ARC Review: Artificial Wisdom by Thomas R. Weaver

Artificial Wisdom
Author: Thomas R. Weaver
Publication: Del Rey (April 5, 2024)

Description: In this propulsive near-future thriller, a journalist uncovers a plot that will upend the order of our world, involving a mysterious murder, a global political battle between a human politician and an AI, and the fight for survival in a climate-ravaged landscape.

In 2050, investigative journalist Marcus Tully is still grieving the loss of his wife and unborn child in the deadly heatwave that struck the Persian Gulf ten years ago.

Now, the world is both burning and drowning, and the decision has been taken to elect a global leader to steer humanity through the worsening climate apocalypse. The final two candidates are ex-US president Lockwood, and Solomon, an Artificial Intelligence.

As election day races closer, Tully begins to unravel a conspiracy that goes to the highest level. Then Solomon’s creator is murdered, and Tully is pulled in to find the culprit.

As the two investigations intertwine in ways he could never have imagined and the world hurtles ever closer to the brink, Tully must find the truth, convince the world to face it and make impossible choices to secure the future of the species.

But will humanity ultimately choose salvation over freedom, whatever the cost?

My Thoughts: This near future thriller takes place on an Earth in danger of failing its human occupants due to the near-fatal effects of climate change. Marcus Tully is an investigative journalist who is still mourning the death of his wife and unborn daughter ten years earlier in a heatwave that struck the Persian Gulf.

He is determined to find out what happened to her. He thinks he knows who to blame. He believes the President of the United States at the time ordered the use of an untested device to remove humidity from Houston and dump it over the ocean. Unfortunately, the humidity dumped on the Persian Gulf instead causing deadly conditions for 160 million people. 

Now, the same former President is running for Protector - an Earth-wide office to solve the climate crisis. His opponent is an AI named Solomon who was created by Dr. Martha Chandra. Not only does Marcus know Martha but her sister Livia works for him as a researcher. 

Invited to New Carthage, one of a small number of floating ecosystems, where Martha lives, Marcus and Livia go to see her both to find out about the upcoming election but also to see what she knows about Tully's wife's death. Shortly after they arrive, Martha is murdered leaving Livia as the heir to her sister's riches and Marcus at a near dead end to solving what happened to his wife. 

He also gets to know Solomon and supports his campaign to me the Earth's First Protector. But he questions whether or not he's making the right decision in a world were information can be so easily manipulated. 

This story was filled with moral dilemmas and advanced technology. I was intrigued by the possibilities of neural meetings and certainly by the creation of Solomon. This was one thought-provoking science fiction novel. 

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.