I didn't quite get into this as much as I did Little Brother--it was definitely a fun romp, and I can't criticize that. All the same, everything seemed felt a little too easy, and the ending a bit too pat without me really feeling the lynchpin character had enough depth to do what he/she {trying to be spoiler free, here) did (even though I _was_ wondering if it was her/him from around the middle of chapter 2). For that matter, the portrayal of the takeover of "our" society by the Bitchun society, itself, felt too easy.
Still, whuffie is great, it's an inventive world, and I _did_ read it straight through. 4/5, and easily recommended to folks interested in any of its tangents.
When I really enjoy a book, I think about the characters constantly. I wonder about their problems. I think about what they could do differently. Even though I know they are fictional, darn it, I want their lives to go well. That was definitely the case with this book. I don't judge art, but I know what I like. And I liked this book.
Another good story from Doctorow. He does not allow the wowness to distract from the story. Even so, I read these stories and wonder where these great ideas come from because I see them germinating in all the scifi I read lately. Maybe there is some common source that all these guys tap into, maybe they are just re-reading the same greats(Heinlein, Asimov).
I don't normally like Science fiction that relies heavily on tech to tell the story, but Doctorow handled it in such a way that the reader is cusious about the technology for a bit and then comes to understand it.
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on Oct 16, 2009 at 10:09
I didn't quite get into this as much as I did Little Brother--it was definitely a fun romp, and I can't criticize that. All the same, everything seemed felt a little too easy, and the ending a bit too pat without me really feeling the lynchpin character had enough depth to do what he/she {trying to be spoiler free, here) did (even though I _was_ wondering if it was her/him from around the middle of chapter 2). For that matter, the portrayal of the takeover of "our" society by the Bitchun society, itself, felt too easy.
Still, whuffie is great, it's an inventive world, and I _did_ read it straight through. 4/5, and easily recommended to folks interested in any of its tangents.
on Aug 17, 2009 at 15:34
Superb - he's envisioned a fully-functioning believable future and populated it with interesting characters - the story is 'a real page-turner' too.
on Apr 02, 2009 at 18:55
When I really enjoy a book, I think about the characters constantly. I wonder about their problems. I think about what they could do differently. Even though I know they are fictional, darn it, I want their lives to go well. That was definitely the case with this book. I don't judge art, but I know what I like. And I liked this book.
on Dec 05, 2008 at 15:15
Another good story from Doctorow. He does not allow the wowness to distract from the story. Even so, I read these stories and wonder where these great ideas come from because I see them germinating in all the scifi I read lately. Maybe there is some common source that all these guys tap into, maybe they are just re-reading the same greats(Heinlein, Asimov).
on Apr 26, 2008 at 00:18
I don't normally like Science fiction that relies heavily on tech to tell the story, but Doctorow handled it in such a way that the reader is cusious about the technology for a bit and then comes to understand it.