klward

All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Ken Liu's All That We See Or Seem is a near future thriller with a side order of cyberpunk and an inner core of self-discovery. Although the book isn't short -- a bit over 400 pages --- it packs a lot into that space. Not all the plot threads tie off neatly, but the pacing seldom flags.

As with most thrillers, too much plot summary produces Spoiler. In essence, then, the novel follows Julia Z., an "orphan hacker" who became notorious by age fourteen in a scandalous criminal case. After building herself a new reclusive existence in Boston, she is located and recruited by a desperate husband trying to locate his missing wife. He believes she's been kidnapped -- and because she's a well-known onierofex (dream artist, one of the further-out ideas in this book), he suspects one of her private clients may be behind it.

Things get dangerous quickly, because that private client turns out to be an international crime boss with an obsessive streak. After one early warning-off (involving the death of a pet, readers like me be aware), Julia and the husband go on the run just in time. Their attempt to locate the missing onierofex becomes a series of puzzles and close calls, with Julia's small arsenal of portable tech barely keeping them ahead of their enemies.

At about the halfway point of the novel, however, the rescue plot becomes one of calculated revenge. After years of strict self-reliance, Julia is forced to call upon allies from her past -- and others made along the way -- in order to continue, or indeed to survive. This second half also reveals just how day-after-tomorrow the novel's world is. There are sideways references to several recent political / social concerns, and a grim (though believable) view of the future of social media.

This is apparently the first in a new series for Liu. Although I had a few quibbles with this book, and particularly with the Epilogue, I'm already waiting for Julia Z.'s next adventure. All That We See Or Seem is an SF thriller with both brains and heart, with plenty to think about after finishing. Thanks to NetGalley for supplying me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.




View all my reviews