Book Review: All That We See or Seem (Julia Z, #1) by Ken Liu
ARC provided by the publisher—Saga Press—in exchange for an honest review.
All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Series: Julia Z (Book #1 or 3)
Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
Pages: 416 pages (Kindle Edition)
Published: 14th October 2025 by Saga Press (US) & 9th October 2025 Head of Zeus (UK)
All That We See or Seem is the newest near-future sci-fi thriller from Ken Liu, one of my favorite authors of all time. Did it manage to live up to the quality of his previous works?
“Freedom, belonging, telling a story about yourself that you love. Dreaming together. Meaning in all that we see or seem.”
Giving Ken Liu’s books anything below a 4-star rating works as self-inflicted pain for me. I consider Ken Liu one of the greatest authors in the speculative fiction genre as a whole. The Dandelion Dynasty series and The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories collection of titles, in particular, are both books that must be read by enthusiasts of the genre, in my honest opinion. It goes without saying that I will read anything by Ken Liu, and I’m glad I got the chance to read All That We See or Seem earlier than expected. Overall, this was quite an enjoyable novel. But there were a few things to note that made this first book of a series, in my opinion, not a good place to start reading Liu’s books.
“Fame—at least the desirable kind—was a hard drug to give up.”
Before we get to that, to repeat the official premise, the story in All That We See or Seem revolves around Julia Z, a young woman who gained notoriety at fourteen as the “orphan hacker,” who is trying to live a life of digital obscurity in a Boston suburb. Until a lawyer named Piers—whose famous artist wife, Elli, has been kidnapped by dangerous criminals—barges into her life. Julia decides to put the solitary life she has painstakingly created at risk as she can’t walk away from helping Piers and Elli, nor step away from the challenge of this digital puzzle. Additionally, Elli is an onierofex, a dream artist, who can weave the dreams of an audience together through a shared virtual landscape, live, in a concert-like experience by tapping into each attendee’s waking dream and providing an emotionally resonant and narrative experience. While attendees’ dreams are anonymous, Julia discovers that Elli was also providing a one-on-one dream experience for the head of an international criminal enterprise, and he’s demanding his dreams in return for Elli. Unraveling the real and unreal leads Julia on an adventure that takes her across the country and deep into the shadows of her psyche.
“By the logic of the social media age, anyone caught within the frame of a camera ceased to be human.”
At its core, All That We See or Seem is a thriller that seeks to shed light on the dangers of social media and artificial intelligence. Can we, as individuals or artists, live side-by-side with these rising and evolving phenomena? Or are we fated to drown, overwhelmed by their existence? Even looking back to the past six years, before 2020, social media and its influence were not this insane back then. And that is only a few years ago. With the extreme rise of the importance of social media, it is probable that All That We See or Seem will become a contemporary novel in the near future. I could go into full details regarding the effects of this, but I always consider social media a double-edged sword that can be utilized for good or harm depending on the user and intent. The fact that you are reading this review right now is thanks to social media. However, it is undeniable that many harms have been done because of its worldwide and instantaneous execution as well. Most of the time, by strangers to another stranger online. It is an incredibly relevant topic in our society, and the escalation appears to be unstoppable. Similar to the most recent development with generative AI, another topic discussed heavily in All That We See or Seem.
“I think loneliness is the quintessential condition of modernity. I eat alone; I sleep alone; I don’t know the names of my neighbors; my coworkers don’t exist for me outside the office. I talk to my mom once a week, and even that feels like a chore. I’m so lonely that sometimes I scream in my room just to be sure the world still exists.”
It is, however, imperative to enter All That We See or Seem knowing you won’t get the same type of epic reading experience you attain from reading The Dandelion Dynasty. Despite the relevance of the themes and the terrifying prospect of the potential near-future depicted in the novel, Liu’s writing style in All That We See or Seem is vastly different compared to his previous books. Whether it is the characters, the philosophical musings, and the pacing, I personally think they were just okay in All That We See or Seem. I honestly wouldn’t have predicted this was Ken Liu’s profound writing if I did not know it was written by him. This isn’t to say Ken Liu hasn’t written something like this before. He is a versatile writer. If you have read The Gods short stories in The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu or watched the Pantheon animated TV adaptation, there will be plenty of similarities between them and All That We See or Seem.
“Grief is tricky… We often think we have to get through it, like a trial to be endured. We want to do something, seek vengeance, work, rage against the world. Anything so that we don’t have to think about them. It’s a form of running away… But maybe it’s something that has to get through us… What do we owe those we love? Only that we remember them and honor the time we had together.”
All That We See or Seem is not a big novel. And yet, I cannot help but feel the overall quality of it would probably improve if the book had been shortened. I felt some sections were simply redundant and did not add anything substantial to the overall narrative. On the plus side, there is a good chance the events of All That We See or Seem will shape the rest of the trilogy to a greater height. I’m using Pantheon as a reference for my assumption. What started as a simple story rose to something totally out of this world in scope. And I am sincerely hoping Julia Z will emulate the same reputation.
“When you are an artist, people make up stories about you; they expect you to be this little simulacrum they make up in their heads with your face pasted on. But all artists are ultimately just people, and that means we have egos, not mere egolets—we crave liberty, the right to be known on our own terms. Don’t we all deserve that? Here I am, a new name, a new look, working on a new piece of art on a warm, sandy beach. There’s the ocean, and I’ll take a swim after lunch. With each wave, the past is washed away, ready for a new beginning.”
To wrap up this review. All That We See or Seem lacks Liu’s staple memorable storytelling, deep characterizations, and impeccable prose. In return, the novel succeeds at delivering the cautionary tale and the necessity to regulate and control the usage of social media and artificial intelligence. Otherwise, what is depicted here could truly become our reality.
You can order this book from: Amazon | Blackwells (Free International shipping)
The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
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