
Member Reviews

It is 2050, and the climate crisis has damaged much of the world. Difficult decisions need to be made for the world to survive. All countries agree that one person should be in charge of coordinating the world's efforts. Each country has nominated someone, and the finalists will be announced soon. Marcus Tully is a journalist living in London. After the death of his wife, he has been doggedly investigating the circumstances of her climate-related death. Tips are leading him to the creator of an entity called Solomon, the "artilect". Solomon is AI personified and currently governs a group of floating islands. Marcus Tully is drawn into conspiracy, murder, global politics, and abuse of technology.
This story is not a horror novel, but it is scary nonetheless. Society's use of AI is on the rise, and how will its use be controlled? While there is no way to predict the future, this book certainly covers one scenario. Many movies and books have been written about our future and the use of technology. Like the others, this is a cautionary tale. Mankind needs to use technology carefully with established limits. The author is imaginative, and his descriptions of life in 2050 are fascinating. Fans of technology fiction will enjoy this glimpse of the future.

This book was definitely not what I expected - both bigger and smaller in scope at different times, appropriately described in the blurbs but also completely different. The first part is great set-up, intriguing speculations about the direction technology and social media goes from where we are now. The middle third ended up being very conventional-murder-mystery, until it takes a hard left turn and screams into the final third of revelations and plot twists that left me reeling. Recent developments of AI have made me wary and the way it's used here hits a little close to home. Good writing, believable visions of the future, uncomfortable conclusions. 3.75 stars.

This is an imaginative view of 25 years into the future. Why didn’t more people listen when Al Gore was talking about climate change in 2006? Now the world was paying for the devastating impacts from unexpected floods, fires and hurricanes causing violence and riots on the streets.
The story started with disturbing news from 2040 when millions of people died in a Persian Gulf heat wave. Tully, an investigative journalist, was heartbroken to learn that his wife was part of this crushing tragedy. He needed answers and was motivated to find out who was responsible. It was nearly impossible to determine what was real versus fake reports manipulated by the government, media, authors, filmmakers and influencers.
The book started strong introducing interesting futuristic concepts. Yet, it was too long with many repetitive parts which slowed down the pace like trying to drive through rush-hour traffic. The story was filled with thought-bending ideas related to artificial intelligence. I learned a new word: artilectophobia (not yet in our dictionary): prejudice against AI.
The year 2050 is not far off and yes, I believe that climate change will have a strong impact in the coming years. However, the idea of AI being elected as a political world leader seems like a distant fantasy. Nevertheless, this book had some good points worth tossing around.
My thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book with an expected release date of August 12, 2025.

This is hands down the best novel I've had the privilege of reading from NetGalley, ever. I loved it so much; the twisty plot, the murder mystery, the fascinating technology of 2050, and the terrifying yet accurate depictions of what our planet may look like 25 years from now. Climate change is real, and yeah this book is fiction, but it's a bright red flag of warning to us if we don't change.

3 ⭐
Thank you Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC!
I think Artificial Wisdom a pretty solid book, it just wasn't really what I was expecting and didn't end up being for me. It felt a lot more mystery/thriller than sci-fi, although with a sci-fi background in a near future setting with more advanced technology. I was expecting more about AI and climate change, and while these are important to the plot and become more of a focus by the end, a lot of the middle of the book is about solving a murder with a lot of twists and turns throughout.
The setting and technology felt fairly well developed without being too tech focused. The characters fell a bit flat unfortunately.
One important thing to note which I didn't realize going in: it's not a standalone (at least my impression from the author's IG is that there is a book 2 coming), and there isn't much resolution at the end.

A techno thriller that will leave you reeling. Everytime I thought I had the plot figured out, we were pulled in a different direction. I really vibed with the way the story was written as well!

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. It is a bit long, but has enough action and intrigue to make it read like a shorter book. It has a lot of twists and turns so that you start to feel as if you can't trust anyone--human or AI. This book is written in the near future and I think it is good at mulling through a lot of possibilities of what can be twisted in technology and the news to get certain people or the public to be manipulated to seeing things a certain way. It is a scary book when you think about some of those possibilities. It's hard for me to say that I enjoyed this book as it deals with many current hard topics, but it is definitely a book to make you think.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

3,5 stars
I had really high hopes for Artificial Wisdom, especially because I've seen from many readers on social media that they like books similar to mine - and have consistently given this one 4 or 5 stars. The blurb also sounded right up my street: a dystopian future in the year 2025, with AI, a climate crisis and a presidential election in which a human competes against a super AI for world domination? Sounds wild and absolutely topical.
The start of the book was also promising. The world that Thomas Weaver paints here is depressingly realistic - almost frighteningly tangible. I liked the journalistic angle and the idea of a single person (our main character Marcus Tully) trying to find truth and justice in a crumbling system. I found the socio-critical themes particularly strong: technological dependency, political corruption, environmental disasters, grief, moral grey areas. The book is really thought-provoking.
However, I also had my problems. For my taste, the story tried to tell too much at once. There were so many subplots - from murder investigations and political intrigue to philosophical questions about humanity and machine ethics - that I sometimes felt like I was reading three different books in one. The transitions often didn't seem harmonious, some chapters were strung together almost arbitrarily. Unfortunately, this kept taking me out of the flow of reading.
Another thing I didn't quite like was the ending. I had hoped that the many unanswered questions would be brought together, but instead it felt rather rushed and incomplete - almost as if there had to be a second volume (which I honestly hope there will be). Because the potential is there, no question.
Despite all the criticism, I have to say: it was definitely not a waste of time. I got a lot out of it, even if it sometimes felt like work to pick up the book. For fans of dystopian sci-fi with political depth and a good dose of paranoia, Artificial Wisdom is definitely worth a try - just be prepared for a complex, sometimes overloaded reading experience. And its a debut! Don't forget that ;)

This book was awesome! More info to come once I have a minute to sit down and reflect. Intriguing premise that mixed sci fi/technological thriller with a murder mystery and also a political statement on climate change. I had a hard time putting it down!

Tulley is an online journalist who has a reputation for only publishing the truth. In the future, climate change has become such a grave concern that an worldwide election is being held to find someone to lead and oversee the changes necessary to save Earth. Due to his personal and professional connections, Tulley and his staff become wrapped up in, not just the election, but the intrigue and suspense surrounding those most closely involved.
Artificial Wisdom is a well-written novel with intriguing characters and a gripping plot. I highly recommend this novel.
My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy and the opportunity to preview this wonderful book.

This reads like a Netflix series, in a good way. Set in the frighteningly near future, it's a murder mystery with twists and turns, until the final twist with left me scratching my head. After looking online for an explanation, I find that there will be a sequel. I don't love a cliffhanger ending, but overall I found the novel engaging.

Sci-fi is not my favorite genre and the setting of a post apocalyptic world just didn't help the subject matter. Marcus Tully is a journalist who believes in reporting the truth no matter the personal cost. Political campaigns between an AI created persona and a human leader cause tensions to run high and when the creator of the AI persona is murdered, things only continue to grow chaotic and no one trusts anyone. Add in technology that divides the haves and have nots plus radically different living conditions and you have a world in chaos. But who is manipulating who? Is it one political power or is it another with a hidden agenda. The plot was convoluted and hard to follow. The ending of the book did not help, the characters made it to the "safe space" and done.

Artificial Wisdom is a Sci-fi suspense novel set in the near-future (about 2050). You quickly found out that the planet and its inhabitants haven't fared well in the last 25 years as climate change has continued and worsened. Income disparity had increased. VR is common and is where people often meet if they can afford it. Traditional news outlets are a thing of the past, but those who are online must have verifiable identities. The world has decided that it must have one leader, one guiding hand, to affect change in human behavior and (hopefully) fix the mess that has been made.
Our widow into this world is Marcus Tully, a modern journalist who is known for his respectability and tenacity. He is not perfect… one might think of him as broken, but trying to be the best he can be. He becomes involved in the election news because of a mysterious whistle-blower who gives him information about a confidant of one of the candidates for world ruler. This spirals into a mystery involving a sentient AI (the other candidate for world leader) that takes Tully from London to a floating city of the rich and beyond.
I had not read any books by Thomas Weaver previously, and honestly think this might be his first. The premise sounded interesting and it was suggested to me by NetGalley. Weaver does a good job writing characters who are multidimensional and believable. You can understand their point of view and they are consistent. His world-building is almost as good, with the locations and setting being believable, but leaving a lot of the background for you to imagine yourself.
Overall, I think the book well written if a bit unevenly paced. I felt that at times I had no handle on how much time had passed as sometimes the interval between chapters would be seconds and other times weeks you didn't immediately realize had passed.
All that being said, it was only about a 3.5 for me. I don't at all regret reading it, and I would likely read a sequel. One issue I have though is that I EXPECT a sequel. That is because, as the book reached its climax and it seemed that most of the loose ends would be tied-up (although I will admit that I didn't expect all of them to be), there were several new twists and the book ended with the pieces set for a book 2. Now don't get me wrong, I love a good multi-book series… IF I know that is what I am getting into. I didn't and my feelings about the book are worse because of that.
I would recommend the book to those who like realistic fiction, contemporary sci-fi, and books where the future of AI are explored.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read a pre-re-release copy of this book.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley
Oh my goodness. This book was amazing. Realistic. Scary. And somehow somewhat hopeful maybe. I’m so glad I picked this up and felt for the characters right away. Can’t wait to follow along with the story and find out what happens later!

As a big AI skeptic, for no reason other than because that is how I think, this book was very scary for me. It paints a very bleak future for the human race. That all being said, I actually really enjoyed the story. I thought the storyline was enjoyable, and the characters were pretty well thought out. It wasn't the greatest book I've ever read, and there were several times where I was a little overwhelmed with everything going on, but something that I would recommend to others.
Thanks to NetGalley, Thomas Weaver, and Del Ray for providing me an advanced reading copy.

Artificial Wisdom sets up a fascinating and timely premise—an AI named Solomon, developed by visionary scientist Martha Chandra, is now Governor of the ultra-wealthy Floating Islands and is one of two final candidates in a global election to lead humanity through the climate apocalypse. The other? A former U.S. president. It’s 2050, the world is literally burning and drowning, and humanity is desperate for someone—or something—to save it.
Enter Marcus Tully, a journalist still grieving the loss of his family to a brutal heatwave, who’s pulled into a murder investigation when Solomon’s creator turns up dead. What follows is a twisty, high-stakes political thriller full of questions: What’s real? What’s manipulated? Can an AI be trusted with humanity’s future—or is it already pulling the strings?
There are some great ideas here about climate collapse, political desperation, and the influence of artificial intelligence, and I appreciated the ambition of the worldbuilding. That said, the plot got a bit messy for me. The pacing felt uneven, and while the conspiracy at the heart of the story is intriguing, the way it unraveled left me feeling more confused than satisfied—especially toward the end.
I'm assuming it's setting up for a sequel, which explains the lack of resolution, but I was hoping for a bit more clarity or payoff in this first installment. Still, there’s enough here that I’d consider picking up the next book to see where it all goes.

Not really into sci-fi but to be honest I really enjoyed this book for the simple reason that it was a what if book. So many different scenarios that could go in different way. This book is a a gem.

Fascinating and eerie, this sci-fi thriller imagines a chilling future shaped by AI ethics. The premise is timely, and Weaver keeps the tension high. A few plot threads could have been tighter, but the questions it raises stuck with me.

Artificial Wisdom is probably the best techno-thriller I’ve ever read and easily goes toe to toe with other heavy hitters in the genre.
The story goes from zero to 100 from page one all the way to the end, with so many twists and turns that your head will be spinning out in the best way possible. And there are no lulls in this book, it will continue to keep you hooked the whole way through.
We follow, Marcus Tully, a top journalist in the year 2050, where climate change has wreaked havoc on our planet. An anonymous source only going by the name Whistle contacts him to uncover political scandals that may involve the death of Marcus’ wife.
Parallel to this plot, we also have a world in crisis. The citizens of Earth have destroyed the climate so much that they have now taken the drastic decision to elect a Dictator to help them fix/slow the progress, to safeguard the future of Earth.
But surprisingly, an AI program named Solomon has reached the final in the race for Dictatorship against ex-US President Lockwood.
When Marcus’ political story takes an unexpected turn he seeks the help of Martha Chandra, the creator of the AI Solomon, and other ground-breaking tech being used worldwide.
I think to say anything more here would absolutely be a spoiler as this whole book is so full of scheming, tech, intrigue, mystery, and heart-pounding moments.
To top all that off, Thomas R. Weaver is a great writer, created memorable characters, and managed to integrate all the tech in the book so that it is easily understood by us general society plebs who are not tech and AI literate.
If you are in a reading slump, I guarantee Artificial Wisdom will get you out of it. So clever, so unique, and just completely unexpected.
Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.