The book I have been writing for the last year under the working title AI.gov has a new name, Project Radiant and it now into the Beta-Reading Trenches.
It’s been a minute since I last surfaced here, January, to be precise, which in writer time is roughly twelve existential crises and one heroic attempt to reorganize my desk before giving up and writing on the floor. But the good news is: the book is moving along. In fact, it’s officially in beta reading. Yes, real human beings (and possibly three very judgmental cats) are now combing through my political-thriller-tech-dystopia-comedy chimera, and the feedback has already been equal parts encouraging, enlightening, and deeply humbling.
The story has evolved since I first teased it. The core remains the same: a near-future world where Artificial Intelligence, once hyped as the liberator of humanity, has instead been hijacked by the kind of people who think ethics is a quaint suggestion and carbon emissions are someone else’s problem. But during revisions, the characters have sharpened, the humour has deepened, and yes, the AI’s sarcastic existential crisis is now even more pronounced.
What’s Happening in Beta Land
This phase is where the book stops being just my fever dream and starts becoming something meant for readers. Beta readers are currently stress-testing everything: pacing, jokes, plot twists, emotional arcs, and whether the cats have enough narrative agency. Their notes have already led to some useful rewrites and additional chapters, nothing dramatic, no major organs removed, but a few narrative limbs have definitely been repositioned.
One common theme from early feedback: the world feels “uncomfortably plausible.” Which, honestly, is exactly what I was aiming for. The billionaire tech moguls, the back-room political puppeteers, the “ethical AI task force” made entirely of people who can’t define “ethical”. They’re fictional, but only in the legal sense.
Tone, Themes, and Tweaks
The satirical edge has gotten sharper. Turns out, when you write satire set in the real-world, real-world absurdity keeps getting in the way. I’ve had to rewrite few scenes because the news accidentally did something too similar. At this point, I’m convinced the universe is either helping with research or trolling me.
The book continues to balance thriller tension with comedic bite. Faster pacing, more character moments, richer stakes, those have been my focus in revisions. And yes, the AI still occasionally wonders if replacing humans would actually be the more ethical choice.
What’s Next
Once beta feedback is fully in and digested, I’ll move into the next revision round, then off to professional editing. I’m still on track to share more concrete publishing updates later this year, cover reveals, timelines, all the shiny things.
Thanks for sticking around through my quiet stretch. Writing may be solitary, but sharing the journey makes it feel a little less like shouting drafts into the void. More updates soon, hopefully before the year is out.
