I think we’re going to look back at this book and recognize it as the warning it clearly was when AI ultimately takes over the world as we know it.

My favorite part about this book was that I never truly knew where it was going to go. Around halfway through, I thought I had clocked the narrative—but boy, was I wrong. Ken threw a curveball that led to an action-packed second half. It was gripping, poignant, and most importantly: real. Even though this story is mostly fictional and much of the tech discussed isn’t currently available to us, I have no doubt in my mind that I could wake up one day and be living in this world.

Ken tackles a lot of important themes in this book, including the American Dream, what it’s like to be both American and a POC, the impact AI has on learning and living experiences, and so much more. He then incorporated these themes into the futuristic world he created in such a seamless way.

I really enjoyed Julia as a main character because she was also a vessel for the story to breathe and evolve. While most of the story wasn’t directly focused on her as a character, she still ended up being the emotional heart of the story anyway.

There were times when I felt like certain plot threads didn’t fully pay off the way Ken may have intended, which led me to question the validity of what was happening. Also, I wish the more scientific aspects of the book were better explained—the main character often talked as if we already understood everything, which sometimes left me confused.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this book, and I’m excited to see where the series goes from here.

Thank you so much to Saga Press for gifting me an early copy ahead of the official release!

2.5 rounded up to 3

First let me start saying that I had high hopes for this one because of its synopsis on NetGalley and it made me request the arc.

Truth to be told the reason I rounded up is the world, the AI, the clear research and good understanding of the AI the author has. That’s my first time reading Ken Liu, so I don’t know if this is the usual writing or changed it up to suit the world/plot better.

This being said I’ve worked in tech, I am kind of familiar with how stuff work and reading about it in this world and the explanations, I felt nostalgic and I ate it up at first.

What, sadly, didn’t work for me was everything else it seems. I hoped and craved to care of any of the characters, yet I didn’t. Julia, Piers, Elli, the Prince, everyone else popping here and there, they felt abstract next to the world to me. It seemed that we got more hooked on the world, technology, AI, and the life in this world, than actually getting to know, relate, and understand the characters better.

It might be just me. I’m sure many would love it because it’s unique. It could be that the next book might be better. But considering Julia is our fmc and we got some flashbacks of her past, history, and herself as now, I couldn’t end up loving her as a character or care for her and her potential development enough to feel invested. It was more of seeing than feeling with her. I saw she felt guilt, saw she was good at what she does, saw her painful past, saw what made her grew to the person she was. But I didn’t feel any of it.

Sadly the mystery and the thriller plot felt lacking to me too. Not to mention that the plot lost me pretty soon and I pushed through with the hopes it might get better, but it didn’t. At least not for me.

I don’t think I’ll continue with this series. But I’m sure people who like cyberpunk/AI worlds, Ken Liu’s writing, and maybe people who aren’t that familiar with the thriller genre would enjoy this a lot more than I did.

Thank you NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the arc!! I appreciate it!

I have reviewed this title for online book sales and recommendation site LoveReading.co.uk. I’ve chosen it as both a LoveReading Star Book and Liz pick of the Month. Please see the link to the full review.

Given the fact that we now live in a society where technology is rapidly advancing especially in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, I was intrigued by how Ken Liu would put a spin on this.

All that we see or seem was a thought provoking sci-fi novel that I enjoyed and definitely had be contemplating how technology stands at the current date and how this would look like in future years to come.

I woke up several nights during the period of a week or so I was reading All That We See or Seem, thinking about the characters and story and not sure if I dreamt it. Very appropriate for a character-centric techno psycological thriller built around a missing “dreamer” - and artist who choreographs and orchestrates group dreaming events. Gripping, a bit bloody and grim in places to cement the evil of “bad guys” but most of the characters fall into the grey and care is taken to provide a rounded view of motives, methods and outcomes for all. A long chase through the near future as the dreamer’s husband enlists a former hacker to help him find her. Recommend.

This was a mesmerising look at near future technology and the challenges and opportunities it will bring, wrapped up in an exciting missing person thriller. The absolute skill of this author to present conceptual technologies in a way that not only made perfect sense, but blended seamlessly into the narrative. Thoroughly stimulating for the imagination. I was so impressed at how well the tech was integrated into the story, it is core to the world building, but some of it is speculative, while other parts aren’t too far removed from what we have now.

Alongside this fascinating exploration of the future of technology we also have two people on a desperate search for a missing woman. A woman who uses technology for communal dreaming and has caught the attention of a dangerous and powerful individual. Our protagonists must delve through the missing woman’s history and technological footprint to understand what has happened to her and where she might be, all while under threat and trying to stay off the radar, something extremely challenging in a highly connected and surveilled world.

This book was beautifully written, thoroughly engaging and just a wonderful read. I was enthralled by the careful combining of tech and narrative in a way that I haven’t seen done as well as this since cyberpunk 2077. I would happily read this again and recommend it to others.

The future in Ken Liu’s hands is not distant science fiction but a dream just half a breath away from our own reality.

The world he builds in All That We See or Seem is astonishing in its realism. A near future where AI doesn’t hover at the edges of our lives but saturates them, woven into every gesture, decision and desire. Walking through it with Julia, both brilliant and scarred, gives the novel its depth. She is as much wrestling with memory, guilt and the loneliness of fractured connections as she is unraveling conspiracies. It's that blend of human vulnerability and razor sharp intelligence that makes her so compelling. Liu explores the big questions - power, technology, control - but through her journey also the intimate ones - family, forgiveness, friendship - how we reach for connection even in a world reshaped by machines.

However, for all the momentum of its premise, the novel sometimes stumbles beneath the weight of its own inventions. The frequent, elaborate digressions into the mechanics of the different uses of AI, while fascinating in their detail, disrupt the pacing. What could have been a relentless crescendo of tension instead became a start stop cadence of revelation and lecture. I also found the villains a little overdrawn - while nefarious enough to drive the plot, their cheesier traits clashed with the otherwise serious, thoughtful tone.

Even so, the vision lingers. The stage is set, the world is rich and Julia’s story feels far from finished. If this is only the first act, then I'm eager to see where the dream carries us next.

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this arc in exchange for an honest review

"Data was like pollution: the less of it one generated, the better"

I was excited by the premise of this book considering how AI is at the forefront of a lot of my feeds but the problem I had was that it felt like too much information about the future technology of AI and Tech instead of on the plot /intrigue and I found myself skim reading very early in. As a reader I don't think I need to fully understand the processes to enjoy the future sci-fi world but there was a lot of descriptions for this.

Judging by other reviews it's likely that this was just not for me. There was not enough going on to be a thriller for me. More science than fiction. DNF 40% in.

This is very much a novel of two parts. The first is a realistic imagining of the future of technology and the implications of AI and advanced computing. The world is detailed, and Julia’s skill with technology is cleverly interwoven with the plot as she joins with Piers, a lawyer, to search for his missing wife, Elli. Elli is an ‘oneirofox’, famous for conducting collective dreaming ‘concerts’. Elli’s career was a weaker part of the novel, a lot of backstory which wasn’t that important and slowed down the pace. Around two-thirds through the book, there’s a jarring shift in tone, and the novel becomes something quite different, far more serious and intense. It was like the ending of a different story, disconnected from the events of the first part of the story. This meant the end felt rushed, with the ultimate climax resolved far too quickly for how serious it is.

The premise intrigued me, and while I found the social commentary on the effects of AI and its potential impact for our future interesting; it didn’t really add anything new.

While this in itself isn’t a major issue, books share many similarities. In the case of this book however it felt derivative and detracted from the story and unfortunately I found I wasn’t invested in any of the characters.

I liked Julia, but due to the other characters feeling flat and well ‘meh’, I couldn’t attain the connection I was hoping for.

With the primary plot essentially concluding two thirds of the way through, the jump into the last third felt abrupt and disjointed. By this point I was ready to be finished with the book.

At this juncture, I’m not convinced that I’ll continue the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read this title.

For a long time I’ve wanted to read a book by Ken Liu and I was overjoyed to be approved for All That We See or Seem.

This books is set in the not too distant future which shows how AI has been fully integrated into all aspects or life. The main character, Julia, who is a somewhat reclusive hacker who is roped into the mystery of finding a missing woman.

The coding and hacking elements seemed to be well researched by Liu, albeit a little bit exposition-y in some scenes, and I enjoyed reading the exploration of this. The AI elements were also intriguing and I found the parts where it elaborated on how it functioned in every day life realistic and engrossing.

My thoughts on Julia are a bit more on the lukewarm side - even though she (often) claimed not to be good with people, she seemed to navigate social interactions pretty well and there was a degree of Mary Sue element about her in the way she would overcome seemingly difficult plot points.

Piers was a character I grew to like (only for him to disappoint me in the end) typically when he demonstrated his legal expertise as it gave him more substance as a character instead of just being a man desperately searching for his wife.

The antagonist(s) of the story had a middle-grade/YA feel to them with their slightly cringey dialogue and motivations.

For the story as a whole, it did read as one which had two halves and was quite disjointed. I read that this was originally supposed to be a novella and I reckon the story would have fared better if it remained that way or more time was taken to craft a more cohesive story to lay a good foundation for the expansion of this world and Julia’s future

My first experience of Ken Liu and I had high expectations based on what I’ve heard, this did not meet them. Firstly I should say this is my second attempt at “Cyber Thrillers”, both have missed the mark for me, it may just be the genre. I was an expecting a deep and subtle exploration of the darker side of AI. There was however nothing subtle about this, very on the nose and no real social commentary. It was a fun beach read, nothing more.

Loved the concept and the thrill of it. I got lost in the pages and barely put it down. The AI concept and everything about dreaming was my favorite par, I felt bad for the MMC at most times. Also it would be horrible if we get to that point in humanity with AI.
Plot - 5 stars
Writing - 5 stars
Took 1 star away because I felt like it dragged at times, but I do recommend this book!

Really enjoyed this cyberpunk novel set in the near future where everything (just about) is run or controlled by AI. Julia Z gets asked by a lawyer, Piers, to find his missing wife, Elli who is a famous dream weaver/performer(she guides dreams for crowds of people). Great read!

I want to start this review by thanking my partner who is a computer/tech nerd, for pulling me along into his love, because otherwise so many things would’ve been either too complicated for me or gone over my head.

I loved this book. I don’t read a lot of sci-fi, but the world Ken Liu built is incredibly intriguing and the storytelling sucks you right in. Julia is a woman on the run with certain technological skills, and when Piers’ wife disappears, he goes to her to help find her. She doesn’t want to involve herself, but falls down the rabbit hole anyway and what follows is a high-stakes adventure against the clock, as they’re not the only ones looking for Elli. This upends Julia’s entire life, and makes her lose a lot of her carefully built up anonymity - which in turn makes her reconsider everything she’s ever believed.

The worldbuilding is extensive and well thought out, the chases have you completely immersed, and the social commentary is *chef’s kiss*. I requested this book because I have his Dandelion Dynasty series and the commitment scared me, but this book got me excited to immerse myself in an entire world of his writing. I can’t wait for more Julia Z material either!

Ken Liu’s All That We See or Seem is a mind-bending, high-tech thriller that blends cyber intrigue, speculative art, and a razor-sharp look at a not-so-distant future shaped by AI dominance.

Julia Z, once infamous as the “orphan hacker,” has spent years erasing her digital footprint and living a life of quiet anonymity. But when Piers, a desperate lawyer, shows up on her doorstep begging for help to rescue his kidnapped wife, Elli, Julia is pulled back into the dangerous online underworld she swore she’d left behind.

Elli is no ordinary victim. She’s an onierofex, a dream artist capable of weaving audiences into shared virtual landscapes that feel as real as waking life. When Julia discovers that Elli’s private commissions included one-on-one dreamscapes for a ruthless crime lord, the stakes skyrocket. His price for Elli’s freedom? The return of his personal dream experience.

Julia’s search takes her across the United States and deep into a reality where the lines between dreams, data, and desire blur. Liu uses the premise to explore questions about privacy in a hyper-surveilled society, the ethics of AI, and the value of human creativity in a world increasingly willing to replace it with machine-made substitutes.

It’s tense, urgent, and frighteningly plausible, a story that hooks with its fast-paced cyber mystery but lingers for its sharp social commentary.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Ken Liu’s All That We See or Seem has a killer premise and some genuinely smart takes on AI and the philosophy behind tech. Very relevant to today’s technology climate and the issues raised.

Julia Z, the “orphan hacker,” had promise, but most of the characters felt flat. I was hooked by the concept, but not by the execution.

I felt the book ended two thirds in and for that, this didn’t quite hit for me.

Still curious enough to see where the sequel goes.

This is my first Ken Liu book and I loved it. Lots of information and well rounded characters gave this book a feel of real depth.

I was surprised by some of the reviews for ATWSOS; but as I read further, it seems like those who’ve read Liu’s work before expect something different, and those who are reading his work for the first time enjoy it. This was the first book I’ve read by Liu and I found a believable setting, a main character who’s been affected by her past, and a subtle commentary about how “dream-like” our reliance on technology is becoming…

In this future, AI is involved in every aspect of our lives, to the point where it knows what you want to do with a data set before you’ve looked at it (just like how a dream moves around you). In this future, bots talk to bots online, whilst their users are still so isolated, they seek connection through the arts of a dreamweaver. As we’re already seeing, data has become highly valued and has become a global manipulator, and for all its gifts, the internet is a way of exploiting this.

Julia is undoubtedly the star of the book. She’s cautious about how she uses her skills, which is comparable to the artist whose life is completely online. Julia considers her past throughout and challenges herself over how she’s treated her friendships. Her arc is about opening up and seeing the value in those real-life relationships.

‘Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?’

ATWSOS does feel divided in two though. After Julia’s helped Piers, she begins looking into the criminal syndicate, which the artist attempted with their same means- data. Whilst this split may represent the dream within a dream, it does make it feel a little disjointed. But this is helped by the presence of the dreamweaver and her dreams that connect everyone together. For me, this is a story about human connection.

A husband searching for his missing wife enlists hacker Julia Z, who is trying to keep her head down after a criminal youth. The two follow a trail of clues and uncover a dark criminal enterprise at the heart of society.

This plays out as a character-focused techno-thriller that's heavy on tech to move the plot along. Julia has an AI in her phone and a shapeshifting drone, which between them are up to any hacking challenge. To Liu's credit, a lot of the speculation on the direction of the technology is well-informed. Often, the solution to a crisis is to find the pattern by gathering data and training a model to reveal the answer - frankly, much more realistic than magical omnipotent AIs. The danger here is that setting the book '10 minutes in the future', around a fast-moving technology, will mean it could date very quickly.

Julia is the only character with this tech, using it as a way to solve every plot crisis, with Liu mostly avoiding exploring the wider impact of such powerful tools on society. He is, however, compelling in his view of a decayed internet - bots talking to bots, parasocial relationships, mass surveillance, and post-truth. A frightening, but highly likely future.

Pacing was slow to begin with as we got a lot of character backstory, before the action steps up in the middle third, building to a surprising early climax that left me wondering what the last third of the book was going to do. It resolved well, even though I couldn't swallow the plot point of knowing pi to ten decimal places.

However, while the main characters were well-drawn, the villain of the piece seemed a clichéd cardboard baddy prone to mentally monologuing exposition. It was a surprisingly surface treatment given the depth of Liu's two female protagonists.

There were moments of startling prose: "As the host waded through the sun-dappled water of Heraclitus's river, the experience left an indelible series of cyanotypes in the neuromesh." Overall, an enjoyable, if forgettable, techno-thriller with solid characterisation.

Disclosure: ARC kindly provided by the publisher for review