Review of The Prophecy of the Heron
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Bianca Morano
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Review of The Prophecy of the Heron
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Prophecy of the Heron" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
Since getting exiled, Kim moved to District 33 and her life has never been the same. The living conditions were downgraded in comparison to her former life as an upright citizen and AI trainer. In this new life, she continued her journey on the path of rebellion against the Director. She is finding ways to adapt and survive, such as job hunting all while living in poverty and vigilance.
District 33 is a very dangerous place, as so it was described in the book. It is where rulebreakers and criminals are dumped, thus the reason why all forms of crime and violence are prevalent in that area. Indeed it is a place to be avoided for. However, Kim has no choice now after everything she has done before. This is the consequence of her actions from breaking the terms of service.
The first book only shows the surface level or the tip of the iceberg, with only Kim's life in the middle districts and the basic functioning of AI. So I'd recommend reading The Prophecy of Heron by Craig W. Stanfill as this would talk about this AI dystopian world on a much deeper level. From AI's sentience and function down to its issue of ethics and control. In this dystopian novel, you will see a glimpse of what a future AI world could be like. I'm one of those people hoping our real world would not turn out in this direction. There's no guarantee of the future but even so, this fiction could still be a possibility of our reality in the upcoming hundred years. Just like the other dystopian fiction that are popular such as George Orwell's 1984 and The Matrix. Except the method in this world is the extremely negative and abusive usage of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality or Simulation.
The pacing of the story starts off slow as usual. A slow start is no problem for me as told by the author that it is an important method for world-building. I have no problem with it because it builds suspense, and I come to understand the pan-global language better in the book. I am surprised with the depiction of homosexuality is still treated as an unnatural sexual deviancy. Such people are labeled as a genderist, and in their society, it's unacceptable because it's seen as a sign of individuality and sexual perversion. I am quite saddened that elements of homophobia still existed in this world just like how it is in our real world. Overall, the sequel provides a comprehensive continuation of its characters and the plot. The part regarding AI ethics and control is an interesting and thought-provoking read.
There is nothing I could dislike about the book, I genuinely liked it. It is perfect, from its story, plot, and editing. There are no found errors and it was professionally edited. Therefore I would give it a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to readers who like AI and sci-fi books with strong dystopian elements. There are darker themes present in the second book, so it is suitable for mature audiences. Also, it is recommended to read the first book first by Craig Stanfill to better understand its lore.
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The Prophecy of the Heron
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Since getting exiled, Kim moved to District 33 and her life has never been the same. The living conditions were downgraded in comparison to her former life as an upright citizen and AI trainer. In this new life, she continued her journey on the path of rebellion against the Director. She is finding ways to adapt and survive, such as job hunting all while living in poverty and vigilance.
District 33 is a very dangerous place, as so it was described in the book. It is where rulebreakers and criminals are dumped, thus the reason why all forms of crime and violence are prevalent in that area. Indeed it is a place to be avoided for. However, Kim has no choice now after everything she has done before. This is the consequence of her actions from breaking the terms of service.
The first book only shows the surface level or the tip of the iceberg, with only Kim's life in the middle districts and the basic functioning of AI. So I'd recommend reading The Prophecy of Heron by Craig W. Stanfill as this would talk about this AI dystopian world on a much deeper level. From AI's sentience and function down to its issue of ethics and control. In this dystopian novel, you will see a glimpse of what a future AI world could be like. I'm one of those people hoping our real world would not turn out in this direction. There's no guarantee of the future but even so, this fiction could still be a possibility of our reality in the upcoming hundred years. Just like the other dystopian fiction that are popular such as George Orwell's 1984 and The Matrix. Except the method in this world is the extremely negative and abusive usage of Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality or Simulation.
The pacing of the story starts off slow as usual. A slow start is no problem for me as told by the author that it is an important method for world-building. I have no problem with it because it builds suspense, and I come to understand the pan-global language better in the book. I am surprised with the depiction of homosexuality is still treated as an unnatural sexual deviancy. Such people are labeled as a genderist, and in their society, it's unacceptable because it's seen as a sign of individuality and sexual perversion. I am quite saddened that elements of homophobia still existed in this world just like how it is in our real world. Overall, the sequel provides a comprehensive continuation of its characters and the plot. The part regarding AI ethics and control is an interesting and thought-provoking read.
There is nothing I could dislike about the book, I genuinely liked it. It is perfect, from its story, plot, and editing. There are no found errors and it was professionally edited. Therefore I would give it a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.
I recommend this book to readers who like AI and sci-fi books with strong dystopian elements. There are darker themes present in the second book, so it is suitable for mature audiences. Also, it is recommended to read the first book first by Craig Stanfill to better understand its lore.
******
The Prophecy of the Heron
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: High Clowder Cats by Ruby Knight
