Artificial Selection: A Near-Future Science Fiction Mystery Novel

by Marianne Pickles

HIGH TECH, HIGH WATER, AND THE HEAD OF AWKWARD QUESTIONS

A cozy sci-fi mystery from the winner of the Green Stories Prize!

The year is 2101, and half of England is underwater.

But society is recovering from the Melt, thanks to ArkTech, whose eco-friendly headquarters sit serenely above the newly formed Fenland Sea.

As ArkTech's Head of Awkward Questions, Charlotte Vance is dedicated to helping Ben, the company's curious AI. Ben has a fondness for dad jokes, a knack for spotting anomalies, and happens to be Charlotte’s best friend.

Naturally, when Ben notices a geneticist vandalising pre-Melt books and a librarian looking the other way, he sends Charlotte to investigate.

What starts as a quirky case of stolen blank pages and clandestine book clubs soon leaves Charlotte caught between the black-market operation she thought she’d left behind and the company she's always trusted.

Set in a near future that is neither utopia nor wasteland, Artificial Selection is ideal for readers who enjoy character-driven whydunnits, or charming sci-fi with humour and heart – perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett, Martha Wells, and Becky Chambers.

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook

376 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2024

About the author

Marianne 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 holds a first-class degree in English Literature and Classics from the University of Edinburgh. Her novel Time Hack won the Green Stories Novel Prize in 2023 and was shortlisted for the WOB Sustainable Story Award in 2025.

To hear about new releases and to receive a free prequel short story, visit her website and sign up to the monthly Picklesverse emails.

Reviews

[Daphne · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[The Reading Ruru (Kerry)]

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.

[Nancy Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I 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: 100%

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.

------

Update:

I finished the book and I can clearly see why each judge in my team has found the book fascinating and well-written. The cozy mystery continues and we will eventually discover Mabel's true motivation towards defacing library books. Nope, I will not spoil the why, but the reasons make a whole deal of sense. Charlotte's supervisor Abishek as the book's antagonist offers a nice contrast to the issues readers will have regarding Charlotte's occasional lapses in good morals and sound judgement. She isn't a perfect person, and yet these traits are the prime motivators why the AI Ben enjoys working with her so much.

Outside of some sluggishness in the middle chapters that could have been tightened just a bit more, I can't see any major writing issues with this book. The ending will solve the story's pressing initial problem, while at the same time leaves several key questions hanging in the air. Charlotte's former mobster adoptive father Narrow will play a larger role in the sequel. I felt intrigued by him, because we only see brief snippets of his POV from Charlotte's unreliable POV. Some aspects of this society are quite dystopian, like a much cozier and pseudo utopian version of Psycho Pass. I can see several contrasting similarities between this book and that Cyberpunk anime.

Anyhow, this book is well worth the read for readers that like their cozy mysteries to have dystopian undertones that slowly come to light, a mostly good-guy protagonist that is willing to take risks and a friendly AI that becomes more autonomous as the story advances. I would be interested in reading book 2 sometime and discover what happens next. I am also curious whether Narrow and his knife wielding goon Strife are in reality a couple because they seem to enjoy arguing a lot in a more marriage dynamic over mobster boss-hired goon relationship.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this arc from the SPSFC5, where I am a judge, but I actually listened to it on Audible. At the time of this review, it's a quarter finalist. 4.5 / 5

A fun sci-fi, sort-of detective story with interesting worldbuilding, Artificial Selection is a great blend of quirky, cozy-adjacent, and futuristic.

This book is interesting in the trajectory of its worldbuilding. We have a world set after a climate disaster - a flood - and the story takes place on a human-made island, essentially - an arc if you will - run by a corporation, ArkTech. What’s weird at the start is how the company is made to seem so benevolent. Call me cynical, but I questioned it the entire time. And this seems to be the main character’s arc, that she slowly (very slowly) realizes that companies rarely have people’s best interests at heart.

The book’s tone is hard to nail down. It starts off very cozy, with Charlotte working for the cutesy AI to uncover useless mysteries. Yet, are they useless at all? That’s what the story begins to reveal. The stakes also aren’t really that high for awhile, so it takes a while for any tension to build. Then it’s explained why Ben needs Charlotte to research these obsessions of his (it’s because he gets stuck in a feedback loop, a thought spiral, so to speak), and it makes more sense why this is Charlotte’s job (which she apparently gets no overtime for).

And while the mystery takes a backseat around the midway point (I almost forgot what Charlotte was investigating), her backstory and life on Arktech are the real story. I almost wonder, given Ben is an AI designed to control the city, did he already know the answer, and this entire thing was orchestrated by him to improve Charlotte’s work ethic?

This is why having an AI character is so different than even when this was published in 2024. Now, thanks to not just shows like Black Mirror, but real-life AIs, it’s hard to find them fun at times because they’re just what their companies program them to be. It’s very easy to see Ben as ChatGPT, and as such, not really trust him. Yet, if you can ignore the way our current life has made us wary of AI, Ben is cute and funny. He’s very childlike at times, which was part of it. I DID like Ben.

The book has some other nice things about it - a workplace flirtation of sorts I wished had gone further; sisterly bonding; a bad guy combo called Straight and Narrow; and some interesting conversations.

As this is for the competition, I will say I found the book a bit too long-winded. It could have been tightened in many spots, especially in scenes that were just bridges from one plot point to the next.

And while I thought Charlotte was fine, I didn’t love her. I had trouble getting a bead on her personality for the first third of the book, so while I wasn’t indifferent, I wasn’t riveted.

Still, this book is a fun, quirky, sci-fi mystery. It’s totally fun. I'll be giving it a high scoring.

[Gary Hardenburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Artificial Selection
Author: Marianne Pickles

Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 3/5

Of the 15 readers:
12 would read another book by this author.
11 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
12 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 3 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 7 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
Of all the readers, 5 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
9 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
12 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
Female, 41
I absolutely loved this! It's one of those books that's quietly clever rather than full of explosions, and I found that really refreshing. Ben completely stole the show for me—an AI with dad jokes and genuine heart is not something I knew I needed! The mystery kept me guessing, and the flooded England setting felt believable without being depressing.
The pacing dipped ever so slightly in the middle, but it quickly picked up again. I'd happily read more adventures with Charlotte and Ben.
Male, 61
This was a very enjoyable blend of cosy mystery and science fiction. Marianne Pickles has created a future that feels surprisingly hopeful, which makes a nice change from the usual doom-and-gloom dystopias. Charlotte is an engaging lead, and her unusual job title made me smile every time it came up.
I would have liked a little more detail about how society reached this point after the Melt, but perhaps that's something for future books. Overall, an intelligent and entertaining read.
Female, 36
Such a charming surprise! I picked it up for the award because the blurb sounded quirky, and it absolutely delivered. Ben is brilliant, Charlotte is easy to root for, and the mystery around the missing book pages kept me hooked. The humour sprinkled throughout stopped the story from ever becoming too heavy.
There were a couple of scenes that lingered a little longer than they needed to, but that's honestly a tiny complaint. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys thoughtful sci-fi with plenty of personality.
Male, 52
I think what impressed me most was the world-building. Rather than throwing endless futuristic gadgets at the reader, Marianne Pickles lets the setting unfold naturally, creating a believable England that's adapted to life after catastrophic flooding. It feels lived in rather than merely imagined.
The relationship between Charlotte and Ben is the real heart of the novel. Their conversations are funny, intelligent and often surprisingly touching. The mystery itself is satisfying, gradually revealing a bigger picture involving trust, corporations and hidden agendas without ever becoming overly complicated.
If I have one criticism, it's that I occasionally wanted a greater sense of danger. The story leans into its cosy mystery roots, which won't suit readers expecting a fast-paced thriller. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and will happily pick up the next book.
Female, 68
What a delightful read! Warm, witty and full of clever ideas without ever becoming difficult to follow. Ben made me laugh out loud more than once. I only wish we'd learned a little more about the events before the Melt, but I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter.
Male, 40
Artificial Selection manages something that's surprisingly difficult—it tells an engaging science fiction story without losing sight of its characters. Charlotte feels like a real person, complete with flaws and doubts, while Ben is one of the most memorable AI characters I've come across in years. Their friendship is wonderfully written.
The mystery surrounding the damaged books starts off small but grows into something much more interesting, and I appreciated that the novel raises ethical questions without becoming preachy. The writing has a warm, conversational style that makes even the more technical ideas easy to follow.
There were a few moments where I thought the pacing slowed, particularly during some of the investigative sections, but the ending was satisfying enough to make it worthwhile. I'd happily recommend this to anyone looking for intelligent, optimistic sci-fi with humour, heart and a genuinely original premise.

To Sum It Up:
“A wonderfully original, warm-hearted sci-fi mystery that combines clever world-building, memorable characters, and gentle humour into an entertaining and thought-provoking read. A RED RIBBON WINNER and highly recommended!” Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Helyna Clove · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this novel for The Self-Published Science Fiction Competition, SPSFC. The following review is my own personal opinion as a judge in Team Space Girls and does not reflect the views of the team as a whole.

The first 30% of Artificial Selection was one of my favourites from the scouting phase of Round 1, so I couldn’t wait to get back to reading the whole book. Charlotte’s wacky adventure involving an investigation about the vandalism of library books (to satisfy the curiosity of the all-powerful AI she works for) takes her first to the exact book library in the entertainment quarter of her sea platform home, Silicon Fen, then to a cat cafe, some light breaking-and-entering, and finally, an old haunt of hers at the edges of the criminal underworld, and all of it felt surprisingly light, optimistic, and cozy, considering that the world she lives in is after a global upheaval involving a botched-up attempt to turn back global warming, then the rising of the sea levels and the consequent ecological, economical, and humanitarian catastrophe. The pair of Charlotte and Ben, the AI in her ears, supplies with a constant stream of banter that is, depending on your sense of humor, entertaining and slightly aggravating to listen to (dad jokes abound!), but at the very least quite characterful.

After finishing the sample, I foresaw that Charlotte’s dark, possibly traumatic past will get a larger role going forward, and also that the utopia-world of Silicon Fen might get revealed less of a sunshine-y place than it was first suggested. I was right on both accounts, but I also have to say the story never got as dark as I hoped. That would have been my preference, but I was still very satisfied by the progression of events. There really never was a boring moment in what turned out to be Charlotte’s longest night, probably: we got to know some how her shadier friends and her sister for a passing moment, and there is even an indication of a sweet love interest in among breaking into places, running from criminals, and trying to come to terms with our past suddenly kicking in the proverbial door on us. Of course, there are darker things, injuries, death, and angsty/angry reminiscing, and indeed we get to know a little bit more about what foundations this harmonious society is based on. What they ignore of the outside world, how they regulate their citizenry and at what cost, including some more personal details about Charlotte and her job, too. This is all through Charlotte’s somewhat skewed point of view, which makes it interesting, and subtle, somewhat vague as well. To be fair, there are a lot of dark stuff just out of view, if we think about it just a bit.

The writing continued to be smart but casual, giving us worldbuilding and character details with a very good sense about what the story needs at any given moment. The pacing felt great, the plot always moving, and through all of that, Charlotte’s character deepens in the best of ways. Even though I liked her and Ben’s duo from the start, I ended up loving them even more by the end. The solution to the initial book defacing issue is intriguing and connects to many of the problems hiding in the background of the story. While there are things that remain less developed than I would have liked (the global situation of the world in more detail, the almost cult leader-like CEO of the platform country, Charlotte’s parents, Charlotte’s foster father, Ben himself), the ending still felt satisfying, and at least there are things to look forward to whenever I get to the sequel! Because I will. I really enjoyed this read, this world, and these characters. I feel like the book is a strong contender in SPSFC, and I wish it luck so that it finds its right audience!

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Todd Millard · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Maryann (Mae) · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Cody · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Scott Shjefte · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Federico Pani · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason this novel didn't click with me. I found some actions and consideration of the main character being silly and/or naïve. The world building was interesting but the plot didn't move forward enough to keep me interested.

[Tara gander · Rating 1 out of 5]

Super boring.Ben, the AI was the most likable character and the story was fun-solving a stupid mystery that seems irrelevant.

[Simon Warner · Rating 2 out of 5]

366 pages of absolute nothingness.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

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?

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

just wow

[Julie Malcolm · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

[Luis A Quijano · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Colleen Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Charles Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun sci-fi mystery. I enjoyed the selection of characters and the premise.

[Ben Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

that's a fun noir like sci fi

[Melissa Applegate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous, light-hearted, and an enjoyable read.

[David M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, novel premise and setting. Well worth the read

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly held my attention but had a bit of a cutesy edge to it. Might be worth trying the next in the series.