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80 of 92 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A grand idea novel!, January 22, 2003
Dr. Gillian Taylor: Don't tell me you don't use money in the 23rd Century. Kirk: Well we don't. -- Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Star Trek may be a money-free universe, but they've always left blank the details of how scarce assets like a starship or a Picasso ... or the Haunted Mansion might get allocated. In this fun, fast book, the clearly talented Cory Doctorow explores a full-on reputation economy. With the help of a sophisticated, real-time network, people accumulate and lose a reputation currency called "whuffie." The ideas are an incredibly rich playground, and the author doesn't make you suffer through flat characters or clunky prose to get to them. On the contrary, these are totally alive characters set in a deeply conjured world (which world is Disney World, a place you can feel the author's passion for). By the end, you'll know the characters well enough to be able to judge what impact this new world has -- or doesn't have -- on the fundamentals of human nature. Cory Doctorow deserves much whuffie for this novel. Highly recommended.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entirely original; a marvelous debut novel, January 27, 2005
Science fiction, satire, dystopian fiction...if you enjoy slotting your reading into neat categories, "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" probably isn't for you. However, if the idea of a fresh, wholly original take on all of these genres appeals to you, read on. "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" is at its heart, and amalgam; an amalgam of styles, of genres, of themes, and yet somehow author Cory Doctrow has managed to weave these disparate elements into a cohesive whole.
At its heart, this is the story of Julius, a post-modern man who is a centenarian living in Disney World. His is a world without scarcity or death, and as such, the dynamics of economies have changed radically. A person's rank in society is based upon their "whuffie", essentially the measure of their esteem within the breadth of the human population. While this meritocracy has certain appeals, it is still subject to the capriciousness of human nature, and as such, is still subject to many of the challenges of any of the systems the world currently enjoys (or doesn't). In particular, the need to use esteem in order to achieve capital means that non-stop consensus building plagues most aspects of life and diverts it into entirely unexpected directions.
Which brings us to the crux of Julius' dilemma, namely he has been killed to facilitate another "as hoc" seizing control of the Hall of Presidents, and now his new body is experiencing difficulties with it's internal computing capabilities and, worst of all, the Haunted Mansion may be the next ride to succumb. As Jules and his ad hoc fight to save the ride from losing it's 20th century charm, the pressure really begins to mount.
All this may sound absurd, but within the context of the story it works quite brilliantly. Doctrow introduces a host of interesting sociological and technological theories without becoming pedagogic, while at the same time exploring issues that are fundamental to any society. In particular, he questions whether humans can ever be truly happy absent conflict and purpose, and as such, what happens when the most mundane things become one's raison d'etre. Is it funny and absurd that his characters fight a war of sorts over a Disney ride, or is it sad, or is it both?
In "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" Doctrow has produced a thoroughly original novel, that is both a fun read and a thoughtful look at society. He introduces a host of fascinating directions for human and societal evolution, but manages to maintain the reader's interest in a story that would be absurd out of context. Finally, his whuffie based economy has surpassed Ken Macleod's anarcho-capitalism ("The Stone Canal") as my favorite fictional political system, without ever bogging down in philosophical debate or confusing jargon. Great satire, great science fiction, this is a treat that is not to be missed.
Jake Mohlman
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32 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great first novel, February 5, 2003
Julius has finally realized his life long dream of living in Disney World. He finds his job with the Liberty Square ad hocs to be fun and his girlfriend Lil keeps him feeling young. When his best friend Dan shows up, he feels his life is complete. But then he's murdered. Granted, it's only his third death, which isn't bad for being over a hundred, but he still takes it rather personally. He's even more surprised when he finds out that Deb moved into the Hall of Presidents while he was out. Deb is leading a group that is slowly bringing all the attractions into the modern era with new technology. Julius and his friends oppose this because they want to keep the park the way it was in the 20th century, technology, storylines, and all. Julius feels he should take a stand, but what can he do? First, the bad. Maybe it's because I don't read that much science fiction, but I had a hard time with the jargon of this book. For the first 50 pages or so, I was really struggling to follow the new terms the characters were using when discussing their lives. But once I got the lingo down, I couldn't put the book down. The story is interesting with quite a few twists and turns. All the characters were interesting and well developed, but I especially liked Julius. He was easy to care about, and I had to know what would happen to him next. I'm a huge Disney fan, so the back drop of Disney World certainly didn't hurt either. In fact, it made me want to visit the park even more. Cory Doctorow is definitely an author to watch. He weaves a good yarn in an interesting vision of the future. I'm already looking forward to whatever he has up his sleeve next.
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