Review of Terms of Service
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Angelique Lundin
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Review of Terms of Service
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
Did you ever consider what reality truly is? Well, this novel, Terms of Service will make you question reality and a few other concepts that we normally just assume is a natural part of human life. This is the first book by author Craig W. Stanfill and l must say, in my opinion, it is very well planned and worded. It starts off a tad slow because it must describe life and an existence that is not similar to anything that we are currently familiar with here on earth. However, the detail and scene-setting, in the beginning, are vital to make this novel work. And it comes together beautifully! Set against a futuristic backdrop, a few hundred years into the future, our main protagonist lives a bland and completely hopeless life as a ‘Pretty’, blissfully unaware that her life is running a predetermined course almost as if she is a program. And she is really nothing more than a cog in a big machine, where artificial intelligence designs every aspect of her life, all the way down to her designated seat on the bus. All of this starts to change when she slowly starts to unravel the many mysteries that surround her existence and starts to question the course of her life.
There are many aspects of this book that l would like to highlight. First of all, although it is just a novel, it is very thought-provoking. Terms of Service tackle a topic that very few of us pay much attention to. The author, Stanfill, with a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence, paints a very good picture of a future dystopian existence where our every choice is not really a choice at all, because choosing differently from the prescribed choice normally has dire consequences for the transgressor. A few times while reading this book l contemplated whether the main character is actually living inside a computer simulation, hmmm, is that the case? I cannot say. As l followed along with the protagonist's life, Stanfill completely immersed me in very well-described scenery and situations so much so that l became enraged at the unfair treatment of the protagonist and the people around her. I couldn’t help but cry a little when she made certain discoveries about her origins. Her interactions with the home appliances, especially the fridge, are somewhat comical. Furthermore, Stanfill uses great English and there is nothing sloppy about the grammar or the style of writing. I am looking forward with eager anticipation to read Book 2 named The Prophecy of the Heron.
I was not entirely happy with the fact that l was not completely convinced if the protagonist is a male or a female, l felt it was a bit of a mystery. I did find the answer to this question on her gender, later in the book and how it came about l will leave for you to find out, but l would have preferred knowing with certainty sooner. Stanfill also does not describe the characters’ appearances in great detail, he gives a general idea, and leaves the rest up to your imagination.
My rating for this novel is 3 out of 4 stars. I loved reading this book. At times l even read more than my planned daily quota of pages. One day l ended up reading over 100 pages because l could not stand to go to sleep that night not knowing what happened in the end. The reason for my 3-star rating is as described above, the lack of character development, but mostly due to a couple of typing errors in the text. It is not significant enough to render the text incomprehensible, but it is there nonetheless.
Almost everyone interested in technology, and humans merging with technology would enjoy reading this book. I did find a few borderline profanities. There is nothing vulgar in this book, although it does describe certain scenes of intimacy. It is not extreme, but if you are the type of person that strictly tries to maintain pure thoughts, this book will pose a challenge for you to finish. In light of the above, this book is definitely for a mature audience. This book does not discriminate against any religion, but it can be noted that the ruling government in this novel does not permit freedom to practice religion or tolerate cultic participation. One instance of gore is not described in extreme detail and should be okay for most readers.
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Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Did you ever consider what reality truly is? Well, this novel, Terms of Service will make you question reality and a few other concepts that we normally just assume is a natural part of human life. This is the first book by author Craig W. Stanfill and l must say, in my opinion, it is very well planned and worded. It starts off a tad slow because it must describe life and an existence that is not similar to anything that we are currently familiar with here on earth. However, the detail and scene-setting, in the beginning, are vital to make this novel work. And it comes together beautifully! Set against a futuristic backdrop, a few hundred years into the future, our main protagonist lives a bland and completely hopeless life as a ‘Pretty’, blissfully unaware that her life is running a predetermined course almost as if she is a program. And she is really nothing more than a cog in a big machine, where artificial intelligence designs every aspect of her life, all the way down to her designated seat on the bus. All of this starts to change when she slowly starts to unravel the many mysteries that surround her existence and starts to question the course of her life.
There are many aspects of this book that l would like to highlight. First of all, although it is just a novel, it is very thought-provoking. Terms of Service tackle a topic that very few of us pay much attention to. The author, Stanfill, with a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence, paints a very good picture of a future dystopian existence where our every choice is not really a choice at all, because choosing differently from the prescribed choice normally has dire consequences for the transgressor. A few times while reading this book l contemplated whether the main character is actually living inside a computer simulation, hmmm, is that the case? I cannot say. As l followed along with the protagonist's life, Stanfill completely immersed me in very well-described scenery and situations so much so that l became enraged at the unfair treatment of the protagonist and the people around her. I couldn’t help but cry a little when she made certain discoveries about her origins. Her interactions with the home appliances, especially the fridge, are somewhat comical. Furthermore, Stanfill uses great English and there is nothing sloppy about the grammar or the style of writing. I am looking forward with eager anticipation to read Book 2 named The Prophecy of the Heron.
I was not entirely happy with the fact that l was not completely convinced if the protagonist is a male or a female, l felt it was a bit of a mystery. I did find the answer to this question on her gender, later in the book and how it came about l will leave for you to find out, but l would have preferred knowing with certainty sooner. Stanfill also does not describe the characters’ appearances in great detail, he gives a general idea, and leaves the rest up to your imagination.
My rating for this novel is 3 out of 4 stars. I loved reading this book. At times l even read more than my planned daily quota of pages. One day l ended up reading over 100 pages because l could not stand to go to sleep that night not knowing what happened in the end. The reason for my 3-star rating is as described above, the lack of character development, but mostly due to a couple of typing errors in the text. It is not significant enough to render the text incomprehensible, but it is there nonetheless.
Almost everyone interested in technology, and humans merging with technology would enjoy reading this book. I did find a few borderline profanities. There is nothing vulgar in this book, although it does describe certain scenes of intimacy. It is not extreme, but if you are the type of person that strictly tries to maintain pure thoughts, this book will pose a challenge for you to finish. In light of the above, this book is definitely for a mature audience. This book does not discriminate against any religion, but it can be noted that the ruling government in this novel does not permit freedom to practice religion or tolerate cultic participation. One instance of gore is not described in extreme detail and should be okay for most readers.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks by Morton E Tavel, MD
