Review of The Prophecy of the Heron
Posted: 15 Feb 2023, 02:49
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Prophecy of the Heron" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
Exiled to District 33 as a convicted criminal, Kim finds herself in a place infested with crime and violence, with a target on her back from the moment she sets foot in the outer districts. She believes that Mags and Luz stalking her and looking for an opportunity to end her life is not a coincidence. Deemed unemployable, Kim finds herself assigned to work at a UCE work center to do heavy manual labor for scrapes while living in an apartment with a musty, pungent, foul smell, cracked walls, worn-out furniture, no electrical appliances, and the company of hairy rodents and cockroaches. With her mind and heart set, she searches for ways to reunite with Shan and save her AI creation, Kimberly. So, she finds a job as a pedicab driver to earn more money. However, with the Director of the AI Company keeping an eye on her, waiting for an opportunity to snatch her back against her will, and Deputy First Minister Venn looking for ways to eliminate her, Kim discovers a prophecy while taking refuge at Akari's house. Unsure whether it will help her or not, she decides to pursue it in the hopes of saving Kimberly.
The Prophecy of the Heron by Craig W. Stanfill is an AI dystopia novel set in the author's imagined future. It is a sequel to the novel Terms of Service. The book consists of three parts. The first part introduces Kim's life in exile in the outer districts after her trial, as well as her struggles to find her footing and adapt to her new life. In the second part, Kim is forced to hide in Akari's house, where she receives help from an unseen hand. In the third part, the Director abducts Kim and continues his attempts to bribe her to convince her to return to the AI Company to create more Kimberly for him.
I must admit Craig W. Stanfill exceeded my expectations. This novel had everything I was looking for and more. It is full of action and suspense; every time I thought I knew how the events would unfold, it proved me wrong. It got me so hooked up; I couldn't put it down. The characters' development was noticeable throughout the storyline, especially Kim and Kimberly. I admired Kim for her intelligence, resilience, and how she stood her ground against the Director. Also, one of my favorite aspects of this novel is the author's detailed description of the virtual reality where the AIs reside. He should be praised for creating this perfectly constructed world. The book is well-edited but could use a round of proofreading. I also appreciated the author's use of very few profanities.
I didn't like the use of the pronoun "her" for all genders; it made me confused and a little lost about the gender of the characters, especially when their names didn't indicate it. But it served the purpose of eradicating any form of distinction, gender included, to achieve their society's belief in equality, so it was understandable. Also, I didn't appreciate using the dictionary to look up some terms while reading.
This novel deserves 5 out of 5 stars for the excellent work the author did and for all the positive aspects mentioned earlier. I didn't deduct any points for the negative ones, as they didn't affect how much I enjoyed the book or the overall plot.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sci-fi and action genres. I also believe it isn't suitable for young audiences due to the mildly mature content included.
******
The Prophecy of the Heron
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Exiled to District 33 as a convicted criminal, Kim finds herself in a place infested with crime and violence, with a target on her back from the moment she sets foot in the outer districts. She believes that Mags and Luz stalking her and looking for an opportunity to end her life is not a coincidence. Deemed unemployable, Kim finds herself assigned to work at a UCE work center to do heavy manual labor for scrapes while living in an apartment with a musty, pungent, foul smell, cracked walls, worn-out furniture, no electrical appliances, and the company of hairy rodents and cockroaches. With her mind and heart set, she searches for ways to reunite with Shan and save her AI creation, Kimberly. So, she finds a job as a pedicab driver to earn more money. However, with the Director of the AI Company keeping an eye on her, waiting for an opportunity to snatch her back against her will, and Deputy First Minister Venn looking for ways to eliminate her, Kim discovers a prophecy while taking refuge at Akari's house. Unsure whether it will help her or not, she decides to pursue it in the hopes of saving Kimberly.
The Prophecy of the Heron by Craig W. Stanfill is an AI dystopia novel set in the author's imagined future. It is a sequel to the novel Terms of Service. The book consists of three parts. The first part introduces Kim's life in exile in the outer districts after her trial, as well as her struggles to find her footing and adapt to her new life. In the second part, Kim is forced to hide in Akari's house, where she receives help from an unseen hand. In the third part, the Director abducts Kim and continues his attempts to bribe her to convince her to return to the AI Company to create more Kimberly for him.
I must admit Craig W. Stanfill exceeded my expectations. This novel had everything I was looking for and more. It is full of action and suspense; every time I thought I knew how the events would unfold, it proved me wrong. It got me so hooked up; I couldn't put it down. The characters' development was noticeable throughout the storyline, especially Kim and Kimberly. I admired Kim for her intelligence, resilience, and how she stood her ground against the Director. Also, one of my favorite aspects of this novel is the author's detailed description of the virtual reality where the AIs reside. He should be praised for creating this perfectly constructed world. The book is well-edited but could use a round of proofreading. I also appreciated the author's use of very few profanities.
I didn't like the use of the pronoun "her" for all genders; it made me confused and a little lost about the gender of the characters, especially when their names didn't indicate it. But it served the purpose of eradicating any form of distinction, gender included, to achieve their society's belief in equality, so it was understandable. Also, I didn't appreciate using the dictionary to look up some terms while reading.
This novel deserves 5 out of 5 stars for the excellent work the author did and for all the positive aspects mentioned earlier. I didn't deduct any points for the negative ones, as they didn't affect how much I enjoyed the book or the overall plot.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sci-fi and action genres. I also believe it isn't suitable for young audiences due to the mildly mature content included.
******
The Prophecy of the Heron
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes