Review of Terms of Service
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Simon Seruwooza
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Review of Terms of Service
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated Craig W. Stanfill's debut novel, Terms of Service. It is possibly one of the best dystopian science fiction novels I have read in quite a while. It brought to mind brilliant classics like George Orwell's 1984, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and possibly others that are skipping my mind. This book's portrayal of the future felt entirely plausible and even observable in our current world. I believe Dr. Stanfill's background in artificial intelligence research brought about such an excellent outcome.
In Terms of Service, we follow a protagonist raised in this futuristic world. She is a bit despondent about the lack of autonomy but is playing her position, working for a peaceful life. As peaceful as can be managed in this world. However, the return of an old friend from school, as well as a shocking discovery about herself, throw her life's trajectory completely off the course she had previously imagined. This leads her to extremes she had never imagined she would ever come in contact with.
Dr. Stanfill, who holds a doctorate in artificial intelligence, has spent his career in research on artificial intelligence and enterprise computing. Later on in life, he tried his hand at science fiction writing as evidenced by this book. He enjoys cycling, skiing, sailing and music. Interestingly, some of these hobbies, as well as his life's work, are all featured in this novel. His wife and son are also software professionals, which is quite symmetrical, if I may be allowed a bad joke.
Though I was reading this book to write a review, I almost forgot all that and just settled in and enjoyed the ride. I can only think of good things when I look back on this novel.
The first positive attribute was how really engrossing and realistic the world building of this futuristic world was. It didn't feel very foreign from our world. Actually many of the concerns in the book are currently heavily discussed for example monopoly by big companies having a monopoly of the market, hyperconnection of the populace on social media with many good and bad effects, surveillance of the populace without their knowledge or permission by big companies through social media, internet browsing and online shopping, the progression of artificial intelligence posing a threat to jobs and creativity among others. I also felt the author captured a constant always observed in authoritarian societies where the rich or powerful don't have to abide to the rules the populace is subject to.
There was also a great deal of humour in this book, even in the bleakness and futility of everything. There was a section where the protagonist was shown a place that used to be called a library. This brought to mind a visit to my father's job at a hospital. I came across an ancient library there that was now out of use for the medical students. This was because of the advent of the internet and ebooks. I found it quite hilarious then and recalled it when I read that section of this book.
I also appreciated the simple writing style, which allowed us to enjoy the world in the pages without any difficulty. As a result, this book can be enjoyed by all readers, not only literature majors.
As for negative attributes, nothing comes to mind. It may be said that the characters were simple, but I feel the world Dr. Stanfill built was complex enough to bask in the spotlight. I've also heard it said that the first section was quite uneventful. However, as someone who really saw a lot of our world in this book, I really didn't feel any dragging anywhere while reading this book. This is some of the most engrossing world building I've come across in a while.
With that said, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It was a complete and utter delight. I recommend it to late teens, young adult and older adult lovers of science fiction everywhere. I also found this book to be exceptionally well edited which was also a welcome aspect of my reading experience.
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Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated Craig W. Stanfill's debut novel, Terms of Service. It is possibly one of the best dystopian science fiction novels I have read in quite a while. It brought to mind brilliant classics like George Orwell's 1984, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and possibly others that are skipping my mind. This book's portrayal of the future felt entirely plausible and even observable in our current world. I believe Dr. Stanfill's background in artificial intelligence research brought about such an excellent outcome.
In Terms of Service, we follow a protagonist raised in this futuristic world. She is a bit despondent about the lack of autonomy but is playing her position, working for a peaceful life. As peaceful as can be managed in this world. However, the return of an old friend from school, as well as a shocking discovery about herself, throw her life's trajectory completely off the course she had previously imagined. This leads her to extremes she had never imagined she would ever come in contact with.
Dr. Stanfill, who holds a doctorate in artificial intelligence, has spent his career in research on artificial intelligence and enterprise computing. Later on in life, he tried his hand at science fiction writing as evidenced by this book. He enjoys cycling, skiing, sailing and music. Interestingly, some of these hobbies, as well as his life's work, are all featured in this novel. His wife and son are also software professionals, which is quite symmetrical, if I may be allowed a bad joke.
Though I was reading this book to write a review, I almost forgot all that and just settled in and enjoyed the ride. I can only think of good things when I look back on this novel.
The first positive attribute was how really engrossing and realistic the world building of this futuristic world was. It didn't feel very foreign from our world. Actually many of the concerns in the book are currently heavily discussed for example monopoly by big companies having a monopoly of the market, hyperconnection of the populace on social media with many good and bad effects, surveillance of the populace without their knowledge or permission by big companies through social media, internet browsing and online shopping, the progression of artificial intelligence posing a threat to jobs and creativity among others. I also felt the author captured a constant always observed in authoritarian societies where the rich or powerful don't have to abide to the rules the populace is subject to.
There was also a great deal of humour in this book, even in the bleakness and futility of everything. There was a section where the protagonist was shown a place that used to be called a library. This brought to mind a visit to my father's job at a hospital. I came across an ancient library there that was now out of use for the medical students. This was because of the advent of the internet and ebooks. I found it quite hilarious then and recalled it when I read that section of this book.
I also appreciated the simple writing style, which allowed us to enjoy the world in the pages without any difficulty. As a result, this book can be enjoyed by all readers, not only literature majors.
As for negative attributes, nothing comes to mind. It may be said that the characters were simple, but I feel the world Dr. Stanfill built was complex enough to bask in the spotlight. I've also heard it said that the first section was quite uneventful. However, as someone who really saw a lot of our world in this book, I really didn't feel any dragging anywhere while reading this book. This is some of the most engrossing world building I've come across in a while.
With that said, I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. It was a complete and utter delight. I recommend it to late teens, young adult and older adult lovers of science fiction everywhere. I also found this book to be exceptionally well edited which was also a welcome aspect of my reading experience.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise by John K Danenbarger
