Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

by Cory Doctorow

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076530953X
• ISBN13: 9780765309532
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Excellent first effort

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom is Cory Doctorow's first novel and winner of the 2003 Locus Award for Best First Novel and is a finalist for the 2004 Nebula for Best Novel. Down and Out is set in a future where our concepts of both personal and corporate property have given way to new economic models. In this future the Disney Corporation no longer controls it's property. Instead, various, dedicated ad hoc groups have seized control of corporate property from greedy and ineffective owners. Julius is one of the leaders of the ad hoc group that now manages the Haunted Mansion in Disney World. Julius' group struggles to retain management of the Haunted Mansion as another, more predatory ad hoc group converts the Hall of Presidents into a purely virtual experience and sets it's sites on the Haunted Mansion. Julius is an old school Disney fan and doesn't want to see his favorite attraction stray too far from it's original implementation. Somebody thinks Julius is standing in the way of progress and a power struggle ensues. The rise of ad hoc groups as property stewards are not Doctorow's only economic evolution in Down and Out. Currency and personal wealth have been replaced with a reputation-based system - think of the seller ratings on eBay. Those with higher reputations have access to more community property and resources and vice versa. Such drastic economic shifts are only made possible by equally drastic shifts in technology. Specifically, Doctorow smoothly integrates networking technology with cyborg-style implant technology to create the societal network needed to support these grassroots, real-time economic plans. One can see any other person's reputation score on an intra-ocular HUD just by looking at that person. Along with computer displays, internet connections, browsers, e-mail, and cell phones have all been similarly absorbed by implanted technology. Doctorow's most radical technological idea is a revolution in health care which is fundamental for the creation of this future world and something I won't spoil in this review. Plot and character development could have easily been overwhelmed by the abundance of technology Doctorow invents for his vision of the future. Fortunately, that isn't the case. The plot is simple but strong and well paced. The story swings the main characters through descents and ascents that ground them in reality. I really liked this book, especially since the description on the jacket didn't sound too tempting for someone hunting some good, new cyberpunk. Reading Down and Out reminded me of the first time I read Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. Down and Out is not the masterpiece that Snow Crash is, but Doctorow has given us new ideas and clever technological applications without skimping on the plot or the characters. Because Doctorow has released his work under the Creative Commons License you can sample all of his work at his web site, [...]. If you like it but prefer to read the soft copies you can do

Entirely original; a marvelous debut novel

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

Great fun.

This is one of those books that makes you go, "Why didn't I think of that?" The idea to set a sci-fi novel in Disney World is absolutely brilliant. The idea that certain attractions are at "war" with one another is also absolutely brilliant.Growing up and living just miles from Disney World my whole life, having known cast members for years, I feel like I know every nook and cranny of the Magic Kingdom, and for the most part, Doctorow gets it all right. He describes certain places that I know like the back of my hand. The only slip-up occurs early on, when Julius' killer escapes and runs past "Sleeping Beauty Castle," which is the castle in Disneyland, CA. Later on, he corrects it back to Cinderella's Castle. Oh well, it's only one little thing.There are so many innovative ideas in this book, concerning the lack of money especially. Money is replaced by Whuffies, which are essentially "esteem points," you earn more if people like and respect you and you lose them if people don't. Isn't that the way our world already works? It's great to see that written down so creatively.The bottom line is that this book is just plain fun. Doctorow has created this entire society in the inner mechanics of Disney World, and once you struggle through the language for the first couple of pages, it's truly hard to put this one down.

Staring into a mirror and seeing the future

Although I've read a lot of science fiction over my 30-plus years, I've found that typically there's a mechanical process at the heart of it, ticking away plot points, waiting its time to spring into full deus ex machina glory. Meanwhile, romance is awkwardly introduced, and mindblowing ideas are thrown onto the page.Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom suffers from none of these flaws, and will be easily regarded in the future -- that mythical time that never comes -- alongside works of Philip K. Dick, although Doctorow's prose never gets out of control or wound up the way Dick's does.Down and Out isn't a future so much as our inevitable outcome given the current ideas of technology, religion, and consumerism. Nothing in the book seemed unfamiliar, no matter how exotic it was, probably because Doctorow rooted the book so firmly in the Disney Nightmare that is modern entertainment.I've been backstage at Disneyland and have met some cast members and Imagineering designers, and so his description of that kind of taken to the logical extreme occupation of the magic kingdom by people who want to make it better -- rather than make money or who have property rights -- doesn't strike me as odd, and his insights into what makes rides tick should gain him entrance to the Imagineering world.The story at the heart is compelling, and Doctorow engages in only a few Moby Dick like expository techniques to draw you into the world and then body slam you with a concrete instanciation. Death is dead, the future is before is, and the question he asks is, really, what the hell are we going to do with ourselves? Put on the hat with the rounded ears, obviously.

A grand idea novel!

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.