About this title: In the future, death and money are obsolete, and the only currency is the opinion of others. In this society, Jules wakes one day to find that he has been murdered and his consciousness inserted into a cloned body. Obsessed with figuring out how his own dreams upset someone else's so much that they had him removed, Jules hooks up with a cabal of ...
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Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780765309532ISBN:076530953X
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780765309532ISBN:076530953X
Description: Acceptable. MAY HAVE COVER WEAR, SPINE CREASES, HIGHLIGHTING, UNDERLINING & PAGES YELLOWED FROM AGE. FASTER SERVICE FROM US! ! ! read more
Description: Very Good. Great condition for a used book! Minimal wear. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780765304360ISBN:0765304368
Description: Good in Good jacket. DUST JACKET WORN AS IT HAS SERVED IT'S PURPOSE AND PROTECTED THE BOOK, EX-LIBRARY BOOK, Clean, nice condition, good reading copy. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780765304360ISBN:0765304368
Description: Good. Used Condition-GOOD can be a well cared for Book that is in great condition to a Book that may show some signs of wear. GOOD Books sometimes are permanently marked; have some spine or page creases; exibit signs of aging or an ExLibrary copy. ** Sometimes grease pencil or permanent marking on cover. May contain limited notes and or highlighting. 100% Satisfaction guaranteed on all purchases. ** SHIPS FROM USA-Domestic Delivery takes 5-14 days ** read more
Description: Fine. 0765304368 great copy! All orders ship same/next day. Orders before 2: 00 PM EST ship same day. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. read more
Description: Very good. Hardcover with Dust Jacket. Clean, tight and unmarked. Pages are smooth and bright with no folds or creases. Minor cover wear. read more
Description: Good. 0765304368 Ex-library book with stickers and stampings. Overall good condition with clean text and good binding unless otherwise noted. Edges lightly soiled. Most items ship within 24 hours. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780765309532ISBN:076530953X
Description: New, Publisher overstock, may have small remainder mark. Excellent condition, never read, purchased from publisher as excess inventory. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780765309532ISBN:076530953X
Description: New, Publisher overstock, may have small remainder mark. Excellent condition, never read, purchased from publisher as excess inventory. read more
Description: Very Good. Previously read with moderate shelf wear. No underlining or margin notes present. We are the Twin Cities' largest independent book store. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 01/01/2003
ISBN-13:9780765304360ISBN:0765304368
Description: Used-Good. Book in good or better condition. Dispatched same day from warehouse. Please email with any questions for quick response. read more
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: TOR BOOKS % ST MARTINS PR INC
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780765309532ISBN:076530953X
Description: New. "He sparkles! He fizzes! He does backflips and breaks the furniture! Science fiction needs Cory Doctorow. "--Bruce Sterling, author of" The Hacker Crackdown "and "Distraction" On The Skids In The Transhuman Future Jules is a young man barely a centur... read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780765309532ISBN:076530953X
Description: New. 076530953X. NEW unread copy in as new condition, May have light shelf wear. Ships Within 24 Hours. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! ; 0.56 x 8.26 x 5.52 Inches; 208 pages. read more
"It's a fun little romp. I just adore Cory as a person, so I tend to hear his voice in his writing. I liked this book, but I think some of his later work does a better job showcasing his talent. That said; the universe he's created here is really well defined without bothering to explain it, which is always interesting to see a writer be able to pull off. The main characters are 3 dimensional, but the primary antagonist is more of a cardboard cutout than a fleshed out character. There's some really great "throw-away" details that I wish I had thought of first...deadheading and canopic jars...genius.
One of the things that was really groundbreaking about this book was Cory's decision to publish it under the Creative Commons license, which up to that point had been considered financial suicide for content creators. He proved that the model could work, and for that both readers and writers should be thankful.
It's a zippy little read that won't take more than an hour or two, and it's a fun way to spend that brief time."
"I read this book immediately following "Accelerando" by Charles Stross, which really isn't fair in any way.
What Doctorow's story offers is a simple tale of a year in the life of a semi-likeable protagonist as he rages against the inevitable march of technology into Disney World, which he envisions as a monument to be preserved. That's basically it.
What makes Down and Out an interesting read is the universe in which this story unfolds. It is a world in which the "Bitchun Society" has eliminated scarcity through free energy, where people trade in reputation rather than currency, and where death is "cured" by taking regular brain backups, growing a clone and "retiring" the offending body in case of emergency. Doctorow plays with some of the philosophical issues raised by his universe while maintaining the light, and occasionally trivial color of the primary story (death has been cured, but computer crashes are still an unavoidable part of reality, even when the computers are directly implanted in our brains).
Overall, I liked Down and Out, but I can't help feeling as though I would've liked it more had it not immediately followed Stross' superior work touching on many of the same issues. That said, the light tone of the book makes it an excellent beach-read for the Sci Fi fan looking for something enjoyable and quick."
"It's crazy how this book predated facebook and twitter. Very prescient how everyones social worth is dependent on "whuffie" (or online ticks of approval from people you interact with). This novel focuses on a microcosm of this post-human future after death is cured and somehow sustainability is found, and of course the best place to focus on "whuffie" and society is a theme park, the theme park: Disney World. A war over ride preservation and ride improvements is about to break out, but that isn't all this book is about. It is also about the difference between being an early adopter in a new system and people who have only grown up in that system (think about it this way--about half of the people in the world were around when computers, the internet and video games were being created and for about half there have always been computers, video games and the internet).
This book is as interesting as it is silly. And it is completely engrossing."
"Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow is set in Walt Disney World and in the future. In this future, technology has advanced dramatically. People have computers and phones in their heads, and can access all kinds of information with a thought. No one dies anymore; much like today's computer hard drives, a person's conciousness is backed up, ready to be downloaded into a clone whenever needed. People can go into suspended animation ("deadheading") and sleep for years, then be downloaded into a new body. And there's no more money. Instead, people attempt to aquire "Whuffie," the respect of other people. A person who is well-respected and liked has a lot of Whuffie, and anyone can see how much Whuffie they have or another person has by calling up an HUD with their brain. In this future, the world has changed dramatically. But Walt Disney World hasn't.
The Magic Kingdom has always been a special place for Julius. He's died a couple of times, and been brought back into a new clone, and each time, he's gone to Disney World to reaquaint himself with living. This time around, he finds a girlfriend, Lil, who actually works in the Magic Kingdom, and who is able to get him a position there, too. And Julius is very happy working at the Haunted Mansion - which is still the same as it was a hundred years ago - and hanging out with Lil, even though there is a new group that's making major changes at the Hall of Presidents. And then Julius gets shot.
It's really an interesting book. With the futuristic setting, and the radically different technologies, some of the basic human themes, like death and trust and relating to others, are all explored in a new way. I enjoyed the Magic Kingdom setting, too. Go ahead and check it out if you're looking for a futuristic book that will make you think."
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