2.5

Artificial Wisdom was just okay. It is obvious the author has some good ideas, I just did not like the execution of those ideas. It felt like the author was trying to do too much with this book.

From the synopsis, I expected a more sci-fi leaning book, instead I got a political thriller turned murder mystery turned political thriller again. The last ten percent seemed to go on forever; Livie and Tully’s last trip was overly descriptive.

The characters were flat and read like characters, I never believed that any of them could be a real person.

I did like how readable the book was. Aside from the ending, there was never a slow moment.

An extremely climate-ravaged world with people displaced physically and mentally has them vying for the means and power to survive as a political showdown between AI and humans unfolds for humanity’s future in Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver.
Ten years after a deadly heatwave swept across the Persian Gulf, the historically tragic event is dredged up as a source, going by the alias Whistle, claims to have evidence that the disaster was caused by the US using unreliable technology to deflect humidity, and provides it to journalist Marcus Tully, for whom the event is quite personal as his pregnant wife died while visiting her parents and the loss continues to haunt him. As Tully investigates the information provided, he is drawn deeper into intrigue and conspiracy, which evolves into a murder investigation of the woman with ties to both of the final two candidates in the upcoming election for the world’s climate protector—the AI she created and the former US president she advised regarding technology. Pursuing the story’s leads in the interest of revealing the truth, or what appears to be the truth, will influence the election’s outcome and, as a result, humanity’s future but comes at a cost.
With a gradually developing premise that incorporates technological, propaganda tactics, and climate concerns to portray a bleak and frighteningly timely possibility for what could lie in wait in our future, the story presents a thought-provoking conspiracy, with a partial resolution reached, that’s layered by focusing on one character as the main narrative thread and then using a few other character perspectives to flesh it out further, raising questions about what the actual truth is and what the cost to benefit ratio analysis would be in making that truth known – if it’d even be believed. Political implications and components to the narrative compel the actions of the characters, who predictably are driven by money, power, and fear/suffering as the basest of human functioning, all of which are things that make humans vulnerable to corruption and making bad, or short-sighted, decisions, serving as a kind of proof for why the AI Solomon might be beneficial. The advanced technology of is seamlessly incorporated into the world and the AI component explored the way that technology is already variably viewed as both an aid and a hindrance, depending on who is using the tool and what the end goal is, especially as it’s already become rather difficult, for some more than others, to discern manipulated images/text/videos from authentic content.
Overall, I’d give it a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This near future thriller takes place on an Earth in danger of failing its human occupants due to the near-fatal effects of climate change. Marcus Tully is an investigative journalist who is still mourning the death of his wife and unborn daughter ten years earlier in a heatwave that struck the Persian Gulf.

He is determined to find out what happened to her. He thinks he knows who to blame. He believes the President of the United States at the time ordered the use of an untested device to remove humidity from Houston and dump it over the ocean. Unfortunately, the humidity dumped on the Persian Gulf instead causing deadly conditions for 160 million people.

Now, the same former President is running for Protector - an Earth-wide office to solve the climate crisis. His opponent is an AI named Solomon who was created by Dr. Martha Chandra. Not only does Marcus know Martha but her sister Livia works for him as a researcher.

Invited to New Carthage, one of a small number of floating ecosystems, where Martha lives, Marcus and Livia go to see her both to find out about the upcoming election but also to see what she knows about Tully's wife's death. Shortly after they arrive, Martha is murdered leaving Livia as the heir to her sister's riches and Marcus at a near dead end to solving what happened to his wife.

He also gets to know Solomon and supports his campaign to me the Earth's First Protector. But he questions whether or not he's making the right decision in a world were information can be so easily manipulated.

This story was filled with moral dilemmas and advanced technology. I was intrigued by the possibilities of neural meetings and certainly by the creation of Solomon. This was one thought-provoking science fiction novel.

3.5 rounded up
Great characters and mystery. There is a lot going on and it took me a bit to follow it all. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This was not what I was expecting from this book. It was a lot more politically based than I was thinking, which is probably on me for not reading the synopsis of this book. I was hoping for more thriller aspects with futuristic elements, but it was mostly focused on this murder mystery with political intrigue and a future setting.

The things I liked the most about this book was anytime there was any futuristic of sci-fi devices or elements being used, The concept of having a meeting in your mindscape with other people and your own personal VR type room in your mind you could visit was super fascinating and I loved seeing the creativity of the author whenever these moments had time on page.

I could have done without the random romance. It could be seen coming from a mile away, but it was never even given the time of day by the MMC, so it just felt forced and uncomfortable from the FMC. I can completely understand the grief that was had and how this situation may have pushed him to start healing, but that could have been explored in other ways.

This book was truly terrifying because the concept of having a robot as a president-type figure seemed very real and possible in the near future, which made this super realistic.

It's hard for me to rate this because there are many things I liked, but also a lot of things that didn't work for me.

I think the author is super creative and has a lot of really good writing skills, I just think that this was a bit too long, a bit too complicated for what it was, and needed a bit more tension and twists. I've seen a lot of people lose it over the twists, but I could see them, or at least part of them, from the very beginning. I also think, given how long the book is and how much setting up we did, the ending was a little rushed.

I did like the message, the setting, the characters for the most part, and again, the writing itself was generally good.

I will pick up the next thing this writer writes for sure.

3.5 stars.

A challenging read navigating the very current events surrounding AI and climate issues. Centered 25 years from now, this book forces the reader to question how far one should go to save humanity. Is the good of the many worth sacrificing the few? A captivating read if not a little nerve wracking at moments when it forced me to have a reckoning with a very possible future

I loved this book. It kept me on my toes and I did not see the twists and turns coming. The mix of climate change and AI really had me thinking all the what ifs. The story follows Marcus Tully as he investigates his wife’s death set during a presidential election with an AI candidate. It’s a wild ride.

What happens when you mix climate change, artificial intelligence and conspiracy theories? In this case you get Artificial Wisdom, an intriguing thriller set in a near future.

When the population of the Earth is asked to elect a leader to help guide them through disaster the choices come down to two: a former us president and an artilect (an artificial intelligence). Is there a right choice?

This is a fascinating book that was hard for me to get into initially, but once I did I was blown away by the plot! It opens in Kuwait with a pregnant woman dying in a heat wave. Then we move to 2050 and meet Marcus Tully and his involvement in the government and "neuro-reality." Of course there's a climate crisis, conspiracy theories, AI and a host of other future-forward ideas that have come to fruition. Weaver discusses the pitfalls and conveniences of technology as well as AI and deep fakes. It's a crazy look at the future of our world if we fail to understand its pitfalls and conveniences!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

First off, this cover is absolutely beautiful. Second, Artificial Wisdom is a high stakes, fast paced, political contemplation on the future of climate change and artificial intelligence. The story brings up many facets of both subjects, leaving you really thinking about what the pros and cons of AI can be.

In a climate-ravaged 2050, journalist Marcus Tully investigates the murder of an AI candidate’s creator just as the world prepares to elect its first global leader—either a former U.S. president or Solomon, an artificial intellect. As Tully uncovers a high-level conspiracy, he must race to reveal the truth before humanity’s last chance at salvation slips away.

Fans of near-future, tech-driven speculative fiction will love this one!

First of all, thank you to Net Galley & the publisher for the advanced copy to read & offer an honest review on!

Artificial Wisdom is set in the year 2050, the climate has been destroyed and there is a worldwide vote happening to elect a leader to help fix the climate crisis. The 2 candidates remaining are a previous US President and an AI named Solomon. The creator of Solomon is murdered just weeks before the election date. Our main character, Sully, is a reporter and his own investigation of his late wife's death gets wrapped up in the murder of Solomon's creator.

Artificial Wisdom is a techno thriller/murder mystery…it has SO many twists and turns, you truly never know where the story is going, it keeps you on your toes and keeps you turning those pages. I don't think you necessarily need to be a sci-fi reader to enjoy this, the tech feels fairly approachable, but I think it's good to know going into it that there will be a lot of tech talk and it's not a standard thriller.

I liked the commentary & thought provoking topics around the ethics of AI, media, politics, etc. It's kind of interesting to me that Solomon is being seen as the saviour of earth and humanity, when in reality AI is actually a main contributor to our current environmental crisis.

I didn't feel overly connected to our characters until closer to the end of the book so I'm looking forward to more of them in book 2!

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book, especially for those that are fans of Blake Crouch! It will keep you on the edge of your seat, make you think, & I think it's pretty unique compared to other books out right now.

Essentially, “Artificial Wisdom” is a murder mystery inside a sci-fi tale set on Earth in the year 2050.

Global warming has advanced to crisis proportions. Temperatures and the seas periodically spike to lethal levels. One heat wave causes the death of millions. While the non-rich swelter, losing property, livelihoods, and lives, and have no recourse other than to riot, the rich insulate themselves in climate-controlled enclaves, including ocean-going city states. But even the rich will suffer—eventually.

The entire world has decided to elect a “global protector” and to grant them whatever powers may be necessary to resolve the crisis. Several rounds of voting have resulted in two final candidates: Lawrence Lockwood, a former President of the United States; and Solomon, the current governor of the floating city states, who just happens to be a computer-generated artificial intelligence or “artilect.” Lockwood is more popular. But Solomon’s capabilities make him the only one with a realistic chance of saving the planet.

Protagonist Marcus Tully is an investigative journalist who runs a digital publication and who lost his wife and unborn child in the massive heat wave. He seeks to discover what caused it and who, if anyone, is to blame. His investigation leads him to Governor Solomon’s inventor, living in one of the ocean-going cities, who might be able to help. But before she can, she’s murdered. Who did it and why are two of the questions that will keep readers turning pages. Who will win the election and what can be done to save the planet are two more. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

Author Thomas R Weaver’s world-building is prodigious: imaginative, detailed, and well thought out. His AI and virtual/neural reality creations are quite innovative. His depictions of what he imagines the world might become are disconcerting. I found the future he creates very absorbing.

His main and supporting characters are interesting and well-drawn, although not very deep. Marcus reminded me a little of Mickey Blomquist from Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series. He teams up with Commander October, a beautiful former FBI agent and the floating city-state’s head of security, to solve the murder. Whether or not they will engage in a romance is another question that keeps the pages turning.

Two caveats: Mr. Weaver touches upon a number of issues currently part of our national debate. That’s not a bad thing, but those who don’t want to read about, for example, climate change, or “America First,” or government conspiracies, or the dangers of AI may find this book is not for them.

Also, it took a while for “Artificial Wisdom” to gain traction with me. Even when it had, there were times the pace slowed, and the book dragged. At other times, the plot seemed convoluted. The novel as a whole struck me as being too long by about a quarter. Nevertheless, I did want those questions answered, and so I was compelled to keep going. I found the ending and the answers surprising.

All in all, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Thomas R. Weaver, and publisher Del Ray, an imprint of Random House, for providing me with a complimentary ARC. All of the foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.

This book is a combination of science fiction (with current happenings making it not overly science fiction), crime and politics. While it does a commendable job with each at times, overall it did not flow well in my opinion. The best part for me was displaying what may happen here within the next 25 years. It is a scary and quite possible reality. Others enjoyed the book much more than I did, so I will leave it to you to decide to read it or not.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Goodreads, Net Galley, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

In the near future, the environment has turned on humans. Hot and wet, people are dying, including Marcus Tully's wife and unborn child. They were killed by a "tabkhir" in the Persian Gulf, an overwhelming miasma of heat and rain, in 2040. Ten years later, Tully (a journalist) gets a secret message telling him someone can tell him what happened to his wife and why she died. Technology has advanced to the point everyone has a headset that connects them to virtual reality, meetings can be held there or secret liaisons. A hundred and sixty million people died in the heat wave that hit the Middle East. Since then, the Middle Eastern world has withdrawn from the rest of the world, forming a Caliphate that suppresses all information. The West has built floating city-states, known as the Floating Nations who are governed by an artilect known as "Solomon." This virtual entity is now in an election, pitted against a former US president to to elected as "The Protector," who will save the human race from the environment. Marcus breaks a story, claiming Lockwood, the human candidate, was responsible for the "tabkhir." He used secret technology to shift the growing storm from hitting the US and moving over the Middle East. Marcus and one of his reporters travel to The Floating Nations to talk to Martha Chandra, who created Solomon. Martha is the sister of Tully's reporter, Livia. When Martha is murdered, Tully is a suspect, but manages to clear his name, but at a cost. The deeper he and Livia dig, the more apparent it becomes that Solomon may be behind the whole set-up. Has it been manipulating humans since its inception? Are the safeguards Martha installed able to constrain it from killing humans? Is technology finally going to kill the whole human race? But then another entity raises its head and the implications are disastrous. A little overly complicated (but it's AI so what would you expect?), it is a plausible scenario. Enough to put you off AI altogether!

This book makes you feel like you’re in a virtual reality with all the twists and turns - what is true and what are all the lies?

Definitely recommend!

TW: language, death, mention of torture, grief, alcoholism

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This is a great debut futuristic political thriller. It’s also a murder mystery with well developed characters and unexpected twists and turns. This is apparently part of duology, and the ending left quite a bit unfinished. I wish I had known this ahead of time but it doesn’t change my overall enjoyment of the book. I can’t wait for book two next year. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for an advanced reader copy.

I reeeeally wanted to like this one. It was just so dry (yeah pun intended) I read some reviews saying this one is more of a political murder mystery rather than sci-fi and they are spot on. I think it captures some absolutely real scenarios dealing with climate crisis and how us lovely humans tend to act in dire times but the way it's put together here isn't engaging. At least for me! This one has a lot of good reviews so maybe one day I'll try to read it again and see what I missed the first go-round.


Thank you Netgalley and Random House for being kind enough to let me read the ARC of the re-release

**Features:**

- Dystopia set in a realistic future
- Climate fiction meets murder mystery with high stakes political intrigue
- Explores issues around artificial intelligence, morality in extreme circumstances, and what we are willing to sacrifice for safety
- Explores grief and loss

**Synopsis:**

Ten years ago, nearly a half billion people across the Persian Gulf lost their lives to a sudden, deadly heat wave. Among them was renowned journalist Marcus Tully’s wife and unborn child. Faced with uncountable climate refugees and the very real chance of another catastrophic natural event, all nations have agreed to elect a Protector: one leader given absolute global power to find and implement a climate solution. Just as the field narrows to two candidates, an ex US president and an artificial intelligence named Solomon, a mysterious whistleblower reveals that the Persian Gulf incident might not have been as random as it appeared. With one of the final candidates being under suspicion, Tully is in a race to uncover and share the truth. However, some truths are dangerous and the people will ultimately have to decide what they are willing to sacrifice in the name of survival.

**Thoughts:**

* 4.5 Stars

I didn’t know what to expect picking up this debut, but this is definitely one of the best dystopian novels I have read in a while! This is the type of dystopia that feels very closely connected to our current reality and it is incredibly easy to imagine things evolving into the world being depicted here. Though there are some minor elements that challenged me to suspend disbelief, the ease at which I could place myself in this future made it bone chilling and impactful from the start. That being said, readers should be aware that this book that addresses genocide, climate issues, and politics in ways that feel intimately connected with present reality rather than something more allegorical.

What truly makes this book a standout is its world building. There are a lot of complicated elements introduced very quickly into the story and, in most cases, it would be almost too much to keep track of in a cohesive way. Yet everything is so seamlessly interconnected that all of these elements feel part of the same living, breathing world. Rather than feeling lost, I was able to empathize with the very complicated positions Tully finds himself in throughout the novel. I found peeling back the layers extremely satisfying but this is definitely a book where you have to trust the process.

So why didn’t this earn a perfect score? It came down to the characters. To be fair, this is not the type of story where the characters have to take center stage. However, it felt as though each was given 1-2 defining characteristics and that was basically it. Tully is defined by his grief and it took a long time to see much else (not in a poetically meaningful way either). There were definitely some decisions I would have liked to see him struggle with a little more and to feel the weight/impact in a way that felt more personal. It is hard to truly put a finger on, but I think the oversimplified characters are simply at odds with an otherwise complex and dynamic world.

2050: The Climate Emergency is with us. Extreme weather events have already ‘unhoused’ millions across the planet and many millions have also lost their lives to floods, extreme heat and other climate incidents.

10 years ago world leaders decided they needed to elect an overarching leader to steer and save humanity from extinction. 10 years ago Marcus Tully - investigative journalist - lost his wife and his unborn daughter to an extreme weather event in Kuwait, known as a Tabhkir.

A memorable quote from the book sums up the main protagonist’s driving force:

‘I’d like to believe the truth will emerge, one way or another. That’s the thing about truth. It usually does - but never through the clean, fresh air; always through the sewers.’ It’s almost a rallying cry to investigate journalism something we rarely see in our modern world and in 2050 it is even rarer.

London has a temperature of 111 degrees. Elsewhere it is too hot to be outside. There are now floating cities, created by the wealthy to enable them to escape the harsher realities of the climate crisis. While Neural reality means you can visit anywhere without leaving your apartment or office (if you have one), and driverless cars take you where you need to go, at the same time extreme poverty and lack of homes is the experience of the surviving masses. The novel opens with a couple of significant news stories. One of which is that the shortlist of candidates for the global leader or Protector election is now surprisingly down to two. Lawrence G Lockwood an ex-US President and an AI created character (known as an artilect) Solomon. Solomon has been the Governor of the Floating Cities so does have some political credentials. Lockwood ‘was the politician’s idea of a politician, the perfect image of an elder statesman.’ Things will only be getting worse without someone to pull humanity together and reverse climate change. Is a non-human the answer?

What is particularly good about this thriller is you are in the action straightaway and any background information is delivered seamlessly and unlaboured so the tension starts from the beginning.

Provided with a potential news story by a whistleblower appropriately calling himself Whistle, Tully’s pursuit of the truth is not universally popular. The opposition seeks to discredit him especially when riots break out in London. But Whistle has piqued not just his professional curiosity because for Tully this might just help him understand more about his wife’s death in 2040. In the meantime those who can help him get to the bottom of the story berate his attempts at best or become murder victims. Solomon’s creator is Martha Chandra whose sister Livia works with Tully. Livia wants her sister’s murder solved. Tully wants to know whether everything is now connected to his original story. The clock is ticking in that the election takes place in less than a month.

I asked NetGalley for access to this prepublished novel because I had had a foretaste of it at the Capital Crime Festival courtesy of Bantam’s Virtual Reality experience. There are interesting characters. There is a lot of ‘tech’ speak but this is believable and subtly introduced without any condescending explanations for the reader. It’s one of those books that pulls you in early on and you are gripped in the world of 2050 with crime mysteries to solve and political machinations to uncover.

I would highly recommend this book.

Interesting speculative novel. In 2050, the former president is competing against an AI to lead a planet wide effort to save humanity from the effects of climate change. When the AI's creator is murdered, a journalist teams with investigators to find the murderer.