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"Science fiction is what scientists would do if they could - if they had enough grant money, enough time, and enough brains to do the wonderful things they would like to do."
- Greg Bear

Star Stone (Speicus)  
  An artificial intelligence shaped like a rock, which can communicate with living organisms telepathically.  

Spoiler Alert!! In an odd sort of way, Speicus is one of the major characters of the novel. He finds the most incredible place to hide (I'm not going to give the whole thing away) from the various groups who are seeking him.

It did strike me that the thing seemed like a mass of strangely crystallized protein. What nobody had realized was that it was still living; it was simply dormant, an artificial intelligence, a synthetic being.
Technovelgy from Doorways in the Sand, by Roger Zelazny.
Published by Harper Science Fiction in 1976
Additional resources -

This is one of my favorite novels by Roger Zelazny; it really shows off his remarkable characters. Always intelligent, this book is a real pleasure to read.

Compare to the hell-stone from The Star of Dreams (1941) by Jack Williamson.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Doorways in the Sand
  More Ideas and Technology by Roger Zelazny
  Tech news articles related to Doorways in the Sand
  Tech news articles related to works by Roger Zelazny

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