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The Prophecy of the Heron: An AI Dystopia Novel
Never trust the shadows. Or a stranger. Or a friend. Welcome to District 33, a crime-infested slum in which only the strongest and most savvy can hope to survive.
1984 meets The Matrix in this gripping tale of a future in which freedom is dead, love is forbidden, and the artificial intelligences (AIs) watch your every move. Their power seems unshakable, but things are never as they seem in this world of lies and illusion. Slowly but surely, they are going mad, and only Kim can stop it.
What really happened in the AI war? Who controls the AIs? What secrets lurk in the dark corners of the virtual world?
Kim never set out to be a rebel; all she ever wanted was to settle down with Shan, but the AIs caught them in a flagrant act of unsanctioned intimacy, and now she has been exiled to the dangerous and decrepit outer districts. Unbowed and defiant, she struggles to survive, even as the dark master of the AIs schemes to draw her back into her web of deception. Kim disappears into the shadows and thinks she has escaped-until an unexpected encounter in the enigmatic parallel world of virtual reality draws her back, setting up an epic confrontation in which the fate of the AIs and civilization itself may hang in the balance.
Drawing on images of decaying civilizations from classics such as Blade Runner and The Hunger Games , Stanfill creates a dark and forbidding world in which nothing is ever as it seems and the only way to survive is to claim the shadows as your own.
A wonderfully complex and thoroughly immersive book perfect for readers who grew up on dystopian YA. Tight plotting, a rich tapestry of character-centric threads, and nonstop action make this a must-read. Highly recommended. The Prairies Book Review.
An impassioned cautionary tale espousing the potential dangers of artificial intelligence in an increasingly dependent world. With even pacing and a plot that keeps you guessing, this book ends up both as an enjoyable page turner and a resource that could teach us all a thing or two about artificial intelligence. The Independent Book Review
1984 meets The Matrix in this gripping tale of a future in which freedom is dead, love is forbidden, and the artificial intelligences (AIs) watch your every move. Their power seems unshakable, but things are never as they seem in this world of lies and illusion. Slowly but surely, they are going mad, and only Kim can stop it.
What really happened in the AI war? Who controls the AIs? What secrets lurk in the dark corners of the virtual world?
Kim never set out to be a rebel; all she ever wanted was to settle down with Shan, but the AIs caught them in a flagrant act of unsanctioned intimacy, and now she has been exiled to the dangerous and decrepit outer districts. Unbowed and defiant, she struggles to survive, even as the dark master of the AIs schemes to draw her back into her web of deception. Kim disappears into the shadows and thinks she has escaped-until an unexpected encounter in the enigmatic parallel world of virtual reality draws her back, setting up an epic confrontation in which the fate of the AIs and civilization itself may hang in the balance.
Drawing on images of decaying civilizations from classics such as Blade Runner and The Hunger Games , Stanfill creates a dark and forbidding world in which nothing is ever as it seems and the only way to survive is to claim the shadows as your own.
A wonderfully complex and thoroughly immersive book perfect for readers who grew up on dystopian YA. Tight plotting, a rich tapestry of character-centric threads, and nonstop action make this a must-read. Highly recommended. The Prairies Book Review.
An impassioned cautionary tale espousing the potential dangers of artificial intelligence in an increasingly dependent world. With even pacing and a plot that keeps you guessing, this book ends up both as an enjoyable page turner and a resource that could teach us all a thing or two about artificial intelligence. The Independent Book Review
402 pages, Hardcover
Published November 19, 2022
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August 31, 2023
The Prophecy of the Heron is the sequel to Craig Stanfill's Terms of Service: Subject to change without notice. You need to read the first book to make sense of this one. The first one ended with many points unresolved; taken together, the two books make a satisfactory story. In the back, Craig suggests there may be more stories in this AI Dystopia universe, but they won't be so tightly connected.
As this volume begins, Kim is exiled to one of the toughest areas in a future version of New Jersey. She has to be on guard constantly and form the right alliances to stay alive. The world is in even worse shape than she had known; urban areas have been destroyed by nuclear weapons. As one of the top AI experts in the world, she still draws the interest of more than one party. As a courier in dangerous areas, she discovers the principal cause of the world's dystopian situation. She fights against a person who, though dead for many years, is still alive through AI and more malicious than ever.
I found the parts set in the physical world the most satisfying. The scenes in the virtual world are often confusing as there are multiple instances of the same person as counterparts, doppelgängers, and even "geister."
If you like smart technical writing and a thrilling story and don't mind that it's depressing a lot of the time, you're likely to enjoy this book, but be sure to read Terms of Service first.
Full disclosure: I know Craig personally, and I got a free copy of the book for showing up at his kaffeeklatsch at Pemmi-Con.
As this volume begins, Kim is exiled to one of the toughest areas in a future version of New Jersey. She has to be on guard constantly and form the right alliances to stay alive. The world is in even worse shape than she had known; urban areas have been destroyed by nuclear weapons. As one of the top AI experts in the world, she still draws the interest of more than one party. As a courier in dangerous areas, she discovers the principal cause of the world's dystopian situation. She fights against a person who, though dead for many years, is still alive through AI and more malicious than ever.
I found the parts set in the physical world the most satisfying. The scenes in the virtual world are often confusing as there are multiple instances of the same person as counterparts, doppelgängers, and even "geister."
If you like smart technical writing and a thrilling story and don't mind that it's depressing a lot of the time, you're likely to enjoy this book, but be sure to read Terms of Service first.
Full disclosure: I know Craig personally, and I got a free copy of the book for showing up at his kaffeeklatsch at Pemmi-Con.
Displaying 1 of 1 review