All That We See or Seem is the first book in sci-fi thriller series Julia Z, written by Ken Liu, published by Head of Zeus. I was quite excited to see how Ken Liu would do in a different genre, and I can say that he delivered an interesting technothriller, set in a non-so distant future where AI has become an integral aspect of life, following a talented hacker, Julia Z, trying to find the balance between escaping her past and getting a future, and who will be forced to break her life of anonymity to help a desperate lawyer find his wife.

Julia Z, a young woman who gained notoriety very young as the "orphan hacker", is trying to live in anonymity; however, this existence gets interrupted when Piers, a lawyer whose wife, Elli, a famous artist, has disappeared and seems to have been kidnapped by criminals. Together with Pier, she embarks on a roadtrip following the hints lefts by Elli, revealing more about her past and how she got fame, discovering more about the crime syndicates behind the world and having to confront the shadows of Julia's past.

In contraposition with most of the genre, Liu puts a great deal into developing such a complex character as Julia is. Not only we have an extremely competent hacker, quite paranoid about remaining anonym, but as we spend time with her and Piers, more is revealed about her past and how it has left her scarred, with difficulties to trust others. Piers helps as a catalyst for Julia's healing, a bond that allows her to trust and open herself.
However, the villain pales in comparison with our lead character, as I found him to be a bit underdeveloped; he kinda fits into the prototypical super villain that you would expect, with delusions of grandeur.

The worldbuilding was quite interesting, a future where technology dominates all lives, and where AIs have become the most prevalent element in life; it also serves as a cautionary tale of a non-desirable future.
The novel is clearly divided into two parts, with a first one that I found more engaging; the pacing is slower than you expect in a thriller, giving the characters time to open themselves, fleshing them.

All That We See or Seem puts the foundation for what aims to be a series woven around the character of Julia, and it acts as a great entry point to her world; a recommend if you want to read a technothriller that puts the emphasis on the characters.