💻 All That We See Or Seem 💻 @kenliu.author ⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫

“He did not want to consume her, to possess her, to merge with her. He would love her steadily, dependably, see her off as she explored the stormy seas of the collective unconscious, and wait patiently for her return. He would be her Ithaca.”

This is an arc review and this book releases October 9th.

All That We See or Seem is the first book in a near-future, technology, sci fi thriller series centered around Julia Z, a former child prodigy known as the “orphan hacker,” now living in quiet obscurity in Boston. Her peaceful life is upended when Piers, a desperate lawyer, seeks her help to rescue his missing wife Elli, a renowned dream artist who crafts immersive, shared dream experiences for live audiences.

I was screeching and cheering when I got an arc copy of this book as The Dandelion Dynasty is one of my must read series and I adore Ken Liu’s writing so was excited to see him tackle a new genre. This novel explored themes of AI, collective memory, identity and childhood trauma and is unlike anything I have read and proves that Ken Liu is a master at world building. I found this such an interesting concept around the exploration of AI and bot generated engagement, especially given the times we are living in and the advancements in technology we see all the time. I loved Julia - she is talented, resourceful and resilient despite the traumas of her past and I found, as well as being engrossed in the other POVs and timelines like seeing things from the perspective of The Prince. I will say it took me a minute to settle into this book and get into all the tech jargon which threw me at first but this isn’t a genre I read regularly so I feel that was probably why - I’m not sure why I can be totally on board with a man shifting into an owl but a dream artist is a bit abstract and far fetched for me - this definitely isn’t my usual read but overall really enjoyed this and felt it picked up in the second half pacing wise.

I read the Dandelion Dynasty series by Ken Liu in 2025 and it is currently my favourite series of all time. So I was super excited starting this.

I’ll be honest I struggled with the first 15% because there was a lot of technical jargon that went over my head. However, everything started to fall into place after that. To the point that I ended up loving how Ken explained in detail how AI was used to solve this mystery throughout the story. If you read the dandelion dynasty series and enjoyed how Ken Liu goes into depth of explaining the technology he creates in this worlds. I think you would like this one for that reason.

This book scratched an itch I didn’t even know I had. It was a page turner, I couldn’t help trying to figure out what was going to happen next. As usual, Ken Liu’s writing was amazing and thought provoking. Julia’s backstory made her a very compelling character to read. Can’t wait to see what next Ken is going to write in this series. Ken Liu is currently 5 for 5 for me!

Rating - 4.75 stars (rounded to 5)

This is a futuristic, sci-fi novel that feels far too close to home for comfort. With seemingly everything turning to AI, it doesn't feel that far off to becoming reality.

I used to work in cybersecurity, and whilst I didn't understand all of it (I was an editor so didn't necessarily need to know the ins and outs of it), I did pick up on some terminology which I found in this book .Those who have absolutely no background in it, a lot of the story might go over their head, and I'm not sure they're get as much out of it. Even with my limited understanding there were still bits I struggled with. Having said that, it didn't affect my enjoyment of it overall.

I've not read any of Ken's books before so I can't comment on how he's transitioned into a new genre, but overall I liked it, but it did have some flaws.

The plot was so layered, such depth, the amount of research is commendable. It's a frightening plot because it feels so tangible and real. It was fast-pace but never felt too rushed and I just zoomed through it because I was so hooked.

Where it does struggle is with the characters. I always say I prefer characters over plot, but for this book it's definitely the opposite. Whereas the plot felt so accomplished, the characters felt a bit flat. They didn't have much heart to them. It was definitely a case of 95% plot and 5% characters. Having said that, they definitely improved as the book went on and so by the end I'd definitely say it had balanced out a bit more.

Considering how involved and complicated the plot was, I was surprised how quickly I read it - in a matter of hours.

This is book one I believe in a series and whilst I didn't think it would be my thing, I did enjoy it and I will definitely be looking out for the next one.

Overall, a completely new read for me but I was pleasantly surprised. It's original, so well researched, so layered and impressive. Some sections are complex and are not seamless, and the characters weren't standout. But I will look out for his previous books - which I believe are fantasy books - just to see a different side of his writing style.

What a book! It took a little while for me to immerse myself in the story which is set in the near future: the day to day lives of the population are immersed in, and directed by AI. There is practically nothing that doesn't depend on it. Julia, known as Julia Z has had a complex background. Brought up by a mother who cared little for her, she is super intelligent and has in the past worked with subversive groups raising protests and with her unmatched technical computing skills causing trouble for the establishment - but after an irreparable rift with the group leader she now works in her own, perfecting her technical skills and creating new ways to work with AI. She is contacted by the husband of a missing dream weaver; Ellie uses AI to enhance and share dreams in groups. The ensuing search for the missing Ellie takes Julia to places and people that have reached the most awful depths of depravity and evil.

Thank you to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the e-ARC.

This is my second Ken Liu book - I’ve only read The Grace of Kings so far - and I will say this is very different from his Dandelion Dynasty series. That’s a positive for me as I like it when authors write in multiple genres but it might not be for everyone.

In this scifi thriller we are following Julia, a Chinese-American woman who has been on the run since 14 after running away from home after her mother’s death. Our other main character is Piers whose wife Elli has disappeared, and after being contacted by the Prince demanding information for Elli’s release, he enlists Julia’s help to find his wife or to find the specific information needed.

My favourite aspect of this book is the social commentary particularly on immigration and the narratives others will spin based on their own prejudice. This also includes conversation around how that will make victims of this view themselves, and the wider context of how adults and children can interpret this experience. In the current climate, especially in America, this feels very prevalent.

However, this book didn’t fully work for me - I feel like it was trying to do too many things and therefore none of them were really successful. The structure felt quite disjointed, especially when the most interesting part of the book concluded at two thirds through. I didn’t particularly like the chapters from Victor and the Prince’s POV either, I found them less interesting than Julia’s chapters.

I’m not sure whether I’ll continue on with the series, time will tell. You probably could read this as a standalone though.

All That We See or Seem is a delicious action-paced speculative sci-fi thriller that indulges us in a near future where ironically, endless possibilities exist due to the power of AI but is also capitalised as a surveillance tool. Once dubbed the genius hacker, Julia Z now lives a low-key life in surburban Boston until the innocuous disappearance of a woman spurs her into a deep web of conspiracies and the criminal underworld she is desperate is to leave behind. It's capitalism on speed!

It's peppered with tech jargon but if you look past that, the non-stop pace kept me on my seat - Julia is thrown into perilous situations but defuses each situation with enough grace and is almost believable. I enjoyed reading about her journey of healing, where in a world of high technology, trauma refuses to leave despite human insistence of faux perfection.

Humankind's relationship with technology is also nicely highlighted here - from the over-dependent groupthink on AI and the doubters, they play different roles in Ken Liu's society, but still they grapple with the same challenges that history throw our way: state propaganda, political imbalances and the decline of human empathy. I wonder if it's not a subtle (or overt) retelling of Faust here...

A real twisty and fun book to read!

I was quite excited to read this book. From the description it seemed like it would be perfect for me. I love coding and new tech and thrillers are usually a decent choice for me. However something about this book just didn't white work. It seemed like it was trying a bit too hard. The tech jargon was over the top, saying 'universal resource locator' instead of url is just something nobody does. The character' choices didn't seem to make much sense to me and so i wasn't really invested in their stories. It also seemed like it was two separate books pushed together. The first and second half could each stand on their own as a complete story.
It was a half decent thriller underneath it all but perhaps ask the AI content was not intended for a reader with knowledge of the field, because to me it just dragged on a bit.

I really tried with this book. I managed to get to 84% but was not enjoying it at all.
I got it as an ARC from NetGalley, I’d not read any of the authors previous books and think maybe I should’ve looked into them first.
I enjoy fantasy and sci fi but this was too much AI and the lengthy descriptions of how things work made the book, for me, too wordy and complicated.
This hadn’t put me off the author and maybe I will try another of their books.
Maybe this is more my fault for not knowing enough about AI and all that it does or possibly could do.

Ken Liu’s All That We See or Seem is a really cool mix of sci-fi and thriller, and it dives deep into themes like identity, consciousness, and what it actually means to be human. It’s set in a near future where AI and tech are everywhere, and it really makes you think: if our memories, choices, and even how we see the world can be altered, what’s left of us?

The world-building is super detailed and, honestly, kind of creepy in a good way. The pacing is a bit uneven, most of the book is fast-paced, but some parts slow down quite a bit.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I can't wait to explore more of Liu's work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting premise very in keeping with the world we now live but I honestly just found this one to be ok.

I expected quite a lot having heard great things about Ken Liu, and whilst it's a clever, highly techy read it missed the Mark for me..

The story starts out very slowly as we are introduced to the characters and their stories but this does pick up.

It almost feels like 2 books in one. A unique tale that read by the right audience will prove very popular and there is enough here to read,more by the author.

While the start of the story took an interesting turn, it kind of lost its way half the way through. I did not really care about the characters and I found the story to be overly descriptive and slow. I did appreciate the effort to place technology at the heart of the story and to somehow portray a world where AI is present in every day life but even then all the references to hacking systems and the use of technology to find information become tedious and repetitive. I am still not quite sure what type of book this is. It is trying to be a thriller but also a futuristic novel with a dash of spy novel in the mix. In the end it does not deliver on its earlier promise.

This book is ridiculously zeitgeisty. It's all brain-rotting AI, social-media meltdowns, mixed with some cracking technobabble.

"She thinks about erasing more: all the practice session recordings; her own encrypted cephaloscripts; the dream-guide neuromesh of her personal AI; the interviews, fan messages, reviews—food for her vanity, training data for her egolets."

Fab! But, for all that, it's pretty realistic. Sure, it's set five-minutes into the future, but all the tech is plausible and all the hacks somewhere in the ballpark of reality. It is much better than The Ministry for the Future simply because all the technowizardry passes the smell test.

The plot is, charitably, basic. A woman has been kidnapped and her husband (who is a suspect) enlists a Private Eye hacker to solve the mystery. But you're not reading to discover whodunnit; you're there to revel in the pitch-perfect future-gazing and cower before the (hopefully not too accurate) predictions around how technology will be subverted to protect the powerful while leaving everyone else helpless.

The neologisms are off the chart - "Darcybots" to help you date, a "Fiscjinn" to interrogate your finances, and an "Oneirofex" to… well, I'll let you discover that! You'll need to have a good grasp of what's going on with modern technology in order to get more than half the references. I've no idea if the book will be intelligible half-a-decade from now. Perhaps we'll have our self-hosted AIs translate it for us?

At times, it feels less like a book and more like a series of parables woven into one story. The ending feels a little rushed - but it fits in with the fast-paced nature of the plot. A great slab of sci-fi to chew on.

The book is released in October 2025 - and will probably remain relevant for at least half-a-dozen weeks.

Ken Liu’s All That We See or Seem sounded exactly like something I’d love: AI everywhere, hackers, dreamscapes, surveillance, blurred lines between human and machine. The premise is honestly brilliant, and I loved how close it all feels to our reality. It even reminded me a little of those old sci-fi movies where robots take over the world and humanity is at stake.

But here’s the problem: a great premise can only carry a book so far, and for me, that wasn’t enough. The writing felt… flat? Cold? I kept wishing for something more immersive, but instead it came across as rushed and kind of superficial. Maybe it was intentional, to match the robotic-AI themes, but it didn’t work for me. I never felt emotionally connected with it.

The characters didn’t help either. Julia, our hacker protagonist, is interesting on paper, but in practice she felt more like a device to move the story along than a real person. We’re told a lot about her, but I never really felt it. And the side characters were even more bland. The villains are cartoonish, and I never got a sense of depth from anyone.

Then there’s the pacing, which for me was another issue. Parts are fast and exciting, but then there are abrupt shifts that made the story feel disjointed. A couple of times I actually thought, “wait, did I miss a page?” It had that weird effect of being both rushed and dragging at the same time.

Overall, this was a pretty meh read. The tech and AI commentary was definitely the most interesting part, and that’s that.

As a mostly thriller reader, I absolutely ADORED THIS BOOK. I found the writing style clear and easy to read and the content of the book itself incredibly engaging. I couldn’t put it down. When every chapter ended, I felt like I wanted to read more.

Once this book is officially published, I will be recommending it to everybody I know who reads. Thank you so much for this opportunity netgalley.

Thanks Netgalley and Ken Liu for this read.
A hacker and a lawyer unite to find the lawyer's wife, who seems to be hiding a big secret related with the use of Ai and dreams.
First of all I'm An Ai hater, so refreshing to see someone talking about the bad use specifically when it harms the less protected people, the kids, girls more specifically. Julia backstory is so sad.
It shows that in a maybe near future Ai will not only not help the gaps in our society but will widen them.
Shows different type of human connections with Ai some more pure than others.
As an artist myself I loved seeing Elli shiting on Ai. Tell them girl.

I really enjoyed this speculative thriller set in a world that relies on AI and constant surveillance and where nothing is ever truly private. What initially seems like a simple missing person’s case turns into a massive conspiracy plot involving some incredibly powerful and dangerous adversaries, and there are so many twists and the characters always seem to be two steps ahead of each other that it’s impossible to predict where the story is headed.

I really liked the protagonist - Julia, a former criminal hacker who is determined to escape her past but who also wants to use her skills to help those in need. I liked that she is very smart without being completely perfect all the time. I also thought that the villains were suitably formidable, and we get the odd chapter from their POV which shows how they truly believe that what they are doing isn’t wrong - the mark of any good villain.

I do think that sometimes the prose gets very technical and sciencey to the point where it’s difficult to keep up and the pacing starts to drag, and there are also sections in the second half that need editing to maintain the quality of writing in the rest of the book, but overall this was a twisty and well-crafted mystery and a great series opener.

Ken Liu’s All That We See or Seem is a fast-paced, near-future thriller that blends speculative science fiction with a high-stakes mystery. The novel follows Julia Z, once notorious as a teenage hacker, who is pulled back into danger when a renowned dream artist is kidnapped. Liu imagines a world of immersive dream technology and AI-driven creativity, raising questions about art, memory, and identity in an age of constant surveillance.

I found the premise both gripping and thought-provoking, especially in how it explores the impact of technology on selfhood and human connection. The story moves quickly, with plenty of tension and clever ideas, though at times the characters felt a little flat and the resolution came together more neatly than expected. Still, the book succeeds in sparking reflection on our relationship with technology while delivering an exciting, cinematic read.

Overall, it’s an engaging start to the Julia Z series, especially for readers who enjoy speculative fiction with a thriller edge.

I really enjoyed this!

Julia had a difficult childhood, which included living on the streets and learning to be a hacker. Now, she's making ends meet by doing pretty basic work; it's not fulfilling but it brings in some money. Her life is thrown into turmoil when Piers turns up: he's a stranger, looking for someone who can help him find his wife Elli. She's a oneirofex - someone who leads others in vivid dreams - and she's gone missing. It's a case of pulling on a thread and the entire garment unravelling, as Piers and Julia discover unexpected things in Elli's past that have very real consequences right now.

And then the story goes in a direction I really didn't expect. The swerve made me quite disoriented, but eventually I could see what Liu was doing, and overall I think it works.

This is a near-future novel, and the key aspect is that it's very clear that Ken Liu has given enormous thought to the question of "AI": what "artificial intelligence" actually means, how it might be used in future in large and and small ways, and particularly what the consequences might be. Liu is no "it's all Skynet" doomsayer, but he's also no "this is the answer to everything" evangelist. Julia, in particular, uses AIs in useful and creative ways. But at the same time, there is no doubt that the ubiquity of AI in this world has had some dreadful consequences: for artists, for privacy, for security, for what I would think of as ordinary life. This is a challenging novel in the best possible way: with an engaging narrative and characters that matter, Liu makes you think about things that are happening right now.

this book made me think and feel so much more than i thought it would. im not so sure that is a good thing lol.. but it sure did.
the world Ken puts in front of us and immerses us into is incredible. and kind of haunting.
its a book that gave me chills as the whole Ai thing does to me every single day. i know where i stand on it. and i know this book brought all those feelings and more like fears to even more stark imaging. its to me like reading a book about the end of the world. it bought me all those doom feelings. but i don't mean this against the book! for this author to do this to me and encompass, put all those things to paper, in this story its remarkable. i only wish it felt so much look a story and not somehow like our reality.
through it all we get so much heart, and yearning for connections too. even through it all.
there is power, control and conspiracies.
there is a character who we work through this all with and who i was endeared to immediately.
the tension built. the villains presented. but there is so much more to this book. and i think so much more to come. if this is the first in a series then wow. what is next?
this world feels too close for comfort. im scared by that. but also feel this book is important. but also it would never be held in the hands of the people that need to see it. to stop it.
this book is full of impact. in so many unnerving ways.

This read was thrilling in parts and utterly tedious in others. Julia Z is a complete genius in all things technological, AI and computers. Known as “ the orphan hacker” a few years back she had got herself into massive trouble as a member of an organisation which “robbed from the rich and gave to the poor.” A sort of technological Robin Hood. She’d left all that behind and all the racism and hatred that had been thrown at her and had tried to disappear herself from society’s gaze. Until a middle aged lawyer, Piers Neri knocked on her door asking for help in tracing his wife who had disappeared. Elli Krantz was an enabler of vivid dreams. A sort of guru who in front of audiences of hundreds, would induce a collective vivid dream for her followers. Now Piers cannot contact her but receives a message saying that she has been kidnapped. However, the reader suspects this is not true and of course, all is not as it seems.

Julia, reluctantly, agrees to help him. And so uses all her technical knowledge and expertise to trace Elli and find out the truth. Herein lies my problem with the story. The amount of technobabble to me, (totally technically ignorant apart from using the usual iPad/smart phone technology), is a complete put off. I didn’t understand any of it and wasn’t sure if it was referring to real or made up technology to fit the story which is set in the near future.

There are paragraphs of real danger and life threatening action, especially towards the end of the story where there is true suspense, and these are really exciting to read. There is, naturally, a twist, which is not really a surprise. But as I say, there is for me too much technical detail of how Julia works out the answers to the mystery.
This book is clever and inventive but would probably be enjoyed more by someone more computer literate than I am- but it certainly had its moments.

Thanks to NetGalley for advancing a kindle copy for me. This is my honest review after a complete reading of the book.