Review of Terms of Service
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Ramadevi Tatavarthi
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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 is a science fiction novel written by Craig W. Stanfill. It tells the story of Kim, a seemingly normal citizen in a dystopian world. This is a world maintained and controlled by AI at every level. A world where individualistic expression is oppressed at every turn. Basic things like gender expression, forming romantic relationships or trying to raise one’s own children are severely punished. Citizens spend their time glued to their VR sets and mindless entertainment when they are not toiling away for the betterment of society, which doesn’t care for its citizens’ emotional needs.
Kim, like many others in her society, is so used to this oppression that it becomes her way of life. Although she feels that something is lacking in her life, she ignores the feeling by burying herself in her work and binge-watching shows and sports curated by the AI. Her routine existence changes when her former best friend, Shan, shows up back in her life. Shan has always been a troublemaker and although Kim loves her, she fears what will happen if she follows Shan again. Her fears come true when during a bicycle trip, Shan leads Kim onto a forbidden route, changing their lives forever.
Terms of Service reminded me of classic dystopian novels like 1984 and Brave New World. Its take on a world controlled by AI is terrifying and fascinating at the same time. There is a lot of world-building that went into this story and instead of dumping information on the readers, the author shows us the nuances of this new world through the eyes of the narrator, Kim. The first few chapters of the book have a slow pace as we follow Kim through her everyday life and learn the rigid rules of the society she lives in. But the story picks up a rapid pace from there with well-placed twists.
I loved the author’s imagination and vision. I liked the love story, although it is not the major part of the book. I like how the characters are multi-dimensional. For example, the character of the director seems to be pretty negative and villainous at the beginning, but as the story goes on, the readers start to understand her motivations and can see things from her perspective. The climax is open-ended, paving the way to the sequel, The Prophecy of the Heron, which I am eagerly waiting for.
There is nothing to be disliked about this book. There are no typos or grammatical errors. There is some violence and some love scenes, but they are not graphic.
For the marvellous storyline and world building and error-free editing, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend this to readers to enjoy dystopian science fiction and social satires. Young adults and adults may enjoy this book because of the complex themes present in it.
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Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Terms of Service is a science fiction novel written by Craig W. Stanfill. It tells the story of Kim, a seemingly normal citizen in a dystopian world. This is a world maintained and controlled by AI at every level. A world where individualistic expression is oppressed at every turn. Basic things like gender expression, forming romantic relationships or trying to raise one’s own children are severely punished. Citizens spend their time glued to their VR sets and mindless entertainment when they are not toiling away for the betterment of society, which doesn’t care for its citizens’ emotional needs.
Kim, like many others in her society, is so used to this oppression that it becomes her way of life. Although she feels that something is lacking in her life, she ignores the feeling by burying herself in her work and binge-watching shows and sports curated by the AI. Her routine existence changes when her former best friend, Shan, shows up back in her life. Shan has always been a troublemaker and although Kim loves her, she fears what will happen if she follows Shan again. Her fears come true when during a bicycle trip, Shan leads Kim onto a forbidden route, changing their lives forever.
Terms of Service reminded me of classic dystopian novels like 1984 and Brave New World. Its take on a world controlled by AI is terrifying and fascinating at the same time. There is a lot of world-building that went into this story and instead of dumping information on the readers, the author shows us the nuances of this new world through the eyes of the narrator, Kim. The first few chapters of the book have a slow pace as we follow Kim through her everyday life and learn the rigid rules of the society she lives in. But the story picks up a rapid pace from there with well-placed twists.
I loved the author’s imagination and vision. I liked the love story, although it is not the major part of the book. I like how the characters are multi-dimensional. For example, the character of the director seems to be pretty negative and villainous at the beginning, but as the story goes on, the readers start to understand her motivations and can see things from her perspective. The climax is open-ended, paving the way to the sequel, The Prophecy of the Heron, which I am eagerly waiting for.
There is nothing to be disliked about this book. There are no typos or grammatical errors. There is some violence and some love scenes, but they are not graphic.
For the marvellous storyline and world building and error-free editing, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend this to readers to enjoy dystopian science fiction and social satires. Young adults and adults may enjoy this book because of the complex themes present in it.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Lionels Law by Don Bennett
