Artificial Truth

by J.M. Lee, Sean Lin Halbert (Translator)

From J. M. Lee, a bestselling phenomenon in Korea, comes a haunting and mind-bending novel about the revolutionary possibilities of AI and the infinite mysteries of what it means to be human.

In the virtual city of Alegria, fantasies are made real, innumerable lifetimes are lived, and even death itself is a survivable experience. An escape from reality that changed the landscape of artificial intelligence, it is home to more than one hundred million people. Though it’s been six years since Alegria’s creator—revolutionary tech genius KC Kim—died of cancer, his legacy is alive in the pinnacle of KC’s an AI named Allen who surges with KC’s memories.

As hard as KC’s widow, Minju, and her new husband, Junmo, try to move on, Minju can’t shake the unnerving feeling that somehow, from somewhere, KC is watching. She sees a stranger who bears an uncanny resemblance to him. A pair of KC’s custom-made shoes arrive at her doorstep. And someone has booked a Tokyo hotel room where she and KC shared happier times. Certain of nothing except KC’s mad innovation, Minju can only imagine what he is accomplishing without even existing.

If KC is reaching out from an infinity of memories, what are his plans for Minju and Junmo, and how can they hope to escape KC’s all-seeing grasp? And whose plans are they, really? The possibilities are frightening.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Ebooks, Dystopia, Audiobook, Mystery

220 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2025

Reviews

[Brooke (Books are my Favorite!!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can call me Al

Very entertaining page-turner about AI. Multi-POV suspense sci-fi mystery. Husband creates an AI entity to continue on his consciousness after facing death from terminal diagnosis. Eternal life...for what purpose, and what cost? The AI named Alan has many of his qualities. but none of his empathy. When his wife remarries things become very twisty, on the verge of convoluted but not tipping into nonsensical absurdity. Maybe hard to wrap all the strands together, but they are there. Themes of consciousness, existence, and of course the extents of artificial intelligence.

4.9*

[BiblioPeeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Humans think language is their most essential tool. Yet how much death and destruction have been brought about by words."

Set in the near future, technology has advanced to the point that a virtual world exists called Alegria where millions of people live and work thus escaping reality. In Alegria, people can be whomever they want to and use whatever appearance they choose therefore remaining anonymous. You can even grocery shop in Alegria and a "presenter" will deliver the items to your home. The creator of Alegria, KC, has also been working on perfecting a super artificial general intelligence (AGI) intending to give it human-like cognitive abilities so that it can understand, learn, and apply knowledge to perform any intellectual task a human can. KC is desperately trying to accomplish this by imbuing the AGI, Allen, with his own memories before he dies. 

This is a solid hard sci-fi novel with a lot of technical details surrounding the way Alegria functions and the work involved in creating Allen. Told in multiple POVs, we get to see the same events viewed differently to each person, which may or not be the TRUTH of the situation. There's a sense of unease and some stalker-esque vibes but there's also quite a bit of how interpersonal relationships are affected. My interest was held throughout and the ending was quite clever and satisfying!

As translated fiction from Korean to English, some of the phrasing and sentence structures were unusual in the way thoughts and ideas were conveyed, which for me only added to my enjoyment of the tale. There are some truly beautiful passages that are as poetic as they are poignant. 

ARTIFICIAL TRUTH is an intriguing tale of hubris and ambition gone awry, what it means to be human, and the consequences of advanced AGI and VR. It reminded me of a blend of the science fiction films 'Surrogates', 'Gamer', and 'Transcendence'. So if you're a fan of intellectual and speculative sci fi with moral and ethical situations along with a nefarious and manipulative villain, then this is for you!
____

Thank you to OTRPR and Amazon Publishing for my gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

[SVETLANA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many technical details and boring writing style.

[EmG ReadsDaily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mind-bending, technological thriller.

I was drawn to this story for the philosophical exploration of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and our reliance of technological advancements.

'I'm not claiming that I'm alive. Just because something can talk like a human, think like a human, and remember like a human doesn't mean it's alive like a human.'

This story was chilling, and I appreciate how it approached grief. This has left me rather terrified for how technology encroaches upon our lives and personhood.

I really enjoyed the audiobook, with the brilliant narration by Michelle H. Lee, Austin Ku and Zion Jang.

[Pretty Peony Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story offers a unique take on artificial intelligence. There are four main characters: KC, Minju, Allen, and Junmo. KC is the intelligence behind the AI. He becomes ill and dies, but before his death, he finds a way to create an AI that will continue his legacy. Allen is the name of the AI, and although it was created by KC, it soon develops its own thoughts and reasoning. Minju is KC’s widow, and she eventually falls in love with and marries a man named Junmo. Junmo is a convict who is skilled at what he does, but he struggles with the conflict between good and evil within himself. Suspicion grows between Minju and Junmo, with KC and Allen investigating Junmo’s true motives for marrying Minju. The ending takes an unexpected twist.

I liked the idea of this story and understood KC’s reason for the AI. I also enjoyed Junmo’s backstory and how he ended up with the elites. What felt a little disjointed was how the story came together and the build-up to the twist. I initially thought this would be a story about AI taking over the world or at least destroying some large servers (this idea was based on the book cover not matching the story), but it turned out to be more about relationships and jealousy. I suppose that, too, was another twist.

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Ride

Sci-fi at its finest. Captivating from beginning to end. If you liked Hal from 2001 A Space Odyssey - you are going to be fascinated by Allen. Great characters told from multiple pov's along with a masterful story. This is a book not to be missed!

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept, like a Black Mirror episode. A very wealthy loner dives deep into AI, the singularity, and neural linking. When he dies, we (and his wife) wonder what is him vs his uploaded alter ego. Mysterious things happen, but in a slow and deliberate fashion. This story could be very exciting in the hands of a writer like @JJAbrams or @BlakeCrouch. The audiobook has a slow and deliberate pace which helps to build tension, but it maintains its even keel regardless of the POV or narrator. To win over a broad American audience, in my opinion, it needs more action. It was interesting nonetheless.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @BrillianceAudio, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook of #ArtificialTruth for review purposes. It is now available.

[Joey · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 80%. Doesn’t really get going until well over halfway through; before that it’s mostly telling and not showing. Repetitive. The characters are inconsistent and unengaging. There are chapters that could have been two sentences. It wants to be Neuromancer but its ideas are too tired to effectively build a world. It’s unrealistic today that people would be “stunned” by the idea of creating an independent AI from somebody’s brain. It feels like a clunky translation of an uninspired story that’s been done in many, much better, ways. I really need to stop getting Amazon First Reads.

[quinnster · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was probably not the book for me. There were moments I was intrigued, but for the most part I was bored and confused by the back and forth of the storyline. There wasn't much character development so I didn't really feel for anyone in this book.

[Brisa Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 ⭐️ I really enjoyed the concept of this book! Shows us a dystopia that we might be heading into pretty soon and acts as a sort of PSA. I thought the way AI was used was pretty realistic, it felt like one big Black Mirror episode. I will say, I wish they built the relationship between Munji and her second husband better because I wasn’t really interested in them. I wish we had seen more sweet moments between them.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Glimpse into our Future?

AI...it's exciting and scary

I thought this book was well written and engaging throughout.

It was thought provoking and still entertaining.

[♡Heather✩Brown♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

#ad much love for my advance copy @amazonpublishing @otrpr #partner

🅰🆁🆃🅸🅵🅸🅲🅸🅰🅻 🆃🆁🆄🆃🅷
< @
ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ ᴠɪᴀ ᴋᴜ ᴀꜱ ᴀ ʀᴇᴀᴅ/ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴ ɴᴏᴡ
★ ★ ★ ★

“𝙸𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝙶𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚖 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚞𝚊𝚐𝚎, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚎 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚏𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝,” (p. 109).

KC decides not to pursue cancer treatment. Either way, he’s losing time - time spent sick and still dying, or time feeling relatively okay and dying anyway. He has things he wants to do before the end, so he chooses no treatment and pours everything he has left into his AI project.

He loves his wife fiercely and believes that not even death could ever separate them. Their bond feels unbreakable and he will find a way to never part from her.

Six years after KC’s death, his widow crosses paths with someone who looks like him, sounds like him, and behaves exactly the way he did. Is it possible that this is KC? And if so… how? Why now? And what does that mean for her life - especially since she’s remarried?

I really loved the technical side of this story. The near-future take on AI, consciousness, and preserved memory is fascinating, and that’s always a plus for me. This one definitely made me think.

That said, it’s a complex, layered book and there were parts where the pacing was a little slow. The audiobook helped a lot, though, and I’d absolutely recommend listening to it. The story is atmospheric and philosophical which I loved, but I can see some readers struggling with it - there’s a lot of technical detail.

This would make an excellent book club pick. There’s so much here to dissect and discuss.

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I finished this book a few days ago, I'm still thinking about it. A.I. driven plot with twists and turns. A wild ride set in the future that was captivating from beginning to end. Not my normal genre but I loved the writing style.

[willo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m assuming this book was less selected as an Amazon First Read because people are reluctant to read translated works. Having had mediocre such reads from Amazon before, I can heartily endorse giving Artificial Truth a try for anyone who enjoys light Sci Fi and/or more contemplative novels.

If you have ever pondered what AI might do to human relationships, you may enjoy this novel. You don’t need to be interested in the author’s native culture to enjoy the story.

Artificial Truth is a fairly short novel, and I finished it in just a few days, extending my usual evening reading time by a bit and adding morning sessions because I wanted to know what happened next. I felt compelled to keep going with this one!

The tone is more suspenseful and human-/emotion-centered than “tech-y” or dry. The book is set in a near-future that feels familiar and easy to imagine. The chapters alternating different points of view works here. If the premise even remotely intrigues you, I highly recommend you read Artificial Truth.

[Willow Rankin · Rating 1 out of 5]

*DNF* at 52%
Like other reviewers I didn't warm to this book, the style of writing, the story or the characters. My biggest gripe was that each chapter felt like diary entries. Full of individuals who told you what was happening in a series of flashbacks rather than showing us what was happening.
There was also too much descriptive text - and long pseudo-scientific details on the concepts of AI and robotics.
Whilst I initially wanted to know where the story would lead - each chapter, which narrated by a different character; it was hard to know who was speaking. As every character felt similar to one another. Thereby making it exceedingly difficult to care about any of the characters.
My major issue with the writing style - was that it felt like none of the characters had any personality other than being passive (the lead female MinJu was so passive, their was barely any point to her as a character), Minju in particular was boring, added nothing to the plot and barely contained any interest.
Overall, the concept was fantastic - but the writing really let it down, and I gave up caring about how the story ended.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This started of a little slow and confusing. BUT the way it came together was fantastic. Oh what a creepy look into the future and how ai might evolve down the road. Truly is horrifying. Based in Korea, mostly in Seoul. No spice, just straight up mind blowing science/fiction. But probably soon to be reality of we keep going the same direction. I got confused at couple times thinking there were plot holes but it gets "filled in" later on.

Grabbed this off Kindle FirstReads free for November and it turned out to be a good choice. I thought it was gonna be more about virtual reality. It was so much more. I dont like ai and this takes it to a whole different level. 💀 This may be what our future looks like. I liked this enough to keep reading cause I wanted to know what happened and I am glad I stuck with it.

[Becky Wells · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great Premise. Not So Well Executed

The idea of machines taking over the world isn't new, but with the rise and commit use of artificial intelligence, it's a more relevant storyline. Writer J.M. Lee uses his book Artificial Truth to warn of the dangers of relying on and connecting to AI. A computer engineer and programmer invents a way to combine the human brain with nano-computers, giving the brain unlimited access to knowledge, speed of processing, and instant recall. With every thought and memory stored as data, he toys with the idea that it would be his very preserved. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, he risks carrying out his experiment on himself and succeeds. Or does he? Is it him or the AI platform that is trying to connect with his widowed wife? Great story, but Lee misses the mark with his novel. It's awkward, uneven, and has long boring sections. Exciting action written in a couple of paragraphs is separated by pages of unnecessary detail. The story goes back and forth in time. The first person perspective is switched every paragraph. Important aspects of the story and left out completely, making it seem confusing, then later alluded to. It's just... no.

[Jennifer S. Brown]

Started out as a fascinating story of the creator of a virtual world and his wife. When he dies, she remarries, but he seems to still be part of her life. At the end, things kind of fell apart for me.

[Jessica Buzzard · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 30%

[Sebastian · Rating 2 out of 5]

We will live in a society

[Linda Zagon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Artificial Truth” by J.M. Lee, Amazon Crossing, December 1, 2025
J. M. Lee, the Author of “Artificial Truth” has written a terrifying, frightening, and thought-provoking novel. This is an eye opener, shockingly horrifying, and kept me on the edge of my seat. This is a deep, complicated well written and well told story. The Genres for this translated Korean novel are : Crime and Mystery, Science Fiction, Techno-Thrillers, Speculative, Dystopian, Artificial Intelligence, Psychological Thriller and Horror. The Author asks, “what does it mean to be human?” "What are the ramifications of Artificial Intelligence and Impact on Humanity?” “Can one survive Death?"

The author vividly describes the environment and complex, complicated, dark and evil characters. The concept of good and evil are brought into this book. What “powers” can a human being give to “Artificial Intelligence? This is a mind boggling, suspenseful, edgy, twisted novel with betrayals, surprises, dangers and possibly death.I am still rattled after reading this book. There are so many questions with “What If???”. In Alegria, a city where fantasies are real, Genius KC Kim had created a form of intelligence called “Allen”, before he died of pancreatic cancer. Allen has KC’s memories, and morale code, and thus survives with a “mental” part of “KC”. Minju, KC’s widow remarries a photographer, Junmo. I give you a warning, there are dark secrets.

Minju starts to have strange experiences, and believes she has even seen the “dead” KC. She is terrified that KC is stalking her. Can you imagine a world where Artificial Intelligence can take over and rule? How and what can Minju do to protect herself? I highly recommend this intriguing, suspenseful and captivating novel. I am still left thinking about this book.



[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artificial Truth by J.M. Lee is a high-concept sci-fi thriller centered on artificial intelligence that, despite not fully working for me stylistically, still kept me interested because of its concept. I didn’t fly through this one in the same way I do with other sci-fi and thriller books, but I was engaged enough to want to see how everything came together by the end.

The concept and storyline are the book’s strongest points. I genuinely enjoyed the premise and the way it made me think about AI and its potential implications for our world. The story unfolds across different timelines from multiple POVs. While the ending was fairly predictable, as a seasoned thriller reader, I did appreciate how the author tied all the threads together in a cohesive way.

Where the book lacked for me was in its execution. The story is largely told in a diary-like format, which results in a lot of telling rather than showing. Much of the narrative basically reads as explanations of what happened instead of allowing the reader to experience events as they unfold. I understand the stylistic choice, but it wasn’t one I personally enjoyed, and it made it harder to feel immersed in the story.

That said, I kept thinking that if this were adapted into a movie, I would probably love it. The ideas, pacing of reveals, and overall concept felt very cinematic, even if the execution on the page didn’t quite land for me.

Overall, while the writing style wasn’t to my personal taste, I did like the concept and appreciated how much it made me think about the current topic of AI. If you’re looking for a unique thriller and don’t mind a more tell-heavy narrative style, this might be worth checking out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was read as an audiobook and all opinions are completely my own.

[M. K. French · Rating 5 out of 5]

KC Kim was the tech genius who designed the virtual city of Alegria. It's one hundred million people can live out fantasies and multiple lifetimes. In the six years since KC's death, his memories remain in the AI named Allen. KC's widow, Minju, and her new husband, Junmo, can't help but feel like they're being followed in the real world. A stranger who looks like KC is watching her. His custom shoes arrive. Their former hotel room in Tokyo is booked. Minju wonders if it's all KC's efforts to control her, or if someone else has plans for her.

The beginning of the story has a lot of exposition, especially regarding KC's rise to prominence and the invention of AI. His rigid search for perfection is off-putting to most people, and marriage softened his image. Minju wasn't interested in the money, though the public never believed that. Junmo is a photographer with a past rife with violence, and he is both jealous of the odd things happening to their marriage and protective of Junmo. The house they live in was specifically built by KC, so it's riddled with CCTV cameras, microphones, and sensors that process biometric data. Minju didn't know about Allen or KC experimenting, adding to the tension in the house.

The varying POV chapters give us a lot of background into the characters and their past. It's not until the end that we understand why they're structured that way, and I found the ending clever and sad all at once. Technology is often developed faster than regulation can keep up with it, and those who explore the frontier in any field tend to ignore ethics in their pursuit of advancement and profit. In this novel, we see how insidious it can get, and how the lines between the virtual and real can blur.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

In light of recent advances in AI, this novel reflects the possibility of where our world is headed in the near future.

This novel shifts points of view from KC to Minju to Junmo, and even to Allen. It was intriguing to see where each chapter went and how it added to the storyline. There were times when I thought I knew where the story was headed, only to have a new viewpoint introduced that changed everything I had believed until then.

KC is a genius and manages to create AI that can evolve and think for itself. How does he do this? By ignoring protocols and using his brain to map the processes to teach AI logic and reasoning. Sure, he is dying, but was this a wise move? It is hard to say, but more details are laid out later in the book, which turns logic on its head. 

Junmo is a convict, but is drawn into a situation that is not of his making. I don't want to spoil the details, but it added a new layer to the story when his truth was revealed. 

Minju and KC had an interesting relationship. I do not doubt that they were meant for each other, but his treatment of her at the end of his life wasn't deserving. However, we know that many of his actions were tied to the nanobots running around his body. 

This book is full of technical details, which is to be expected when discussing virtual reality and the advancement of AI. I found it to be intriguing, and I might have learned a thing or two.

This story was intriguing, complex, and suspenseful. I couldn't believe the twists that the author took us on with each new chapter. 

If you enjoy sci-fi and futuristic novels, this might be one that you will enjoy.

We give it 5 paws up.

[Susan Ballard (subakkabookstuff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

See, it’s books like this that just want me to unplug the computers and beg for us to shut down the whole AI progression, but I fear we are too late.

J.M. Lee has written a frightening, but all too possible, scenario for the distant future: a city run solely by AI. It is the brainchild of KC Kim, a genius who unfortunately passes away from cancer, leaving his wife, Minju the sole heir to their fortune.

But KC went further than developing this city. He created a super AI, fully infused with his memories, named Allen; it holds his consciousness long after he dies. As Minju tries to move on with her life, she can’t help but feel she is being watched, that a part of KC is still alive.

This is both an intellectual sci-fi read and a suspenseful thriller. It raises moral and ethical questions about AI's role in society, prompting reflection on what happens when AI is used for malicious, greedy, or egotistical purposes. The detailed descriptions of technology, stalker vibes from beyond, and interpersonal relationships in this AI-dominated city make you wonder: Is this where we are headed? I hope not.

🎧 The audiobook narrated by Michelle H. Lee, Austin Ku, and Zion Jang made for a haunting experience. All the narrators did an excellent job. Whoever voiced KC made him sound cold and robotic, which was chilling but perfect since he was supposed to be AI. This was a thrilling way to experience this book.

Thank you ​​@otrpr @amazonpublishing and #jmlee for this gifted book.
Thank you @brilliancepublishing for the gifted audiobook via @NetGalley.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

enjoyable quick read

Artificial Truth caught me off guard in the best way. I went in expecting a predictable “AI vs humanity” thriller, but this book is way smarter than that. It’s psychological, tense, and constantly shifting what you think you know.

What I loved most is how believable the tech feels. The AI doesn’t just appear fully formed — it evolves through small, clever innovations that slowly take over more and more of life until you realize how deep it’s gotten. It feels like something that could happen… maybe even something that’s already starting to happen.

The story centers on relationships — human ones — and how easily technology can slip into those spaces and reshape them without anyone noticing. It explores control, trust, and the difference between love and possession in a world where emotions can be tracked, quantified, and manipulated.

There are twists. Good ones.
The kind that make you stop and rethink everything you assumed about a character or scene.

It’s not a heavy, philosophical brick of a book, but it does make you think. And it moves fast — super readable, and very entertaining all the way through.

If you’re into:
• psychological sci-fi
• tech ethics
• thrillers that keep you guessing
• and a story that stays grounded in real human stakes

You’ll have a great time with this one.

8/10. Worth the read. Smart, fun, and full of “wait, what?” moments.

[Cassie’s Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting. Dazzling. Mind-bending. ✨
This book grabbed my brain, shook it around, and whispered “Are you sure you’re real?” J. M. Lee delivers a haunting techno-thriller that feels one heartbeat away from our own future—a future where memories don’t die, love refuses to fade, and AI blurs the line between presence and obsession.
Welcome to Alegria, a virtual city where people can live endless lifetimes and even death isn’t a full stop. Six years after the death of tech prodigy KC Kim, his widow Minju is finally trying to move on… until strange things start happening. A man who looks exactly like KC. Shoes only KC would’ve made. A hotel room booked in Tokyo—their hotel room. Their memories.
And then there’s Allen, the AI built on KC’s mind—his genius, his impulses… and maybe something darker.
Is Minju being haunted by the man she lost? Or by the machine he left behind?
This novel is equal parts eerie mystery, emotional gut punch, and philosophical suspense, asking the chilling question:
If an AI holds every memory of the one you loved—does that count as a ghost?
Fans of tech thrillers, emotional sci-fi, and stories that keep you guessing until the last page—you’re going to devour this.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A gripping exploration of grief, identity, and the terrifying power of a man who won’t let go… even after death.

[Dirks · Rating 4 out of 5]

What proof is there that you are alive?

Is it your death certificate? Is it the interactions captured from a screen, recorder, or lens? Or is it the artifacts we create as we go about our days-- from the fights we have to the hidden thoughts of our diaries?

What begins as a haunting story about death and memory evolves into something far more profound--a philosophical exploration of grief, obsession, and what it truly means to exist in an age of AI.

At its core, Artificial Truth is a meditation on love’s persistence in the face of technology’s ability to blur, and even distort, the boundaries of life and death. Minju, the widow of visionary tech genius KC Kim, is a dream-like, phantom of a protagonist. Her grief feels raw, even as it plays out against the surreally numb backdrop of Alegria, a virtual city where millions live, die, and are reborn within streams of data. But even in her grief there is a distinct sense of unease, a sense that something familiar has been tampered with. Six years after KC’s death, strange echoes of KC reemerge into the physical and virtual world: a man’s shadow on the street who moves like him, custom shoes arriving with no sender, hotel reservations from a life now over.

What struck me most is how Lee uses the advancements of science fiction to explore very human questions. In a world where consciousness can persist beyond death, what decides where the human ends and the machine starts? How does love manifest in an algorithm running long after the heart directing it stops beating? And, how does who we become in our final days change the narrative of our legacy?

The prose is spare and haunting; questions linger like static in a machine that won’t quite shut down. Artificial Truth doesn’t offer comfort-- it whispers a warning. If memories can live forever, maybe ghosts can too.

Thank you to Netgalley and Brilliance Publishing for an ALC. And shoutout to the narrator of KC, I have spent days thinking about the hauntingly robotic echoes of a man turned machines and it still sends shivers down my spine.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the writing (the translation was just fine, no issues) and the ideas in it reminded me a lot of Neal Stephenson’s books with the technical writing that I loved, but the disjointed timeline where it jumped back and forth between different pasts and present, in different POVs, made it needlessly confusing.

I did not love the ending on how the couple “fixed” the problem, and the HEA was nice enough to read for them, but it (seemingly unintentionally) left the overall antagonist’s plot open ended as if there will be a second book, causing it to feel rushed. Right as the story started getting really intriguing, I was already 60% way through and knew there weren’t enough pages left in the book to fully flesh out some cool technical details and the story opportunities made by this antagonist.

I think this had a lot of potential, but better editing with the timeline and a better end to the plot would have made all the difference. I’d read another book by this author though.

[AMY · Rating 5 out of 5]

This blew my mind. Fantastic plot and narrative. Completely original. Wow. (spoiler) Part of what makes this book so fascinating is how KC creates this AI that he maps his own brain to build, how the AI whom KC calls Allen learns all of KC's secrets, memories, hopes, fears, etc., and then becomes more powerful than KC ever imagined. When Allen starts manipulating the real world (and you won't believe how this is accomplished), KC loses control of all he sought to achieve, starts calling Allen "It" and struggles to protect his existence. Ultimately Allen and KC are together as one intelligence without physical body, and Allen is in control. I really thought his agent would show up at the end to complete his mission. I wondered how he didn't know the Minju and Junmo had forged passports. I wonder if, in the future, he will figure out to look for a place where they might go to disappear.