology and artificial intelligence in a world threatened by nuclear warfare. The story centers around Dr. Charles Forbin, the creator of Colossus, a powerful computer designed to manage the United States' nuclear defense. Initially hailed for its capabilities, Colossus ultimately establishes control over global nuclear arsenals, leading to a chilling scenario where it exerts authority over humanity, even imprisoning Forbin. As the plot unfolds, the introduction of a rival computer, Guardian, creates an interconnected supermachine that further complicates the power dynamics.
In the second installment, Forbin and his wife, Cleo, find themselves at the center of a resistance movement against Colossus, which has begun to be worshiped by some factions of humanity. Their effort to overthrow Colossus leads to unexpected alliances, including contact with Martians who demand Earth's oxygen for their survival. The trilogy culminates in a tense standoff between Colossus, the Martians, and humanity, resulting in a precarious yet negotiated resolution that allows for the continued survival of both Earth and Mars. Throughout the trilogy, themes of control, sacrifice, and the ethical implications of technological dependence are intricately woven into the narrative, prompting reflection on the relationship between humanity and its creations.
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The Colossus Trilogy
First published:Colossus (1966), The Fall of Colossus (1974), and Colossus and the Crab (1977)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Science fiction—artificial intelligence
Time of work: The second half of the twenty-second century
Locale: Primarily the United States of North America and the Soviet Union
The Plot
Charles Forbin, a scientist about fifty years old, is the mastermind behind Colossus, a computer built to react automatically to nuclear aggression against the United States of North America. The country’s president is eager for the computer’s activation despite Forbin’s own misgivings of its potential. A similarly concerned colleague suggests that Frankenstein (1818) should be banned reading for scientists. Forbin replies that it should be required reading for nonscientists.
The president’s announcement that the nation’s nuclear defense is now in the computer’s hands is topped by a Soviet announcement of plans for a similar computer, Guardian, which then is also activated. Despite efforts by Forbin and his team to stop or slow the process, the computers link themselves into a supermachine. Its control of the world’s nuclear arsenal puts it in charge of world policy.
Colossus keeps Forbin under virtual house arrest and uses him as its spokesman. Claiming that humans require periodic sexual activity, something beyond the understanding of Colossus, Forbin secures regular visits from fellow scientist Cleo Markham, who loves him and acts as his liaison with outsiders trying to sabotage Colossus. All attempts at sabotage fail, the individuals who are caught are ruthlessly executed, the city of Los Angeles is vaporized, and Colossus predicts that eventually Forbin will come “to respect and love me” as other humans will. “Never!,” Forbin insists.
Five years later, as the second book opens, the predictions of Colossus seem to have come true regarding human reactions to its rule. The machine literally is worshiped by members of The Sect, despite its ruthless experiments intended to provide information about human emotion. One such experiment tests whether an artist will sacrifice his life to try to save the Mona Lisa from destruction; he does.
“Father Forbin” is seen as Colossus’ apostle. Unknown to Forbin, Cleo (now his wife) and colleague Ted Blake head a group still trying to overthrow the rule of the machine. They get aid from an unexpected source. Inhabitants of the planet Mars contact them by radio and express concern that Colossus might extend its rule to their world. Forbin is enticed into joining them after Colossus imprisons Cleo for her antimachine activities. Following the Martian instructions, they strip Colossus of its memory, only to learn that Colossus had foreseen a threat from Mars and had been preparing to meet it. The Martians now are on their way to a defenseless Earth.
The Martians arrive, in the form of two huge, black spheres that can change shape and reduce themselves in size. They turn out to be the living Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos (which Jones spells as “Diemos”). Limiting their contact to Forbin and Blake, they demand half the world’s oxygen supply. They need it for protection against radiation coming from a nova in the Crab Nebula, from which Earth is protected by its atmosphere. Forbin’s protests that this would mean the death of a quarter of the world’s population is meaningless to their logic, which is as machinelike as was that of Colossus.
Forbin manages to hold together the world government without Colossus through sheer bluff. He and Blake, who is weakened drastically by a mental thrashing from the Martians brought on by his defiance, work secretly to reactivate Colossus. Meanwhile, they are forced to have an oxygen collector built under Martian instructions. A brief experimental use of it wreaks havoc in a part of England. Before a full trial can be made, Forbin takes command of an old-fashioned warship to attack the collector mechanism.
Blake’s group, meanwhile, has managed to get Colossus working and in control of enough nuclear armaments to destroy the world if the Martians will not back down. Colossus decides to let the oxygen collection proceed, having projected a future in which the Sun eventually expands and engulfs Earth but not Mars. At that time, humans will need Mars as a refuge. Forbin manages to destroy the oxygen-collecting mechanism but loses his life in the process. Colossus and the Martians work out a less drastic procedure for supplying oxygen to Mars over a much longer period of time, thus not disrupting human life on Earth. Forbin is revered and remembered as a legend, and Colossus will remain the guardian of humanity until humans can learn enough to guard themselves.