Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

[Book Cover]

I do not frequently read science fiction. Much of it is suitable only for adolescent boys and that barely. There is, however, a kind of science fiction that warms my progressive heart and gets my liberal blood moving. This kind of science fiction uses its future setting and advanced technology solely as distancing devices through which it makes social commentary more palatable. Vonnegut and Bradbury are the masters of this sub-genre. A friend suggested that Cory Doctorow’s novels take a similar approach.

The Internet could have developed into many things, but it has become a buzz machine and a distribution channel. Doctorow is skilled at getting both heads of the beast to roar. His liberal distribution policies under a Creative Commons license are what first caught my attention and will be the subject of tomorrow’s post. I downloaded Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom from his web site and am reading it on my Palm m500.

I am not yet deep into the novel, but so far the book is pleasant if not profound reading. Coined tech hipster terms like Whuffie, deadheading, and the Bitchun Society are a bit too cutesy for me and elicit little grimaces. Doctorow writes with enough skill that he may win me over on that count before the end.

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