Okay I'm super torn about this one - I am an absolute sucker for an apocalypse story. Extra points for it being some kind of "natural" disaster event. So this really checked all the boxes for me. I enjoyed the story, the twists, the characters - honestly everything. The only thing that didn't quite stick with me was the writing style. It occasionally felt a little to rigid for me and kept me from getting totally absorbed. Other than that, this story was amazing. Truly a staple sci-fi adventure!

I had a lot of fun with this one. The story is a really solid murder mystery with a dystopian sci-fi backdrop that worked so well. I loved the twists and turns Thomas takes the reader on. The last few chapters felt a bit rushed but overall didn’t detract from my experience. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Thomas R. Weaver comes up with next!

I enjoyed Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver but unfortunately I didn't love it. This book to me felt a little unoriginal and predictable, for anyone that is familiar with the film I, Robot or read the short story collection by Issac Asimov that it based off of then i'm sad to say that you already know how this book is going to plan out. Artificial Wisdom seemed like a thinly vailed retelling at best for a new audience, all be it with a climate change take on 'evil AI'. I also felt that book had some pacing issues throughout that left the ending feeling rushed and disconnected in places. That being said there was a lot that I liked about the book, it was an easy read the characters where largely enjoyable even if I did wish to see some more of them throughout the book and despite predicting how the book was going to end from pretty early on I still had a good time reading it. This book would be great for people wanting to get into Sci-fi and are new the genera as it have them captivated from start to finish.

WoW! What have I just read!?

Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver was an incredible and scary read! We are in 2024 now.................Just think what it would be live living in 2050! Hmmmm

You have been transported to the year 2050.........there has been a major heatwave. only
a decade before that killed over four hundred million across the Persian Gulf, including journalist Marcus Tully’s wife.

WoW.............Now Imagine, what the world around you, would look like? Scary...............

A whistleblower tells Tully about a murder, which is at the centre of an election battle for a global dictator, with a mandate to prevent a climate apocalypse. A former US President campaigns against the first AI politician for the position, but someone is trying to sway the outcome. - I need more!

Tully, has to start to investigate, on what is going on and to find out the truth. He know's whatever he finds, he has to tell the world............Its going to be hard especially for Tully but the truth has to be heard!

Tick Tock......time is running out!!!

Tully also starts to investigate the death of his wife and also find out the truth of the disaster if it was natural or the heatwave was a weapon of genocide!?

This book was Excellent from start to finish and it was a book I could not put down once I read the first chapter..................I really hope there is going to be another book and becomes a series..........It would also be excellent for a television series...........

I highly recommend this book. 5 stars.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Chainmaker Press | Literally PR Ltd for my copies.

Thank you to NetGalley, Chainmaker Press, and Thomas R. Weaver for this eGalley copy of Artificial Wisdom.

The concepts are fabulous, many of the implementations novel, and the worldbuilding superb. The protagonist, however, is nearly 1-dimentional in his motivations & values which led to a challenging suspension of disbelief. Worth a read? Yes! The book of the year? Unfortunately not - though it had so much promise that I look forward to seeing what Mr. Weaver produces in the future.

4.5 out of 5 stars! I had a lot of trouble putting down this book. It's a political thriller that poses a lot of very important questions regarding the fate of humanity, our current social and political issues, and social media. The writing is easy and light and, even though the issues can be heavy and emotional, things never get too depressing. It's the perfect combination of a light read with a profound and well-constructed story. It reminded me of Stieg Larsson at times. It also has many strong and well-written female characters.
However, I'm not sure I liked the ending. It was either terrible or genius (I'm leaning towards genius though). I can see why it was written to end like that though, that is, I think I understand the thought that must have been behind it. I also wonder if the author is leaving a door open for a second book. I both hate and love that idea...
Anyway, this is an amazing book for a wide range of tastes. Whether you're into detective stories, sci-fi, politics, drama, environmentalism, dystopian stories, philosophy, or current issues, I guarantee that this book will have something for you.

I was happy to receive this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

It's 2050, a decade after a heatwave that killed four hundred million across the Persian Gulf, including journalist Marcus Tully's wife. Now he must uncover was the disaster natural? Or is the weather now a weapon of genocide?


This could've been the sci-fi political thriller of the year, if only the main character had a bit more personality than his wife's death. For me, this book started out very slow, which is something I hate in books but I always try to push through, even though for a lot of chapters it felt like we were reading a lot but learning a whole lot of nothing. Don't get me wrong, the author is clever and the book is full of twists that no one really is going to expect, but we ended up getting a last chapter jam packed with answers that honestly left me staring at the wall for a couple of minutes till I could process what had happened.

🤯 Oh my stars, THIS BOOK!!! 🤯 The sheer brilliance of it! 🤯 It's like diving headfirst into a whirlwind of genres—sci-fi, murder mystery, and artificial intelligence!! The way Thomas R. Weaver seamlessly weaves these elements together is nothing short of genius. Just when you think you've got a grip on one aspect, another curveball comes hurtling your way. And oh, the depth! I thought I had it all figured out and then the last 30ish pages happened! lol Turns out I knew nothing! lol READ THIS BOOK!

I really enjoyed the concept of this story. The pacing and overall feel was reminiscent of watching a jack ryan film: non-stop action and political secrets. I also really enjoyed the characters. I would have personally loved a bit more world-building and description to help give context to all the goings-on. The introduction of AI in this way felt fresh and very interesting.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author for allowing me to read this ARC!

3.5 stars

It's been a while since I've read a dystopia novel and I really liked the concept of a dictatorship political race between human vs AI.

What starts out as a journey of Marcus Tully uncovering the truth of a climate disaster that killed his wife gets him embroiled in a murder investigation of a long time friend and creator of Solomon, Martha Chandra.

I liked the sci-fi elements - floating states, pods, head/earsets and neural reality - all of which aren't too crazy to conceive given the times we live in today. They was seamless integration of these aspects of the book that made it easy to imagine what it would be like.

Tully is a broken man who has bandaged his wounds with the distraction of his journalistic work to reveal the truth of key political figures. His sarcastic, and often awkward nature, made him endearing to read. Livia's grief at the loss of her sister was tangible, but it would have been good to see her transition into the persona she adopted in the second half of the story.

I did see the initial twist coming but it turned out to be a double twist which I didn't guess. I did question why certain characters made decisions that didn't seem to agree with how they were presented, but it appeared necessary to unravelling the plot. Based on the ending, there is potential for a sequel, however the open ended-ness of it works well too

Look, maybe I'm just dumb, but 90% of the book went over my head.

Don't get me wrong, the storyline is easy to understand if you're an avid reader of dystopia, technology advancement, AI, and conspiracy theories. But I wouldn't recommend this to beginners wanting to jump into speculative dystopia.

It is very well written. That's why it stands at 3 stars, but I can't make it 4 or 5 simply because I didn't enjoy it. The ending wasn't as satisfying as I wanted it to be, which dampened my whole experience.

Overall, this is a great choice for avid sci-fi readers, especially those wanting AI topics in their book.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC!

This book was really good! I really enjoyed the concept of a weapon that can control the weather, as terrifying as that may be, and how dire the world became in response.

I also really enjoyed the concept of the AI world dictator, especially paired with the “evil” counterpart we meet.

I do think this book would have been more enjoyable if it was just set a bit more into the future. 2050 is not very many years away and it’s hard to believe that all of this could happen in just twenty six years.

Thanks to the publishers and the author for my copy of this book! All opinions are my own

This book was a great concept. I picked it up because I’ve been seeing it all over Instagram and I was intrigued by the cover. I look forward to reading more by this author, it combines two of my favorite things, sci fi and thrillers.

This made me feel all sorts of things (mainly fear) about the future, especially the future of AI. The book is cleverly written and well-thought-out. I hope more people will read this. I feel like I'm gonna be thinking about this book for the next few days.

In a nutshell, the year is 2050 a decade after a heatwave killed 400 million people across the Persian Gulf. There’s also a worldwide election for a global dictatorship between a human and AI politician. The mandate: to prevent a climate apocalypse.

The main character is Marcus Tully, an investigative journalist whose wife died in the heatwave. He tries to uncover the truth about the heatwave: was it a natural disaster or a weapon of genocide? He gets dragged into a murder investigation that’s at the heart of the election which he learns is being swayed.

There is A LOT going on in this book … sci-fi, politics, murder, conspiracy theories. The futuristic world the author painted was extremely vivid. The use of neuro reality was kind of cool but felt very distrusting. The level of technology had me at a loss for words and to think that some of us might possibly see this in the future is a little scary.

There were moments when I thought I had the story figured out and then everything gets completely turned around. This book kept me engaged the entire time and after reading it, I have a new profound love for techno thrillers.

This was a solid dystopian novel steeped in climate catastrophe. In the near future, the world is on the verge of total collapse and only a dictator can fix it. If that doesn’t sound like the start of a really bad idea, I’m not sure what is. The author plays on the fears of humanity, by using the real threat of today, to show a world where desperation becomes a driving force. The protagonists, Tully and October, are well-developed characters who are a force to be reckoned with. Tully, a broken man in search of the truth about his wife, will do anything to discover the truth. October is a by-the-book cop who also wants the truth but by completely honest means. As a team, they lead the reader down a series of paths that may or may not lead to the truth.

Not only does the author develop a detailed plot with hard-hitting prose, he takes the reader down multiple rabbit holes of possible answers. Just when you think you have figured out what is going on, and who the villain is, a new clue emerges that throws your whole conclusion out the window. It’s cleverly written and not easily solved.

I enjoyed this novel and the what-if’s it presented. If you are a fan of science fiction or futuristic books, this one’s for you.

A gobsmacking roller coaster. 5/5.

I was intrigued with this story from the very first page, drawn to Tully’s journey and perspective. I loved the pacing and was swept away in the emotional throughlines. I can see so much of this world and definitely imagine this as a long standing series. It’s futuristic detective noir vibe and the main character reminds me so much of Bladerunner. It draws you in and the world itself has a way of becoming a mystery. To me, this was quite believable once I could visualize the experience of everything, which Weaver makes easy in his descriptions. From technology to politics to business practices and changes in culture it was all compelling and believable, that this imagined version of 2050 really isn’t so far off. It was a chilling, emotional read. Something that will stay with me and I see myself going back to.

With all the recent developments and conversations around AI, and just personally in general, I am usually optimistic. This story had a way of drawing me into the emotions of every believable moment only to be betrayed and torn apart. Weaver makes the unlikely likable and the unimaginable so….enticing. I will be raving about this book for months and recommending it to more than friends and family. It will absolutely change the way you are thinking about technology and our future. The story unfolded in the most unassuming way, through the perfect character (in my opinion). I could have seen this told through Livia as a young female coming of age stepping into her strength and confidence under these insane circumstances, and as much as I think I would love that story, the perspective of Tully and all his brokenness are so heart wrenching because of who he is and what he realizes on this journey.

Is survival worth the cost? Does humanity deserve it? Which do you prioritize, life or liberty?

Despite all that, it is not pessimistic. Actually very hopeful and defiant.

I am incredibly invested in this storyline and can’t wait to see where Weaver takes us. Please keep writing and sharing your stories with us, Thomas Weaver. Thank you for the free edition in exchange for an honest review.

“That was the thing about truth. Sometimes, you were judged more harshly for revealing it than for concealing it.”

“Artificial Wisdom,” by Thomas R. Weaver

A decade after a heatwave killed millions in the Persian Gulf a whistleblower brings Tully, whose wife died during the heatwave, into an investigation to uncover what really cause the deaths. All this amongst an election for a global dictator to prevent more climate apocalypse situations. Tully takes it upon himself to convince the world to make the right choices for all of humanity.

I liked the futuristic aspect of the book, and the concept was great. Unfortunately, I was bored through most of the book. It just wasn’t for me. 2 out of 5 stars.

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

I think this book was good. I requested it because it sounded interesting, and it was. The cast of characters was interesting and all so different from one another. I love the setting and environment this book created it really helped to create well rounded and dynamic characters

Ten years before, A heatwave killed millions of people across the Persian Gulf. The wife of journalist Marcus Tully, was included in the tragedy. Now it’s 2050 and climate change has heated up the world, leaving no choice but to have a dictator to battle the issue. This results in a past American president and the first AI politician. Marcus Tully investigates the past heatwave and the election, digging himself into tough situations.

Thomas R. Weaver wrote a murder mystery revolving around the future world and what it could look like.

Rating: 4/5 stars ⭐️

Opinion: Climate change is terrifying and this book does an amazing job at showing what the world could look like because of it.

I thought the commentary on ai, social media, and politics was done well. This book kind of indirectly discusses the danger of social media and how it could affect the future. So is already becoming so important, and the story shows what it could become. The politics seem to not change, there’s still corruptness even when the world is in danger. That’s how I interpreted it at least.

The neuroreality concept was a nice touch. The headset and the jello like substance that they had to take to use virtual reality were nice choices.

In general, I thought the world building was great. I’d like to see more about the floating states as I thought that was an interesting concept.

I liked Marcus Tully a lot and felt the most connection with him. I didn’t care much for any of the other characters.

Now, I was aware that this was supposed to be fast paced, so I’m not really adding this opinion into my rating, but the pacing was strange to me. Fast at times and slow at others. Sometimes I felt it could have been flushed out more.

Overall, I did like this book a lot!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.