Ken Liu is one of those authors that I’ll read anything he writes. After reading The Dandelion Dynasty and The Paper Menagerie, I was hooked. I was pleasantly surprised I was contacted by his publisher to review this book before the release date.
Our main character is Julia Z, who is an orphan hacker and kind of a mess. The world is quickly established as one not so far from where we will probably be in a few years. AI bots run mundane tasks in our lives, it’s a surveillance state where everything is almost always recorded and we have next to zero privacy because most everyone voluntarily trades it for social media engagement.
She is quickly thrown into an uncomfortable position when a man contacts her asking for help to find his missing wife. I don’t like to get to deep into the plot of a book, but some of the technologies that are used are equally fascinating and terrifying. This situation throws Julia into a cat and mouse game of trying to solve a mystery and stay alive. She utilizes her hacking skills to stay one step ahead.
Because it’s based in a world not too far from our own, there isn’t a ton of world building. We don’t really need it, but the portions we do require are established quickly. Themes of social media, AI, privacy and the dangers of giving our lives to technology are woven into the story in a clever way. It’s thought provoking and has a message without being preachy, and I appreciate that. We get a bit of character development for Julia and the people she’s helping, and because this is the first in a series of books it makes sense to establish her history and background. I’m interested to see how Julia will carry a series and what happens next.
All That We See or Seem is a page turning science fiction thriller. It’s an easy read, especially if you’ve read something like the Dandelion Dynasty because it’s based in our world and not so heavily influenced by history and lore. While the book does move at a decent pace, there are portions where it’s bogged down with side quests that take away from the momentum it builds. The third act takes a pretty sharp turn with a different pace and feel, because of events that happen in the story.
If you’ve read the books I’ve mentioned above, this will be a big change of pace. Without the fantasy elements and focused on our reality, it’s a stylistic change that is both exciting and took a little time to adjust to. The book is thought provoking thriller with intriguing technologies and ideas that don’t seem that far from reality. It’s a thriller and easy to get through, before you know it you’ll be down 20 pages. While it does have portions that hinder the pace, it’s a small grip in what is otherwise a fun ride with Julia Z.
