--- description: Find out why "All That We See or Seem" is on TIME's list of the must-read books of the year. title: 'All That We See or Seem' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2025 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf002bdd09fd57018/6998cb2ba97fc0237ca74d49/100_Books_2025_All-That-We-See-or-Seem-Ken-Liu.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 12, 2025 # All That We See or Seem by Ken Liu by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  In a thriller centering on the search for a missing oneirofex—an artist and guide who orchestrates collective dreaming experiences using AI—it feels additionally appropriate that the near future depicted is essentially a hazy, half-asleep squint away from our own. Ken Liu’s perceptive new sci-fi novel, _All That We See or Seem_, follows Julia Z, a hacker using all the tools at her disposal to stay under the radar in a world reshaped by surveillance, social media, and helpful personal AIs. When Elli, a famous oneirofex, disappears, her husband seeks out Julia Z’s counsel, inadvertently pulling her into a high-stakes effort to save Elli and avoid capture. The Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author’s significant short-story chops are seen throughout in thoughtful contemplations about art, identity, and the American dream in the age of AI. There’s more action-packed commentary to come: _All That We See or Seem_ is just the first installment of a series. Julia Z’s next adventure has already been written. —_Cate Matthews_ **_These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser._** **Buy Now:** _All That We See or Seem_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781668083178 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/4hNrRjr "undefined") These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/the-100-must-read-books-of-2025/7329472/all-that-we-see-or-seem/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/the-100-must-read-books-of-2025/7329472/all-that-we-see-or-seem/"},"headline":"'All That We See or Seem' Is on the 100 Must-Read Books of 2025","datePublished":"2025-11-12T13:00:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T01:02:09.725Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/the-100-must-read-books-of-2025/7329472/all-that-we-see-or-seem/","keywords":["Books","E-Commerce","list","ecommerce","Special Project"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf002bdd09fd57018/6998cb2ba97fc0237ca74d49/100_Books_2025_All-That-We-See-or-Seem-Ken-Liu.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf002bdd09fd57018/6998cb2ba97fc0237ca74d49/100_Books_2025_All-That-We-See-or-Seem-Ken-Liu.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/the-100-must-read-books-of-2025/7329472/all-that-we-see-or-seem/","name":"'All That We See or Seem' Is on the 100 Must-Read Books of 2025"}}]}] ```