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Artificial Wisdom

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Artificial Wisdom

By: Thomas R. Weaver
Narrated by: Steven Pacey
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The most surprising thriller of the year
Who would you trust with the future?

The year is 2050. In the teeth of a climate catastrophe, the world is left with a drastic solution: one global leader to steer it through the coming apocalypse.

The final two candidates are ex-US President Lockwood, and Solomon, the world’s first political artificial intelligence.

As whispers of a global conspiracy emerge, investigative journalist Marcus Tully find himself at the centre of it – when Solomon’s creator turns up murdered.

Overnight, one investigation becomes two, and it’s not just the result of the election that’s at stake but the future of the species. Suddenly humanity must make an impossible choice – between salvation, or freedom.

© Thomas R. Weaver 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 Political Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Spies & Politics Technothrillers Thriller & Suspense

Critic reviews

Imaginative, impressive debut... Particularly compelling is Weaver’s riveting vision of technology in the near future and its ramifications once humans can no longer discern what is real
A thought-provoking page-turner that is intellectually rich, emotionally charged and hugely timely in its exploration of AI, ethics and climate collapse
Artificial Wisdom zips along, but avoids becoming too rushed or too concerned with end-of-chapter cliffhangers. Superior popular fiction, likely to trouble the bestseller lists, and neatly set up for a sequel
Stunning... As modern as tomorrow and even more frightening. Be afraid - very afraid - of where we are and of what is coming (Terry Hayes, bestselling author of I Am Pilgrim)
A richly-imagined, fast-paced exploration of an uncertain future where technology promises to serve as our saviour and rule as our master. At its heart, however, is an all too human story of a desperate man in search of the truth (Michael Cordy, bestselling author of The Messiah Code)
A taut tale with a disturbingly plausible what-if scenario.
A fast-paced blockbuster of a read!
The most surprising thriller of the year.. this thriller explores power, AI and survival – and is guaranteed to make you question everything
Ripped from tomorrow's headlines, this will give you the heebie-jeebies... [an] imaginative thriller'
The plot is gripping, Tully and the other main characters are sympathetic, and their dilemmas seem frighteningly relevant today
All stars
Most relevant
This sci fi story surprised me with its clear and clever narrative. Really fantastic story!! I chose it off a Reddit post from the author writing about his experiences with Steven Pacey. As an avid listener of Pacey’s I was searching for my next listen. I was sad when it ended.

Steven Pacey’s wonderful narration.

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So much unfulfilled potential.
The idea is so good - AI running for the Prime Leadership position. A murder mystery to make it suspenseful. And a team of good characters to solve it all. But the plot became predictable first, and then unnecessary complicated and the characters didn't get rounded out at the end.
The narration was not to my liking. The narrator doesn't do well with female voices in my opinion and the overall performance made me feel like he didn't care about the plot or the characters.
If you are running a book club, be aware: There are two versions of this book, the 2023 Indie version and this 2025 extended version. Comparing them could be interesting but I'm not sure if the extra 10.000 words are makeing it better or worse.

Interesting enough but...

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I enjoyed the original self-published edition of this audiobook so I was surprised by that negative review and thought I'd better listen to the new version. It's brilliant. Everything about the widely praised original is retained, with some welcome minor adjustments to plot details here and there.

Artificial Wisdom is a story for our times. The pervasive divisive impact of social media, our continued wilful ignorance of the impact of climate change, the distancing and isolation of personal tech - and of course the rise of AI. All this wrapped up in a compelling political thriller. Steven Pacey is matchless in his delivery and his voices are so descriptive you can almost see the characters in front of you.

The special effects treatment distinguishing the security footage playback voices from "live" characters is subtle but effective and draws you into the scene. Overall, the audio quality is pin-sharp.

Yes, Weaver ends the story with as many questions as answers and unashamedly sets it up for the inevitable sequel. I for one am looking forward to that...

Superb

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Bear in mind there is a sequel when choosing to read this book. At the start, it felt the novel was a page-turner; however, the ending is disappointing, and it might fall within the traditional trope of West vs East, the United States as the almighty saviour of humankind. Not interested in reading how the story ends.

Disappointing

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Reads like a cheesy, overly simplistic, 90s airport thriller. Very sub par Micheal Crichton wannabe. It’s slow, boring & incredibly badly read by Steven Pacey. A narrator I usually love, but whose bag of tired accents feel old fashioned & a bit silly in a story like this.

Not the thrill ride it claims to be

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