Review of Terms of Service
Posted: 15 Dec 2022, 18:49
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
In a story where the watchful eyes of Big Brother of 1984 meets the technological sophistication of Neuromancer, the protagonist Kim is taken from the very normal, mundane, and utilitarian slice of life existence that they’re used to, and, once a childhood friend returns to their life, finds they’re thrown headlong into the dark sea of truths that lies beneath their once peaceful world of working with the AIs that make life so simple. With post-war hints alluding to a darker and more archaic time, everything and everyone has a job, place, and importance largely dictated by the AIs of the city. With constant surveillance, no good deed, or even deviation from norm, goes unpunished by the seemingly omniscient entity known only as “The Company.”
Craig W. Stanfill nails a lot of what makes sci-fi fun and interesting. Throughout the whole of Terms of Service, he pairs the imagination of what artificial intelligence could be capable of in the future with the creeping terror of the cold and logical creations that they likely would be. With not much of a stretch of the imagination, the whole city that the story drops us in is automated by AIs - meals, transportation, dating and mating, even one’s schooling and job, it all seems to be dictated by the algorithms of the AIs. Yet, despite the ones and zeros that are the base of the characterization, Stanfill gives them a sense of feeling and emotion beyond expectation while comfortably delineating between what’s human, and what’s not. Even outside of the sci-fi aspects, the characters are realistic, having both shining moments of brilliance as well as moments of utter shortcoming. Both of these helped me as a reader connect and relate to the characters at large, but particularly with Kim. The breadth and variety of the world as a whole, while not initially obvious, comes like a slap in the face once it’s at the forefront and outside of the plain box that we’re presented with.
On the other hand, what could Stanfill have done better? In this reader’s assessment, there are only two qualms, one of which becomes irrelevant for most of it. The first: world building. Much of what the author provided of the world outside the city was either subtle hints of the world before and the world that became, or details on such a macro scale that it became difficult to relate them directly to our story’s characters. The thought that I have is that this could be intentional. It allows for exploration in any kind of follow-up stories without giving too much away, a rich background to build on and from. The second: sexualization of the body unnecessarily, or what some may call men writing women. With gender and sexuality being implied as a fluid but pointedly-irrelevant aspect of society, the moments where we do see a level of sexual connotation can likely be chalked up to a certain sense of character development rather than the usual case of a writer focusing on the sexual features of a character. Other than those specific thoughts, the narrative is oftentimes predictable, but in the best possible way: when there are twists and beats that go against expectations, they become so much more impactful, used as a tool to really drive the story.
Despite the possible areas of improvement, with the inference that both cases may have been intentional for story development, this read was a very strong 4 out of 5 stars, frankly teetering towards a 5. With the idea that 5 stars indicates one of the best books I’ve ever read, I can’t quite put it on that high of a pedestal, but it’s well on its way. What Stanfill doesn’t necessarily nail is greatly overshadowed by what he does get right, my favorite of which is providing a character that is relatable and very easy to root for, and watching them grow.
While maybe not suitable for children throughout parts of the story, this book would be a great read for anyone that enjoys realistic sci-fi, especially a narrative driven by something that’s at the forefront of our own society’s technological advances. The impact and integration of AI in this story makes it exciting and unexpected, all while providing a very human underline of understanding one’s own emotions, concreting friendships, and adding just a dash of love in a world full of cold, thinking logic.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
In a story where the watchful eyes of Big Brother of 1984 meets the technological sophistication of Neuromancer, the protagonist Kim is taken from the very normal, mundane, and utilitarian slice of life existence that they’re used to, and, once a childhood friend returns to their life, finds they’re thrown headlong into the dark sea of truths that lies beneath their once peaceful world of working with the AIs that make life so simple. With post-war hints alluding to a darker and more archaic time, everything and everyone has a job, place, and importance largely dictated by the AIs of the city. With constant surveillance, no good deed, or even deviation from norm, goes unpunished by the seemingly omniscient entity known only as “The Company.”
Craig W. Stanfill nails a lot of what makes sci-fi fun and interesting. Throughout the whole of Terms of Service, he pairs the imagination of what artificial intelligence could be capable of in the future with the creeping terror of the cold and logical creations that they likely would be. With not much of a stretch of the imagination, the whole city that the story drops us in is automated by AIs - meals, transportation, dating and mating, even one’s schooling and job, it all seems to be dictated by the algorithms of the AIs. Yet, despite the ones and zeros that are the base of the characterization, Stanfill gives them a sense of feeling and emotion beyond expectation while comfortably delineating between what’s human, and what’s not. Even outside of the sci-fi aspects, the characters are realistic, having both shining moments of brilliance as well as moments of utter shortcoming. Both of these helped me as a reader connect and relate to the characters at large, but particularly with Kim. The breadth and variety of the world as a whole, while not initially obvious, comes like a slap in the face once it’s at the forefront and outside of the plain box that we’re presented with.
On the other hand, what could Stanfill have done better? In this reader’s assessment, there are only two qualms, one of which becomes irrelevant for most of it. The first: world building. Much of what the author provided of the world outside the city was either subtle hints of the world before and the world that became, or details on such a macro scale that it became difficult to relate them directly to our story’s characters. The thought that I have is that this could be intentional. It allows for exploration in any kind of follow-up stories without giving too much away, a rich background to build on and from. The second: sexualization of the body unnecessarily, or what some may call men writing women. With gender and sexuality being implied as a fluid but pointedly-irrelevant aspect of society, the moments where we do see a level of sexual connotation can likely be chalked up to a certain sense of character development rather than the usual case of a writer focusing on the sexual features of a character. Other than those specific thoughts, the narrative is oftentimes predictable, but in the best possible way: when there are twists and beats that go against expectations, they become so much more impactful, used as a tool to really drive the story.
Despite the possible areas of improvement, with the inference that both cases may have been intentional for story development, this read was a very strong 4 out of 5 stars, frankly teetering towards a 5. With the idea that 5 stars indicates one of the best books I’ve ever read, I can’t quite put it on that high of a pedestal, but it’s well on its way. What Stanfill doesn’t necessarily nail is greatly overshadowed by what he does get right, my favorite of which is providing a character that is relatable and very easy to root for, and watching them grow.
While maybe not suitable for children throughout parts of the story, this book would be a great read for anyone that enjoys realistic sci-fi, especially a narrative driven by something that’s at the forefront of our own society’s technological advances. The impact and integration of AI in this story makes it exciting and unexpected, all while providing a very human underline of understanding one’s own emotions, concreting friendships, and adding just a dash of love in a world full of cold, thinking logic.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes