“Cory Doctorow straps on his miner’s helmet and takes you deep into the caverns and underground rivers of pop culture, here filtered through SF-colored glasses. Enjoy.”–Neil Gaiman New York Times bestselling author Cory Doctorow has been hailed as one of the freshest voices in science fiction, and this collection of intriguing novellas is yet another reason why. Have you ever wondered what it’s …
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live through a bioweapon attack or to have every aspect of your life governed by invisible ants? In Cory Doctorow’s collection of novellas, he wields his formidable experience in technology and computing to give us mind-bending sci-fi tales that explore the possibilities of information technology–and its various uses–run amok.
“Anda’s Game” is a spin on the bizarre new phenomenon of “cyber sweatshops,” in which people are paid very low wages to play online games all day in order to generate in-game wealth, which can be converted into actual money. Another tale tells of the heroic exploits of “sysadmins”–systems administrators–as they defend the cyberworld, and hence the world at large, from worms and bioweapons. And yes, there’s a story about zombies, too.
“He sparkles! He fizzes! He does backflips and breaks the furniture! Science fiction needs Cory Doctorow.” –Bruce Sterling, award-winning author of Schismatrix Plus and The Difference Engine
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There are some excellent stories in the book. Should be more. I found them uneven.
A great collection of science fiction stories. Eight different stories of possible (I must say fascinating but improbable) futures on a variety of themes “ripped from the headlines” but inspired by previous works of science fiction. The prologues to the stories give their inspiration (and add to the enjoyment). Then they’re extrapolated into the future, sometimes dystopian, sometimes optimistic. The results are all entertaining and thought-provoking. “Printcrime” deals with the future of 3-D printing (think of Drexler’s nanotechnology assemblers) and trademarked/patented goods. “When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth” will be appreciated by Systems Administrators as the world suffers from global terror attacks and they hold it together. “Anda’s Game” was a twist on “Ender’s Game”, with a very unlikely heroine, and is perhaps my favorite. “I, Robot” takes place in a world with competing robot manufacturers, each striving to become dominant. The Three Laws are invoked so you can guess Asimov was the inspiration, but it’s a very different result from Asimov’s vision. “I, Rowboat” takes place in the further future, when humans have instantiated themselves in the cloud, and only robots inhabit the Earth. Robbie is an AI that controls a rowboat for tourists who instantiate into “human shells” and want to scuba dive. Then a reef they are visiting becomes sentient, and things get very interesting. “After the Siege” was the saddest, dystopian vision of the future. “The Man Who Sold the Moon” was the most optimistic story, and had some very interesting characters. Imagine launching 3-D printers to the Moon to print panels from moon dust that would be assembled by future settlers! “Petard: A Tale of Just Deserts” has some of the most obtuse dialogue I’ve read in a long time. It’s a tale of individuals joining together to “Fight the Powers”. I’m still not sure if the ending was pessimistic or optimistic-will Lucas continue to work for the “little guy” or will he join the Powers?
This is a wonderful read. I highly recommend it. Doctorow is an accomplished writer with a lot to say.
Short stories, many of them my current favorites.
“After the Seige” is amazing.
I started this book wanting to give it five stars. I am a fan of Doctorow “in the world”, but for some reason I had trouble with his book. I liked it, and maybe I will try it again and discover that it was not the right book for the right time.
Strong Sci-Fi, lots of Cyber and Social issues. This book makes you think.
Excellent! Recommend to anyone who loves cyberpunk! Couldn’t put it down!
Smartly written, absorbing and clever, but seems to assume a high degree of tech savvy which might spoil the fun for some.
not up to Doctorow’s usual standards.””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
I’m far from an impartial fan of Doctorow’s work. His ‘post-scarcity’ ideas melding Open Source, real community and the common good are but one effective example of what we as a society can strive for. With many of the pitfalls along the way. Entertaining, inspiring to new tech and thinking – this collection of short stories was a welcome, enjoyable and refreshing break from many of my other, heavier endeavours.
I love this book. The stories are of today; yet of a tomorrow that just may be appealing.
Very good prose. Interesting characters and plenty to learn as the stories keep coming. Great commuter reading.
pretty good but not awesome
Are all futures so frightening? They seem SO possible!