Review of Terms of Service
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Uriel David
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- Latest Review: Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill
Review of Terms of Service
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
A scientifically advanced world where wardrobes and refrigerators are intelligent, malaria is unheard of, robots (housebots performing chores, copbots maintaining law and order, dogbots doing what dogs do) are commonplace, etc., sounds pleasant. Such is Kim's world; life is uncomplicated until one decides they are better off living outside this cage. You see, the Hierarchy and the companies are at the helm of this civilization, and they are the law. For instance, you cannot raise your child beyond four. And as you will discover in Terms of Service: Subject to Change Without Notice by Craig W. Stanfill, failure to live by the rules earned a string of penalties that do not raise one's social cohesion points. Now, you do not want to know what happens when one's cohesion score is in the toilet.
Kim, the main character, lives a low-profile life. For five years, she has worked at the Artificial Intelligence (AI) company, training automatons to spot human acts that breach the terms of service by which everyone must live. Kim plans to do her due diligence and climb the socioeconomic ladder. At first, she was enthusiastic, but with time her fire waned. Presently, life has become a bland repetition.
So, when Kim learns that her best friend, Shan, is returning to the city, she is overjoyed despite knowing that Shan was trouble. Soon enough, Kim finds herself on a different path─of truth. But whether the truth shall set her free remains to be seen.
I loved every bit of this book! The author's impeccable storytelling, intertwined with his extensive knowledge of AI, made for a lifelike narration. The thought of an advanced world with humans reduced to nothing more than puppets for the companies and the Hierarchy was, ironically, fascinating. People lived in cages without knowing it; if they did, they were smart enough to keep it to themselves.
In his writing, Stanfill dropped hints here and there, something for a character to go on and to keep a reader hooked. Yet the information was too little for either to guess what the future had in store. And from start to end, all I did was obediently follow as the story unfolded. I loved this mystery the most.
Character development was superb. The dutiful-cum-rebellious Kim was described exhaustively, thanks to her position as the protagonist. As for the rest, including the wild, leap-first-and-think-about-it-later Shan and, my favorite, the small, unreadable Director whose penetrating eyes had her subordinates whimpering in fear, we only got what they let on. And because invasion of privacy was an offense, the author's hands were tied.
Another attribute of this work was the picturesque description of places, people, and events. From the UCE Dance Spectacular (read the book to know what it is all about) to the well-maintaned parks and seemingly endless forests, the author went all out, not wanting to leave any detail to the imagination. Coupled with the subtle humor in the dialogues and facial expressions, it made this read irresistible.
I award Terms of Service: Subject to Change Without Notice five out of five stars. The editors did an impeccable job, as I only encountered one mistake toward the end of the book. The error did not interfere with my reading and, thus, cannot affect the final rating.
Finally, I recommend this work to lovers of fictional novels with a touch of adventure and science fiction. Although the story's setting is in the future, the author claims (truthfully) that it is a reflection of our time. So, read the book and find out if you resonate with Kim, Shan, Kimberly, the Director, Zani, or some little character.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
A scientifically advanced world where wardrobes and refrigerators are intelligent, malaria is unheard of, robots (housebots performing chores, copbots maintaining law and order, dogbots doing what dogs do) are commonplace, etc., sounds pleasant. Such is Kim's world; life is uncomplicated until one decides they are better off living outside this cage. You see, the Hierarchy and the companies are at the helm of this civilization, and they are the law. For instance, you cannot raise your child beyond four. And as you will discover in Terms of Service: Subject to Change Without Notice by Craig W. Stanfill, failure to live by the rules earned a string of penalties that do not raise one's social cohesion points. Now, you do not want to know what happens when one's cohesion score is in the toilet.
Kim, the main character, lives a low-profile life. For five years, she has worked at the Artificial Intelligence (AI) company, training automatons to spot human acts that breach the terms of service by which everyone must live. Kim plans to do her due diligence and climb the socioeconomic ladder. At first, she was enthusiastic, but with time her fire waned. Presently, life has become a bland repetition.
So, when Kim learns that her best friend, Shan, is returning to the city, she is overjoyed despite knowing that Shan was trouble. Soon enough, Kim finds herself on a different path─of truth. But whether the truth shall set her free remains to be seen.
I loved every bit of this book! The author's impeccable storytelling, intertwined with his extensive knowledge of AI, made for a lifelike narration. The thought of an advanced world with humans reduced to nothing more than puppets for the companies and the Hierarchy was, ironically, fascinating. People lived in cages without knowing it; if they did, they were smart enough to keep it to themselves.
In his writing, Stanfill dropped hints here and there, something for a character to go on and to keep a reader hooked. Yet the information was too little for either to guess what the future had in store. And from start to end, all I did was obediently follow as the story unfolded. I loved this mystery the most.
Character development was superb. The dutiful-cum-rebellious Kim was described exhaustively, thanks to her position as the protagonist. As for the rest, including the wild, leap-first-and-think-about-it-later Shan and, my favorite, the small, unreadable Director whose penetrating eyes had her subordinates whimpering in fear, we only got what they let on. And because invasion of privacy was an offense, the author's hands were tied.
Another attribute of this work was the picturesque description of places, people, and events. From the UCE Dance Spectacular (read the book to know what it is all about) to the well-maintaned parks and seemingly endless forests, the author went all out, not wanting to leave any detail to the imagination. Coupled with the subtle humor in the dialogues and facial expressions, it made this read irresistible.
I award Terms of Service: Subject to Change Without Notice five out of five stars. The editors did an impeccable job, as I only encountered one mistake toward the end of the book. The error did not interfere with my reading and, thus, cannot affect the final rating.
Finally, I recommend this work to lovers of fictional novels with a touch of adventure and science fiction. Although the story's setting is in the future, the author claims (truthfully) that it is a reflection of our time. So, read the book and find out if you resonate with Kim, Shan, Kimberly, the Director, Zani, or some little character.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill
