The premise of Thomas R. Weaver's Artificial Wisdom hooked me as soon as I read the press release. With all the natural disasters that have plagued the globe these last few years, a futuristic novel using climate changes as a backdrop felt more than a little apropos. And with a beginning that sees millions of people dying from a massive heat wave in the Middle East, the book starts with a bang. Too bad that it quickly becomes a murder mystery that peters out and fails to deliver a satisfying ending.
Here's the blurb:
In a climate-ravaged landscape where AI and humans vie for political power, a journalist must unravel a murderous plot that will either upend the world or save it.
2050: Investigative journalist Marcus Tully is grieving his wife and unborn child ten years after they perished in a deadly heat wave that gripped the Persian Gulf.
Now the whole planet is both burning and drowning, and the nations of the world decide to elect a global leader to steer humanity through the climate apocalypse. The final two a former U.S. president . . . and Solomon, the first Artificial Intellect to hold political office.
But as election day races closer, Solomon’s creator is murdered, and it's up to Tully to find the culprit.
Soon Tully is unraveling a conspiracy that goes to the highest levels. As the investigation heats up and the planet hurtles ever closer to the brink, Tully must find the truth and convince the world to face it.
Because salvation has a price—but is humanity willing to pay it?
As mentioned, the backdrop was intriguing and ultimately made me want to read this novel. Twenty-five years from now, climate changes have ravaged the world and mankind is on a brink of the point of no return. I found the whole plotline about nations voting for a global leader who would be called upon to make the hard decisions that indivual countries couldn't or wouldn't make in order to save humanity and the fact that one of the candidates is an AI construct to be quite compelling. Trouble is, climate changes, which were the main reason why I was interested in this book, quickly take a backseat when the story turns into a muder mystery. That wouldn't be a problem per se if you didn't see the outcome coming from a mile away. I was expecting Weaver to play with our own preconceptions and pull the rug from under our feet, but alas it wasn't meant to be. Which is disappointing, as the main focus of
Artificial Wisdom has to do with discovering who murdered the woman who created Solomon.
As an aggressive investigative journalist, Marcus Tully makes for a great main protagonist. When a lead from a secret source unveils the fact that a former US president and his administration could be responsible for the deaths of millions in the Persian Gulf, including his own wife and unborn baby daughter in Kuwait City, Tully's investigation will take him along an unexpected path that leads him straight to the Global Protectorship election. As a broken man, Tully is flawed enough to make it impossible not to root for the guy. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the rest of the cast. October, in charge of the murder investigation, is the only exception. Livia, sister of the deceased and a member of Tully's team, has her moments. But I found it hard to believe that as Tully lets her grieve in her room, while the plot moves forward and more people die as the investigation continues, she somehow manages to piece things together while drinking coffee on her own. The rest of the supporting cast, though disparate and colorful, never truly come together as I felt they should have.
The change from dystopian near-future thriller to muder mystery wasn't a problem for me, at least early on. Indeed, every answer Tully uncovers raises yet more questions and keeps the story quite engaging. Doubtless, Weaver tried to hide the truth behind Dr. Chandra's murder with layer upon layer of what he felt was a convoluted enigma. Trouble is, by the midway point of
Artificial Wisdom it's evident that there can only be one culprit and everything else is just window dressing. Had the author used this trick to actually fool readers and shock us with an unanticipated endgame, it would have made for quite a surprise. Sadly, it wasn't meant to be. The ending, though, comes as a complete surprise. And yet, because it came straight out of left field, it felt absurdly strange and unfulfilling.
For those who can't see the endgame coming, I can understand why they enjoyed
Artificial Wisdom more than I did. Otherwise, though it is an entertaining read, the fact that you have suspicions from the get-go and then quickly realize who murdered Solomon's creator takes the wind right out of your sails. Hence, it was more and more difficult for me to remain motivated as the story neared its end.
The final verdict: 7/10
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