Wink, by Martin Taylor

Wink slept through the end of America.

Civil War II has come and gone. A sentient artificial intelligence called Sojo now governs New America, with calm precision. But is the cost to freedom too high?

Wink — a backwoods laze-about who’s bad at rules and worse at paying attention — is sent to a state-run academy to acclimate to this new world — its laws, its rhythms, and its expectations. He discovers the system isn’t as seamless as it claims. Old loyalties persist. New ones are forming. And as unrest builds in places Sojo can’t quite control, Wink — slow, confused, and magnificently unambitious — finds himself the object of Sojo’s fascination.

Wink is a novel about waking up — to a changed world. And in a future that feels uncomfortably close.