"★★★★★ What intense world building! Wonderful character growth! Crisp story line! Thoughtful science fiction! Imaginative descriptions! I can keep talking in exclamatory phrases but you get my point by now - this is a fantastic book."
- Review by Myra on Reedsy Discovery and Oh Just Books.
This is not a typical SciFi blurb, because this is not a typical SciFi novel.
Start with 1984, add in a healthy dose of Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451, stir in a bit of The Matrix and Blade Runner, and you have Terms of Service. It is a thought-provoking exploration of the profound consequences to our society as the digital world and the all-powerful corporations who rule it play an ever-greater role in our lives and we all wonder, where does it end?
This book presents one chilling possibility, and it is every bit as relevant to our world today as George Orwell's masterpiece was in the aftermath of World War II.
This is a work of literary science fiction, one which has something important to say.
Stylistically, it is a work of mainstream fiction, focused on the journey of the protagonist and on the world in which she lives. It is surreal in places, heavily laced with satire, mystical realism, and even a bit of absurdism. In terms of subject matter, it lies squarely within the boundaries of the cyberpunk genre: virtual reality and sentient artificial intelligences are omnipresent, and our characters live much of their lives within a VR system that sometimes seems more real than reality itself. The virtual world and the AIs who live within it act as a mirror, reflecting our own existence. It is also a solid work of hard science fiction: everything it portrays is technologically feasible, and much of it is already part of our daily lives.
A slow burn with an explosive finish, this is not a book to put down.
Most SciFi novels start out with a bang because the worlds and characters which they portray are already familiar to the reader. Not this one. The start of the book is devoted entirely to world-building and to defining the main character, without which the rest of the story will be impossible to understand. Savor the writing, enjoy the world, and don't worry: there is plenty of conflict and tension in store.
Intrigued? Read on, and follow Kim's amazing journey as she rises from dull complacency to the heights of power and prestige before plunging into the abyss as she struggles with the demons of her past and learns far more than she ever wanted to about what really goes on in the centers of power. You won't be disappointed!
Craig W. Stanfill obtained his PhD in artificial intelligence in 1983, and has spent his career doing ground-breaking research in AI and enterprise computing. He has written numerous scientific papers, co-founded a software company and been awarded more than 80 patents. He continues to work in technology as he turns his hand to writing speculative dystopian fiction. Dr. Stanfill lives an active lifestyle, and is an avid bicyclist, skier, sailor, and musician. With his wife, Sharon (herself a software engineer), he has roamed the world, always seeking out new places and cultures to explore. Together they have one son, who has followed in his parent's footsteps as a software professional and now works for a high-profile technology company.
