Review of Terms of Service
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Eva Nyaburi
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Review of Terms of Service
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
Have you ever considered what it might be like to live in a society where artificial intelligence governs every aspect of life? Well, I did, and I thought it would be cool to have robots do everything for me, and all I had to do was show up and mostly take it easy. My views certainly changed after reading Terms of Service. Can you imagine living in a society where choosing what to eat is impossible or where you can only wear a limited number of colors, and doing otherwise would result in penalties? Kim's world is structured in this way. She can only express certain emotions, and the AIs decide what she eats, who she interacts with, who she dates, and how she behaves. Although it is a well-planned world, there are drawbacks as well. It appears that AIs have taken control of everything and that humans are now under their oppression. Kim and the other members of her kind are not allowed to enter restricted areas; they are not permitted to dress however they please; and, most tragically, when they have children of their own, they must eventually be split up. It's as if they are forbidden from having their own beliefs, and if anyone dares to voice them, they suffer the consequences. After an incident in which Kim and her friend Shan deviated from the norm, they anticipated the worst. Instead, only Shan received punishment, while Kim unexpectedly received a promotion at work. Kim is suspicious that the AIs might have a hidden agenda. Read on to find out what actually happened to Kim and Shan.
I admired Kim's determination. She didn't care what difficulties she encountered while seeking her true identity and freedom from the AIs. I adored how the author crafted a compelling and realistic character that made me feel connected to her. I could easily picture the modernized world in my mind because the author does such a great job of describing it. I could imagine waking up and having a housebot ready to serve me coffee or going to the refrigerator to see what food was available for me to take as my meal. I could relate to Kim's frustration when she argued with her refrigerator about what she wanted to eat, but it would only serve her what the AIs told it to. I had the impression that the AIs had enslaved Kim and the other people, fooling them into believing it was all for the greater good of society as a whole.
One drawback of the book, in my opinion, was that there weren't many exciting adventures, and at times it seemed to drag on. Given that Kim's character was mostly obstinate and hell-bent on achieving freedom, I had hoped for more adventures.
I rate Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill 5 out of 5 stars. A few grammatical mistakes were present, but they had no impact on how much I liked the book. I thought the plot was great, and the author did a great job describing the characters, settings, and events.
I recommend this book to sci-fi fans. The book will not fall short in presenting a picture of a world ruled by AIs. I enjoyed reading the book and hope there will be a sequel.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Have you ever considered what it might be like to live in a society where artificial intelligence governs every aspect of life? Well, I did, and I thought it would be cool to have robots do everything for me, and all I had to do was show up and mostly take it easy. My views certainly changed after reading Terms of Service. Can you imagine living in a society where choosing what to eat is impossible or where you can only wear a limited number of colors, and doing otherwise would result in penalties? Kim's world is structured in this way. She can only express certain emotions, and the AIs decide what she eats, who she interacts with, who she dates, and how she behaves. Although it is a well-planned world, there are drawbacks as well. It appears that AIs have taken control of everything and that humans are now under their oppression. Kim and the other members of her kind are not allowed to enter restricted areas; they are not permitted to dress however they please; and, most tragically, when they have children of their own, they must eventually be split up. It's as if they are forbidden from having their own beliefs, and if anyone dares to voice them, they suffer the consequences. After an incident in which Kim and her friend Shan deviated from the norm, they anticipated the worst. Instead, only Shan received punishment, while Kim unexpectedly received a promotion at work. Kim is suspicious that the AIs might have a hidden agenda. Read on to find out what actually happened to Kim and Shan.
I admired Kim's determination. She didn't care what difficulties she encountered while seeking her true identity and freedom from the AIs. I adored how the author crafted a compelling and realistic character that made me feel connected to her. I could easily picture the modernized world in my mind because the author does such a great job of describing it. I could imagine waking up and having a housebot ready to serve me coffee or going to the refrigerator to see what food was available for me to take as my meal. I could relate to Kim's frustration when she argued with her refrigerator about what she wanted to eat, but it would only serve her what the AIs told it to. I had the impression that the AIs had enslaved Kim and the other people, fooling them into believing it was all for the greater good of society as a whole.
One drawback of the book, in my opinion, was that there weren't many exciting adventures, and at times it seemed to drag on. Given that Kim's character was mostly obstinate and hell-bent on achieving freedom, I had hoped for more adventures.
I rate Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill 5 out of 5 stars. A few grammatical mistakes were present, but they had no impact on how much I liked the book. I thought the plot was great, and the author did a great job describing the characters, settings, and events.
I recommend this book to sci-fi fans. The book will not fall short in presenting a picture of a world ruled by AIs. I enjoyed reading the book and hope there will be a sequel.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: The Unfakeable Code® by Tony Jeton Selimi
