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Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
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Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
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Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
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Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this ebook

Bursting with cutting-edge speculation and human insight, Cory Doctorow's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom is a coming-of-age romantic comedy and a kick-butt cybernetic tour de force

Jules is a young man barely a century old. He's lived long enough to see the cure for death and the end of scarcity, to learn ten languages and compose three symphonies...and to realize his boyhood dream of taking up residence in Disney World.

Disney World! The greatest artistic achievement of the long-ago twentieth century. Now in the care of a network of volunteer "ad-hocs" who keep the classic attractions running as they always have, enhanced with only the smallest high-tech touches.

Now, though, it seems the "ad hocs" are under attack. A new group has taken over the Hall of the Presidents and is replacing its venerable audioanimatronics with new, immersive direct-to-brain interfaces that give guests the illusion of being Washington, Lincoln, and all the others. For Jules, this is an attack on the artistic purity of Disney World itself.

Worse: it appears this new group has had Jules killed. This upsets him. (It's only his fourth death and revival, after all.) Now it's war: war for the soul of the Magic Kingdom, a war of ever-shifting reputations, technical wizardry, and entirely unpredictable outcomes.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 1, 2003
ISBN9781429972543
Author

Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger—the co-editor of Boing Boing and the author of novels For the Win and the bestselling Little Brother among many others. He is the former European director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. Born in Toronto, Canada, he now lives in London.

Read more from Cory Doctorow

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Reviews for Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Rating: 3.5238353575297943 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Its an interesting story of a future utopia. While the characters are well developed, I never really felt any investment in them. In a way, the story is kind of like a vacation trip where you meet some people and enjoy spending a few days with them, then go on your way knowing you'll probably neve see them again.

    One of the things I found interesting about the story was how, even in this Utopian future, everyone still placed a high value on the basic tenants of the Disney experience.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    One of the most horrible books that I read in 2006. The only good part about this book is the fact that the line spacing is doubled in order to make it look longer than it actually is.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Disappointing, Disney-fetishistic
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Underdeveloped adolescent frippery. The authors later works are much better, but then again they'd have to be considering how bad this is.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    About a third of the way into the novel, I am hit by a sense of having been here before. The tone, the scenario, the characters seem familiar though I can attest that I've never read this book before. This may be a case of a book that is so influential and inspiring that it sets the standard for style and subject matter for later books. In particular, the transhumanist cyberpunkish viewpoint resounds with some of the books by Stross, Kline's Ready Player One, Reynolds' House of Suns, Vinge's Rainbow's End. I can guess what's going to happen next in the book but am still eager to read on. I am beginning to dislike the main character in this book, like Case in Neuromancer.
    --------------------
    Done. Bitchin! Quite a romp with very profound views on the future of instant data access, communications and social media. Close to the end of the book, I got to thinking, "If you have infinite energy, immortal lives, interstellar travel, why go to Disneyland?" But the Magic Kingdom does provide for a unique, easily accessible background environment that allows Doctorow more freedom to develop his ideas. The book's conflict among the main characteristics and the final resolution seem contrived, in fact the "Down" part of the title applies to the particularly morose ending, but these are not why I like the book. The book has much to offer in Doctorow's vision of social interactions and society in the picture. Just for this aspect of the book alone, I highly recommend it.
    --------------------
    Aside: After I discussed the idea of universal viruses with my young son, I inexplicably exclaimed, "Bitchin!" He gives me a quizzical look, perhaps thinking, "Is that an allowed word now?" I'd say only after one has read this book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The key to reading science fiction seems to be waiting. The author throws out a series of neologisms that baffle the reader, and your only chance to catch up is to keep plodding along until context allows you to sort out the meaning.

    The key to writing science fiction, then, seems to be finding a fine balance between explaining that context so the reader doesn't feel perpetually lost and falling into an information-dump situation.

    Doctorow does a fairly good job of walking that line - the first few chapters, I was a little confused, but I waited it out, and was able to sort it out - and I was glad I did. The ideas he comes up with are fresh enough to be intriguing, practical enough to make you think, and imaginative enough to make you interested.

    The story focuses more on the adventure aspect, and while the book does involve a murder, it isn't really a mystery - the killer is pretty obvious from the beginning and seems to be almost secondary to the storyline.

    The only real complaint I have is that the book revolves around a central theme of preserving history versus accepting change - and there are several pointed cybertechnological anecdotes to underline that question. I would have loved to see more of an exploration of some of the philosophical ramifications of the technology presented, and indeed, two of the main characters start in on those conversations, but the storyline takes precedence and cuts it off before they wade too deep.

    Which is not to say that it wasn't enjoyable - the storyline is fun enough to read in a jiffy, and even if the narrative doesn't really take the time to explore some of the neater aspects, it gives you the seeds and allows you to run with it long after you've put the book down.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    On campus, they called him Keep-A-Movin' Dan, because of his cowboy vibe and because of his lifestyle, and he somehow grew to take over every conversation I had for the next six months. I pinged his Whuffie a few times, and noticed that it was climbing steadily upward as he accumulated more esteem from the people he met.I'd pretty much pissed away most of my Whuffie—all the savings from the symphonies and the first three theses—drinking myself stupid at the Gazoo, hogging library terminals, pestering profs, until I'd expended all the respect anyone had ever afforded me. All except Dan, who, for some reason, stood me to regular beers and meals and movies. In the post-scarcity Bitchun Society your status is based on your interactions with other people. If they respect you or your work your Whuffie score goes up, and if they don't your score goes down. The concept of Whuffie was interesting but how it works wasn't explained in enough detail. Strangely for a book set in Disney World, there were no child characters at all, and I was left wondering how Whuffie applied to children and teenagers. Would they be linked to their parents' Whuffie and if so would their actions affect their parents' Whuffie levels? At what age do they get their own Whuffie, and do they start from an average level, or from zero? As it wasn't much more than 100 years since the Bitchun Society had beaten death, it is surprising that so many people had already decided that this living forever thing was getting boring and either committed suicide or deadheaded (went into cold storage), asking to be woken in a few hundred years, or ten thousand years, or even just when something interesting happens. It seems that boredom must be a big issue, since people also deadhead for much shorter periods, even to avoid experiencing a two-hour journey. Unfortunately I have never been particularly interested in Disney and the author didn't succeed in rousing my interest, so I really couldn't have cared less whether Debra and her ad-hoc took over the whole of Disney World. The story did pick up towards the end and I enjoyed the last 10% more than the rest. I don't like protagonists who behave stupidly and irrationally, but in this case it turned out that there was a reason for Julius behaving so strangely, so I forgave him for it in the end.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    After reading Eastern Standard Tribe first I was a bit disappointed with Mr. Doctorow's first effort. This had to do in large part with the center of drama and plot being Disney World. Still, the wit, imagination, and well fleshed out characters carried me through until the end.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    What becomes important when people live forever and scarcity is no longer an issue? The answer is "whuffie" - a sort of individual score based on other people's assessment of you - the social has become everything. This is presumably for the good, but power fighting, scheming and infighting of course have not stopped, so people are still "down and out". The hilarious setting is the Disney World, in which the protagonists work.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This might be a book that would benefit from the Unshelved Book Club style of reviews.

    Why I picked it up: Great concept. Speculative Sci-fi and Disney with a title that alludes to one of the greatest fictional autobiographies? Yes please. I've read a few other books by Doctorow and looked at some reviews for this one before starting so I will admit that I was a little apprehensive going in.

    Why I finished it: I almost didn't. The first half of the book is trying. It's very clearly a first novel and Doctorow takes some time to find his stride. The great ideas on what it means to be human in a post-human world are what kept me reading despite not feeling like the execution of the writing was necessarily worth it. I can tell you the exact moment I decided it was good enough to finish: page 130 of 206. That is pretty far in to a short book but from that point on I couldn't wait to read it. I finished it because I had to know what conclusions the author had come to about these fairly lofty ideas he had set forth to discuss. I also found that the title was more than just a clever allusion, but rather the style and themes were very much akin to Orwell's work. Just, you know, in a futuristic Walt Disney World where popularity and reputation is money, yet it's just as easy to hit the very bottom and keep on living.
    A lot of reviews said they found the main character unlikable, which I didn't find at all. I think maybe that we're just not used to the idea that a protagonist can be so human. Also I think you have to try and put yourself into this not so distant future and not judge the characters based on our society, but rather based on theirs.

    Who I'd give it to: Someone who is a fan of Disney, but not someone who would read it just for the fact that it's set in Disney World. I do think knowing the layout and rides is beneficial, but as someone who has never been, it's not necessary. Someone who likes science fiction but will read it as more than just a "genre novel". The best thing about sci-fi is it's ability to discuss humanity by removing it. I think approaching it with a good background of English lit makes it a better read compared to just reading it as a surface skimming speculative romp through Disney.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Doctorow's gift is that he is not only capable of conjuring up a fantastical world that feels real and coherent but he makes that off the wall world a plausible future for our own world.
    Behind the world building, all the tech, space travel, deadheading and whuffie, there's a nice little story about our protagonist, Julian, trying to save Disney World's Haunted Mansion from being replaced with a virtual reality version of itself. I liked Doctorow a lot for never drawing the readers attention to the absurdity of a mission to preserve a sense of reality in Disney Land, I'm not sure it other writers would have had the discipline.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this, but it's not as dynamic as some of his other books. I won't say it's expected, exactly, but there's just something blah about this one.

    I dunno. It might be a great entry point for some people, but it's just not his strongest.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is one of the Cory Doctorow books I've been wanting to read for a while, so I picked up a copy for my Kindle. It was a different read from what I had been expecting. I like how Doctorow sets up this completely futuristic world, but in the context of the Magic Kingdom, it still feels down to earth. I did have a big problem relating to Julius and Dan (Lil was the only character that I liked for the majority of the book) and their issues, although I kept reliking and disliking them throughout the course of the novel. I really did like the overall set-up of the book- Julius getting murdered, trying to figure it out- but once it got into his vendetta against Debra and her ad-hocs, that was the point I started not relating to the characters anymore. It was an interesting read, and does make me want to pick up more of Doctorow's adult work.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom was an extremely engrossing read for me. As a small, futuristic, science fiction book it did a wonderful job. Doctorow did not build up a complete picture of the entire world during these events, or show all the pieces to the system, but he did a wonderful job of telling the main character's story and laying out his experiences. I was pulled in as the story unfolded, and satisfied with the length, style, and writing.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A competently written techno-mystery SF book. I should have been more interested in it than I was, given that I generally like attempts to envision future post-scarcity anarchist societies. But this one envisions social credit being run via reputational economics a la every Web 2.0 person-rating site out there. That wasn't a new idea in 2003, it's not a new idea now, and it smells like the usual attempt to fence in something free that so enlivened the Internet bubble. Since the people in the book evidently are mostly satisfied with it without being under duress, you have to feel that they're really pretty dull.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I wanted more out of this book. I was uncomfortable with the shallowness of the characters. I found myself bored and wishing that the main character would make some sort of decision.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this. I've never been to the Magic Kingdom, but the feeling of wistful nostalgia for a thing that cannot be perfectly frozen in time is familiar enough.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    The debut novel by one of the co-founders of BoingBoing. I liked his book Eastern Standard Tribe, but not this one so much – possibly because it’s set in Disneyland and written with an obsessive enthusiasm for the place that I simply don’t share. It doesn’t help that Doctorow’s a little too good at creating protagonists that are, basically, annoying single-minded assholes. That’s my problem, not his, and it’s a decent story, but I just couldn’t get into it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    "I lived long enough to see the cure for death; to see the rise of the Bitchun Society; to learn ten languages; to compose three symphonies; to realize my boyhood dream of taking up residence in Disney World; to see the death of the workplace and of work."This was my first book by Cory Doctorow, who has a good reputation, and whose work in internet-land I admire. I was looking forward to it, but I came away disappointed.The ideas, as you'd expect, are great. The book is a clever look at a fairly plausible post-scarcity society. Luxury items are purchased with a currency based on respect and contribution -- the more you do for people, and the more they like what you do, the richer you get. I'd have liked more detail (Only basic sustenance is free -- but why? Is everywhere similar to the America he portrays?), more history of how society got to where he shows it -- but still, it's good stuff.The characterisation, though, is poor. Jules, the protagonist, spends much of the book uncertain of his own motivation, possibly mad, certainly angry and obsessive. It's possible for a novel to succeed with an unlikeable hero, but it takes a very good writer to pull it off. Doctorow doesn't manage it. You often feel that Jules ought to fail, because he's being such an idiot.He also misses a great opportunity with another character -- Dan, who's struggling for motivation in his life, who's only thrived when outside the comfort and safety of the have-it-all society. He has been visiting communities which have stayed isolated out of fear or mistrust or ideology, living with them, and convincing them to join everyone else. When he's convinced them all, he runs out of interest in living. But how does he feel about what he's done? Can he not see the conflict there? Doctorow doesn't even glance at these questions.Also, Disney World as the rock upon which defenders of the "real" base their fight against the virtual? What's up with that? If it's meant to be ironic, the idea needed to be given more bite.Cory Doctorow is great to have around, but on this evidence, he's not a great novelist.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Summary: Living in Disney World isn't all it's cracked up to be when someone is trying to kill you.The Take-Away: What if you could live forever without aging? What if the opponents to this plan were eliminated simply because they died and you didn't?Cory Doctrow explores what happens when humankind is "perfect." Wuffie, or popularity, is important because that regulates your basic necessities, but work is only what you "want" to do, since you use it to increase your Wuffie. Sounds like high school, right?And then there's the real drawback to this futuristic high school. To combat aging, a back of your memories and body can be made and uploaded into a clone whenever you want. No more illness or disease. If you get sick, just grow a new you. Changing your looks is easy too, including age lines, wrinkles, and bad joints. But what if something goes wrong with a back-up? Or you don't have the most recent one on file?I can't say more without giving away a major plot point (and I might have said too much as it is) but it was this twist that I loved.The other thing that I really liked was how Doctrow is managing his electronic rights. He has made an electronic copy available through DailyLit.com. A short segment is delivered to your inbox on a schedule you set-up. The next fragment is always a click a way.Recommendation: I liked it, but it's not for everyone, I'm sure.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found the technological ideas in Cory Doctorow's first novel fascinating and thought-provoking. The concept of 'Whuffie' - a reputation system by which anybody can award points to anybody for any reason, and everybody's score is public knowledge - is particularly memorable. There's not much of a plot, but the book is more about exploring a world in which want has been eradicated, and the ways in which people then choose to interact. There's a healthy dose of wonder, too. It's released under a Creative Commons license, so anybody can share, perform or copy the novel without permission.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    It was good until I realized that this is blatant wish fufillment fantasy. One star.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I guess I'm just out of touch with many readers, but this did *nothing* for me; less than nothing. I stopped two-thirds of the way through, absolutely uninterested in what might come next. Doctorow appears to be trying to imagine the same sort of world as Iain M Banks, a world of unlimited resources, but what he does with the concept is so much less interesting. And what is with the Disney fandom? It's pathological.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I wasn’t sure about this book when I first started, but once the main character had been killed, it picked up dramatically and I quite enjoyed it.I’m glad I did, as I’d purchased another book by Doctorow at the same time.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    An easy read, and enjoyable enough, but I finished it out of boredom rather than eagerness. The characters are, without exception, tortilla-flat, and the course of the story is pretty obvious by the second chapter or so. Gee-whiz tech-speculations aren't enough to save the narrative. I get the feeling that this should have been a short story, a novella at most--the book only reached 200 pages with the aid of a large font and several glaringly needless flashbacks and digressions.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very different is all I can say. Some great ideas about the future of theme parks, or at least, Walt Disney World.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I found this work to be engaging and interesting. Aficionados of Disney World and things Disney will find Doctorow's view of the future of Disney World interesting. He even engages the on-going debate among disneyphiles concerning whether any change to a Disney themepark, particularly changes to attractions or buildings designed by Walt Disney are ever justified.The storyline is amunsing and kept my attention. Doctorow is growing as an author and will likely join the ranks of William Gibson.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I started reading Doctorow's books written in 2009/2010 first. This much earlier book doesn't hold a candle to his later work. I liked it but ... the later works are much more well written!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Set in a future world where everyone has implants, think connected to the web at all times. Death is virtually non-existent, you die and you have your consciousness transported into a new clone of yourself. The story takes place in Walt Disney World which again is in the future. They are redoing the Hall of Presidents and removing the animatronics. Their being replaced with what they call flash baked. You get visceral and factual information about the presidents just slammed into your brain. Think of Neo learning Kung Fu in a second. The main characters are trying to save the Haunted Mansion from getting the same treatment. They want it to stay closer to the original concept. But the gang who has control of the presidents has they're eye on the mansion too. Was an interesting read. Seemed to race right through it. Is a good book for fans of the theme parks.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    You have a lot of people saying this is a great book. I do agree that you should check it out, but I wasn't quite blown away by it. I was impressed how Mr. Doctorow extrapolated from current technology--the internet and its subculture--and built a whole new milieu where people have direct interface to the web and death has been circumvented by the ability to restore a person to their most recent back-up. The story itself, however, wasn't quite as fascinating. Perhaps I'm a bit handicapped by the fact that I've never been to any of the Disneylands. I don't know.--J.