Review of The Prophecy of the Heron

[Omneya Shakeep]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Prophecy of the Heron" by Craig W. Stanfill.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Exiled to District 33 as a convicted criminal, Kim finds herself in a place infested with crime and violence, with a target on her back from the moment she sets foot in the outer districts. She believes that Mags and Luz stalking her and looking for an opportunity to end her life is not a coincidence. Deemed unemployable, Kim finds herself assigned to work at a UCE work center to do heavy manual labor for scrapes while living in an apartment with a musty, pungent, foul smell, cracked walls, worn-out furniture, no electrical appliances, and the company of hairy rodents and cockroaches. With her mind and heart set, she searches for ways to reunite with Shan and save her AI creation, Kimberly. So, she finds a job as a pedicab driver to earn more money. However, with the Director of the AI Company keeping an eye on her, waiting for an opportunity to snatch her back against her will, and Deputy First Minister Venn looking for ways to eliminate her, Kim discovers a prophecy while taking refuge at Akari's house. Unsure whether it will help her or not, she decides to pursue it in the hopes of saving Kimberly.

The Prophecy of the Heron by Craig W. Stanfill is an AI dystopia novel set in the author's imagined future. It is a sequel to the novel Terms of Service. The book consists of three parts. The first part introduces Kim's life in exile in the outer districts after her trial, as well as her struggles to find her footing and adapt to her new life. In the second part, Kim is forced to hide in Akari's house, where she receives help from an unseen hand. In the third part, the Director abducts Kim and continues his attempts to bribe her to convince her to return to the AI Company to create more Kimberly for him.

I must admit Craig W. Stanfill exceeded my expectations. This novel had everything I was looking for and more. It is full of action and suspense; every time I thought I knew how the events would unfold, it proved me wrong. It got me so hooked up; I couldn't put it down. The characters' development was noticeable throughout the storyline, especially Kim and Kimberly. I admired Kim for her intelligence, resilience, and how she stood her ground against the Director. Also, one of my favorite aspects of this novel is the author's detailed description of the virtual reality where the AIs reside. He should be praised for creating this perfectly constructed world. The book is well-edited but could use a round of proofreading. I also appreciated the author's use of very few profanities.

I didn't like the use of the pronoun "her" for all genders; it made me confused and a little lost about the gender of the characters, especially when their names didn't indicate it. But it served the purpose of eradicating any form of distinction, gender included, to achieve their society's belief in equality, so it was understandable. Also, I didn't appreciate using the dictionary to look up some terms while reading.

This novel deserves 5 out of 5 stars for the excellent work the author did and for all the positive aspects mentioned earlier. I didn't deduct any points for the negative ones, as they didn't affect how much I enjoyed the book or the overall plot.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys sci-fi and action genres. I also believe it isn't suitable for young audiences due to the mildly mature content included.

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The Prophecy of the Heron
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[Ben Madeley]

I've read other books by this author and enjoyed then even though they confused me a little. I might give this one a go, given your review.

[Omneya Shakeep]

I've read other books by this author and enjoyed them even though they confused me a little. I might give this one a go, given your review.

I believe you will enjoy it eminently as I did, but you should read the first book "Terms of Service" first, as it can't be read as a stand-alone.
Thank you very much for your comment.

[Sara Nóbrega Bartolomeu]

I am about to start the third part. I'm hooked up and can't put it down. The characters are indeed super well developed! I had imagined the director as female until i leant "her" name ahah
Its like o have to wipe the image of the characters and re create it. But its being funny !
Great review!

[Omneya Shakeep]

I am about to start the third part. I'm hooked up and can't put it down. The characters are indeed super well developed! I had imagined the director as female until I learnt "her" name ahah
Its like o have to wipe the image of the characters and re create it. But its being funny!
Great review!

I understand your point, I had the same issue imagining Shan as a male until the author mentioned her and Kim of the same gender. I had to reconstruct her image in my head all over again.
Thanks for your lovely comment.

[Nisha DSouza]

I haven't yet read the first book Terms of Service. I am eagerly waiting to finish that and then start reading this one, thanks to your review. Well done!

[Omneya Shakeep]

I haven't yet read the first book Terms of Service. I am eagerly waiting to finish that and then start reading this one, thanks to your review. Well done!

They were enjoyable books to read. I hope you appreciate them as much as I did. Thanks for your nice comment.

[Hazel Mae Bagarinao]

What an amazing review, @Omneya Shakeep. You nailed reviewing it! Soon I'm gonna experience for myself how fantastic this sequel is. Thank you so much for your detailed and exceptionally written review!

[Shem Murundu]

I'm with you on that part about exceeding expectations; Stanfill outdid himself on this one! Terms of Service was, to me, underwhelming, plus, I wasn't comfortable with that much sexual stuff, partly due to the book's gender confusion. This second piece was so adrenaline-packed and entertaining, and it was such an enjoyable experience reading the story of Kim striving to survive the outer district dangers. The other part that thrilled me was the AI wars, the in-depth descriptions of that fantasy world, and the author's general brilliant worldbuilding, not forgetting Kim's interactions with the AI inventors, the two professors. I'm looking forward to reading something similar to this in the future.

[Omneya Shakeep]

What an amazing review, @Omneya Shakeep. You nailed reviewing it! Soon I'm gonna experience for myself how fantastic this sequel is. Thank you so much for your detailed and exceptionally written review!

Thank you so much for your uplifting compliment, Hazel. Your comment made my day. I hope you read it soon and experience the excitement and suspense I did.

[Omneya Shakeep]

I'm with you on that part about exceeding expectations; Stanfill outdid himself on this one! Terms of Service was, to me, underwhelming, plus, I wasn't comfortable with that much sexual stuff, partly due to the book's gender confusion. This second piece was so adrenaline-packed and entertaining, and it was such an enjoyable experience reading the story of Kim striving to survive the outer district dangers. The other part that thrilled me was the AI wars, the in-depth descriptions of that fantasy world, and the author's general brilliant worldbuilding, not forgetting Kim's interactions with the AI inventors, the two professors. I'm looking forward to reading something similar to this in the future.

I absolutely agree with you, Blackstenius. I wasn't comfortable with the intimate scenes in the first book. But Stanfill made it up for me in the second book. I have to say I didn't see half of the events coming. He kept adding new elements to the plot; it was mind-blowing. Thank you for commenting and sharing your thoughts with me.

[Gerry Steen]

I gather from this review that The Prophecy of the Heron is a real gem to read. I am rooting for Kim and I hope she is able to save AI Kimberly. I am adding this one to my bookshelves.