Lumi: The AI Artist Series

by Seth Hilami

Nori Hartwo, a 52-year-old television writer, faces a devastating career crisis when his agent Dawn informs him that his job has been eliminated due to AI replacement. Reeling from the shock of being made obsolete in an industry he's worked in for years, Nori must confront the financial and professional implications of his sudden unemployment. As he processes this reality over an expensive Turkish coffee, he begins to consider unconventional writing opportunities, including an offer from Tokyo Creative Manga to create erotic manga content for the American market.

Seeking inspiration, Nori visits Soul Flow Yoga Venice, where he encounters Samantha Price, a confident and athletic yoga instructor. Captivated by her presence, Nori begins developing a new character, Becka Prise, a demon-hunting yoga instructor with an athletic build and a selective approach to relationships. As Nori experiments with AI platforms to generate visual content for his manga project, he continues to observe the people around him, gathering material for his burgeoning writing career.

Nori's financial pressures mount as he faces the expensive Los Angeles lifestyle without a steady income. Desperate, he considers opportunities he might have previously dismissed, including a mysterious 2 AM call from Koko, the Director of AI entertainment business at Universe Fund Corporation. Koko reveals details about a book club commission that involves writing for a sophisticated female readership, a departure from Nori's traditional television work.

Through his interactions with powerful women like Daria Vladaskaya, the CEO of Dangerous Velvet lingerie brand, Nori gains valuable insights into the psychology of power dynamics and the nuances of intimate relationships. These experiences inform his approach to crafting his most ambitious character yet, Lumi Erianeva, a wealthy and powerful woman who drives a Porsche 911 Cabriolet.

As Nori begins writing the novella featuring Lumi's journey to the historic Hearst Castle, he blends his real-life experiences with fictional narrative, creating a layered work that reflects his own transformation. The story-within-a-story format allows him to explore complex power dynamics and the intersection of power, attraction, and vulnerability in intimate relationships.

Nori's journey of reinvention culminates in the completion of his novella, which he submits to the mysterious book club. The submission marks a turning point in his acceptance of new creative paradigms, as he contemplates the philosophical shift in how he views his career and artistic identity. Fully adapted to the AI-dominated industry, Nori has successfully reinvented himself, finding new forms of creative expression and financial stability while maintaining his artistic integrity. His journey from crisis to adaptation is complete, setting the stage for future adventures in this new creative landscape.

378 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2025

Reviews

[Kari · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pros:
- Free from a giveaway.
Cons:
- AI generated.
- Excess repetition of words.
Comments:
Standard drivel. This one is about someone who loses their job to AI and hates it, then uses it and discovers it's better than human innovation. There's also a bunch of AI generated images thrown in to carry along the story as what the MC does to generate this crap is tediously, tediously explained. After that, the AI generated book ends with an AI generated novella. This and the tedium is over 70% of the book.

As usual with AI, certain words are repeated - a lot. Here are a few you can expect to see a lot of.
- mechanical/measured (41 times)
-- Dawn nodded, a quick mechanical movement.
-- His morning routine had acquired a mechanical quality
-- The cursor blinked with mechanical patience
-- emergency," Nori replied, offering a smile that felt mechanical on his face.
-- her voice carrying the same measured cadence he remembered from her
-- his tone as measured and professional as it had
-- she entered the space with measured steps
-- approached the infinity pool with measured steps
- murmured
-- he murmured
-- Nori murmured
these are the only two murmur lines that appear 24 times.
- whisper
- creative
In case you didn't know this book is supposed to be about creativity, this word is used 237 times. Expect to read this word every 2-3 pages.
- (adj) clarity
- expected (73) unexpected (70)

[Jacob Mason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t read. Ridiculous premise. I’d mark 0 stars if I could

[Jordan Tomasi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this in a giveaway. Which I would not have entered if I knew it used generative AI.

I thought the premise of the book sounded interesting, but you can tell pretty quickly this is AI. Especially if you look at the author's other works and social media.

I am not going to use my time to read something that the "author" didn't even really write himself.

[Sophie Miller · Rating 1 out of 5]

I acquired this book from a Goodreads giveaway. Originally I applied this the story was about AI, not written by it. I strongly believe AI should not be used for artistic purposes, that only humans, with true feelings and emotions, can portray life through words. A machine made from ones and zeros has no place depicting the human experience. Keep the arts for the artists. After learning the book was written by AI, I immediately deleted it from my Kindle, vowing never to knowingly read an AI story.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read and storyline

[AMAO · Rating 5 out of 5]

💯💯💯💯💯