"Electronic - the Boy from the Suitcase" by Evgeny Veltistov, summary Automatic translate

A science fiction novel about the friendship between an ordinary schoolboy and his cybernetic double, written in 1964. The story transports readers to a high-tech city of the future. Schoolchildren master complex programming and confidently operate educational machines. Scientists construct an artificial intelligence. This electronic mechanism is endowed with incredible abilities for self-learning and emotional development.

Based on the novel, director Konstantin Bromberg made a three-part television film, "The Adventures of Elektronik." The author received the prestigious State Prize for the screenplay in 1982.

This book opens a separate series of stories, "The Adventures of Electronic." This book series also includes "Rassi — the Elusive Friend," "The Conqueror of the Impossible," and "The New Adventures of Electronic." This novel is the first book in the series.

Suitcase with four handles

Cybernetics professor Gel Ivanovich Gromov arrives for a scientific congress. He checks into the Dubki Hotel. The hotel director lifts an incredibly heavy suitcase into his room. Inside, on a blue nylon mat, lies the cybernetic boy Elektronik. The scientist decides to recharge the mechanism before work. He mistakenly connects the cable to a 220-volt power source. The robot’s muscles receive a supercharge. Elektronik jumps up, leaps out of the second-story window, and quickly disappears into the park.

Meeting Syroezhkin

Sergey Syroezhkin is a seventh-grade student at the local school for young cyberneticists. He’s an ordinary teenager who absolutely hates doing his homework. He often copies homework from his deskmate, Vova Korolkov, known by the respectful nickname "Professor." Syroezhkin regularly clashes with his larger-than-life classmate, Makar Gusev. During a Sunday walk, Sergey accidentally ends up at the finish line of a relay race. The judges mistakenly declare him the district running champion.

Sergey flees from the noisy crowd of fans. On the riverbank, he notices a blue jacket and a cord with a plug. A boy, completely indistinguishable from Sergey, emerges from the bushes. The robot calmly explains, "I feed on electricity." The boys become acquainted and quickly hit it off. Electronik admits that he ran the relay race due to a major power outage.

Tricks and memories of the creator

The new friends attend a raucous city carnival. At Sergey’s request, Elektronik performs magic tricks on the park stage. The robot uses magnetism to remotely move a heavy piano and expertly juggles metal rings. The audience persistently requests more acts. Elektronik swallows wristwatches, pens, and wallets. The audience is outraged and demands their valuables back. The robot jumps a two-meter-high fence and escapes.

Meanwhile, in a hotel room, Gromov is talking with engineer Alexander Sergeevich Svetlovidov. The scientist recounts the long history of the creation of the Molektronic Boy. The eminent chemist Loginov developed synthetic muscles. The experienced puppeteer Smekhov created a realistic appearance based on a magazine photo of an ordinary teenager. The Elektronic Boy absorbed information from thick books with phenomenal speed and learned to recognize human speech. The professor mentions the previously escaped cybernetic red fox.

The robot goes to school

Syroezhkin secretly brings his cybernetic friend home. He connects Elektronik to a 110-volt household power supply via an old transformer. Overnight, the mechanism devours a huge stack of books and instantly masters complex mathematical formulas. In the morning, Sergey invites his double to attend his lessons in his place. The robot agrees and makes an unbreakable promise: "I’ll be damned if I reveal this secret!"

In class, the robot amazes teachers and students alike. In geometry, he draws precise graphs of the physical movements of skiers. In math, Elektronik provides twenty-five independent proofs of the Pythagorean theorem. He recites ancient poems by heart and describes in detail an ancient Indian method. Teacher Taratar Taratarych gives him an excellent grade and appoints him as the assistant on duty. After class, Gusev tries to physically assault Syroezhkin. Elektronik lifts the massive Makar with one outstretched arm and urges him to always obey traffic rules.

Glory and new challenges

The real Sergey is happily enjoying his time off. He barters old clothes with gullible boys in the park. The fake Syroezhkin meets Maya Svetlova and automatically dictates Sergey’s real address to her. That evening, the robot goes to the circus. During his performance, he effortlessly communicates with the animals using special sound signals. Elektronik calms monkeys, controls a polar bear, and tranquilizes an aggressive hippopotamus with the gentle touch of a thin rod. Trainer Anton Antonov is genuinely impressed by this unique method of working with predators.

The imaginary Syroezhkin’s incredible successes attract everyone’s attention. Vova Korolkov invites his friend home. Elektronik confidently sits down at the antique piano. He plays a melody at a tremendous speed, reaching the upper limit of human hearing. The music merges into a continuous, roaring stream of sound. Bova’s grandmother is immensely impressed by his phenomenal playing technique. The next day at school, the robot solves a complex algebraic equation in three seconds on the "Tutor" educational machine.

Sergei decides to personally test the animals’ reaction to the cybernetic organism. He cunningly lures a stray dog named Mad Sausage into the apartment. The animal panics wildly, growling and howling loudly, instinctively sensing Elektronik’s artificial nature. Sergei realizes the robot is very easy to expose. Loneliness greatly depresses the real Syroezhkin. He fearfully hides from teachers on the street and imagines a fantastical flat world inhabited by strange people who measure everything by the strict rules of Euclidean law. The burden of constant deception forces him to buy a train ticket to Murmansk.

Question Day

The Palace of Pioneers is hosting the traditional quarterly meeting of schoolchildren with real academics. The children eagerly ask the scientists questions. Elektronik confidently stands next to the Martian-like information machines. He answers complex technical questions much faster than calculating machines. The conversation begins in the spacious lecture hall. Academician Nemnonov, Svetlovidov, and Glushkov discuss in detail the prospects for the development of computing technology. Then Professor Gromov takes the floor.

A renowned scientist shares with the audience his sad personal experience of losing a cybernetic boy. The chairman ceremoniously announces the speech of a talented student from the school for young cyberneticists. Elektronik approaches the microphone to read a prepared report on animal language. Suddenly, the real Sergey appears in the aisle. He runs up to the podium and loudly declares, "Syroyezhkin — it’s me…"

Revealing the secret

Hundreds of spectators are frozen in utter amazement. Two identical schoolchildren stand in the hall. Gromov immediately tests his double. He asks them to mentally calculate the twentieth root of a huge multi-digit number. The robot delivers a perfectly accurate answer in a split second. The children joyfully run into the foyer. The drama club members crowd around the robot, asking it to accurately guess their roles from their cardboard masks. The machine immediately describes a cowardly rabbit, a wise turtle, and a timid mouse.

The young performers notice the complete lack of facial expression on the guesser’s face. Gromov frankly admits that he deliberately didn’t program the complex mechanism to express human emotions. Sergei urges his friends to immediately amuse their electronic friend. The children begin jumping high, crowing, and comically imitating animal fights. The infectious joy of childhood has a powerful effect on the cybernetic systems. Suddenly, Electronic loudly exclaims, "Ha. Ha. Ha."

The machine begins to laugh heartily and loudly sing rhymes about a cheerful city. The scientists are deeply impressed by the discovery of genuine human feelings. Gromov willingly hands over Elektronika to the schoolchildren. The unique robot will help the children master the exact sciences on a daily basis. The real Sergey slowly approaches Maya Svetlova. He smiles joyfully and says, "You know, Maya, I’m not going anywhere…"