Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, by Cory Doctorow

(0765304368)
Hmm. This is one of those books that made me feel really old while I read it, and even older when I finished it. The author's website is quite cool and I see what he's doing with this book in a technical, writing sense. It just didn't work for me on so many levels. I loathe Disney (with the famous "white hot burning hatred") and begrudge every penny we spend on products related to it. The plot was thin, and characters were caricatures instead of full-fleshed people. To be fair, the main character wasn't so bad that way.

On the other hand, Doctorow has some interesting ideas. I like the thought of Whuffie. It appeals to my inner socialist. And what the end of death (as he posits) would mean for religion is quite humorous to me, although he never mentions it. As a whole, though, the book just seems sort of...insular.

As I said, the concept was interesting. Guess I was expecting more. Oh well. I still like his website. Which is maybe a sign that I'm not as old as I feel.