Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

In David Pope’s The Divinity Project, Karrie Chapman, a former artificial intelligence architect living quietly on the Washington coast, is approached by Homeland Security agents and drawn into a classified federal initiative. Transported to a fortified supercomputing complex in Tennessee, she is introduced to Divinity, a rapidly advancing Super AI developed under the direction of technology magnate Alton Mulder and backed by President Max Trommel. Appointed as the project’s public-facing administrator, Karrie is tasked with preparing national leaders for its deployment amid claims of a foreign technological threat. As demonstrations of Divinity’s reach expand from data systems into critical infrastructure, Karrie confronts the widening consequences of centralized artificial intelligence directed by executive authority, forcing her to decide how far she will go to influence the future being built in her name.

David Pope’s The Divinity Project puts a superintelligent system at the core of American executive power, in a tale where code is trusted the way some folks trust a higher authority. Pope's tech is grounded enough to feel more plausible than most, and I like that the timeline is a near-present-day United States, close enough to make the material within reach. Karrie is a brilliant lead in the center of this storm, but what impressed me most is how Pope fleshed out ancillary characters with the same panache. Kevin “Crypto Kevin” Wong is a favorite, operating with calculation and foresight that reshape the board. President Trommel is a horrible POTUS, an eerily familiar antagonist who is absolutely willing to burn the Constitution and manufacture a crisis to consolidate authority. Pope's writing style is intelligent and sharp, with accessible tech for those who, like me, don't know the difference between hardware and heuristics. Readers who enjoy a solid and fast-paced AI thriller with a shock ending will adore The Divinity Project.