by Kate Wilhelm
First published 2012
A robot crosses the frozen void of space with one purpose: destroy the humans who conquered its world. Earth built this machine's enemy to be the perfect weapon, a man shaped by years of military conditioning to expand human dominion across the universe. When they meet in the cold depths of the galaxy, the odds seem impossible. The robot calculates with mechanical precision, strikes with laser fire, and hides behind an unbreachable energy barrier. The human soldier carries only his training and a stubborn refusal to accept defeat. Two killers face each other in the darkness between stars. One fights for programmed vengeance, the other for a species that made him into what he is. Both were created to kill, but only one can survive this encounter in the icy reaches of space.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, man-vs-machine
Setting: Earth, Space
Period: Future
320 pages · Kindle Edition · Gateway
Content warnings: violence