The Dueling Machine

In a future where humanity has spread across the stars, an ingenious device called the dueling machine was supposed to civilize conflict. Adversaries enter a shared hallucination and battle in whatever imaginary world they choose - no blood, no death, just the resolution of disputes through combat. It was progress. It was peaceful. Until someone discovered how to kill anyway. Now the warlike Kerak Worlds are systematically assassinating the leaders of the Acquataine Cluster through the machine, murdering politicians in their sleep while they believe themselves safe in simulation. A young Star Watchman must unravel the mystery before the cluster falls - and before the Keraks turn their sights on Earth itself. The deeper he digs, the more he realizes the stakes go far beyond politics: the very line between reality and illusion has become indistinguishable, and the technology meant to end violence has become its ultimate weapon. Ben Bova constructs a propulsive thriller that predates virtual reality by decades while asking uncomfortable questions about technology, power, and whether violence can ever truly be contained.