This was so incredible in many different ways. First of all this futuristic dystopian does not feel all that far off with it being set in 2050 and the fact that events of today are certainly leading us to a climate disaster as seen in this world. Secondly the characters are phenomenal - from Tully, the intrepid reporter that is dealing with the grief of losing his wife and unborn child in a catastrophic climate disaster, to Solomon, the AI politician who may be scheming to do whatever it takes to become the world’s Protector.

“Everyone needed someone to blame.”

To top all of this off, the story handles themes such as alcoholism, grief, and homelessness with expert precision, while also seeing our characters through the paranoia of a surveillance state and wondering how much the AI can see and learn about them.

“You can’t convince those who don’t want to be convinced. They’ll see what they want to see, hear what they want to hear, and studiously avoid anything that challenges their ‘truth.’”

There are so many layers to this story and you’ll find that the election between AI and human and just so much more complicated than just that. And you’ll learn to not trust what you see and learn. This ends in such a way that the story wraps up nicely and yet feels like the story of Marcus Tully may not yet be done. I hope that is the case, because he is a fascinatingly complicated character and I would love to read more about him and this climate-change ravaged world.

The story paces so nicely that it is hard to put down. I was reading this late at night and didn’t want to go to sleep. You don’t want to miss this one. It’s unlike anything else I’ve read.

Steven Pacey was the perfect voice for this story as he was able to create distinctive voices for all of the characters, making the audiobook so much better. I easily got lost in this story while listening to the audiobook at 2x speed and found myself blown away by how easy it was to be entrenched in the story.

Thank you to @delreybooks for the ARC and @prhaudio for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.

Artificial Wisdom takes place in the not too distant future. The year is 2050 and the world is being ravaged by climate change. Nations have decided to elect a Global Protector, essentially a dictator, to make the tough decisions to ensure humanity's survival. The final two candidates are a former U.S president and an AI Artilect named Solomon. In the midst of this election season, journalist Marcus Tully is investigating evidence from a whistleblower claiming the climate crisis that killed his wife was caused by weather manipulation tech. As he investigates, a murder occurs and he is thrown into figuring out the culprit.

The world Thomas Weaver has built feels deeply plausible. The technology he describes either already exists or is in development right now, making the world building feel incredibly grounded and realistic. The themes explored here regarding climate change, artificial intelligence, propaganda, and bias feel so relatable to our current political climate and left me thinking long after I finished reading.

The plot is consistently paced and the twists had me guessing until the last chapter. I kept thinking I knew what was going to happen, but I was ultimately surprised! For the entire second half of the novel, I couldn't put it down!

This is Thomas Weaver's debut novel, and I can't wait to read further books by him. I need a sequel for this ASAP, and a movie adaptation stat! This sci-fi techno-thriller is perfect for fans of Blake Crouch and Andy Weir. Would highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing an e-arc for me in exchange for an honest review.

Thomas R. Weaver's Artificial Wisdom is a compelling addition to the science fiction and doomsday fantasy genres. The book masterfully balances intricate futuristic concepts with an accessible, easy-to-read narrative style, making it an enjoyable experience for both avid sci-fi readers and newcomers alike.

The story delves into the ethical and existential dilemmas posed by advanced artificial intelligence, all set against the backdrop of an impending global catastrophe. Weaver's world-building is immersive, painting vivid scenes that pull you right into the heart of humanity's struggle for survival. The characters are well-developed, adding depth and emotional resonance to the high-stakes plot.

One of the book's standout qualities is its pacing—swift yet thoughtful, keeping readers engaged without feeling overwhelmed by technical jargon.

Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver is a compelling dystopian sci-fi thriller.
Honestly this was sort of terrifying. Because this could happen.
And these are the types of stories I absolutely love to devour.
The plot was amazing, brilliant, enthralling and gripping from beginning to end — there was never a moment where I felt bored or disinterested, I was completely immersed.

Thank You NetGalley and Del Rey for Young Readers for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

A fast paced sci-fi thriller with a heavy dose of mystery mixed in. Set in a future with climate disaster on the horizon with the world poised to be taken over by AI. A very thoughtful take on a possible future for a planet rife with humanitarian and climate issues. A fascinating read.

This book had me thinking about it long after I finished it. With AI so pervasive right now, this brings up many questions. Beyond that, it’s also an interesting murder mystery that keeps you guessing throughout. Set in the near future where changing weather patterns have made parts of the world uninhabitable but there are cities floating through the ocean, there is a dichotomy of rich/poor. Then there is the reliance on technology/AI with the question of how much are humans willing to give up to maybe save themselves. I really hope there is a sequel to this.

Really loved the Dystopian Thriller Genre. Although at times it was difficult to understand some parts of the story, it was amazing by the end of the book. I hope there is a next book on the way

This is a good science fiction novel set in a dystopian near-future world. It pits AI against humans and throws in a good murder mystery for good measure.

Marcus Tully, an investigative journalist, is given the story of his life: The two candidates vying for world leader of a climate-endangered Earth are an Artificial intelligence named Solomon and former US President Lockwood. Tully may have dirt on Lockwood that could sway the election, but when Solomon's creator is murdered, Tully suspects a broader conspiracy. As Tully begins investigating both the murder and possible corruption, he faces moral and ethical dilemmas in his quest for the truth, as well as a threat to his life.

Numerous subplots made the story hard to follow at times, but for the most part, this is a well-paced, engaging novel. I enjoyed Tully's quest for the truth and the hurdles he faced obtaining it. I especially liked pitting an AI against a human to see who is best at navigating the ecological quagmire that is Earth. I found the ending rather abrupt, but it laid the groundwork for a possible series, which I look forward to. 4/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Del Ray, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book gave me chills mainly because it seems very very believable for our future on this planet, especially with global warming and AI.
I wish I liked the characters more but I think that was part of the story. I really wish we’d had more of Solomon, as that’s kind of what I was expecting from the synopsis.
The ending was perfectly confusing and I am gagging to read book 2.

Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver is a terrifying near future prediction that I could absolutely see coming true.
Marcus Tully prides himself on telling the truth, he is a journalist after all. And when he gets a tip from an anonymous source that the weather event that killed his dear life was somewhat manufactured he makes it his mission to figure out what really happened. His search takes him to the floating city of New Carthage, one of the only climate safe havens left in the world, even if it is so artificial it even has an AI governor.

This book makes Weaver seem prescient, as the technologies he’s created seem like they can happen at any point in our near future. The problems he’s come up with are ones we need to be thinking about today, in order to safeguard ourselves from potentially dangerous tech.

The character are well crafted, with the grief of Tully making him so human, especially in comparison with the AI governor. I also really enjoyed Commander October, whose dogged detective skills were put to the test throughout the novel.

The plot was super interesting because not only was it a journalist’s hunt to find the truth, but a murder mystery as well! And all bundled into a crazy sci fi world. I was a little confused at the end because it seemed like it was set up for a second book, but I’m not sure this is a series? There were some loose ends that I’m still wondering about. I just think the end felt a little lackluster for the story to actually stop where it did. So 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars for me!

Ai is running the world, a world torn by divisions and the results of the abuse it has taken over the years, Marcus Tully, an intrepid journalist is out to unravel the secret behind who is really in charge in this topical dystopian novel that, readers should know, leans in on technology. It's very plot driven but Weaver has taken care to craft characters you can care about, root for or hoot at. Hard to explain but interesting to read. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A page turner.

A phenomenal and terrifying picture into a possible future. Weaver crafts an incredible narrative, along with fun and believable characters, with a final 20% that is just twist upon gut wrenching twist. It doesn’t do much hand-holding, but the book is all the better for it.

Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R Weaver

🌟🌟🌟🌟⚡️4.5/5

Pub Date 4th September 2025

Come join me in 2050 at the elections for a new Global leader...

Was it what you expected? No

...I was expecting this book to be a whole new experience! I anticipated a futuristic, interactive, political, unique story. It began with a dystopian feel, but then turned into more of a futuristic whodunit, which I rather loved. The whole "Vote for" element very much took a back seat for the main part of the book which I wasn't expecting.

Did you enjoy it? Absolutely!

...I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I'd say it was more plot than character-driven as I wasn't especially drawn to any characters, but I was fascinated by the technological world-building aspect.
The story is very heavily technologically immersive and futuristically orientated!! I almost felt like I needed my own VR headset to be part of the whole experience!!

Was it confusing? Occasionally

...Towards the end of the book, the story took so many twists and turns I struggled to keep up with who was where and with what and who and when, and I couldn't imagine how the story could get wrapped up with only a handful of pages left, but then I spotted there is a sequel "Infine Wisdom" coming out in September 2026 so I'm hoping for a more satisfying conclusion at its end.

On reflection, I can appreciate just how much thought, time and talent have gone into creating this futuristic version of our world. ...

After finishing the story (to quote 90s Lloyd Grossman..).. I deliberated, cogitated and digested what I'd just read and the thought I was left with was, no matter how much so-called persons of power continue to regress or improve the triggers of hostilities in the World will always stay the same....

WOW. Just... WOW. This is the perfect sci-fi + mystery thriller, so I highly recommend it. I had already heard good things about it and it lived up, plus exceed, my expectations.

Not only are the themes rich and engaging, touching on things like climate change, technology, AI, propaganda, manipulation, the fate of humanity, etc., but also, the characters are all fleshed out and they feel like real people, the worldbuilding is cool, and the plot is very well constructed.

The twists and turns are great, and while I had an inkling about who was behind all of this about 40% in, the reveal was and everything that followed still blew my mind. This book kept me hooked, and I would've finished it sooner had I had the time to sit with it for hours on end because it's the kind of book that you just don't want to stop reading.

The only thing that bothered me, and that's just me being nitpicky, is how many times I had to read the phrase "that's the thing about truth." It was annoying as fuck lol, but that's not a deal-breaker at all.

Obsessed. Good luck getting this story out of your head, because it is that good.

I read this initially in its indie debut, and was lucky enough to read it again as an early reader. Let me tell you, it’s even better the second time around.

This world, the tech, the issues, they all seem so tangible. They honestly feel like something that could and might very well happen in our not so distant future.

As someone who loves sci fi, this being a murder mystery thriller on top of sci fi only elevates the twists and turns that no one sees coming. If you solve the case, bravo because I sure didn’t and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

So excited for this to be out in the world! Thank you for the early copy, Del Ray!

Artificial Wisdom surprised me in the best way. Set in a not-so-distant future where AI governs everything from crime prevention to climate control, the novel balances sharp sci-fi worldbuilding with a gripping murder mystery at its core.

Detective Ashira Cohen is a standout—complex, driven, and refreshingly skeptical of the all-knowing AI system running society. The pace never lags, and the twists keep coming without feeling cheap. Weaver does a great job exploring ethical gray areas: What happens when machines make decisions "for the greater good"? Is a perfectly optimized world worth the cost of personal freedom?

Some of the dialogue felt a bit heavy-handed at times, and a few character motivations could’ve used more depth, but overall, this was a thoughtful, thrilling read.

Debut dystopian thriller sucker punch

Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R Weaver is a tense near future thriller set in a world reeling from climate disaster. It follows Marcus, a journalist haunted by loss, who uncovers a conspiracy linked to a deadly heatwave. At the same time, Solomon, the world’s first AI politician, is battling for global power while hiding dangerous secrets. This story grips you whilst it explores control, truth and what we risk in the name of progress for a ‘better’ world.

“The rest of the world had munched popcorn while the country became irretrievably polarized.”

This book was fast paced, and had you caught in what our future could look like, one that involves a future society shaped by environmental collapse, authoritarian politics, and heavy reliance on AI. All sadly, believable.

“Do you really think you can save us? Humanity, I mean? Did we leave it too late?

I don’t feel like the ending, ended the story? Like is there going to be a sequel on our hands here??

This was an insane debut novel, honestly when the release date hits you have to get your hands on this!! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Weaver for letting me read the ARC of this ahead of release!

I went in blind, expecting some sort of dystopian setting as a take on artificial intelligence, so imagine my surprise when, at about 30%, I thought, "This is good, but I'm weirdly in the mood for some murder mystery," and someone gets killed in the book!

It felt like the book shifted to accommodate my own needs, when in fact it created the needs in me without me realising. It’s oddly appropriate for the topic if you think about it...

This said, I really loved it, but it’s weird to me that news of a second book seems so scarce and unconfirmed (I found only a couple of sources saying “Infinite Wisdom” is gonna be a thing in 2026), as the story feels like it’s at its exact mid point at the end of this one.

5 Things I loved about this book
1 The murder mystery
2 The constant twists and turns
3 How I should have expected some of the twists, but didn’t so it was never boring
4 The technology that was imagined
5 I think it made the artilect concept quite believable, compared to most books

This was a super thrilling ride! Set in a not so distant future where an AI is running as a political candidate in a world dramatically altered by climate change, this story was fast-paced with a ton of twists and turns I didn’t see coming. I found it to be a very thought-provoking and relevant read.

A thought-provoking, sci-fi / dystopian page turner set in 2050. It follows Marcus Tully, an investigative reporter seeking answers to a personal tragedy that occurred 10 years ago during a "natural" disaster event. This novel explores what would happen if our global warming crisis continued to escalate and artificial intelligence technology continued advancing in sophistication and maturity. Super twisty plot that involves two murders. I geeked out over the technology - i.e., what if instead of meeting via video calls, we could all put on headsets and meet each other in neural reality environments. Politics. Intrigue. Strategy. Mystery. Technology. Murder. This, to me, is the '1984 by George Orwell' of our time. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to review an ARC. All opinions are my own.