The Humanoid Touch

The Humanoid Touch is a science fiction novel written by Jack Williamson. Published in 1980, this is the conclusion to the Humanoids series.

Plot summary

The Humanoids -- robotic automata created by mankind and eventual enslavers (operating under their prime directive to protect and serve, using drugs and "psychosurgery" to carry out their orders to an extreme) -- have pursued the unconfined refugees of humanity to the fringes of the universe. However, nearly a millennium after the ship Deliverance colonized the ice-world of Kai, fear of the Humanoids' chase faded, effectively reducing their significance to a children's tale. The Lifewcrew, those dedicated to defending the free remnants of mankind from the Humanoids, have lost influence over the planetary government. Keth Kyrone, the protagonist and son of the discredited Lifecrew leader Ryn Kyrone, attempts to alert the people of Kai to the Humanoids' advent, and begins to uncover the mysteries surrounding the colony world Malili and its native people.

Previous entries and publications

• With Folded Hands, 1947.

• The Humanoids (or … And Searching Minds), 1948.