Review of Terms of Service
Posted: 15 Mar 2023, 11:55
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
In this futuristic novel, the UCE (Unity, Community, Equality) regime rises to power. They decided to eradicate any signs of gender and race; everyone looks the same, stripped of personality. You mustn't waste food. You mustn't be late. You mustn't be unique. You must comply with all terms of service or deal with the consequences. Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill is the first book in "The AI Dystopia" book series. It's about an oppressed society led by fear and under artificial intelligence's surveillance.
Kim, the main character, had been working for "The Artificial Intelligence Company" for 5 years and had been relatively successful in training the operational automatons (simple devices incapable of thinking). As part of her role, she helped the companies maintain their authority by ensuring the fulfilment of their terms. Each transgressor would be penalised; their social ranking would decrease, causing their living conditions to degrade. Kim had a modest life; however, she felt lonely and sad. Constantly empty. Broken.
Her life takes a turn when she re-encounters Shan, an old friend from school. Shan had always defied the rules, and Kim had always been in trouble for following her. Will Shan drag Kim into trouble again? What control does Kim have over her life? Will Kim ever be able to overcome her internal issues?
The cover and the title of the book on their own are very appealing. The plot is very stimulating; oppression has always been present over the years, and this ultra-modern version will undoubtedly make one think about present-day issues. Additionally, I was intrigued by the omission of gender because it made the characters look more like machines and less like people, contributing to the dehumanised picture of this society. I loved the development of Kim's character; her trauma is very well-founded. Kim started this journey so ordinarily in her non-special life and gradually grew into an individual (yes, an individual with her own wishes and ideas). Even the way she addresses herself changes as she starts to develop. The whole book is extremely detailed and true to the world created by the author. The virtual reality scenes are skilfully described, making them extremely realistic for the reader.
There's nothing I dislike about this book; however, I must warn that the beginning is slow as the author needs to introduce this whole new world before the main plot starts. This didn't keep me from enjoying it since the beginning though.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars since I have absolutely no complaints about it. Furthermore, this book was exceptionally well edited, especially given the difficulties of writing about characters of "unspecified" gender. The author chose to use the pronouns "she/her/hers" for all characters, which led me to think (unconsciously) about many characters as being female and then finding out they were not. I took it with humour as I slowly adjusted the characters in my mind. I'm eager to read the next book in the sequel.
I recommend this book to lovers of artificial intelligence and science fiction. This book is also recommended for mature readers due to its sexual content, drug and alcohol usage, and profane language.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
In this futuristic novel, the UCE (Unity, Community, Equality) regime rises to power. They decided to eradicate any signs of gender and race; everyone looks the same, stripped of personality. You mustn't waste food. You mustn't be late. You mustn't be unique. You must comply with all terms of service or deal with the consequences. Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill is the first book in "The AI Dystopia" book series. It's about an oppressed society led by fear and under artificial intelligence's surveillance.
Kim, the main character, had been working for "The Artificial Intelligence Company" for 5 years and had been relatively successful in training the operational automatons (simple devices incapable of thinking). As part of her role, she helped the companies maintain their authority by ensuring the fulfilment of their terms. Each transgressor would be penalised; their social ranking would decrease, causing their living conditions to degrade. Kim had a modest life; however, she felt lonely and sad. Constantly empty. Broken.
Her life takes a turn when she re-encounters Shan, an old friend from school. Shan had always defied the rules, and Kim had always been in trouble for following her. Will Shan drag Kim into trouble again? What control does Kim have over her life? Will Kim ever be able to overcome her internal issues?
The cover and the title of the book on their own are very appealing. The plot is very stimulating; oppression has always been present over the years, and this ultra-modern version will undoubtedly make one think about present-day issues. Additionally, I was intrigued by the omission of gender because it made the characters look more like machines and less like people, contributing to the dehumanised picture of this society. I loved the development of Kim's character; her trauma is very well-founded. Kim started this journey so ordinarily in her non-special life and gradually grew into an individual (yes, an individual with her own wishes and ideas). Even the way she addresses herself changes as she starts to develop. The whole book is extremely detailed and true to the world created by the author. The virtual reality scenes are skilfully described, making them extremely realistic for the reader.
There's nothing I dislike about this book; however, I must warn that the beginning is slow as the author needs to introduce this whole new world before the main plot starts. This didn't keep me from enjoying it since the beginning though.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars since I have absolutely no complaints about it. Furthermore, this book was exceptionally well edited, especially given the difficulties of writing about characters of "unspecified" gender. The author chose to use the pronouns "she/her/hers" for all characters, which led me to think (unconsciously) about many characters as being female and then finding out they were not. I took it with humour as I slowly adjusted the characters in my mind. I'm eager to read the next book in the sequel.
I recommend this book to lovers of artificial intelligence and science fiction. This book is also recommended for mature readers due to its sexual content, drug and alcohol usage, and profane language.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes