Review of The Prophecy of the Heron
-
Salome Ndichu
- Posts: 55
- Joined: 13 Mar 2023, 11:28
- Currently Reading: Until All the Gods Return
- Bookshelf Size: 29
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-salome-ndichu.html
- Latest Review: Addressing Systemic Discrimination by Reframing the Problem by Dr. Frank L. Douglas
Review of The Prophecy of the Heron
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Prophecy of the Heron" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
The Prophecy of the Heron by Craig W. Stanfill is a wonderfully authored book that I would have given no better title. This book's setting is at a timeline about a hundred years into the future where human intelligence has advanced so much the hierarchy now rules with the help of Artificial Intelligence. Life is so co-dependent on AI, the artificial intelligence bots run security, traffic surveillance and housework duties for the elite. The hierarchy, under the pretense of unity and equality is against the basics of what defines a human i.e seeing one as self-important and self- identifying as 'I' is frowned upon. Humans in this era are limited in their social interactions; for instance, lateness to work and indulging in sexual relations will result to having their rights to a lucrative job and luxurious living quarters being revoked. There is a group of liberals who in spite of their standing in society being lowered find a way to survive in the outer districts where rebels are sent. These are the lifers, flagrants, blanks and pretties. There's also a lot that tries to be obedient to the hierarchy after their rights have been revoked in the hopes that after sometime, these rights will be reinstated called the drabs.
The main character of this book is Kim who works at the Artificial Intelligence company who pretty much engineered the cream of the AIs referred to as level 5. Humans want AIs to be subservient to them without questioning whether the tasks they are assigned are ethical but this is a problem since the higher level AIs have become sentient thus have a mental weighting system to judge between right and wrong, this is causing conflict in the mind of the AIs resulting to them running mad. Kim sets out on a journey to rectify her mistake in the engineering of the AI and she perceives that she is being led by an invisible hand in her quest and that's where the book titleThe Prophecy of the Heron perfectly comes in.
I like it that Craig Stanfill wrote this book as a sequel to Terms of Service:Subject to change without notice but a reader can also read it as a standalone and will not be lost. The plots in this book are perfectly married into each other in perfect sequence making the fictional novel so vivid it's a page turner. I was glued to the screen as the suspense built is intense. The author has a sense of humour, I had a good laugh in some of the dialogues of the characters. Although Craig uses the pronoun 'she' regardless of the gender actually being referred to, he places major emphasis on the descriptive features that distinguish gender appearance such that it is apparently clear to the reader when he is referring to a male or female character which I found interesting.
I would really love to see a movie enacted with reference to this book. I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars considering that it has been professionally edited given that there are no grammatical errors in this book.There is no profanity used, although there are scenes of graphic violence that may cause discomfort to some readers. There's sexual content that's not erotic.
I would recommend this book to fictional readers who love a long read and dystopian settings.
******
The Prophecy of the Heron
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
The Prophecy of the Heron by Craig W. Stanfill is a wonderfully authored book that I would have given no better title. This book's setting is at a timeline about a hundred years into the future where human intelligence has advanced so much the hierarchy now rules with the help of Artificial Intelligence. Life is so co-dependent on AI, the artificial intelligence bots run security, traffic surveillance and housework duties for the elite. The hierarchy, under the pretense of unity and equality is against the basics of what defines a human i.e seeing one as self-important and self- identifying as 'I' is frowned upon. Humans in this era are limited in their social interactions; for instance, lateness to work and indulging in sexual relations will result to having their rights to a lucrative job and luxurious living quarters being revoked. There is a group of liberals who in spite of their standing in society being lowered find a way to survive in the outer districts where rebels are sent. These are the lifers, flagrants, blanks and pretties. There's also a lot that tries to be obedient to the hierarchy after their rights have been revoked in the hopes that after sometime, these rights will be reinstated called the drabs.
The main character of this book is Kim who works at the Artificial Intelligence company who pretty much engineered the cream of the AIs referred to as level 5. Humans want AIs to be subservient to them without questioning whether the tasks they are assigned are ethical but this is a problem since the higher level AIs have become sentient thus have a mental weighting system to judge between right and wrong, this is causing conflict in the mind of the AIs resulting to them running mad. Kim sets out on a journey to rectify her mistake in the engineering of the AI and she perceives that she is being led by an invisible hand in her quest and that's where the book titleThe Prophecy of the Heron perfectly comes in.
I like it that Craig Stanfill wrote this book as a sequel to Terms of Service:Subject to change without notice but a reader can also read it as a standalone and will not be lost. The plots in this book are perfectly married into each other in perfect sequence making the fictional novel so vivid it's a page turner. I was glued to the screen as the suspense built is intense. The author has a sense of humour, I had a good laugh in some of the dialogues of the characters. Although Craig uses the pronoun 'she' regardless of the gender actually being referred to, he places major emphasis on the descriptive features that distinguish gender appearance such that it is apparently clear to the reader when he is referring to a male or female character which I found interesting.
I would really love to see a movie enacted with reference to this book. I give this book a rating of 5 out of 5 stars considering that it has been professionally edited given that there are no grammatical errors in this book.There is no profanity used, although there are scenes of graphic violence that may cause discomfort to some readers. There's sexual content that's not erotic.
I would recommend this book to fictional readers who love a long read and dystopian settings.
******
The Prophecy of the Heron
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.”
Walt Disney,
Walt Disney,
