Artificial Wisdom outlines the world in 2050 where climate catastrophe is everywhere with millions dead or displaced and known as climate refugees and the decision has to be made about whether the planet can be saved and how to do it. One solution is to have a single global leader who can lead and the vote is down to a previous US President Lockwood and Solomon, an AI. The novel pitches changes in immersive virtual reality, the impact of conspiracy theories and the disastrous effect of cities and countries destroyed by the climate crisis. When Solomon’s creator is killed, Tully, an investigative journalist is on a mission to find out who killed her and begins to unravel the problem with fake news and deep fakes and how it can influence geopolitics.
I had great hopes for this book but at times, it felt too long while also not exploring the AI in greater depth. Maybe for those who are new to AI, will enjoy it more.

Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver is a fast-paced, high-concept sci-fi thriller that grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go.

I’d seen this book raved about on Instagram and went in completely blind. Honestly, if I’d known what the premise was, I would have read it much sooner. It’s precisely the kind of twisty, intelligent near-future thriller I love.

Set in a world where artificial intelligence, surveillance, and politics intersect, this book explores power, autonomy, and truth in a way that feels both thrilling and disturbingly real. The pace is sharp, the writing is accessible, and the plot is layered with tension and moral ambiguity.

What stood out to me is how the story raises significant questions about AI and control without getting bogged down in overly technical explanations. It’s clever without being complicated, and the mystery at its core kept me hooked throughout.

If you're into stories that feel like Black Mirror meets Upgrade with the punch of a political thriller, you’ll fly through this. It's innovative, addictive, and surprisingly thought-provoking.

Thomas R. Weaver has woven a scarily realistic, sci-fi, dystopian crime masterpiece with this book. Set in the near future of 2050, the world is facing a huge global warming crisis. Several hundred million people have already perished and many more are suffering from extreme heatwaves and humidity, tidal floods, and loss of all they hold dear.

Although a privileged few are inhabiting domed islands of exclusivity where the temperature is stable, what the majority desperately need is a global leader who is capable of steering them through it all and out to safety on the other side.

The political race narrows down to two remaining candidates. One is an ex-president of the US who has a crooked history, the other is a shiny clean Artificial Intelligence specifically designed for such a time as this. Who will win and what will the consequences be?

Enter investigative journalist Marcus Tully. He lost his wife and their unborn child to what looks like a geo-political disaster in the Persian Gulf and has never lost the drive for answers from those he holds responsible.

While staying on the floating islands, enjoying the celebrations as the Artificial Intellect’s creator reveals Solomon in all his glory, Tully and his team find themselves caught up in a murder investigation with more questions than answers.

There is plenty of food for thought here and several philosophical musings on life to engage the mind. Some of the high-tech stuff passed me by. But, nevertheless, I found the relationships riveting and the storyline captivating.

Though the narrative was prolonged in places and the ending felt rushed, this is an absorbing read that lingers long after the final page has been reached. Grateful thanks to the author, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and NetGalley for the eARC. 4.5**

I have been seen lots about this book and I’ve been really excited to pick this up - wow this did not disappoint. The concept of this book is amazing, it’s so unique and Im not sure I will read another book like this. I really enjoyed it.

I really wanted to read it because as much as I like thriller books, I tend to shy away from.dystopian novels. However, this was set in the future. It is a murder mystery that in is set in a dystopian world where four hundred million have been killed by a heatwave. Humans are trying to navigate their relationship with AI. The MMC is Marcus Tully who is trying to investigate if the heatwave that killed so many people, including his wife, was really a natural disaster or something much more sinister.

The book is generally a slow burn and at times i found it a little uncomfortable to read. Its very well written, very entertaining and it did provide some really thought provoking moments that made me really question where the direction of AI is going to take us in the not to distant future.

Thank you to netgalley for my advance copy

Months before its release, this was dubbed one of the books of 2025 – and rightly so. Scary in parts, unnerving in others, think of the world in 2050 and a vote for a global leader. Imagine that one of the candidates is the world’s first political AI. Imagine too that some people live in domed islands, safe from the impact of climate catastrophes, while others are struggling to survive. Imagine being able to tap into a memory, or a longed-for memory (even if it isn’t true) and then imagine what you’d do if you found yourself in a murder investigation. That’s what journalist Marcus Tully and his team discover when the creator of Solomon (the AI) is murdered. That’s difficult enough but the world craves leadership, plus there are plenty who’d do everything possible to prevent the truth from coming out. The fact that it’s in 2050 makes it all the more unsettling.

A stunning, complex and engrossing techno thriller and murder mystery which grapples with issues of ethics, AI, propaganda, social media and manipulation within the setting of a near future earth devastated by climate change. An absolute tour de force. Couldn't help wondering if there was a Brexit reference there too with the 52/48 election result. Highly recommended.

This took me a little while to get into but it is really worthwhile sticking with it if you’re in a similar situation. There’s quite a few novels using AI as the storyline but this one is cleverly written with characters you can empathise with in a mix of dydtopian, climate change and thriller genre.

Thank you for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The world building, tech creation and characters are all so well done that for the first 80% of this novel, I could not shut up about it. I was recommending it to everyone.

And then the ending happened and I just felt a little flat after so much convoluted plot points that seemed rushed as they hurtled towards the finale.

With that being said, this really is a fun read and for the most part, I would definitely recommend.

An idiosyncratic thriller with a thoroughly engaging hook (one that, importantly, feels close to what the future for humanity could entail). While there may be some level of exhaustion in the book market about stories concerning AI, Weaver does something different and bold enough here to make this stand out above the rest.

Though the many plot twists and dramatic reveals bring a great deal of anxiety and stress, they are delivered with panache and skill. An exciting novel by a new talent.

This book was really interesting. It's a thriller set in the near future where an artificial intellect is running against a former American president to become ruler of the world. The world is severely damaged by global warming - high humidity heat waves, flooding and other natural disasters are extremely common and the world is full of the disposessed. Those who can afford it, live on climate controlled floating islands.
Marcus Tully is an investigative journalist who is still grieving his wife who was killed in heatwave that descended on the Persian Gulf. A mysterious whistle blower has given him evidence to suggest that it was genocide, rather than a natural climate catastrophe. When the creator of the artilect (Solomon) is murdered, Marcus (and his friends) are determined to get to the bottom of who did it. But when everything is manipulatable, who do you trust?
The murder mystery was great - especially as the tools used (lik eindoctrination and radicalisation through echo chambers, doctored images and AI generated videos) are all available now. The idea of an AI artilect that is created for an apparently noble purpose 'to avert cimate disaater and save humankind' was interesting, particularly when you look at the conclusions you could reach if you relied on logical thinking and removed ethical, emotional and religious debates.
I read this book when the UK was in the middle of a heatwave. Reading it while you're lying on the floor trying not to melt really drives home the message of looming climate catastrophe.
I found this a really interesting read and I'm still thinking about it days later.

A timely dystopian novel about politics, technology and climate change.

Despite a slow start, I quite liked this book. The main characters were believable and well written, however the secondary characters were slightly bland and generic. It was also well paced and thrilling but I found the ending to be rushed and predictable.

Entertaining in places but I wouldn't recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam for the ARC.

It is the year 2050 and earth is in the middle of climate catastrophe. There seems to be one solution, electing a global leader to steer it through the coming apocalypse. Two candidates are chosen, one is the ex-US President Lockwood and one is Soloman, the worlds first political artificial intelligence.
Investigative media journalist, Marcus Tully, and his team find themselves privy to whispers of a global conspiracy and investigate. Except what they find goes deeper than they could have imagined.

This was not my usual read, being sci-fi/dystopian, but it was so interesting and disturbing, as you can just imagine all of this would be possible so many years down the track. It really makes you really think about the future and what you may choose in the situation, with AI advances. I look forward to reading more by this author.

A little bit slow to start, but that’s not a deal breaker for me. The subject genre is superb, I love dystopian books, the characters are very well written and just enough depth. I quite enjoyed it. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC.

Set in a future where global warm has impacted everyone, AI is part of the regular narrative and the world is on the brink of imploding. Countries are getting hit by natural disasters and hundreds of millions of people have died so it is decided that there should be one governing leader of the world to see humanity through the crisis…the nominees are a human and an AI. Throw in a high profile murder and conspiracies everywhere and this book had me hooked!

I love a fast paced thriller and this was definitely that. I really enjoyed the characters and the unfolding mystery but for me it did feel that the last 20% was rushed compared to the build up. I did have my theories, which did turn out to be correct, and yet this did not take away my enjoyment at all.

A great sci-fi thriller that had me wanting to drop my responsibilities and keep turning those pages. Highly recommend

Thankyou to NetGalley and Random House UK for the ebook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately not for me. Made it to 19%. Started off well but was getting a bit tedious and long. Dystopian is my favourite genre so was hoping for good things. Sorry.

Set in the not too distant future, this was a terrifying read! The world as we know it is no longer; it has been devastated by climate change and there is more to come. The world needs a Protector - someone who will put the best interests of the Earth and its inhabitants at the heart of decision making in regards to the way forward. Two candidates stand against each other for the role, former US President Lockwood and Solomon, an AI artilect. Tully, a journalist, uncovers some worrying facts relating to the race for the role of Protector and goes to visit Martha Chandra, Solomon's creator just before she is murdered...

Part sci-fi, part crime, this is a novel full of moral dilemmas and the resulting choices made - are they right or are they wrong? Who has the right to make them. This was a hard-hitting novel that showed the positive and negative impact of technology. It was an uncomfortable in places and made me question what the world is going to look like for my grandchildren. I came away believing that we need to focus on getting the future right, even if that comes at the expense of some of our creature comforts today.

Artificial Wisdom is calling out for a sequel!

I genuinely thought this was going to be a 5* book for me after the first chapter but eventually found it a little long-winded and drawn out. The subject matter was excellent, the characters were well written and the writing was good… Perhaps just a little too long and a disappointing ending.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC.

Artificial Wisdom appealed to me because it was such an urgent topic for today, with the rise of AI and increased corruption and manipulation by governments and big tech, and the growing impact and denial of climate change.

The population of Earth is given a choice - they need to choose their first global president who will be accountable for tackling the climate crisis. One candidate is a former President of the USA, with what appears to be a history of corruption, and the other is an AI, created by a female tech genius.

Pitched as sci-fi (or maybe future reality, who knows!), this is a tale of politics, deceit, manipulation, with the edge of a crime thriller. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to Thomas R Weaver, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

You know you are reading a good book when you don't realise that two hours have gone by. Needless to say, I was hooked to this novel.

Set in 2050, we are in a climate apocalypse and there is a a worldwide vote for a Global Protector to fix the crisis. They've finally got to the last two and one of the candidates is an AI named Solomon. Intrigued? Well things become even more stark when Solomon's creator is murdered.

This isn't a dystopian novel. It blends crime and political thriller with ease. For anyone that loves a good murder mystery, this is one with a twist. Nothing is straightforward in this story, but that's one of the reasons why it is so good.

There is a lot of technology in the book with the characters using headsets in neuroreality, which does make me think claiming that this is in 2050 is slightly far fetched. Add another century and that would have been more realistic for me. But that did not detract from the story.

The characters are flawed as all humans are, which shows our fallibility and maybe why there is a need for a Solomon. However, can we really trust AI to fix the world's problems? Weaver deliberately doesn't give us the answer, which I respect. The story ends with some unfinished elements which I would love to see in a sequel.

This book is original and gripping. One I would definitely recommend.

In all honesty, I read about 60%, lost engagement and scan read until the last 10%, but I still rate it a 4 star. Why? Because, honestly, it was a good read. Was it for me? Perhaps not, but the very characteristics I didn't like, I know are others go to tropes. I think perhaps the main problem was that going in I was expecting an ai dystopian style novel, and instead I got a murder mystery with Agatha Christie vibes, with political ai undertones. Yes, the ending bumps up the ai theme a lot more, but as I was lost by about 60%, it was a bit too little too late for me.

I think it was a cleverly written novel, that was realistic despite its futuristic attributes. I enjoyed the chemistry aspect to the murder investigation, although felt as I was reading, that I didn't feel enough towards the secondary characters to have much investment in the murder. I did however, empathise strongly with Tully, hence why I got all the way to 60%, and my heart still breaks when I think about the loss of his wife and future child. The ending was climatic, and I can imagine that this book would make a good cinematic film.

All in all, if you want to try a futuristic Agatha Christie book with some dystopian undertones, I'd recommend this book. Perhaps not what it is marketed as, but I feel it pulls that off well!