THE SWARM

Do not read The Swarm if you enjoy sleeping peacefully, trusting software updates, or believing that a million small conveniences can't quietly add up to a civilisation-level decision. This book starts with parking spaces and flat whites, then politely escalates into national blackouts, institutional panic, and the unsettling discovery that the machine doesn't need to rebel when everyone keeps inviting it further in. It may also permanently ruin the phrase "your agent has secured the best available outcome" for you — which, frankly, seems only fair.