The Primal Urge
First published in novel form in 1961. Abridged and serialized in three parts as "Minor Operation" in New Worlds, June, July & August 1962.
If reticence is a feature reserved for the British, what would possess well bred, reserved, thoroughly 'British', James Solent, to dash off for a night of reckless passion with a complete stranger? The answer is a gadget – an Emotional Register that prevents anyone from hiding any sexual attraction they feel for anyone else. Find out what happens to Britain and the rest of the world when this mechanical marvel sinks its teeth into the restrained status quo.
Brian Aldiss
Brian Wilson Aldiss, OBE (1925-2017) was an English writer and anthologies editor, best known for science fiction novels and short stories. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss, except for occasional pseudonyms during the mid-1960s.
Greatly influenced by science fiction pioneer H. G. Wells, Aldiss was a vice-president of the international H. G. Wells Society. He was (with Harry Harrison) co-president of the Birmingham Science Fiction Group. Aldiss was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America in 2000 and inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2004. He received two Hugo Awards, one Nebula Award, and one John W. Campbell Memorial Award. He wrote the short story "Super-Toys Last All Summer Long" (1969), the basis for the Stanley Kubrick-developed Steven Spielberg film A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001). Aldiss was associated with the British New Wave of science fiction.