Review of Terms of Service
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Victoria Elizabeth Apili
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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 dystopian novel that follows the life of Kim, an obedient member of a totalitarian society run by the company. To be a member of this society, one must strictly follow the rules set by the company. Failure to do so results in exile to the outer districts, prison time or a hefty fine. Betraying the rules set by the company is equated to a direct affront against the civilization and wellbeing of the society. It is also equated to an affront against unity, community and equality. First, Kim strongly adheres to these rules, refusing to complain even when sometimes irritated by them. But a constant feeling of emptiness coupled with a series of questionable events pushes Kim to begin to question everything.
This novel is phenomenal. I thought it would be boring, but it wasn’t. The novel picks up a pace slowly and it is tempting to believe that the rest of it will be uninteresting but this is not the case. Before you know it, you are engulfed in a very modern upbeat world full of interesting people and concepts. Not forgetting the AIs. Craig W. Stanfill’s writing was ingenious. His description was perfect to say the least and his writing connects very easily with the reader’s thought process. It was easy to picture Kim’s world and all the individuals in it and it felt like watching a movie only that I was reading the book. I loved it and I quickly picked up favorite characters like Kimberly the AI and Quinn, Kim’s friend.
There was nothing I disliked about the book. I liked that different concepts that are actually relevant to our world today were explored and discussed. There were also several interesting words in the book such as genderism and selfism. I found myself reflecting on a lot of things which made the book very interesting to read. Even better was the fact that some of the things mentioned in the book may already be happening as Stanfill said or could actually happen in the future. An example is the idea of an AI rebellion happening. Today, we already have the advanced field of artificial intelligence and robotics. With further improvement I can actually picture such a rebellion happening. There is also the worry that robots could become more intelligent and powerful than humans.
I rate Terms of Service 5 out of 5 stars. The book has a very interesting plot and wonderful description. It transports readers to a unique world full of interesting characters and scenery. I also feel that it deserves a perfect rating because there was nothing I disliked about it.
If you loved The Hunger Games and Divergent, you will love Terms of Service. The pace, the description and the dystopian society are all very interesting, unique and yet reminiscent of the two. The company reminds me of the Capitol in The Hunger Games. The claims of the company to know their members better than the members themselves reminds me a whole lot of the government in Divergent. This book is also great for all who love romantic fiction and scientific fiction. The romance between Kim and Shan or Jo and Keli is one that those who love romantic stories will very much appreciate. There is also a lot of content on scientific advances that could be present in the future. The story itself is set in a futuristic world with there being an old New York and an old Boston. There were also really amusing scenarios such as the idea of a refrigerator with feelings. All in all, Terms of Service was a real page turner, and I was delighted to discover that the story continues!
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Terms of Service is a dystopian novel that follows the life of Kim, an obedient member of a totalitarian society run by the company. To be a member of this society, one must strictly follow the rules set by the company. Failure to do so results in exile to the outer districts, prison time or a hefty fine. Betraying the rules set by the company is equated to a direct affront against the civilization and wellbeing of the society. It is also equated to an affront against unity, community and equality. First, Kim strongly adheres to these rules, refusing to complain even when sometimes irritated by them. But a constant feeling of emptiness coupled with a series of questionable events pushes Kim to begin to question everything.
This novel is phenomenal. I thought it would be boring, but it wasn’t. The novel picks up a pace slowly and it is tempting to believe that the rest of it will be uninteresting but this is not the case. Before you know it, you are engulfed in a very modern upbeat world full of interesting people and concepts. Not forgetting the AIs. Craig W. Stanfill’s writing was ingenious. His description was perfect to say the least and his writing connects very easily with the reader’s thought process. It was easy to picture Kim’s world and all the individuals in it and it felt like watching a movie only that I was reading the book. I loved it and I quickly picked up favorite characters like Kimberly the AI and Quinn, Kim’s friend.
There was nothing I disliked about the book. I liked that different concepts that are actually relevant to our world today were explored and discussed. There were also several interesting words in the book such as genderism and selfism. I found myself reflecting on a lot of things which made the book very interesting to read. Even better was the fact that some of the things mentioned in the book may already be happening as Stanfill said or could actually happen in the future. An example is the idea of an AI rebellion happening. Today, we already have the advanced field of artificial intelligence and robotics. With further improvement I can actually picture such a rebellion happening. There is also the worry that robots could become more intelligent and powerful than humans.
I rate Terms of Service 5 out of 5 stars. The book has a very interesting plot and wonderful description. It transports readers to a unique world full of interesting characters and scenery. I also feel that it deserves a perfect rating because there was nothing I disliked about it.
If you loved The Hunger Games and Divergent, you will love Terms of Service. The pace, the description and the dystopian society are all very interesting, unique and yet reminiscent of the two. The company reminds me of the Capitol in The Hunger Games. The claims of the company to know their members better than the members themselves reminds me a whole lot of the government in Divergent. This book is also great for all who love romantic fiction and scientific fiction. The romance between Kim and Shan or Jo and Keli is one that those who love romantic stories will very much appreciate. There is also a lot of content on scientific advances that could be present in the future. The story itself is set in a futuristic world with there being an old New York and an old Boston. There were also really amusing scenarios such as the idea of a refrigerator with feelings. All in all, Terms of Service was a real page turner, and I was delighted to discover that the story continues!
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: That's what Ed said by U A Dumas
