Artificial Selection: A Near-Future Science Fiction Mystery Novel
About this audiobook
An AI, an investigator, and a geneticist walk into a library...
It’s the year 2101, and half of England is underwater, but the horrors of the Melt are becoming a distant memory thanks to ArkTech, the company that saved the world.
The ArkTech Territory is the only home Charlotte Vance has ever known, so when Ben, the company’s curious AI, starts asking awkward questions about human behaviour, she's only too happy to help.
But as she investigates the mystery of why a geneticist is stealing pages from library books, Charlotte is forced to confront unsettling truths about her past, and about the company she’s always trusted.
The deeper she digs, the more she realises her discoveries could threaten everything she holds dear. Charlotte must make a choice – and the wrong decision could cost her everything.
What readers are saying...
"Funny. Suspenseful. Thought-provoking."
"A good, fun, easy read that gives you something to think about."
"A great sci-fi book with a flawed protagonist that you can really root for. It’s written in a pacy and breezy style that keeps you turning the page. It has a great sense of humour, without being ‘comic’. It’s about a future where a lot has gone wrong, but where there is optimism about the future. It has a cracking mystery at its centre too."
About the author
Kristin Atherton is a bi-lingual voice-over performer and stage/screen actress, who trained at LAMDA. She has narrated over 400+ audiobook titles, winning multiple awards and rave reviews for her work. Her video game VO work includes METAPHOR:REFANTAZIO, WARHAMMER 40k: BATTLESISTER, LORDS OF THE FALLEN, and SYNCHED: OFF PLANET. When not behind the microphone, her screen work includes roles in OUTLANDER (Starz/Amazon), WATERLOO ROAD (BBC) and SHAKESPEARE AND HATHAWAY (BBC), and she has worked extensively on stage with the English National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Marianne Pickles writes mystery novels set in the future. She grew up in Scotland near Aberdeen, where many people worked on offshore oil rigs in the North Sea. Now she lives on low-lying land in the Fens with her partner, David. They are contemplating learning to kayak.
She studied English Literature and Classics at the University of Edinburgh. In 2023, Marianne’s novel Time Hack won first prize in the Green Stories novel competition.
