Review of Terms of Service
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Claire Twy
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- Latest Review: Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill
Review of Terms of Service
[Following is a volunteer review of "Terms of Service" by Craig W. Stanfill.]
Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with other works of dystopian literature such as ‘Fahrenheit 451’ and ‘Wither’, Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill paints a picture of a detached, impersonal society ruled by Artificial Intelligence. In this superficially perfect world, Kim is a conformist who is all too eager to play by the rules just to secure a toehold in the social climb upwards. Religiously wearing beige daily, refraining from talking to strangers on public transport and only going on dates recommended by Matchmaker, she does everything possible to fit in.
After years of monitoring fellow citizens through her work in the Artificial Intelligence Company, an ‘accidental’ bike trip with her impulsive friend Shan propels her to the top of the ranks. However, as she begins to get a glimpse at the true inner workings of those in power, she realises this isn’t the life she wants at all. Her long suppressed feelings of sadness and emptiness spur her to rebel against the authoritarian control of the AIs and follow in the likeness of protagonists like Fahrenheit’s Guy Montag to fight for her freedom.
I find the worldbuilding in this story exceptional. Stanfill wrote a place so heavily reliant on technology and artificial intelligence that it seems a world apart from ours… yet close enough to what we might evolve into. Some authors think that they have to create extraordinary names or invent strange locations, but the attention Stanfill pays to the little details really makes the world come to life. Besides making the world believable, these accumulated details play to the idea of a perfectly controlled society by brainwashing citizens into prioritising society over themselves, such as the use of ‘we’ instead of ‘I’.
The story was constantly engaging throughout, with the author still managing to maintain my attention throughout heavily technical portions. Since it is the first book in the series, Stanfill set up the world nicely but left the door open for many more challenges to come. The other characters in the story were also left mostly unexplored, with readers probably wanting to know how Kim’s bold actions affected her relationship with the other characters, as well as their own stories. Did Shan make it to the crossroads? Did Quinn face consequences for her preference of classical music? What happened to Keli and Jo’s baby? Instead of simply acting as an influence on the main character, Stanfill gave them their own paths, hence making them more interestingly complex and rounding out the story as a whole.
However, although I did find the characters well-written, it was difficult to establish an emotional connection with them. Understanding a character doesn’t equate to empathising with and rooting for them. I often felt like I was told rather than shown the emotions and struggles the character was facing. For example, it was a little difficult to feel Kim’s transition from strict conformity to deviancy despite being constantly told about the changes she was experiencing.
Nevertheless, I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars. There is no explicit language, but do note that there are some intimate scenes. Overall, it was entertaining, intriguing, and succeeded in executing time-honoured dystopian tropes. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing protagonists break free from the norm and fight for freedom against society’s harsh control? Terms of Service truly is a book written for all. Creating a unique world when so many technologically advanced societies have already been portrayed in literature is indeed a challenge, but Stanfill did so masterfully.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with other works of dystopian literature such as ‘Fahrenheit 451’ and ‘Wither’, Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill paints a picture of a detached, impersonal society ruled by Artificial Intelligence. In this superficially perfect world, Kim is a conformist who is all too eager to play by the rules just to secure a toehold in the social climb upwards. Religiously wearing beige daily, refraining from talking to strangers on public transport and only going on dates recommended by Matchmaker, she does everything possible to fit in.
After years of monitoring fellow citizens through her work in the Artificial Intelligence Company, an ‘accidental’ bike trip with her impulsive friend Shan propels her to the top of the ranks. However, as she begins to get a glimpse at the true inner workings of those in power, she realises this isn’t the life she wants at all. Her long suppressed feelings of sadness and emptiness spur her to rebel against the authoritarian control of the AIs and follow in the likeness of protagonists like Fahrenheit’s Guy Montag to fight for her freedom.
I find the worldbuilding in this story exceptional. Stanfill wrote a place so heavily reliant on technology and artificial intelligence that it seems a world apart from ours… yet close enough to what we might evolve into. Some authors think that they have to create extraordinary names or invent strange locations, but the attention Stanfill pays to the little details really makes the world come to life. Besides making the world believable, these accumulated details play to the idea of a perfectly controlled society by brainwashing citizens into prioritising society over themselves, such as the use of ‘we’ instead of ‘I’.
The story was constantly engaging throughout, with the author still managing to maintain my attention throughout heavily technical portions. Since it is the first book in the series, Stanfill set up the world nicely but left the door open for many more challenges to come. The other characters in the story were also left mostly unexplored, with readers probably wanting to know how Kim’s bold actions affected her relationship with the other characters, as well as their own stories. Did Shan make it to the crossroads? Did Quinn face consequences for her preference of classical music? What happened to Keli and Jo’s baby? Instead of simply acting as an influence on the main character, Stanfill gave them their own paths, hence making them more interestingly complex and rounding out the story as a whole.
However, although I did find the characters well-written, it was difficult to establish an emotional connection with them. Understanding a character doesn’t equate to empathising with and rooting for them. I often felt like I was told rather than shown the emotions and struggles the character was facing. For example, it was a little difficult to feel Kim’s transition from strict conformity to deviancy despite being constantly told about the changes she was experiencing.
Nevertheless, I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars. There is no explicit language, but do note that there are some intimate scenes. Overall, it was entertaining, intriguing, and succeeded in executing time-honoured dystopian tropes. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing protagonists break free from the norm and fight for freedom against society’s harsh control? Terms of Service truly is a book written for all. Creating a unique world when so many technologically advanced societies have already been portrayed in literature is indeed a challenge, but Stanfill did so masterfully.
******
Terms of Service
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Latest Review: Terms of Service by Craig W. Stanfill
