In a last-ditch effort to liberate his beloved planet Ramses, a scientist in the twenty-third century develops a super-robot--one with a computer for a brain and a two-mile laser for an eye--that somehow destroys its inventor and programs itself to kill all life.

Kate Wilhelm was born Katie Gertrude Meredith in Dayton, Ohio on June 8, 1928. Her first book, More Bitter Than Death, was published in 1963. She wrote over 75 books in many genres including science fiction, mystery, and fantasy. Her books included The Clone, the Barbara Holloway mystery series, and Welcome, Chaos. Her short stories and novellas won several Nebula Awards. Her novel Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang and her how-to book Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More From 27 Years of the Clarion Writers' Workshop won Hugo Awards. She and her husband, author and editor Damon Knight, trained numerous writers through their Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop and the annual Milford Writers' Conference.