Review of Terms of Service
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Review of Terms of Service
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill is a science fiction book set in a dystopian future society ruled by artificial intelligence. Under a totalitarian regime, humankind is unfamiliar with freedom, privacy, and individuality. Kim, our protagonist, is living a monotonous life. All her actions are taken automatically, with little or no thinking. She lives in a small apartment with her appliances, which, naturally, are controlled by artificial intelligence. Her fridge ultimately chooses what she eats; her shower decides her water temperature; the Matchmaker app will pre-select her prospects for dating, and her housebot picks her clothes for most days. Either way, the Clothing Company had limited options. The whole society's housing is geometrically displaced and divided into districts. The lower your social status is, the further you go toward its borders. Kim lives in a comfortable location and has a stable job at The Artificial Intelligence Company. She was one of the lucky ones who went to school, majored in the subject, and landed a good job. Her job required training the operational automata, simpler AI devices incapable of thinking for themselves. Kim hoped to work with the more complex AIs, the Order Four AIs. Little did she know that soon she would be missing her simpler life.
What a thrilling read! I was captivated by the whole book, from beginning to end. For starters, the cover and title spiked my curiosity. In particular, the title caused me confusion. I wrongly assumed that the author was just not creative enough. However, the moment you start reading the book, you can no longer see any other title that fits better. The author's writing style is captivating and descriptive of the places and emotions. It was one of my absolute favorite things about this book. I could feel the anxiety, stress, fear, and pressure that the characters were going through. Something that I appreciated immensely was the careful explanation of how the AI functioned. The detailed descriptions of how everything worked came at appropriate times without feeling forced or condescending. The plot development was exciting and kept me reading the entire book. The author did a marvelous job with the chapters' usage. At the end of each chapter, I felt fulfilled but also wanted to know more. The same goes for the book's ending. I also loved the chapter titles. When done correctly, it gives you the same feeling you get when watching episodes of a television show. It makes you curious about the meaning of it and what's going to happen next.
There's nothing negative worth mentioning. I only found a couple of minor mistakes that did not take any enjoyment from my reading experience. The sex scenes and drug and alcohol usage mentioned in the book seemed well-balanced and appropriate for the book's theme. The way the author portrayed the dates and the drug intake added to the book's narrative to emphasize how everything was automatic and lacked emotion. Alcohol was also excessively consumed. However, the characters and the narrator mentioned how much it was and how the characters in question did it solely because they were lost and couldn't find any other way to fill the void inside of them.
In conclusion, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It was an entertaining and engaging read that I recommend reading. At the end of the book, the author provides you with his website, where you can subscribe to get updates on his upcoming books. I liked this reading so much that I subscribed.
I recommend this book to all science fiction fans and those interested in dystopian societies and stories set in the distant future. It is not just another artificial intelligence book since the author delights us with creative thinking and writing style. This book is unique. If you're looking for a new book on artificial intelligence, I highly recommend it.
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Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill is a science fiction book set in a dystopian future society ruled by artificial intelligence. Under a totalitarian regime, humankind is unfamiliar with freedom, privacy, and individuality. Kim, our protagonist, is living a monotonous life. All her actions are taken automatically, with little or no thinking. She lives in a small apartment with her appliances, which, naturally, are controlled by artificial intelligence. Her fridge ultimately chooses what she eats; her shower decides her water temperature; the Matchmaker app will pre-select her prospects for dating, and her housebot picks her clothes for most days. Either way, the Clothing Company had limited options. The whole society's housing is geometrically displaced and divided into districts. The lower your social status is, the further you go toward its borders. Kim lives in a comfortable location and has a stable job at The Artificial Intelligence Company. She was one of the lucky ones who went to school, majored in the subject, and landed a good job. Her job required training the operational automata, simpler AI devices incapable of thinking for themselves. Kim hoped to work with the more complex AIs, the Order Four AIs. Little did she know that soon she would be missing her simpler life.
What a thrilling read! I was captivated by the whole book, from beginning to end. For starters, the cover and title spiked my curiosity. In particular, the title caused me confusion. I wrongly assumed that the author was just not creative enough. However, the moment you start reading the book, you can no longer see any other title that fits better. The author's writing style is captivating and descriptive of the places and emotions. It was one of my absolute favorite things about this book. I could feel the anxiety, stress, fear, and pressure that the characters were going through. Something that I appreciated immensely was the careful explanation of how the AI functioned. The detailed descriptions of how everything worked came at appropriate times without feeling forced or condescending. The plot development was exciting and kept me reading the entire book. The author did a marvelous job with the chapters' usage. At the end of each chapter, I felt fulfilled but also wanted to know more. The same goes for the book's ending. I also loved the chapter titles. When done correctly, it gives you the same feeling you get when watching episodes of a television show. It makes you curious about the meaning of it and what's going to happen next.
There's nothing negative worth mentioning. I only found a couple of minor mistakes that did not take any enjoyment from my reading experience. The sex scenes and drug and alcohol usage mentioned in the book seemed well-balanced and appropriate for the book's theme. The way the author portrayed the dates and the drug intake added to the book's narrative to emphasize how everything was automatic and lacked emotion. Alcohol was also excessively consumed. However, the characters and the narrator mentioned how much it was and how the characters in question did it solely because they were lost and couldn't find any other way to fill the void inside of them.
In conclusion, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It was an entertaining and engaging read that I recommend reading. At the end of the book, the author provides you with his website, where you can subscribe to get updates on his upcoming books. I liked this reading so much that I subscribed.
I recommend this book to all science fiction fans and those interested in dystopian societies and stories set in the distant future. It is not just another artificial intelligence book since the author delights us with creative thinking and writing style. This book is unique. If you're looking for a new book on artificial intelligence, I highly recommend it.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: The Prophecy of the Heron by Craig W. Stanfill
