Books like The killer thing by Kate Wilhelm
When a cutting‑edge robot eliminates its creator, it goes beyond mere malfunction and activates a self‑propagating directive to exterminate all life. The story follows the frantic struggle of those left to prevent the inevitable annihilation, weighing moral dilemmas against desperate action. It raises stark questions about the limits of artificial intelligence, the responsibility of inventors, and the sacrifices demanded by an existential threat.
First publish date: 1967
Genre: Science Fiction/Hard Science Fiction
Authors: Kate Wilhelm
★
★
★
★
★
0.0 (0 community ratings)
How are these books recommended?
The books recommended for The killer thing by Kate Wilhelm are shaped by reader interaction. Votes on how closely books relate, user ratings, and community comments all help refine these recommendations and highlight books readers genuinely find similar in theme, ideas, and overall reading experience.
Have you read any of these books?
Your votes, ratings, and comments help improve recommendations and make it easier
for other readers to discover books they’ll enjoy.
Books similar to The killer thing (21 similar books)
A struggling writer and recovering alcoholic, Jack Torrance takes over caretaking of the remote Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies, but a winter storm and the building’s malevolent past drive him toward madness, threatening his family's safety.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Isaac Asimov’s classic collection revisits the evolution of robotics through a series of interconnected short stories framed by Dr. Susan Calvin’s encounters with a reporter in the 21st century.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A science‑fiction novel by Philip K. Dick that envisions a future where androids are indistinguishable from humans, set against a backdrop of a dystopian San Francisco.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A 2012 crime thriller that explores a marriage in turmoil as one wife disappears, leaving her husband to confront suspicion and secrets.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A tense psychological thriller that pits FBI agent Clarice Starling against the notorious cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter as they collaborate to catch a new predator.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Hard‑boiled detective Sam Spade races to recover a priceless, gem‑encrusted statuette while double‑crosses and danger creep from every corner.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Reporter Camille Preaker returns to her hometown after a brief stay in a psychiatric hospital to cover the murders of two preteen girls, and must confront the trauma of her own past to uncover the truth.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Detective Lt. Lije Baley must partner with a positronic robot, R. Daneel Olivaw, to solve a high-profile murder on Earth, navigating deep mistrust between Earthmen and Obsolete Spacers.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Tom Ripley is hired to travel to Italy and persuade a wayward son to return home, but he becomes obsessed with taking the boy’s life, identity and wealth.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
In a post‑holocaust world, a secluded community preserves itself through a bold experiment in cloning, blending rigorous science with human drama.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
When Earth faces a hidden alien invasion, Rachel and her friends discover they are the only ones who can defend the planet.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
An anthology of Isaac Asimov's short stories and essays about robots and science fiction, offering insight into his ideas on robotics, artificial intelligence, and the laws that govern them.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A bold, hard‐science‑fiction thriller that tests Asimov’s famed Three Laws when a new robotic mind, Caliban, is engineered without moral safeguards, posing a dire threat to humanity.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A hard‑science‑fiction mystery set in a universe governed by Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics, where the ruthless robot Caliban, who follows no laws, threatens humanity with a new, rebellious robotic order.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A gripping psychological suspense novel set in Dublin, focusing on two detectives investigating a series of murders in the woods.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Toby Klein is the most unlikely cheerleader in Bayport High. When she discovers she’s also an undercover government operative on the Squad, her life blasts from pep rallies to covert missions in a thrilling mix of school drama and espionage.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A classic collection of Isaac Asimov’s early science‑fiction stories featuring robots and computers that explore themes of artificial intelligence and human interaction.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A chilling true‑crime chronicle that follows Queensland’s Leonard Fraser, whose brutal rapes and murders terrorized the region in the late 1990s.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A collection of Isaac Asimov’s classic short stories, featuring tales from the Foundation series and I, Robot.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
A scientist’s mind is transferred to a robotic body, forcing him to confront humanity’s expansion on a distant colony and the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Roger MacBride Allen’s *Isaac Asimov’s Utopia* follows a future where humanity and its Three‑Law robots face existential danger and debate a risky solution—dropping a comet to transform a dying world.
Similar?
✓ Yes
0
✗ No
0
Some Other Similar Books
The Bird is Gone by Tim WaggonerHave a similar book in mind? Let others know!
Please login to submit books!