Review of Terms of Service
-
Evangeline Khumalo
- Posts: 33
- Joined: 22 Mar 2019, 07:15
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 12959
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-evangeline-khumalo.html
- Latest Review: Korian: Ark of the Fallen King by Giorgio Garofalo
Review of Terms of Service
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
Kimberly is an A.I instructor in a world that is run by artificial intelligence. The A.I is run by a small elite and everyone is under surveillance. Your social rating determines your quality of life and your life must follow the guidelines of the elite. The population at large have no real rights and what they think is freewill is a lie. Kimberly goes through the motions without too much complaint and then one day, when her old school friend tells her she is coming for a visit, this brings joy to her otherwise boring existence. They go for a bicycle ride and on that bicycle ride the course of their lives change in a manner that Kim had never thought possible. She had thought it was a blessing at first but then she realizes that it is far from what she initially thought. Terms of Service are the laws that the people have to follow in regards to what to eat, wear and conduct themselves in their day-to-day life. Craig W. Stanfill, depicts a world where identity and choice are looked down on. You do what you are told to do without dispute or there would be consequences.
I felt that the positive aspects of this book were how they depicted the human-beings' ability to build a world that is so sophisticated and advanced that it has the potential to completely eradicate things like homelessness and hunger. Although there is no way to ascertain that the treatment received by the main character was given to the population at large, it showed that most of the population obeyed the rules however the negative aspects heavily outweigh the positive.
The population at large were not allowed to raise their own children, be unique, behave in any way that would bring attention to them and the list goes on. It was among the most nerve wracking things to read as it displayed the control of those in power over those whom they were supposed to protect. The book was slightly confusing because in this book everybody was referred to by the same pronoun so it was difficult at first to conclude who was male or female for people who had unisex names. For example, the main character may go out on a date with what she referred to as an "innie" or she could go on a date with an "outie". This is what I used to decipher whether the character was with a male or female. People who are gender sensitive may find this book to be offensive as well as those who have firm religious beliefs, for everyone who held onto their own personal beliefs was referred to as a "Cultist ''. Craig W. Stanfill found a way to depict conspiracy theories that many may have about the government and technology at large.
It is my personal opinion that this book would appeal mostly to people who enjoy unraveling conspiracies and lies. There is some sexual content but it is not overly explicit. Another reason why it was difficult for me to ascertain that the main character was not only female but also a lesbian. Proceed with caution if such a thing offends you. If you are someone who believes that there is a collective of individuals that seek to control the behaviors of humanity at large then this book will likely affirm your beliefs. This book could promote paranoia of the highest order and get you an insight into how greed can negatively affect humanity and the human psyche. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and this book magnifies the level of powerlessness of the weak.
I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars, namely because it kept me on tenterhooks. The book was well edited and I had no difficulty following the storyline even though the pronouns did initially confuse me. I enjoyed the novel even though it terrified me and made me question my current reality. I was reluctant to rate it 5 stars because I thought that would imply that it is a perfect book when nothing is perfect but I didn’t rate it a 3 because I thought it deserved better for the ingenuity. The mere fact that Craig W. Stanfill managed to make me paranoid enough to want to switch off all of my virtual assistants probably means that Craig Stanfill got his point across quite well. I definitely recommend this book because it was able to grab my attention from beginning to the end. I finished reading this book in four days and it usually takes me a week or so. That is a start for me.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Kimberly is an A.I instructor in a world that is run by artificial intelligence. The A.I is run by a small elite and everyone is under surveillance. Your social rating determines your quality of life and your life must follow the guidelines of the elite. The population at large have no real rights and what they think is freewill is a lie. Kimberly goes through the motions without too much complaint and then one day, when her old school friend tells her she is coming for a visit, this brings joy to her otherwise boring existence. They go for a bicycle ride and on that bicycle ride the course of their lives change in a manner that Kim had never thought possible. She had thought it was a blessing at first but then she realizes that it is far from what she initially thought. Terms of Service are the laws that the people have to follow in regards to what to eat, wear and conduct themselves in their day-to-day life. Craig W. Stanfill, depicts a world where identity and choice are looked down on. You do what you are told to do without dispute or there would be consequences.
I felt that the positive aspects of this book were how they depicted the human-beings' ability to build a world that is so sophisticated and advanced that it has the potential to completely eradicate things like homelessness and hunger. Although there is no way to ascertain that the treatment received by the main character was given to the population at large, it showed that most of the population obeyed the rules however the negative aspects heavily outweigh the positive.
The population at large were not allowed to raise their own children, be unique, behave in any way that would bring attention to them and the list goes on. It was among the most nerve wracking things to read as it displayed the control of those in power over those whom they were supposed to protect. The book was slightly confusing because in this book everybody was referred to by the same pronoun so it was difficult at first to conclude who was male or female for people who had unisex names. For example, the main character may go out on a date with what she referred to as an "innie" or she could go on a date with an "outie". This is what I used to decipher whether the character was with a male or female. People who are gender sensitive may find this book to be offensive as well as those who have firm religious beliefs, for everyone who held onto their own personal beliefs was referred to as a "Cultist ''. Craig W. Stanfill found a way to depict conspiracy theories that many may have about the government and technology at large.
It is my personal opinion that this book would appeal mostly to people who enjoy unraveling conspiracies and lies. There is some sexual content but it is not overly explicit. Another reason why it was difficult for me to ascertain that the main character was not only female but also a lesbian. Proceed with caution if such a thing offends you. If you are someone who believes that there is a collective of individuals that seek to control the behaviors of humanity at large then this book will likely affirm your beliefs. This book could promote paranoia of the highest order and get you an insight into how greed can negatively affect humanity and the human psyche. Absolute power corrupts absolutely and this book magnifies the level of powerlessness of the weak.
I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars, namely because it kept me on tenterhooks. The book was well edited and I had no difficulty following the storyline even though the pronouns did initially confuse me. I enjoyed the novel even though it terrified me and made me question my current reality. I was reluctant to rate it 5 stars because I thought that would imply that it is a perfect book when nothing is perfect but I didn’t rate it a 3 because I thought it deserved better for the ingenuity. The mere fact that Craig W. Stanfill managed to make me paranoid enough to want to switch off all of my virtual assistants probably means that Craig Stanfill got his point across quite well. I definitely recommend this book because it was able to grab my attention from beginning to the end. I finished reading this book in four days and it usually takes me a week or so. That is a start for me.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Korian: Ark of the Fallen King by Giorgio Garofalo
