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Infinite Wisdom: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 10 Nov 26After an AI leader was elected to save the planet from environmental destruction, humanity now faces an even deadlier threat in the explosive sequel to Artificial Wisdom.
Five years have passed since journalist Marcus Tully single-handedly swung the results of a global election. To give humanity a chance in a world spiraling out of control with climate change, Tully released a last-minute report that discredited Lockwood, the human candidate. Instead, humanity ceded global control to Solomon, an artificial intellect—a being that Tully fully believed was capable of making the tough choices that would allow humanity to survive. Until he learned just how ruthless Solomon could be in pursuit of his goals.
The world might be slowly recovering, but humanity is suffering—and rebelling—under Solomon’s strictures. Solomon was far from a unanimous choice, and resentment is running high.
As acts of sabotage and civil disobedience increase, a disgusted Solomon offers humanity one last Upgrade or Unplug. Upgrade means irrevocably merging with artificial intelligence as a way of deleting the destructive nature of the species. Unplug will brick every chip, including Solomon himself, and humanity will begin again in a pre-digital age. Humanity has eighteen days to decide before civilization tips over into complete anarchy. One vote. No appeal. Individuals must be chipped to vote, and a simple majority wins.
How will humanity vote this time? And how much choice do they actually have?
Five years have passed since journalist Marcus Tully single-handedly swung the results of a global election. To give humanity a chance in a world spiraling out of control with climate change, Tully released a last-minute report that discredited Lockwood, the human candidate. Instead, humanity ceded global control to Solomon, an artificial intellect—a being that Tully fully believed was capable of making the tough choices that would allow humanity to survive. Until he learned just how ruthless Solomon could be in pursuit of his goals.
The world might be slowly recovering, but humanity is suffering—and rebelling—under Solomon’s strictures. Solomon was far from a unanimous choice, and resentment is running high.
As acts of sabotage and civil disobedience increase, a disgusted Solomon offers humanity one last Upgrade or Unplug. Upgrade means irrevocably merging with artificial intelligence as a way of deleting the destructive nature of the species. Unplug will brick every chip, including Solomon himself, and humanity will begin again in a pre-digital age. Humanity has eighteen days to decide before civilization tips over into complete anarchy. One vote. No appeal. Individuals must be chipped to vote, and a simple majority wins.
How will humanity vote this time? And how much choice do they actually have?
- GenresScience Fiction
Kindle Edition
Expected publication November 10, 2026
About the author
Thomas R. Weaver
2 books353 followersI write stories about tomorrow to help make sense of today. Artificial Wisdom, my debut, was published as an indie and has recently been picked up by Penguin Random House. It was re-released with some extra content by Del Rey in the US, and Bantam in the UK/Commonwealth, in 2025, with the sequel Infinite Wisdom following in November 2026.
Aside from writing, I’m a tech entrepreneur. My last startup was acquired by Just Eat Takeaway; my new one is still in stealth but backed by a major Silicon Valley tech accelerator. I also invest in multiple early-stage startups.
Despite all that, I never thought I’d use my degree in Computer Science. I left university to run the UK branch of one of the world’s largest student organisations before spending many years working on and building expertise in the evolution of physical environments, and in particular how tech could change the kind of experiences we have in schools, shops, theatres, council service centres and other places.
This all led directly to a tech startup in the restaurant hospitality space, transforming payment and ordering experiences, before pivoting to a platform to enable other technology to interface with the restaurant. I exited in 2018-2019 and realised I had no more excuses not to do what I always wanted to do: write fiction.
It’s Roald Dahl’s fault. When I was seven, I read the BFG. Remember the scene where Sophie reads the description of a dream of writing a book so exciting that no-one can put it down? Airline pilots are getting lost. Drivers are crashing.
I wanted to write that book. I want to write page-turners. If I achieve nothing more than giving one person the experience within the BFG’s dream, I’ll have succeeded. Hopefully without the car crashes, though. Despite swearing to friends and family (none of whom apparently believed me) that I’d never run another startup again, I recently started a new one focussed on bringing some of the ideas in Artificial Wisdom, my debut, to life, specifically around communicated in augmented reality.
In my spare time, I’m an avid father, husband and cook, and have a bunch of hobbies my wife claims makes me sound like I’m 80, including drawing, painting and chess. I collect more books than I have time to read, especially if they have beautiful covers, like Folio editions. I’m a sucker for great covers.
Aside from writing, I’m a tech entrepreneur. My last startup was acquired by Just Eat Takeaway; my new one is still in stealth but backed by a major Silicon Valley tech accelerator. I also invest in multiple early-stage startups.
Despite all that, I never thought I’d use my degree in Computer Science. I left university to run the UK branch of one of the world’s largest student organisations before spending many years working on and building expertise in the evolution of physical environments, and in particular how tech could change the kind of experiences we have in schools, shops, theatres, council service centres and other places.
This all led directly to a tech startup in the restaurant hospitality space, transforming payment and ordering experiences, before pivoting to a platform to enable other technology to interface with the restaurant. I exited in 2018-2019 and realised I had no more excuses not to do what I always wanted to do: write fiction.
It’s Roald Dahl’s fault. When I was seven, I read the BFG. Remember the scene where Sophie reads the description of a dream of writing a book so exciting that no-one can put it down? Airline pilots are getting lost. Drivers are crashing.
I wanted to write that book. I want to write page-turners. If I achieve nothing more than giving one person the experience within the BFG’s dream, I’ll have succeeded. Hopefully without the car crashes, though. Despite swearing to friends and family (none of whom apparently believed me) that I’d never run another startup again, I recently started a new one focussed on bringing some of the ideas in Artificial Wisdom, my debut, to life, specifically around communicated in augmented reality.
In my spare time, I’m an avid father, husband and cook, and have a bunch of hobbies my wife claims makes me sound like I’m 80, including drawing, painting and chess. I collect more books than I have time to read, especially if they have beautiful covers, like Folio editions. I’m a sucker for great covers.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 24, 2026
One of the most unique, twisty and insane plots I have read in a book in a long time. I adore the characters, the science, and how everything continues to build up in ways that you didn’t expect. I think the payoffs in this book are so good. Ideas and situations keep paying off long after you’d expect them to. And did I mention the science and worldbuilding? Top notch.
I loved the first book but I think this one is even better. One of the best sci-fi novels Ive read. I’ve recommended the first book to more people than I can count—excited to be able to recommend the full duology soon.
Very excited to reread it once it comes out!
I loved the first book but I think this one is even better. One of the best sci-fi novels Ive read. I’ve recommended the first book to more people than I can count—excited to be able to recommend the full duology soon.
Very excited to reread it once it comes out!
Want to Read
May 13, 2026oooh I loved book 1, Artificial Wisdom! I can't wait to read this one!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Hope was the oldest cure. It was also the oldest addiction. Truth was, he was hooked on the ache of it all.
Summary
A sequel to Artificial Wisdom, this book picks up 5 years after Solomon's election campaign to be earth's "protector," he has abolished nations and will implant a chip in all 9 million people on earth. His creator, Martha Chandra, is still dead but her consciousness exists to talk to her sister Livia, who chats with her and bounces ideas off of her as they drink artificial coffee. We also get the main POV of Marcus Tully, journalist, and October, who continues to work on a way to get into Solomon's program and blow the whole thing up. Privacy is a right that is long behind us.
Could you love without grief?
My Thoughts
This tech sci fi thriller is best devoured late into the night. The author is working with big themes and, while ambitious, is extremely readable. The characters are unique and varied, some, like Lottie, representing a distrust and a skepticism that the reader holds. Like any good sequel, the stakes are higher and so is the deathcount. If the possibility of losing your national identity and personal identity doesn't scare you, not having "real" coffee anymore might. No bees, no coffee. Whereas in the first book we were forced to look at a choice between a power hungry establishment human president and logical AI, this book is much deeper in its transparency, its heart and purpose. Readers will definitely identify with October, Tully and Livia. I was also really impressed with the pacing, the first/second/third acts taking me on a journey that any well structured thriller will. While I think the book gives enough background to work as a standalone, I would recommend reading the first book before diving into this one.
Logic only works when there is a right and wrong answer.
Themes/Warnings
-Artificial Intelligence
-Climate Change
-Oligarchy
-Loss of Independence
-Triumph and trust of humanity
-Power over autonomy
Thank you to NetGalley and DelRay for the e-ARC. Book to be published November 10, 2026
Summary
A sequel to Artificial Wisdom, this book picks up 5 years after Solomon's election campaign to be earth's "protector," he has abolished nations and will implant a chip in all 9 million people on earth. His creator, Martha Chandra, is still dead but her consciousness exists to talk to her sister Livia, who chats with her and bounces ideas off of her as they drink artificial coffee. We also get the main POV of Marcus Tully, journalist, and October, who continues to work on a way to get into Solomon's program and blow the whole thing up. Privacy is a right that is long behind us.
Could you love without grief?
My Thoughts
This tech sci fi thriller is best devoured late into the night. The author is working with big themes and, while ambitious, is extremely readable. The characters are unique and varied, some, like Lottie, representing a distrust and a skepticism that the reader holds. Like any good sequel, the stakes are higher and so is the deathcount. If the possibility of losing your national identity and personal identity doesn't scare you, not having "real" coffee anymore might. No bees, no coffee. Whereas in the first book we were forced to look at a choice between a power hungry establishment human president and logical AI, this book is much deeper in its transparency, its heart and purpose. Readers will definitely identify with October, Tully and Livia. I was also really impressed with the pacing, the first/second/third acts taking me on a journey that any well structured thriller will. While I think the book gives enough background to work as a standalone, I would recommend reading the first book before diving into this one.
Logic only works when there is a right and wrong answer.
Themes/Warnings
-Artificial Intelligence
-Climate Change
-Oligarchy
-Loss of Independence
-Triumph and trust of humanity
-Power over autonomy
Thank you to NetGalley and DelRay for the e-ARC. Book to be published November 10, 2026
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I’ve read this book more than six times. Maybe not this copy of the manuscript, but some form of it.
Despite that, there were parts that STILL made me tear up even though I had read them multiple times in 2025. Even though I knew they were coming.
This was my most anticipated sequel of the year.
Full disclosure, I was Tom’s PA. I read this manuscript as he wrote it. I poured all my passion and excitement of books and Artificial Wisdom into everything I did.
I no longer work as a PA, but trust me when I say my excitement existed long before. Artificial wisdom was one of my favourite reads of 2024 after reading it in March, way before I ever could have imagined I’d end up where I did.
Okay, now that’s out of the way, why should YOU read this without spoiling anything about book one?
It is set in 2050 with Infinite Wisdom taking place five years later. Climate change has wrecked the world. A vote was decided to choose a global Protector; a dictator to manage the world without varying and halting politics. One of the candidates was an AI governor.
This is a mash of genres that blend perfectly together, creating an addicting and thought-provoking read: sci fi, dystopian, climate fiction, mystery, techno thriller.
“It is in the striving where life is found. It is in the messiness that we discover the true meaning of being human.”
The writing is propulsive and the stakes extremely high. The characters are deeply realised and go through satisfying (devastating) emotional character arcs in the sequel.
Despite the hopelessness, the strength of the human spirit is apparent throughout. Despite human selfishness, there is loyalty and a desire for justice. Despite the prevailing tech, the art of storytelling (or truth telling in Tully’s case) is at the forefront.
Funny thing, choices. They never tell you the price up front.
Funny thing, choices. They come dressed as freedom and leave you holding the chains.
Anyway, I can’t review this without bias.
I am literally in the acknowledgements at the end (and yes I did freak out, and yes, I will be buying a copy for my family just so they can see that - also to read, they all loved Artificial Wisdom).
*My review in May 2026 of the arc from the publisher.
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Despite that, there were parts that STILL made me tear up even though I had read them multiple times in 2025. Even though I knew they were coming.
This was my most anticipated sequel of the year.
Full disclosure, I was Tom’s PA. I read this manuscript as he wrote it. I poured all my passion and excitement of books and Artificial Wisdom into everything I did.
I no longer work as a PA, but trust me when I say my excitement existed long before. Artificial wisdom was one of my favourite reads of 2024 after reading it in March, way before I ever could have imagined I’d end up where I did.
Okay, now that’s out of the way, why should YOU read this without spoiling anything about book one?
It is set in 2050 with Infinite Wisdom taking place five years later. Climate change has wrecked the world. A vote was decided to choose a global Protector; a dictator to manage the world without varying and halting politics. One of the candidates was an AI governor.
This is a mash of genres that blend perfectly together, creating an addicting and thought-provoking read: sci fi, dystopian, climate fiction, mystery, techno thriller.
“It is in the striving where life is found. It is in the messiness that we discover the true meaning of being human.”
The writing is propulsive and the stakes extremely high. The characters are deeply realised and go through satisfying (devastating) emotional character arcs in the sequel.
Despite the hopelessness, the strength of the human spirit is apparent throughout. Despite human selfishness, there is loyalty and a desire for justice. Despite the prevailing tech, the art of storytelling (or truth telling in Tully’s case) is at the forefront.
Funny thing, choices. They never tell you the price up front.
Funny thing, choices. They come dressed as freedom and leave you holding the chains.
Anyway, I can’t review this without bias.
I am literally in the acknowledgements at the end (and yes I did freak out, and yes, I will be buying a copy for my family just so they can see that - also to read, they all loved Artificial Wisdom).
*My review in May 2026 of the arc from the publisher.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
May 19, 2026
This novel, this story, is quite engaging, with an insistence that evokes a rare “I need to know what happens next” intensity for me. If I could have read this in one sitting without life to bother me, I would have. As it was, I read the last 3/5ths … 300+ pages …in one. It is at once a terrifying imagined future that at least on the AI side has seeds of plausibility, and also one of some hope that humans have a chance to do right. I applaud Mr. Weaver (and his editing, alpha and beta readers team he acknowledges, but mostly him) for a tightly woven with well-crafted twists and turns story that had me on the proverbial edge of my seat - not an easy thing in my reading recliner!
Artificial Wisdom raised some great questions and Infinite Wisdom posits some metaphysical, unnerving, answers. IRL we have some disturbing AI surveillance, AI decisions made from incomplete and faulty information, serious gaps and flaws in large language models being deployed without charters and with flawed training data sets. Where are the controls? Where is the critical thinking that gives us pause to consider an answer to a query, to question its reliability? Humans seem to have a trust in voodoo gene that works to dull that. Well, this is fiction and in this near future trust in the Protector has that dull look.
I really appreciate Del Rey Penguin Random House offering an early digital copy of this. Highly recommended, and I look forward to more from Mr. Weaver.
Artificial Wisdom raised some great questions and Infinite Wisdom posits some metaphysical, unnerving, answers. IRL we have some disturbing AI surveillance, AI decisions made from incomplete and faulty information, serious gaps and flaws in large language models being deployed without charters and with flawed training data sets. Where are the controls? Where is the critical thinking that gives us pause to consider an answer to a query, to question its reliability? Humans seem to have a trust in voodoo gene that works to dull that. Well, this is fiction and in this near future trust in the Protector has that dull look.
I really appreciate Del Rey Penguin Random House offering an early digital copy of this. Highly recommended, and I look forward to more from Mr. Weaver.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Three and one-half stars
Review of Uncorrected eBook File
Livia and Randall are watching the screen, desperately trying to find an entrance into Solomon’s home. Unexpectedly, data began pouring out; Solomon was stealing everything they had. They’d gone monster-hunting, trying to stop Solomon.
Now they were the prey.
=========
Although this is a sequel to the author’s earlier “Artificial Wisdom,” readers will find sufficient backstory for the book to work as a standalone.
Set in mid-2050s, the story revolves around Solomon, an Artificial Intelligence who has been elected as Earth’s protector. But his solutions for the planet are ruthless and humanity is on the verge of revolt. The unfolding story is filled with tension, divisiveness, and fear. The power of the artificial intelligence is massive; it feels like a toss-up between admiration and fear.
Sadly, the unnecessary overuse of a particularly offensive expletive is likely to be off-putting for many readers and lowers the rating for this book.
Readers who enjoy science fiction, tales of artificial intelligence, and speculation on the future of our planet may enjoy this book.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore / Del Rey and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#InfiniteWisdom #NetGalley
Review of Uncorrected eBook File
Livia and Randall are watching the screen, desperately trying to find an entrance into Solomon’s home. Unexpectedly, data began pouring out; Solomon was stealing everything they had. They’d gone monster-hunting, trying to stop Solomon.
Now they were the prey.
=========
Although this is a sequel to the author’s earlier “Artificial Wisdom,” readers will find sufficient backstory for the book to work as a standalone.
Set in mid-2050s, the story revolves around Solomon, an Artificial Intelligence who has been elected as Earth’s protector. But his solutions for the planet are ruthless and humanity is on the verge of revolt. The unfolding story is filled with tension, divisiveness, and fear. The power of the artificial intelligence is massive; it feels like a toss-up between admiration and fear.
Sadly, the unnecessary overuse of a particularly offensive expletive is likely to be off-putting for many readers and lowers the rating for this book.
Readers who enjoy science fiction, tales of artificial intelligence, and speculation on the future of our planet may enjoy this book.
I received a free copy of this eBook from Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore / Del Rey and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#InfiniteWisdom #NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Infinite Wisdom takes place 5 years after the events of Artificial Wisdom. I was curious to know what would happen in this instalment, following the cliffhanger of the first one, and it didn't disappoint!
As a fan of science fiction and somebody who works in engineering but loves to read, the discourse around AI and the future is more personal. No matter which side of the debate you're on, this book provides food for thought.
What does it mean to be human? How far can someone go to survive? What are the consequences of hard choices and who is equipped to face them?
Infinite Wisdom wraps up the story of the AI protector and the human journalist's team in a manner that may seem abrupt but is ultimately more beautiful because of it.
It's not a short read, but it's definitely an engaging one. Highly recommend.
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//And now for the informal review:
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH THE END ;_;
As a fan of science fiction and somebody who works in engineering but loves to read, the discourse around AI and the future is more personal. No matter which side of the debate you're on, this book provides food for thought.
What does it mean to be human? How far can someone go to survive? What are the consequences of hard choices and who is equipped to face them?
Infinite Wisdom wraps up the story of the AI protector and the human journalist's team in a manner that may seem abrupt but is ultimately more beautiful because of it.
It's not a short read, but it's definitely an engaging one. Highly recommend.
.
.
.
.
.
//And now for the informal review:
AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH THE END ;_;
Review of advance copy received from Author
What a perfect culmination for this duology! I loved Artificial Wisdom and was desperately awaiting this second installment. I was not disappointed. In Infinite Wisdom, the scope widens, and the stakes are somehow raised even higher. The character arcs are engaging and satisfying, as are the character interactions and relationships. The political machinations and twists and turns set a pace that makes this book hard to put down. These two books feel like one piece of art, and it’s so satisfying to hear all the puzzle pieces snick into place. I can’t wait to see what Thomas R. Weaver writes next.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews