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"Es Percipi" by Stephen Marlowe is a science fiction novel written in the mid-20th century. The book explores themes of reality, perception, and the nature of existence through the diplomatic challenges faced by Earth in dealing with alien cultures, particularly the Targoffians, who sell seemingly miraculous products that challenge human understanding of authenticity and value. The narrative centers around Bryan Channing, an under-secretary of the Earth Embassy, as he navigates interplanetary relations complicated by the ambiguous ethics of the Targoffian Ambassador, Qui Dor. The story follows Channing as he grapples with the implications of Qui Dor's alien technology that can create food and even human-like beings that are, in some philosophical sense, "not real." As Earth faces a surge in divorces and social unrest attributed to the allure of Targoff's products, Channing's personal life is thrown into turmoil when his wife, Ellen, becomes enamored with the idea of a perfect husband created by Qui Dor's enterprises. The tension escalates as Channing confronts his copy, the profound realities of love, identity, and existence, culminating in an exploration of what it means to be "real." Through clever dialogue and intriguing philosophical questions, Marlowe crafts a narrative that challenges the reader’s perception of reality and the complexities of human relationships against a backdrop of interstellar diplomacy. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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