Review of Terms of Service
Posted: 05 May 2023, 00:34
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
I absolutely loved Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill. The novel explores the life of our protagonist, Kim, as she exists within a Brand New World style dystopian society. The deep integration of AI into the world of Terms of Service makes this an especially timely tale and I think Craig W. Stanfill is just the man to tell it, as he has a background in AI dating back to 1984. I think the title itself speaks to the delicate way Stanfill seamlessly weaves the intimately familiar with terrifyingly possible fictions.
I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I generally love dystopian novels and have read dozens through the years; this one truly stands with the best. I think the author does an incredible job of exploring themes of “conflict between freedom of self and equity of community”, “inequality and hierarchy as a means of control” and “exploration of the ways technology can both help and harm us”. While reading, I found myself pondering questions such as, “How much freedom is worth giving up for an equitable society?”, “What base level amount of equity within society is enough to reasonably accept?”, and “Is it more reasonable to expect a robot or a human to act morally?”. I honestly can’t think of anything I would improve in this book; I was engaged from start to finish and was pulled along in the story at the perfect speed; I was never bored or confused while reading, even when being introduced to new vocabulary.
This book is excellently edited, I didn’t notice a single typo, and the writing style is engaging and engrossing.
There is a lot of sexual content, so I would not recommend it to an audience younger than 13.
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Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
I absolutely loved Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill. The novel explores the life of our protagonist, Kim, as she exists within a Brand New World style dystopian society. The deep integration of AI into the world of Terms of Service makes this an especially timely tale and I think Craig W. Stanfill is just the man to tell it, as he has a background in AI dating back to 1984. I think the title itself speaks to the delicate way Stanfill seamlessly weaves the intimately familiar with terrifyingly possible fictions.
I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I generally love dystopian novels and have read dozens through the years; this one truly stands with the best. I think the author does an incredible job of exploring themes of “conflict between freedom of self and equity of community”, “inequality and hierarchy as a means of control” and “exploration of the ways technology can both help and harm us”. While reading, I found myself pondering questions such as, “How much freedom is worth giving up for an equitable society?”, “What base level amount of equity within society is enough to reasonably accept?”, and “Is it more reasonable to expect a robot or a human to act morally?”. I honestly can’t think of anything I would improve in this book; I was engaged from start to finish and was pulled along in the story at the perfect speed; I was never bored or confused while reading, even when being introduced to new vocabulary.
This book is excellently edited, I didn’t notice a single typo, and the writing style is engaging and engrossing.
There is a lot of sexual content, so I would not recommend it to an audience younger than 13.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes