The Prophecy of the Heron

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 masters of the AIs scheme to draw her back into their web of deception. She 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