All That We See or Seem review: AI fans will love Ken Liu’s cyberpunk thriller

All That We See or Seem
Ken Liu, Head of Zeus (UK); Saga Press (US)

The latest novel by Ken Liu, All That We See or Seem, is the near-future story of the mysterious disappearance of a professional dream-weaver called Elli. It is being marketed as a cyberpunk thriller.

Full disclosure: I don’t generally seek out thrillers or cyberpunk books, so I may not be the target audience for this. But I was keen to read it because Liu has not one but two claims to fame: as well as being the author of a celebrated fantasy series called The Dandelion Dynasty, he is also the translator of the sensationally good Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy by Cixin Liu.

And so, to Ken Liu’s version of our near future. In the world we find ourselves in, personal artificial intelligences are ubiquitous and Elli makes a good living by using her AI to craft communal dream experiences for her thousands of adoring followers. For Elli, such work is the creation of art, and something she is very proud of.

Then, one night, Elli ups and leaves her beloved husband with no warning. After that, she simply disappears… until a gangster claims to be holding her hostage. Could it be that Elli has learned something about this terrible man, perhaps in a one-on-one dream session, that has put her life at risk? And does the gangster really have her, or is he using his AI to create a deepfake version of her?

Elli’s husband, Piers, a mild-mannered lawyer with hidden backbone, is determined to get his wife back. He tracks down a once-famous hacker known as Julia Z and begs for her help. He is certain that Elli wouldn’t have disappeared without a word, unless she did it to protect him.

Off we go on an adventure, as Julia, with Piers in tow, tries to find the truth about our missing dream-weaver, while various goons attempt to cause them serious harm. I say adventure, but most of the action involves detailed descriptions of online activity. Which isn’t to complain: the sequences in which Julia and her AI helper piece together clues about what happened to Elli are really enjoyable.

The intricate work that Julia does online is superbly imagined, and it builds into what feels like a realistic sketch of how AI could be employed very soon. I particularly liked the clever ways in which Julia uses tiny details about an environment to either work things out or hide her actions.

In the biography in my copy of the novel, Liu is described as a consultant on futurism and technology history. His knowledge and experience certainly show in these online sequences, and I think people with a deep interest in AI will really enjoy the book.

For me, though, All That We See or Seem didn’t quite land. The thriller aspects didn’t thrill me. The criminals were oddly cartoonish. And the offline part of the plot didn’t feel very believable, particularly in the novel’s long final section.

Perhaps there is also a basic problem with setting a book in a future so very near to the present that it isn’t entirely clear to the non-expert reader what is currently possible and what isn’t. It takes some of the fun out of the conceit if you keep thinking: “Can’t they do this already?” But perhaps that is just me.

I will give The Dandelion Dynasty a go, though. Liu is clearly a talented and thoughtful writer, and I look forward to seeing what he does next.

Emily also recommends…

Enemy of the State
Directed by Tony Scott

The connection may be tenuous, but Ken Liu’s book put me in mind of this excellent film from 1998, starring Gene Hackman and Will Smith. It was way ahead of its time in its depiction of tech-based surveillance techniques, as well as being a lot of fun.

Emily H. Wilson is a former editor of New Scientist and the author of the Sumerians trilogy, set in ancient Mesopotamia. The final novel in the series, Ninshubar, is out now. You can find her at emilyhwilson.com, or follow her on X @emilyhwilson and Instagram @emilyhwilson1