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Artificial Selection: A Near-Future Science Fiction Mystery Novel
From the WINNER of the Green Stories Prize.
What do you get if you cross a glitching AI, a streetwise investigator, and a geneticist with a secret?
It’s the year 2101, and half of England is underwater. But society is recovering from the Melt – all thanks to ArkTech, the company that saved the world.
Charlotte Vance is smart, resourceful, and fiercely dedicated to her work. The ArkTech Territory is the only home she’s ever known, and she’ll do anything to keep it safe.
So when Ben, the company’s curious AI with a fondness for dad jokes, asks why a geneticist is stealing pages from library books, Charlotte is happy to help. After all, Ben isn’t just software – he’s her best friend.
But what begins as a routine investigation soon raises deeper questions about Charlotte’s world.
She’s pulled into the orbit of a criminal operation she thought she’d left behind – and what she uncovers forces her to confront an uncomfortable truth about the company she’s always trusted.
An AI, a PI, and a geneticist walk into a library… but the punchline could cost Charlotte everything.
Artificial Selection is fun, intriguing, and ultimately uplifting – the first in a series of smart mysteries for anyone curious enough to ask why.
What Readers Are Saying…
"In the top echelon of near-future storytelling. Looking forward to the next one."
“I loved the world and characters of this book. It felt like a world inhabited by real people with real problems, in a future that is very relatable.”
"Honestly, I devoured it in one go, in just a single day – it was that good. The world-building? Absolutely brilliant… Charlotte Vance is such a relatable character. She's flawed, smart, and determined, and I was completely rooting for her… The humor was spot-on too – not overdone, just enough to balance the story’s emotional weight. And that ending? Perfection. It left me feeling hopeful, which is rare these days, isn't it?"
What do you get if you cross a glitching AI, a streetwise investigator, and a geneticist with a secret?
It’s the year 2101, and half of England is underwater. But society is recovering from the Melt – all thanks to ArkTech, the company that saved the world.
Charlotte Vance is smart, resourceful, and fiercely dedicated to her work. The ArkTech Territory is the only home she’s ever known, and she’ll do anything to keep it safe.
So when Ben, the company’s curious AI with a fondness for dad jokes, asks why a geneticist is stealing pages from library books, Charlotte is happy to help. After all, Ben isn’t just software – he’s her best friend.
But what begins as a routine investigation soon raises deeper questions about Charlotte’s world.
She’s pulled into the orbit of a criminal operation she thought she’d left behind – and what she uncovers forces her to confront an uncomfortable truth about the company she’s always trusted.
An AI, a PI, and a geneticist walk into a library… but the punchline could cost Charlotte everything.
Artificial Selection is fun, intriguing, and ultimately uplifting – the first in a series of smart mysteries for anyone curious enough to ask why.
What Readers Are Saying…
"In the top echelon of near-future storytelling. Looking forward to the next one."
“I loved the world and characters of this book. It felt like a world inhabited by real people with real problems, in a future that is very relatable.”
"Honestly, I devoured it in one go, in just a single day – it was that good. The world-building? Absolutely brilliant… Charlotte Vance is such a relatable character. She's flawed, smart, and determined, and I was completely rooting for her… The humor was spot-on too – not overdone, just enough to balance the story’s emotional weight. And that ending? Perfection. It left me feeling hopeful, which is rare these days, isn't it?"
- GenresScience Fiction
366 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 9, 2024
407 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Marianne Pickles
2 books9 followersMarianne Pickles writes mystery novels set in the future. She grew up in Scotland near Aberdeen, where many people worked on offshore oil rigs in the North Sea. Now she lives on low-lying land in the Fens with her partner, David. They are contemplating learning to kayak.
She studied English Literature and Classics at the University of Edinburgh. In 2023, Marianne’s novel Time Hack won first prize in the Green Stories novel competition.
She studied English Literature and Classics at the University of Edinburgh. In 2023, Marianne’s novel Time Hack won first prize in the Green Stories novel competition.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 6, 2025
I didn't enjoy the book as much as I expected to. I love SF and books with AIs and this one had potential but I got tired with long descriptions of indifferent events. In general, it was a decent story and from what I read there are sequels as well but I kind of lost my interest midway and was just reading to finish the book. I'm not gonna be reading the sequels.
Read
December 3, 2025I am one of the judges of team Space Girls for the SPSFC5 contest. This review is my personal opinion. Officially, it is still in the running for the contest, pending any official team announcements.
Status: Yes
Read: 30%
Continuing with my scouting phase reads, we have a book that initially seems like a cozy Hopepunk Mystery. Before the pandemic, I don't think the combination of cozy cabin fiction you drank with hot coccoa mixed with classic Sci Fi was a thing. Cozy mysteries have been popular for ages, along with Slice of life romance. Even fantasy had occasional stories with these elements, particularly in Middle Grade aimed books.
With the success of Cafés & Lattes, this genre has increased in popularity as a nice counter to Grimdark and Dystopia that were hallmark sensations in the 2010s. While I think some readers don't like the cozy + Sci Fi combo, I actually like these kinds of books. Why? Because since the stories are so different from the galactic stakes in classic Sci Fi media growing up, they tend to veer from proven formulas. These books take more risks. Which is ultimately my big draw to reading indie fiction in the first place.
All signs the stakes are ridiculously low in Artificial Selection. The story happens several decades after 'The Melt' where Climate Change does its thing of sinking vast amounts of territory. Most of England is under water, leaving what is left as a series of interconnected islands that are akin to Ancient Greece city-states. Some of these islands became claimed by a benevolent coporation owned by 2 aspiring philantropists.
Since the early part of the book seems to paint a rosy idealistic picture of the new ArkTech nation from a somewhat unreliable POV, the reader toils along. The country at first sight solves a lot of the societal problems plaguing the world today, including my developing nation. Migration is restricted to single & young people with desirable job skills, housing in communal condos, steady stream of nutrition bars to avoid hunger, free healthcare, low crime and guaranteed employment for everyone.
As expected, such a system has downsides, chiefly pertaining to low salaries and limited upper mobility. In a way, some aspects of this country seem similar to Japan, with the caveat ArkTech is benefitting from a recent baby boom. As the book's protagonist, Charlotte was born in ArkTech as a full-fledged citizen without having to worry about deportation. Outside of a tragedy mentioned in passing that left her orphaned with ghastly burn scars on her left arm, her life has always been predictable and sheltered.
Growing up in a country that boasts how great it is and emotionally dependent on its all-encompassing AI named Benjamin, Charlotte's skewed worldview makes plenty of sense. She grew up in such an insular society that she never questions if mass animal extinction is false. In all respects, I doubt elevated megacities like Mexico City would end up underwater in such a scenario. Some of my suspicions the scary & undeveloped outside world is not as bad as claimed within Arktech's gated walls might be confirmed later in the story.
The book commences with the coziest of Slice of Life fanfare. Charlotte earns a minimum wage job as the private sleuth for AI Benjamin's random queries. Instead of sorting metadata in a cubicle, she investigates cases where irrational human behavior baffles the AI sufficiently to make it glitch and cause systemic failures. Today's mission is to discover why a random woman has been caught tampering with old paper library books. What commences as a silly debacle about a menial vandalism case starts offering glimpses into something sinister...
I think the book covers its tracks very well explaining why Charlotte is so inherently clueless about the world. While Charlotte seems to believe the AI 'chose her' to be its confirmation bias sleuth, there is nothing mentioned within the sample that states otherwise. Charlotte might have been selected because she can't be deported. She has zero incentives to work hard and usually seems content doing the bare minimum. When the AI is persistent she continues learning more about this mystery woman, Charlotte toils along, sometimes even bending rules a bit without going too overboard.
I enjoyed how the mystery is deepening within the 30% point and the cracks in the system are now showing. We still don't know the root cause of the vandalism, only snippets about this woman and the hidden dystopic elements are creeping up little by little.
This has been a refreshing read that is solid proof a cozy book that initially seems low stakes can work well within a Sci Fi worldbuilding and I am voting Yes for it to continue in the competition.
Status: Yes
Read: 30%
Continuing with my scouting phase reads, we have a book that initially seems like a cozy Hopepunk Mystery. Before the pandemic, I don't think the combination of cozy cabin fiction you drank with hot coccoa mixed with classic Sci Fi was a thing. Cozy mysteries have been popular for ages, along with Slice of life romance. Even fantasy had occasional stories with these elements, particularly in Middle Grade aimed books.
With the success of Cafés & Lattes, this genre has increased in popularity as a nice counter to Grimdark and Dystopia that were hallmark sensations in the 2010s. While I think some readers don't like the cozy + Sci Fi combo, I actually like these kinds of books. Why? Because since the stories are so different from the galactic stakes in classic Sci Fi media growing up, they tend to veer from proven formulas. These books take more risks. Which is ultimately my big draw to reading indie fiction in the first place.
All signs the stakes are ridiculously low in Artificial Selection. The story happens several decades after 'The Melt' where Climate Change does its thing of sinking vast amounts of territory. Most of England is under water, leaving what is left as a series of interconnected islands that are akin to Ancient Greece city-states. Some of these islands became claimed by a benevolent coporation owned by 2 aspiring philantropists.
Since the early part of the book seems to paint a rosy idealistic picture of the new ArkTech nation from a somewhat unreliable POV, the reader toils along. The country at first sight solves a lot of the societal problems plaguing the world today, including my developing nation. Migration is restricted to single & young people with desirable job skills, housing in communal condos, steady stream of nutrition bars to avoid hunger, free healthcare, low crime and guaranteed employment for everyone.
As expected, such a system has downsides, chiefly pertaining to low salaries and limited upper mobility. In a way, some aspects of this country seem similar to Japan, with the caveat ArkTech is benefitting from a recent baby boom. As the book's protagonist, Charlotte was born in ArkTech as a full-fledged citizen without having to worry about deportation. Outside of a tragedy mentioned in passing that left her orphaned with ghastly burn scars on her left arm, her life has always been predictable and sheltered.
Growing up in a country that boasts how great it is and emotionally dependent on its all-encompassing AI named Benjamin, Charlotte's skewed worldview makes plenty of sense. She grew up in such an insular society that she never questions if mass animal extinction is false. In all respects, I doubt elevated megacities like Mexico City would end up underwater in such a scenario. Some of my suspicions the scary & undeveloped outside world is not as bad as claimed within Arktech's gated walls might be confirmed later in the story.
The book commences with the coziest of Slice of Life fanfare. Charlotte earns a minimum wage job as the private sleuth for AI Benjamin's random queries. Instead of sorting metadata in a cubicle, she investigates cases where irrational human behavior baffles the AI sufficiently to make it glitch and cause systemic failures. Today's mission is to discover why a random woman has been caught tampering with old paper library books. What commences as a silly debacle about a menial vandalism case starts offering glimpses into something sinister...
I think the book covers its tracks very well explaining why Charlotte is so inherently clueless about the world. While Charlotte seems to believe the AI 'chose her' to be its confirmation bias sleuth, there is nothing mentioned within the sample that states otherwise. Charlotte might have been selected because she can't be deported. She has zero incentives to work hard and usually seems content doing the bare minimum. When the AI is persistent she continues learning more about this mystery woman, Charlotte toils along, sometimes even bending rules a bit without going too overboard.
I enjoyed how the mystery is deepening within the 30% point and the cracks in the system are now showing. We still don't know the root cause of the vandalism, only snippets about this woman and the hidden dystopic elements are creeping up little by little.
This has been a refreshing read that is solid proof a cozy book that initially seems low stakes can work well within a Sci Fi worldbuilding and I am voting Yes for it to continue in the competition.
November 26, 2025
Read as a judge for SPSFC5 (team Space Girls) - 100% read. Opinion and rating is my personal view and doesn't reflect our team. I'll be giving this book a Y to move forward, but the final decision will be made when other team members have read part or all of it
This was a perfect mix of genres for me, a mystery set in an artificial, tech driven, supposedly utopian* city within a dystopian future. The city's AI is aided by a young woman called Charlotte (who has the BEST job title) to learn about human nuances so he can assist the city's populace. Charlotte is an intriguing character with an interesting back story, and I instantly liked her. While Charlotte and Ben (the AI) look into some slightly obscure happening in parts of the city, it turns out to be a bigger problem than they imagined. Charlotte's past comes back to haunt her, and she finds out that the "perfect" city in which she lives may be all a lie.
* Whilst the city is supposedly a utopia, it kind of read like a mix of communism & capitalism. Everyone starts at the bottom and works their way up in social tiers. Depending on what tier you're on and the job you do determines where and how you live, eat, dress, etc.
This was a perfect mix of genres for me, a mystery set in an artificial, tech driven, supposedly utopian* city within a dystopian future. The city's AI is aided by a young woman called Charlotte (who has the BEST job title) to learn about human nuances so he can assist the city's populace. Charlotte is an intriguing character with an interesting back story, and I instantly liked her. While Charlotte and Ben (the AI) look into some slightly obscure happening in parts of the city, it turns out to be a bigger problem than they imagined. Charlotte's past comes back to haunt her, and she finds out that the "perfect" city in which she lives may be all a lie.
* Whilst the city is supposedly a utopia, it kind of read like a mix of communism & capitalism. Everyone starts at the bottom and works their way up in social tiers. Depending on what tier you're on and the job you do determines where and how you live, eat, dress, etc.
November 19, 2024
Artificial Selection was a super fun and intriguing read that also managed to give me lots to think about. We're following Charlotte (a main character that's somehow both mysterious and relatable), Head of Awkward Questions, and her employer/buddy, Ben the AI, as they make their way through a post-climate-apocalypse utopia (?) in search for answers to awkward questions that may short-circuit Ben (and possibly bring about another mini apocalypse). Questions only humans, thinking and feeling like humans, can answer.
Ben reminded me a bit of Lovey from the Wayfarers series and maybe also a bit of the Carls from An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, mostly for their ability to connect with humans. The vibes are also quite similar, cosy and fun but exploring some deep themes, like an AI's ability to understand human motivations and the fairness of algorithmic decision making. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a cosy and thought-provoking sci-fi.
** Disclaimer: I know the author IRL, so cannot be completely unbiased, but I truly did love this book!
Ben reminded me a bit of Lovey from the Wayfarers series and maybe also a bit of the Carls from An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, mostly for their ability to connect with humans. The vibes are also quite similar, cosy and fun but exploring some deep themes, like an AI's ability to understand human motivations and the fairness of algorithmic decision making. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a cosy and thought-provoking sci-fi.
** Disclaimer: I know the author IRL, so cannot be completely unbiased, but I truly did love this book!
July 6, 2025
Good story but no reveal at the end
I would give this a 3.5 if I could. The author does build a great post-apocalyptic world and developed great characters. I really like Charlotte and the AI, Ben. Their communication is entertaining and fun as well as enlightening. The writing is also quite good. I’m not a big fan of “chase scene” person, but there’s 10% section of this book of Charlotte being chased by a crazed woman and her brothers. It’s riveting! So why did I only give this book 4 stars and really want to give it 3.5? Very little happens in the book. The story is based on a person or two stealing blank pages from pre-melt books. It seems there’s a big secret. That the ruling corporation maybe had a hand in the Melt. However, by the end, they were stealing pages and escaped to the mainland. That’s it. I know there’s still a lot of story we don’t know but the author doesn’t care to share any of that in this book.
I would give this a 3.5 if I could. The author does build a great post-apocalyptic world and developed great characters. I really like Charlotte and the AI, Ben. Their communication is entertaining and fun as well as enlightening. The writing is also quite good. I’m not a big fan of “chase scene” person, but there’s 10% section of this book of Charlotte being chased by a crazed woman and her brothers. It’s riveting! So why did I only give this book 4 stars and really want to give it 3.5? Very little happens in the book. The story is based on a person or two stealing blank pages from pre-melt books. It seems there’s a big secret. That the ruling corporation maybe had a hand in the Melt. However, by the end, they were stealing pages and escaped to the mainland. That’s it. I know there’s still a lot of story we don’t know but the author doesn’t care to share any of that in this book.
June 8, 2025
Loved Charlotte and the world building
Artificial Selection by Marianne Pickles
Good! Sea level has risen 70 meters (230') with resultant population decline, relocation, famine, etc. Decades later a powerful, ecologically responsible company has arisen creating architectural oases in various places. Anyone who is accepted to live there becomes an employee-citizen with all their needs taken care of. Charlotte has been hired by the AI, Ben, whose automations keep the whole territory running. Light switches. Water pressure. Air traffic control. Energy distribution. It’s all Ben. And on top of that, he gives info and guidance to every employee-citizen whenever they need it. Her title is the Head of Awkward Questions: she helps "him" understand human motivation so he can do a better job. Loved Charlotte and the world building. Felt real. Looking forward to a sequel.
Artificial Selection by Marianne Pickles
Good! Sea level has risen 70 meters (230') with resultant population decline, relocation, famine, etc. Decades later a powerful, ecologically responsible company has arisen creating architectural oases in various places. Anyone who is accepted to live there becomes an employee-citizen with all their needs taken care of. Charlotte has been hired by the AI, Ben, whose automations keep the whole territory running. Light switches. Water pressure. Air traffic control. Energy distribution. It’s all Ben. And on top of that, he gives info and guidance to every employee-citizen whenever they need it. Her title is the Head of Awkward Questions: she helps "him" understand human motivation so he can do a better job. Loved Charlotte and the world building. Felt real. Looking forward to a sequel.
June 3, 2025
I don't normally write reviews, but feel this book calls for one. I loved the world and characters of this book. It felt like a world inhabited by real people with real problems, in a future that is very relatable. The heroine isn't a super hero and the "villains" aren't murderous psychopaths. They are just people dealing with life and the gray areas we all deal with. Loved it and am waiting for more stories from this world.
February 24, 2025
Wow, what a surprise! I haven't read sci-fi in ages, so seeing this was awesome. Charlotte and Ben are a great pair. Who knew an AI could be so fun and witty? I shared all of it. So glad there's another one coming.
May 29, 2025
DNF
Boring ZZZ
I tried, but just couldn't get into it.
Maybe if the disaster had been explained right from the get-go. But I never got far into the book to find out what happened. And I read quite a bit. It was like watching paint dry.
I obviously can't recommend this book.
Boring ZZZ
I tried, but just couldn't get into it.
Maybe if the disaster had been explained right from the get-go. But I never got far into the book to find out what happened. And I read quite a bit. It was like watching paint dry.
I obviously can't recommend this book.
July 11, 2025
AI and the dystopian future. EOTWAWKI, Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited, read with the Alexa audio assist application. Warning story incorporates some 'dad-type jokes'. A Female question resolver investigates issues resulting from unexplained human behaviors.
March 28, 2025
Super boring.Ben, the AI was the most likable character and the story was fun-solving a stupid mystery that seems irrelevant.
Want to read
May 30, 2025I'm sooooo bored....
June 2, 2025
366 pages of absolute nothingness.
July 13, 2025
First AI I’ve met in a while that I didn’t want to see catch fire!
Can’t wait for the sequel. I’m prepared to bribe the author. Anyone got any ideas for doing that?
Can’t wait for the sequel. I’m prepared to bribe the author. Anyone got any ideas for doing that?
July 18, 2025
just wow
August 4, 2025
Can't quite put my finger on why I struggled to finish this - the idea is good but I found it very easy to put down
August 11, 2025
Excellent
I think this is a very good book. I takes you to a different world, even though is our world in the future. Very well written.
I think this is a very good book. I takes you to a different world, even though is our world in the future. Very well written.
August 22, 2025
Some interesting world building but there was a whole lot of catching shuttles and going from here to there. For such a fast-paced story, it felt sort of boring.
October 4, 2025
This is a fun sci-fi mystery. I enjoyed the selection of characters and the premise.
May 13, 2025
Humorous, light-hearted, and an enjoyable read.
March 30, 2025
Brilliant, novel premise and setting. Well worth the read
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews