Morality, cloning, socialism, poverty, right to die, freedom of choice, pratfalls of hubris, and the cult of celebrity are all explored in what may be the best debut science-fiction novel since Neuromancer.ĭown and Out in the Magic Kingdom is not for everyone. Like all good science fiction, Doctorow tackles the issues of today, tomorrow.
His story is told on many levels, with a surprising complexity and the perfect touch of humor. Jules' murder is just part of a fascinating plot centering around a war between two ad-hocs for the soul of the Magic Kingdom.Ĭory Doctorow meshes all of these outlandish ideas into a novel of power and skill. But it's the first time he has been killed. In this future of fantastic concepts, the two most interesting and important are that everyone backs up their minds in a huge collective computer, and that immortality through cloning is not just a reality, but an everyday occurrence.Įarly in the book, Jules gets murdered, which turns out to be the fourth time he has died. Leaders are determined by their Whuffie, essentially a popularity rating as determined by everyone living. In this future of no money, no worries, people work together in ad-hocs (groups that meet for a specific purpose). He is living his dream of working in and maintaining Disney World. On the surface just another science-fiction novel, Doctorow's prose practically crackles with intriguing ideas. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory DoctorowĬory Doctorow's first novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, heralds the arrival of a major literary talent. (It's only his fourth death and revival, after all.) Now it's war. Worse: it appears this new group has had Jules killed. For Jules, this is an attack on the artistic purity of Disney World itself. 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. Now, though, the "ad hocs" are under attack. Now in the keeping of a network of "ad-hocs" who keep the classic attractions running as they always have, enhanced with only the smallest high-tech touches. and to realize his boyhood dream of taking up residence in Disney World.ĭisney World! The greatest artistic achievement of the long-ago twentieth century.
He's lived long enough to see the cure for death and the end of scarcity, to learn ten languages and compose three symphonies. Jules is a young man barely a century old. Bruce Sterling, author of The Hacker Crackdown and Distraction " He sparkles! He fizzes! He does backflips and breaks the furniture! Science fiction needs Cory Doctorow." Read Down & Out in the Magic Kingdom online at the Internet Archive.
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