*2026 LOCUS FINALIST FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL**ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2025*Is all that we see or seemBut a dream within a dream?— Edgar Allan PoeAt 14, Julia Z became infamous as the "orphan hacker," a teenage prodigy who broke the law and captivated a nation. Now, years later, she’s trying to leave that life behind, hiding in the quiet suburbs of Boston. But her fragile anonymity is shattered when a desperate lawyer bursts into her life, begging for her help to find his wife—a celebrated artist who uses AI to craft shared dreams for thousands of followers and who has been kidnapped by a criminal syndicate.Against her better judgment, Julia embarks on a harrowing journey across the country, drawn ever-deeper into the shadows of the American dream. As she tracks the criminals, she confronts not only their perilous schemes but also the ghosts of her own past. Resourceful, relentless, and deeply contemptuous of authority, Julia must dig deep into her unique skillset and fractured psyche to uncover the truth — and to hold onto hope when everything around her descends into darkness.This is the first book in an electrifying new series that masterfully intertwines the urgent thriller with thought-provoking speculation on the future of art in an age dominated by artificial intelligence. Julia Z is a bold, unforgettable heroine destined to captivate readers — a literary creation as rich and compelling as the Dandelion Dynasty itself.

*2026 LOCUS FINALIST FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL**ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2025*Is all that we see or seemBut a dream within a dream?- Edgar Allan PoeAt 14, Julia Z became infamous as the "e;orphan hacker,"e; a teenage prodigy who broke the law and captivated a nation. Now, years later, she's trying to leave that life behind, hiding in the quiet suburbs of Boston. But her fragile anonymity is shattered when a desperate lawyer bursts into her life, begging for her help to find his wife-a celebrated artist who uses AI to craft shared dreams for thousands of followers and who has been kidnapped by a criminal syndicate.Against her better judgment, Julia embarks on a harrowing journey across the country, drawn ever-deeper into the shadows of the American dream. As she tracks the criminals, she confronts not only their perilous schemes but also the ghosts of her own past. Resourceful, relentless, and deeply contemptuous of authority, Julia must dig deep into her unique skillset and fractured psyche to uncover the truth - and to hold onto hope when everything around her descends into darkness.This is the first book in an electrifying new series that masterfully intertwines the urgent thriller with thought-provoking speculation on the future of art in an age dominated by artificial intelligence. Julia Z is a bold, unforgettable heroine destined to captivate readers - a literary creation as rich and compelling as the Dandelion Dynasty itself.

*2026 LOCUS FINALIST FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL**ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2025*Is all that we see or seemBut a dream within a dream?— Edgar Allan PoeAt 14, Julia Z became infamous as the "orphan hacker," a teenage prodigy who broke the law and captivated a nation. Now, years later, she’s trying to leave that life behind, hiding in the quiet suburbs of Boston. But her fragile anonymity is shattered when a desperate lawyer bursts into her life, begging for her help to find his wife—a celebrated artist who uses AI to craft shared dreams for thousands of followers and who has been kidnapped by a criminal syndicate.Against her better judgment, Julia embarks on a harrowing journey across the country, drawn ever-deeper into the shadows of the American dream. As she tracks the criminals, she confronts not only their perilous schemes but also the ghosts of her own past. Resourceful, relentless, and deeply contemptuous of authority, Julia must dig deep into her unique skillset and fractured psyche to uncover the truth — and to hold onto hope when everything around her descends into darkness.This is the first book in an electrifying new series that masterfully intertwines the urgent thriller with thought-provoking speculation on the future of art in an age dominated by artificial intelligence. Julia Z is a bold, unforgettable heroine destined to captivate readers — a literary creation as rich and compelling as the Dandelion Dynasty itself.

*2026 LOCUS FINALIST FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL**ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2025*Is all that we see or seemBut a dream within a dream?— Edgar Allan PoeAt 14, Julia Z became infamous as the "orphan hacker," a teenage prodigy who broke the law and captivated a nation. Now, years later, she’s trying to leave that life behind, hiding in the quiet suburbs of Boston. But her fragile anonymity is shattered when a desperate lawyer bursts into her life, begging for her help to find his wife—a celebrated artist who uses AI to craft shared dreams for thousands of followers and who has been kidnapped by a criminal syndicate.Against her better judgment, Julia embarks on a harrowing journey across the country, drawn ever-deeper into the shadows of the American dream. As she tracks the criminals, she confronts not only their perilous schemes but also the ghosts of her own past. Resourceful, relentless, and deeply contemptuous of authority, Julia must dig deep into her unique skillset and fractured psyche to uncover the truth — and to hold onto hope when everything around her descends into darkness.This is the first book in an electrifying new series that masterfully intertwines the urgent thriller with thought-provoking speculation on the future of art in an age dominated by artificial intelligence. Julia Z is a bold, unforgettable heroine destined to captivate readers — a literary creation as rich and compelling as the Dandelion Dynasty itself.

From the award-winning author of the Dandelion Dynasty series, Ken Liu returns with the sequel to ALL THAT WE SEE OR SEEM, the next electrifying novel in the Julia Z series — where love, identity, and immortality collide.What price is too high in our war against death?This isn’t the distant future. It’s tomorrow — just one breath away.Every street corner watches. Every camera feeds a stream. Every stream ends in an AI. Nothing escapes their regard. Everything is captured, ingested and dissected.From this torrent of data, new realities are conjured, indistinguishable from truth. The line between real and virtual isn’t blurred. It’s gone.Julia Z walks this vanished line. She understands the ebb and flow of information, she can see the world as the AIs see it. Like a priest of old, she can work with the new gods.But she is not alone.Others walk the same path. And for some of them, humanity is not sacred, it is substrate — raw material to be exploited.For Julia Z, What Birds Have Vanished begins with a gift of love. It ends in a decades-long conspiracy of genes, brain scans, and forbidden research.For the reader, it’s a razor-edged technothriller — a story of surveillance, sacrifice, and the soul.?Because when the gods are algorithms, the question isn’t just what’s real.It’s whether you’re still human.

*2026 LOCUS FINALIST FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL**ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2025*Is all that we see or seemBut a dream within a dream?— Edgar Allan PoeAt 14, Julia Z became infamous as the "orphan hacker," a teenage prodigy who broke the law and captivated a nation. Now, years later, she’s trying to leave that life behind, hiding in the quiet suburbs of Boston. But her fragile anonymity is shattered when a desperate lawyer bursts into her life, begging for her help to find his wife—a celebrated artist who uses AI to craft shared dreams for thousands of followers and who has been kidnapped by a criminal syndicate.Against her better judgment, Julia embarks on a harrowing journey across the country, drawn ever-deeper into the shadows of the American dream. As she tracks the criminals, she confronts not only their perilous schemes but also the ghosts of her own past. Resourceful, relentless, and deeply contemptuous of authority, Julia must dig deep into her unique skillset and fractured psyche to uncover the truth — and to hold onto hope when everything around her descends into darkness.This is the first book in an electrifying new series that masterfully intertwines the urgent thriller with thought-provoking speculation on the future of art in an age dominated by artificial intelligence. Julia Z is a bold, unforgettable heroine destined to captivate readers — a literary creation as rich and compelling as the Dandelion Dynasty itself.

*2026 LOCUS FINALIST FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL**ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2025*Is all that we see or seemBut a dream within a dream?- Edgar Allan PoeAt 14, Julia Z became infamous as the "e;orphan hacker,"e; a teenage prodigy who broke the law and captivated a nation. Now, years later, she's trying to leave that life behind, hiding in the quiet suburbs of Boston. But her fragile anonymity is shattered when a desperate lawyer bursts into her life, begging for her help to find his wife-a celebrated artist who uses AI to craft shared dreams for thousands of followers and who has been kidnapped by a criminal syndicate.Against her better judgment, Julia embarks on a harrowing journey across the country, drawn ever-deeper into the shadows of the American dream. As she tracks the criminals, she confronts not only their perilous schemes but also the ghosts of her own past. Resourceful, relentless, and deeply contemptuous of authority, Julia must dig deep into her unique skillset and fractured psyche to uncover the truth - and to hold onto hope when everything around her descends into darkness.This is the first book in an electrifying new series that masterfully intertwines the urgent thriller with thought-provoking speculation on the future of art in an age dominated by artificial intelligence. Julia Z is a bold, unforgettable heroine destined to captivate readers - a literary creation as rich and compelling as the Dandelion Dynasty itself.

*2026 LOCUS FINALIST FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL**ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2025*Is all that we see or seemBut a dream within a dream?— Edgar Allan PoeAt 14, Julia Z became infamous as the "orphan hacker," a teenage prodigy who broke the law and captivated a nation. Now, years later, she’s trying to leave that life behind, hiding in the quiet suburbs of Boston. But her fragile anonymity is shattered when a desperate lawyer bursts into her life, begging for her help to find his wife—a celebrated artist who uses AI to craft shared dreams for thousands of followers and who has been kidnapped by a criminal syndicate.Against her better judgment, Julia embarks on a harrowing journey across the country, drawn ever-deeper into the shadows of the American dream. As she tracks the criminals, she confronts not only their perilous schemes but also the ghosts of her own past. Resourceful, relentless, and deeply contemptuous of authority, Julia must dig deep into her unique skillset and fractured psyche to uncover the truth — and to hold onto hope when everything around her descends into darkness.This is the first book in an electrifying new series that masterfully intertwines the urgent thriller with thought-provoking speculation on the future of art in an age dominated by artificial intelligence. Julia Z is a bold, unforgettable heroine destined to captivate readers — a literary creation as rich and compelling as the Dandelion Dynasty itself.

*2026 LOCUS FINALIST FOR BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL**ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2025*Is all that we see or seemBut a dream within a dream?— Edgar Allan PoeAt 14, Julia Z became infamous as the "orphan hacker," a teenage prodigy who broke the law and captivated a nation. Now, years later, she’s trying to leave that life behind, hiding in the quiet suburbs of Boston. But her fragile anonymity is shattered when a desperate lawyer bursts into her life, begging for her help to find his wife—a celebrated artist who uses AI to craft shared dreams for thousands of followers and who has been kidnapped by a criminal syndicate.Against her better judgment, Julia embarks on a harrowing journey across the country, drawn ever-deeper into the shadows of the American dream. As she tracks the criminals, she confronts not only their perilous schemes but also the ghosts of her own past. Resourceful, relentless, and deeply contemptuous of authority, Julia must dig deep into her unique skillset and fractured psyche to uncover the truth — and to hold onto hope when everything around her descends into darkness.This is the first book in an electrifying new series that masterfully intertwines the urgent thriller with thought-provoking speculation on the future of art in an age dominated by artificial intelligence. Julia Z is a bold, unforgettable heroine destined to captivate readers — a literary creation as rich and compelling as the Dandelion Dynasty itself.

From the award-winning author of the Dandelion Dynasty series, Ken Liu returns with the sequel to ALL THAT WE SEE OR SEEM, the next electrifying novel in the Julia Z series — where love, identity, and immortality collide.What price is too high in our war against death?This isn’t the distant future. It’s tomorrow — just one breath away.Every street corner watches. Every camera feeds a stream. Every stream ends in an AI. Nothing escapes their regard. Everything is captured, ingested and dissected.From this torrent of data, new realities are conjured, indistinguishable from truth. The line between real and virtual isn’t blurred. It’s gone.Julia Z walks this vanished line. She understands the ebb and flow of information, she can see the world as the AIs see it. Like a priest of old, she can work with the new gods.But she is not alone.Others walk the same path. And for some of them, humanity is not sacred, it is substrate — raw material to be exploited.For Julia Z, What Birds Have Vanished begins with a gift of love. It ends in a decades-long conspiracy of genes, brain scans, and forbidden research.For the reader, it’s a razor-edged technothriller — a story of surveillance, sacrifice, and the soul.?Because when the gods are algorithms, the question isn’t just what’s real.It’s whether you’re still human.