Artificial Selection: A Near-Future Science Fiction Mystery Novel
About this audiobook
From the WINNER of the Green Stories Prize.
What do you get if you cross a glitching AI, a streetwise investigator, and a geneticist with a secret?
It’s the year 2101, and half of England is underwater. But society is recovering from the Melt – all thanks to ArkTech, the company that saved the world.
Charlotte Vance is smart, resourceful, and fiercely dedicated to her work. The ArkTech Territory is the only home she’s ever known, and she’ll do anything to keep it safe.
So when Ben, the company’s curious AI with a fondness for dad jokes, asks why a geneticist is stealing pages from library books, Charlotte is happy to help. After all, Ben isn’t just software – he’s her best friend.
But what begins as a routine investigation soon raises deeper questions about Charlotte’s world.
She’s pulled into the orbit of a criminal operation she thought she’d left behind – and what she uncovers forces her to confront an uncomfortable truth about the company she’s always trusted.
An AI, a PI, and a geneticist walk into a library… but the punchline could cost Charlotte everything.
Artificial Selection is fun, intriguing, and ultimately uplifting – the first in a series of smart mysteries for anyone curious enough to ask why.
What Readers Are Saying…
"In the top echelon of near-future storytelling. Looking forward to the next one."
“I loved the world and characters of this book. It felt like a world inhabited by real people with real problems, in a future that is very relatable.”
"Honestly, I devoured it in one go, in just a single day – it was that good. The world-building? Absolutely brilliant… Charlotte Vance is such a relatable character. She's flawed, smart, and determined, and I was completely rooting for her… The humor was spot-on too – not overdone, just enough to balance the story’s emotional weight. And that ending? Perfection. It left me feeling hopeful, which is rare these days, isn't it?"
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.
