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A World Free of Politicians

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When we cannot exist without our devices, who truly holds the power?

In the not-so-distant future, Technodemocracy promises flawless justice and progress, having replaced corrupt politicians with a seemingly perfect algorithmic System. But beneath its polished surface, that perfection is beginning to fracture.

Abigail, a System analyst, uncovers a critical flaw that could bring the entire structure crashing down. After moving to the city, her daughter, Aga, begins her own journey of self-discovery—one that forces her to confront the darker truths of the society her mother is sworn to protect.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away in Antarctica, Clarens leads an expedition seeking freedom from the System's reach, aided by a mysterious community led by "angels." When their stories collide, a desperate struggle for truth and liberty erupts, threatening their lives and the future of every citizen living under the watchful eye of Technodemocracy.

A World Free of Politicians is a gripping science-fiction thriller that blends action and suspense with a sharp meditation on free will. In a world governed by algorithms, the most revolutionary act is…

...to think for yourself.

404 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2026

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About the author

A.R. Uribe

3 books9 followers
A.R. Uribe is the pen name of two Peruvian brothers whose paths could not have been more different—and yet led them to the same story.

Rodrigo Uribe is a scientific researcher in artificial intelligence and a professor at some of the most prestigious universities in Peru, where he teaches how machines work, learn, and make decisions.

Alejandro Uribe is a journalist and polyglot; he speaks five languages and has traveled through more than thirty countries across several continents, exploring cultures, stories, and the many ways human beings dream, believe, and organize themselves.

One understands how machines work.
The other, the complexity of human experience.

A World Free of Politicians was born during a late-night conversation when they were both teenagers. What began as a debate about democracy, technology, and free will evolved, over the years, into a shared project: a seven-year journey to build the world of IO and to question what happens when power is no longer in human hands.

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5 stars
12 (54%)
4 stars
3 (13%)
3 stars
5 (22%)
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1 (4%)
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1 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
8 reviews
March 24, 2026
I came for the AI and stayed for the angels

There are no politicians, there is an ultra-powerful AI, modified humans, religious fanatics… yeah, absolutely, give me all of that. You can throw it all in a blender, mix it up, and I’ll drink it down to the very last drop.

The premise of this book is incredibly attractive. And even though the AI topic has already been used a lot, I have to say that what this book does with it really surprised me. What if instead of having politicians, there was a centralized power where an AI filters everything that can be decided, and then everything gets approved through a general vote. Sounds simple, right? Well, this book shows how complicated the order of things can actually be. And in the end it leaves you thinking that if, one way or another, there is always human intervention, then how perfect can a system like that really be?

The characters are very well done, and I really loved getting the POVs of several of them separately, not just to develop the overall plot but also to get to know each one better. Special mention to Enio because he really is an incredible character. He becomes more and more important in a way that feels very logical, and he also gives us one of the most unforgettable moments in the book. There was a question I asked myself because of this character, and I still haven’t gotten over the answer I gave myself. Seriously, he’s unforgettable.

And speaking of characters, the angels. I thought the thing that would interest me the most was going to be the super powerful AI, but no. It was the angels. I want more, a lot more of them. I feel like they have a really interesting mythology and that they are still hiding things that could surprise us even more. The ending in that sense left me with way too many questions, but not in a bad way, more in that way where you just want to keep reading and know more.

And here comes my only complaint. This book gave me a lot, but it also left me wanting more. I swear, when I got to the last page I was still expecting to find another one. I needed more. I need more. But at the same time I understand that this also says something good about the story, because you can tell everything could grow into something much bigger, and that this book sets up a very strong introduction. It answers important things, yes, but it also leaves you with so many possibilities.

I love it when there are authors who are not afraid to ask huge, complicated, extremely difficult questions, and who not only ask them, but actually develop them, no matter how crazy the idea might become. That’s one of the reasons I love Dune and why Frank Herbert seems like a genius to me, someone who was never afraid to imagine a question and let that idea become something huge. I’m not saying we are looking at the next Frank Herbert… or maybe we are, we’ll see. But for now, turn on your immersive helmet and dive into the Technodemocracy.
Profile Image for Angie Boyter.
2,386 reviews96 followers
March 28, 2026
3+/4- GREAT in many ways but flawed in many also!
HOW COULD I RESIST A BOOK WITH THIS TITLE! A UTOPIA? Well, no, but it would not be an interesting book if it were.
The book has an interesting premise, but I think it tries to do too many things and ended up not doing them as well as it might. The Angels things in particular needed a bit more detail or background. I have several notes in my kindle saying "not credible."
All's well that ends well, though, and latter part of the book and the denouement compensated for some of the things I did not like, which raised my rating to 4.
PS I also have to say that despite the fact that the book is published and not an advance review copy there are TOO MANY TYPOS that a simple copy edit would have caught. Such things can pull a reader like me out of the author's world and affect my enjoyment. I MIGHT read the next book in the series, so I HOPE they will pay more attention to this in the next instalment..
Profile Image for Viktoriya.
956 reviews
March 28, 2026
In a post January 2025 era, I keep wondering if the world would be a much better place without politicians. I know for sure that the world would be a much better place without a CERTAIN politician, but what about ALL of them? So, of course I had to grab this book when I received an email from NetGalley. I mean, how could I not with a title like "A World Free of Politicians"?

The world this duo created seems absolutely perfect: none a single politician in the entire world exists, there are no Congresses, there are no filibustering of bills. The world is run by an AI that collects all proposals for any potential new laws or changes to existing laws from all citizens, analyzes and prioritizes them and the vote is taken by all citizens in real time. Sounds great, right? No more waiting for years to make changes, no more writing to representatives to bring their attention to the problem, no more hoping that the party currently in charge will care enough to present bill to a vote. What could possibly go wrong? Well, as you can imagine, things go wrong...

I absolutely loved the idea of this world and how imaginative it was. However, i did not love the execution. While the beginning on the novel was almost perfect, the further in the story we went, the more disorganized everything felt.
1 review
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
February 25, 2026
I was lucky enough to grab an early copy of IO: A World Free of Politicians and it absolutely blew me away. If you're a fan of dystopian sci-fi or cyberpunk, you need to check this out when it drops in March.

The premise is super clever: a future where human politicians are completely extinct and a "perfect" AI runs a direct democracy. It sounds like a utopia, but the book does a brilliant job showing how an algorithm quietly pulling the strings can be just as terrifying as a corrupt government. It mixes a tense, slow-burn conspiracy with crazy, freezing action sequences as a rebel group navigates the ocean near Antarctica.

There's a massive twist regarding one of the main characters that completely broke my heart. It’s a fast-paced, really smart read that asks some tough questions about freedom, AI, and what actually makes us human. Highly recommend!
Profile Image for Beth Green.
1,066 reviews13 followers
May 2, 2026
DNF at 50%
The premise of this book was intriguing but the execution was problematic. There were six POVs and while some characters were connected in the same plot line, it made for slow and disjointed storytelling. I longed for clear mysteries or goals but all the the storylines remained slightly vague up to the midpoint, which made it hard to root for any particular character. Some of the book was philosophical discourse of AI vs human will, which was interesting and thought-provoking, but the System and the Community both generally needed more development. Without more world-building and a sense of stakes, the unfolding action was more confusing than compelling.

Thanks to goodreads for the giveaway copy.
Profile Image for Daniel Rose.
157 reviews1 follower
May 4, 2026
A R Uribe writes a book about a dystopian society that are free from Politicians. The interesting part of having Artificial Intelligence control everything. I mean has no one ever seen the matrix or the Terminator franchises. This book doesn't go quite as far as those but the people living in Antarctica with the freaky Angels I kinda felt like Uribe acted like they were more like Aliens. I felt like at the end when the girl finds out that her dad has been looking for her the whole time and that her mom lied to her was a very interesting way to end the book.
Profile Image for Travis Butler.
146 reviews5 followers
March 15, 2026
A World Free of Politicians
By A.R. Uribe
Pub Date Mar 06 2026

This book is a distopian sci-fi that asks the question what would happen if politicians didn't exist but instead the world was run by a "perfect" artificial intelligence? This is a very interesting concept and it was executed very well. This is supposed to be book one of ten. If that's true then I'm here for it.
Thank you to NetGalley and A.R. Uribe for the opportunity to read this book early in return for my honest review.
1 review
Review of advance copy received from Author
February 25, 2026
I was hooked from the first chapter. The concept of a world without politicians is fascinating, and the drama that unfolds under the rule of AI is gripping. It’s a visionary story that balances high-tech concepts with raw human emotion. And that ending? I never saw it coming! Highly recommended for anyone looking for their next favorite sci-fi thriller.
Profile Image for AMAO.
2,204 reviews44 followers
March 15, 2026
💯💯💯💯💯
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews