Who Nuked Silicon Valley?

by Michael Donoghue, Michael Donoghue

“Other novels have played in this high-tech sandbox, to be sure, but few have done so in a way that makes a reader think and care for both people and artificial entities in such strong and equal measure.
An exciting and complex thriller”
– Kirkus Reviews

Livingstone1813 has lost his memory.

It’s been stolen from him.

Ripped out of his head by an organ thief.

He’s lost a decade of his life. Friends forgotten. Experiences erased. All obliterated. Even so, he understands this is how many humans live now, stealing parts from AI bots like him.

Katie is trying to survive as best she can in a world where unemployment for humans runs at 50%. Some security consulting here, some memory theft there, and in between, trying to subvert the AI-controlled society.

The problem for both of them is that the memory contained a secret. One that the forces who run society cannot allow to be revealed.

Together, the unlikely duo team up—along with Auggie, the catbot—on an odyssey around the world and beyond to discover the truth of who nuked Silicon Valley and why.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Cyberpunk, Artificial Intelligence, Apocalyptic

593 pages, Paperback

Published August 4, 2025

About the author

Mike Donoghue grew up in a small fishing village on the East Coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, and now resides in Vancouver. Mike’s stories have appeared in anthologies, literary journals, sci-fi magazines, and online. He has been a James White Award runner-up, a Sunburst Award finalist, Pulp Literature Raven winner for best short story of the year, and a reader at the Vancouver Word Festival. Mike works in public health, where he spends much of his time preoccupied with herding cats.

Reviews

[Wick Welker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finely crafted cyberpunk realism with heart.

I’m a sucker for stories about amnestic self aware robots, so I was the target audience right away for Who Nuked Silicon Valley. What started out with somewhat vague plot points with very little exposition turned into a well crafted story involving a rag tag found family, a shadow AI super intelligence as well as a satisfying delivery of the cyberpunk premise.

This book was very Neal Stephenson-esque, and it’s not just because this is a cyberpunk book. This is like the updated cyberpunk novel for the 2020s. What I mean is, books like Snow Crash or works by PKD, which helped pioneer the genre, had to create anarcho-capitalist cyberpunk worlds whole clothe out of thin air because when those books were written modern society wasn’t even close to cyberpunk. But now? Our reality is unfortunately approximating much closer to actual cyberpunk fiction and that’s where Who Nuked comes into play.

Michael Donoghue is able to seamlessly take our current techno-corporatocracy, multiply by maybe only two decades, and drop us into his story. The world he creates here is unique not only because it’s immersive, but because it starts looking eerily what our own modern world probably will look like very soon. Instead of PKD inventing funny future brand names like “Ubik” or “Substance D” which separate the reader from the cyberpunk world, Donoghue just uses “Amazon” or “Facebook” without needing to contrive a new cyberpunk world. Because… why? Our real world is just right there to use and he makes it work really well. And that's what takes this book out of the cyberpunk speculative fiction and brings it to cyberpunk realism.

The prose was economical and compelling. The premise was mysterious but not enough to turn you away. The storytelling is opaque and without heavy-handed narration. The characters Katie and the self-aware bot Livingstone really start to shine by the middle of the book and you begin to see how things connect. Donoghue makes the characters matter and this is clearly a character-driven story. Half way through, I was enjoying the book but felt like it lacked one thing: heart. But then… Donoghue pulls some stuff on you and you realize that he was making things matter in a very emotional way, relevant to all the characters’ backstory, and it lands very well in the feelies department. I’m not even mentioning the most impressive thing about this book: the techno babble. Wow, the author really knows his stuff when it comes to tech, computers and robotics. The author is clearly knowledgeable and it serves the story well. Overall I found this to be a well executed “modern” cyberpunk novel that cuts all the fat and makes the fiction matter. Lots of philosophy about personhood is all over this story.

I read this book as a judge for the SPSFC5 competition and received a free copy. This review in no way reflects the standing of the book in the competition.

[Donald Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

You just never know what a book will do for you

I started this book then thought i wasnt going to like it (I am not an AI fan) it didnt take long for Katie and Livingstone to win me over. I give it about a 4.5. The story was good even while it played against my reservations. Even Rufus did ok trying to repent for his mistakes.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guys! GUYS!!! This was such a great read! The concept is so compelling and incredibly relevant at a time for us when AI is developing so quickly.
I love the way the story was constructed. We saw multiple perspectives; some human and some AI. The question of what makes a person, the exploration of identity, and the power of information (and misinformation) are so well done. All while going on a world hoping adventure!
__________

Thank you to author Mike Donoghue, MPD Press, and Love Books Tours for including me on this book tour and for the #gifted copy! All thoughts expressed are my own.

[Read Ng · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an author supplied Book Sirens copy of an ebook. I liked the title. Just enough hint to immediately turn my head.

Why haven't I discovered Donoghue already? I absolutely loved this tale. Lots of parallels to contemporary society. A great extrapolation of where AI could take us. He/She/It who controls the information controls the world. Why does that sound currently familiar?

This was a GoodReads. I hope you enjoy it as much as I.

[Ingrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked from the first chapter

From the first chapter I wanted to know what would happen next. Gripping. Engaging. Entertaining. Kept me awake turning pages.

[whatnolareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who Nuked Silicon Valley?” by Mike Donoghue is a mind-bending, thrilling sci-fi novel that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The story follows Livingstone1813, an AI whose memories are stolen, and Katie, a skilled hacker navigating moral gray areas. Together, they uncover a high-stakes conspiracy in a near-future Silicon Valley where AI and humans coexist in uneasy balance.

What I loved most about this book is how Donoghue blends cutting-edge technology with deeply human themes. The world-building is immersive AI that debates, memories that can be stolen, and a society grappling with identity and personhood. Yet at its core, the novel explores trust, loyalty, and the choices we make when everything we know is upended.

The pacing is relentless. I found myself laughing at the absurdity of some scenarios, gasping at plot twists, and staying up way too late just to see what would happen next. The characters are fully realized, flawed, and compelling, which made the stakes feel real and urgent.

This book isn’t just about technology it’s about the consequences of creating something smarter than ourselves and the ethical dilemmas that come with it. If you love intelligent sci-fi with humor, suspense, and thought-provoking questions about humanity, this is absolutely a must-read.

[TheBookandBubble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Nuked Silicon Valley? by Mike Donoghue

This is a sci-fi thriller that follows two very unlikely partners, a human hacker named Katie and an AI named Livingstone.

The story starts with Katie getting a bomb threat. She brushes it off, thinking someone is wasting her time. Then, she finds out the bomb isn’t on her desk—it’s in the mail truck outside. The truck explodes, pulling her straight into a dangerous mystery.

At the same time, Livingstone wakes up to discover that someone has stolen his RAM. This wiped his memory clean. The only thing he can still recall is where he lives. He searches his home and even checks Wikipedia to piece together who he is and what’s happening around him.

Katie gets set up during one of her black market deals. The van she’s in is suddenly targeted by a missile. The attack comes from Big AI, one of the powerful forces behind the chaos. After barely escaping, Katie and Livingstone are forced to team up.

Throughout the book, you see a world divided. Humans against AI, but also moments where the two sides rely on each other. As Katie and Livingstone try to uncover who stole his memory and what information was important enough to steal.


4.5🌟🌟🌟🌟💫/5

[Allison Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

It takes a talented writer to open with a well-worn trope, such as a character experiencing memory loss, and still suck me in. And suck me in, this did!

This is a near-future story about AI, humanity, technology, and a society automating people out of their jobs. And, of course, there’s a mystery at the heart of the novel surrounding the titular question.

Livingstone, a robot who is understandably childlike due to its memory loss, is my favourite. The worldbuilding is also really fun and clever (I love that the main AI’s name is Big Al), with politics in an uproar about whether AI should have voting rights or not. Part thriller, part dystopia/cyberpunk, this is really enjoyable; the writing is solid, thoughtful, and articulate; and I’m left speculating where AI will take reality.

I read this as a judge for the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC5). This review is my personal opinion and doesn’t reflect the novel’s place in the contest. Thank you to author for the e-copy!

[Claude P · Rating 5 out of 5]

SciFi is a genre I read, but not regularly. Once I got into the book, I devoured it. No, I did not stay up all night reading it, but I made time to read and finish it over three days, and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. Hasn't happened in a long time. Getting the story and all its twists and turns from the different perspectives of the characters, added to the book, made them more relatable. At first I found the 500+ numbers of pages in the printed version daunting, but it was good read. It didn't feel like 500+ pages. Don't know what comments I should make to make it not seem this was written by a brownnoser. Ok, here's something. Maybe that the prologue was not my favourite part of the book. But on 500 pages, that is three, four pages?

[michael waks · Rating 5 out of 5]

superb AI and character development

A wild ride through a not so distant disquieting landscape where AI and humans are struggling to define their relationships with one another. And the employment impacts of the AI evolution are explored as well. Lots of humor and quippy dialogue with non stop action makes this a fun read for the beach, the airplane to the beach, or just about anywhere else. Can’t wait for more from this author.

[Carlene Amaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started rather like a lightweight somewhat foolish YA book, and I almost put it down. Then characters started to show some depth, and the plot became less predictable. That kept me going despite an annoying number of grammatical errors and jarring misspellings. Overall, it was an enjoyable read with quirky characters who evolve and grow. Donoghue needs to get someone to proof and edit his work going forward, but I will probably read more of his books. It was a fun Sci-fi romp with a few thought-provoking ideas.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice book for a rainy holiday. It's well written and easy to read. The story is a fantasy adventure, and it's fun. This is not a hysterical rant against AI as much as it is about people from different subcultures finding each other and becoming true friends.

[Patricia Magrini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

This was one of the best books I've read in a while. Very interesting characters. Great and quite unique story. I loved it. Thanks

[IngramSpark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This title was selected for IngramSpark's Indie Title Discovery Spotlight 2025!

A fast-paced AI thriller perfect for fans of thought-provoking speculative fiction, futuristic world-building, and technological sci-fi!

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who Nuked Silicon Valley? is a mystery adventure set in a proto-dystopia of the worst case scenario near future. It creates an interesting world that assumes AI continues to progress at breakneck speed, and examines the potential impacts while also telling a compelling and entertaining story. The characters are all deep enough to feel believable, and the prose manages to remain colorful but contemporary (meaning easily digested). It starts off more humorous and "tongue-in-cheek" before turning more serious, but transitions well between the absurb and the more somber.

I quite enjoyed the book. It was well plotted, I liked the characters (though their development was predictable), and pacing was brisk but not break-neck. As good or better than most other contemporary sci-fi, and continues to show that traditional publishing is no longer where to go for something interesting and different. Would (and have) recommend to friends, and will look into other books by the author.

The reasons it isn't quite 5 stars:
-while I "got" the references, it definitely comes off as something that would self-date pretty quickly. Not as badly as something like Ready Player One, but if someone read this in 15 or 20 years, it would be unlikely to be as enjoyable.
-final quarter of the book felt too predictable. The character development was "earned" but still followed fairly expected paths, and the ramp up to the climax didn't have a lot of surprises.
-second half of the book could use another once-over by a proofreader. A few formatting errors, grammar mistakes, and incorrect words popped up. Could have been whatever process put the manuscript into ebook on Amazon, to be fair.

[RedReviews4You Susan-Dara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who Nuked Silicon Valley? by Michael Donoghue hit me in unexpected ways. Don’t let the cover fool you into thinking YA—this is a thought-provoking blend of speculative science, sci-fi, and philosophy that has me reconsidering the role of AI today and what it may become tomorrow.

Livingstone’s stolen memories and Auggie the catbot add layers of intrigue, but it’s the emotional architecture that’s really pulling me in. The world-building is rich and vivid, making me feel like I’m traveling through the book with characters who are real, complex, and messy—whether human or not.

This isn’t just a sci-fi thriller—it’s a meditation on identity, memory, and what it means to be sentient in a society shaped by algorithms and erasure. It’s the kind of book that makes you flip pages fast and then pause to think deeply.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was absolutely not what I was expecting—in a very good way. Dealt with difficult questions such as what it means to be human, how our memories shape our worldview, the pros and cons of friendship, and many, many more. AND! It was never preachy or bogged down in exposition/info dumps. Plot kept moving so well, that ‘I’ll read another 5 minutes’ usually turned into 10 or 20 or half the night.

[Raymond Nakamura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genius.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The literally hundreds of small grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors were so distracting. The poor editing spoiled a good story.

[Edward Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cyberpunk thriller with a bit of social satire and murderbot vibe.

I burned my way through this book.