Review of Terms of Service

[Janis Hurt]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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This story takes place sometime in the future where members of society do not develop identifying traits. The use of artificial intelligence to run many aspects of the community, including transportation, food, clothing, entertainment, and romantic pairings also add to the very generic feeling of the community. Members of the population are ranked in multiple ways, based on the job they hold, obeying the Customer Agreement, and always valuing equality, parity, and opportunity for all. The Customer Agreement, introduced before the first chapter, outlines the expectations of every member of society, and associated actions for those that disobey. The primary character, Kim, makes decisions throughout the year, and we see what the results of those choices are. The premise of Terms of Service*Subject to Change Without Notice by Craig W. Stanfill leads us to a thought-provoking look into a potential future.

The author has created a very compelling story, flushing out the primary character, Kim, to demonstrate how the rules of society work for one specific person. Her revulsion and terror at finding out that one part of her does not conform to the expected standards is gut wrenching for her. She also makes commentary on the rules and expectations that she was raised with, making her a well-developed personality. The overall plot of where the story takes the reader is well laid out and keeps the reader guessing and wanting to know what happens next.

There were several plot points where the fallout of a decision seemed quite clear. Kim continued down these paths at times, where the reader knew the consequences, and yet Kim convinced herself that there would not be a negative outcome. It was an interesting paradigm, but I could see where it was also used to make Kim more relatable to the reader.

There are strong themes in the book revolving around parenting, partnering, friendship and freedom. The English is mostly straight-forward, and any outlying use of the language is explained up front. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars, primarily because the author’s last note takes us out of the world he has built in the novel, causing me to question my own conclusions.

I recommend this book to adult audiences that enjoy science fiction and fantasy, and even though those are not my primary genres, I found it compelling, and wanted to find out the ending. It was a great read.

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Terms of Service
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