[Fanaval]

Hello. I hope that you, science fiction lovers can help me.

I lost a book many years ago and i can't remember the title or author.
The book is about a small spaceship (called the machine) that have an absolute power on the material world. This ship was used by many civilization that ultimately destroyed themselves but not the machine that was undestructible. One of the race that used the machine was called "Thiss".

The machine function and is limited thanks to a vacuum spring that does not permit to the machine (that have an artificial intelligence) to do as she please.

At the end of the novel the machine is left on the surface of a neutron star but resist to annihilation and there rest.

Someone please remember the title of the novel?

Thanks

[Omphalos]

Sounds vaguely familiar. Do you think it could have been written by John W. Campbell or Don A. Stewart?

[Jamais]

I googled "thiss science fiction machine" and the result was this thread. .. (lol sorry)

[Fanaval]

Sounds vaguely familiar. Do you think it could have been written by John W. Campbell or Don A. Stewart?

Thanks. I checked but it seems that they are not the authors.

[Pennarin]

Could it be The Artifact by W. Michael Gear (http://www.amazon.com/Artifact-Daw-Book-Collectors/dp/0886774063/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313952696&sr=1-1)? The artifact in question is an AI-run alien starship.

[Fanaval]

YES! Thank you very much Pennarin for your kindness. :)

[B5B7]

Thanks. I checked but it seems that they are not the authors.
Just as a matter of interest - the spelling is Don A. Stuart, and is a penname of John W. Campbell, who in his day was a very famous SF editor and also a fairly well-known SF author. He is still especially well known for his short story 'Who Goes There' that is the basis for the movie(s) 'The Thing'.