Omniscience takes the reader into a world that seems straight out of George Orwell’s 1984. A world ravaged by a war between two superpowers, where the citizens are subjected to total surveillance. Democracy is suspended, and AI robots are tasked with controlling the masses. The story starts with the protagonist’s family being broken up and their lives turned upside down over a travel permit. Refusing to accept that their life can be ripped apart by this authoritarian government, Shareen Miller takes action to protect her children and family.

Author Janine Frances creates a story that revolves around various themes, not the least of which is presenting AI as a force for good. This is in contrast with most of the contemporary literature in which AI is presented as evil. In Omniscience, on the other hand, humans are shown to be much more cruel and heartless than AI. Similarly, another seemingly oxymoronic term used in the story is eco-terrorists, a group of people bent on killing most of humanity to restore the balance of nature.

Although the story is well-crafted it provides a lot of the time for the characters to interact before pushing the story forward. There is a lot of information provided in the book, which adds depth to the world rather than advancing the plot. There are some interesting characters in the book that I would have enjoyed seeing developed further; an example of this would be Nisha, who seems like the type of character that is an unlikely leader. Nevertheless, most of the characters are quite memorable and realistic, and readers will enjoy following them on this adventure.

Omniscience is a thrilling novel that asks the question of what is really best for humanity. The suspense created will have readers on edge following the family as they fight for survival. This young adult book is excellent for all readers of science fiction and dystopian genres.

Pages: 332 | ASIN : B09S32YXMG