Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom Paperback – December 5, 2003

I found this to be an easy read. The story kept me entertained, turning pages to find out what was going to happen next. I enjoyed the Bitchun Society, and how seamlessly Doctorow blended both the high-tech narrative and the deep Disneymania into the story in a supportive way. The plot depended on it, but didn't get overwhelmed by it. So the exposition was handled well, I thought.Setting the story as a conflict between two teams of hereditary Disney employees bent on making the park a better experience for all involved made the story simultaneously more approachable and more obscure. By setting the action against a backdrop that is essentially the same in whatever far-flung future Doctorow has imagined as it is today, it gives him a familiar anchor point to highlight how different things are. At the same time, however, for those of us who haven't been to Disney in a long time or who are unfamiliar with the various rides featured in the story (I have never seen the Hall of Presidents or the Haunted Mansion because both have always been closed for maintenance during my visits to both Disneyworld and Disneyland.), it is more than a little frustrating.The problem I had with the book at the beginning was that nothing was really at stake. For anyone. The park was not going anywhere (as in "static"), and all the changes being made were done to preserve the experience for the visiting public. So no matter how it came out, nothing would truly change. Sure, maybe some of the characters would be inconvenienced, but it would be just that--an inconvenience.Julius, the main character, goes on and on at some length about how death--even his own murder--is not that big a deal. Serious, debilitating health problems--such as, say, murder--are easily fixable: just clone a new body, make a backup, and restore into the new body, better than the previous one. With multiple lifetimes to live, humans tend to lose the urgency that makes every minute of our lives precious, and this is nicely portrayed throughout.When Julius loses all of that about halfway through the book, this is when it "picked up" for me. Now we have a character who genuinely has something to lose. His every moment becomes precious because he can't back up, so if he renews, he'll lose a large chunk of his life, including the last year of the life of one of his best friends. This underlying story was what kept me turning the page, wondering how it was going to be resolved.I didn't really expect the revelation at the end (the Whodunnit), but it made sense within the framework of the story, and didn't betray the characters' personalities. I thought Doctorow handled it well.The reason I gave this three stars instead of four (I did really enjoy it while I was reading it) is that the ending...just sort of petered out. Again, nothing was really at stake. Once Julius agreed to be restored if anything happened to him and forgave his murderers, there just wasn't any reason to care anymore what happened to him. Which may be exactly what Doctorow had in mind. Julius moved on, Disneyworld went back to whatever passes for "normal" in the Bitchun Society, and the story ends. What eventually happens to everyone other than Julius is left unrevealed, and as a reader, that didn't bother me.Because nothing is at stake for any of them.My main dilemma right now is trying to decide whether this story was Utopian or dystopian. I could go either way.

Cory Doctorow's DOWN AND OUT IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM is a futuristic murder mystery set in the future Disney World (which is sort of a museum and tribute to itself). Lots of interesting ideas can be found in this book, which I could barely put down once I started reading it. It is available for free on the site [...], Doctorow' website. It can also be purchased in trade paperback here on Amazon.Doctorow presents a society where resources are plentiful and where the respect of others (measured as "whuffie") has replaced money as the currency of the realm. But the biggest change is the idea that death has been overcome. Oh, people can die, but then their minds are just "decanted" into a new body, a clone prepared for them. Minds are digitally stored, and death is no more than a minor inconvenience and perhaps the loss of a few days/weels of memories since the last backup was done.Jules, a 100+ year old who has spent his life writing symphonies and earning advanced degrees, currently is living at Disney World, where ad-hoc committees are running things, having taken over the place from the shareholders. He's primarily concerned with making the Haunted Mansion an even better experience, mostly by cutting seconds off the queue to exit time, and increasing the ride's capacity. But another ad-hoc has set its sights on some classic attractions, and they have a new technology that is mind blowing. (Almost literally.)When Jules is killed, and rebooted into a clone, he finds that the time has been used by that other ad-hoc to take over the Hall of Presidents, and Jules becomes convinced that they had something to do with his death. He becomes preoccupied with solving the mystery and preventing them from taking over what he believes is their ultimate target - his beloved Haunted Mansion.But ultimately, this is less a story about Disney World (a major character as well as a setting, it seems to me) or the technology and sociology of this new society, and more a story about figuring out what makes life worth living. What is there out there than exists to motivate people, to keep them "interested" in living this life? Is it advanced degrees? Enhancing and expressing creativity? Is it "art" like Disney World?I'm not sure Doctorow answers any of this satisfactorily, but then again, I don't think it affects the story. The questions are there to be asked, and examined, and that doesn't change once the book is closed. The rest is just background. In this story, it's "the way it is".I may have liked this book more than some because I am an SF fan AND a Disney fan. But I still recommend it wholeheartedly, for the fast, engrossing read that it is.

I'm not quite sure where I picked up a recommendation for this book, but I'm glad I did as I've been able to add Cory Doctorow to my fairly short list of contemporary science fiction writers that I truly enjoy.In this entertaining short novel, Doctorow takes on the classic SF question of 'What if?' for something that genuinely could come to pass - the no wage economy, where everyone gets the basics they need and it's up to them, through ad-hoc arrangements, to find ways to earn social credit to get more, should they want it. In a way, the social credit (known for unexplained reasons, unless I missed it, as Whuffie) is the equivalent of the rating system in the Black Mirror episode where everyone constantly rates everyone else. The other major change to society, which is far less likely to happen, is that when someone dies they are recreated from a clone which is imprinted with their backed up memory - so death becomes a minor irritation (unless you aren't entirely comfortable with a copy of yourself being a true replacement), while some choose to be put to sleep for thousands of years.Our hero, Julius, ends up at Disney World, where he works with a group that help maintain and run a group of the attractions, in a period when some of the traditional attractions (the gem of his group's collection is the Haunted Mansion) are being replaced by direct brain access experiences. The main thread of the story follows Julius's attempts at guerrilla action to save his beloved ride in a world where social capital is everything.On the whole the novel works well - Doctorow manages to be genuinely interesting about the challenges faced by a society where no work is required and lives are indefinite, while never getting into boring polemic. The storyline had some small issues for me, particularly when an outcome is flagged up very early - but I really enjoyed this book, which feels like the kind of thing Pohl and Kornbluth would be writing now if still around - no greater accolade - and I will certainly be trying more of Doctorow's output.

I guess I would – indeed I would get a bit merely by having read the book while my friends haven’t, and thereby knowing what whuffle is.It’s a neat concept – in a world where absolute poverty has been eliminated, the environment has been sorted out, and nobody needs a paid job, what would serve as currency? Doctorow suggests it would be something like your reviewer ranking here on amazon, but extended to everything you do – do people “like” what you are doing with your life? A high whuffle ranking gets you into the best hotels, restaurants, theme parks. It sounds great – people would be effectively financially penalised for anti-social behaviour – a grumpy old man’s dream world!. But it could turn toxic as it does here, which makes sense – even in the present you see all too often that well-meaning voluntary organisations can be paralysed by ego-tripping board members.The book is a little flawed, but it is an “important” read.

Clearly Cory Doctorow is a top bloke, with his activism and co-editing Boing Boing, so I was keen to read this. However although it is reasonably easy to read, I frankly just don't get it. The story takes place in Disneyland, in a future society where it is possible to restore yourself from a backup, and therefore live forever, everyone is online all the time, and instead of money you gain whuffie based on the esteem of others.Some of these future societies are horrible but fantastic to read about, for me, this is just mehh. Similarly the characters and plot did nothing much for me. I found the book a real struggle to push on with, and was considering a 2/5 marking, but the ending was an improvement, which swung the mark up to 3/5.Of course many people love this book, but it is not for me, sorry Cory.

Recently discovered Cory Doctrow, really liked a couple but then find one a bit of a slog & not so good. This title was my next purchase made with some apprehension & I read it in 2 sittings - haven't done that for a while!Cory is not cyberpunk, but is exploring possible Earth near futures with tech usually at the heart of the issues/changes/problems the characters face. This novel is quite old fashioned in that it's not a wordy tome, I was using it as light relief from the latest Peter Hamilton Trilogy.... Some modern readers may feel the background & character details are a bit sparse therefore, but it means the story shines, and some of the repercussions from the tech on human society/crime etc. Read, 'nuff said.

Makes the recent offering from William Gibson seem square flat and lame by comparison. This book is as inspiring as it is funny.