Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present

Cory Doctorow is an interesting writer. He has wonderful ideas (check out his Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom for Whuffies and the Bitchun society! :)), but his writing and style is not always top of the line.

The same applies here. We have very interesting ideas (piracy by printing objects, apocalypse seen through the eyes of a system admin, pitching MMORPG girls and gold miner slaves against one another, 1984-like society with artificial intelligences, uplifted rowboats and sea creatures, and near-future war seen through the eyes of a small girl), but with most of the stories, his style just does not "click". He also seems to be a bit of a one-trick pony in that all the stories seem somehow to be about the freedom of information. He show more also gets a bit preachy every now and then. :)

But that small blemish aside, the ideas in the stories carry the collection well. Especially when he ponders about machine intelligences in I Robot and I, Row-Boat, he gives the reader a lot to think about us as humans. These two stories have a very interesting and humorous take on Asimov's three laws of robotics as well. :)

A very entertaining read. show less

I'm a fiend for short fiction, and Doctorow's [b:Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present|115969|Overclocked Stories of the Future Present|Cory Doctorow|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171719071s/115969.jpg|111691] is a thought-provoking collection of stories, often focused on intellectual property issues (it's more fun than it sounds).

I, Row-Boat and After the Siege were two favorites, though all the stories have something to recommend them.

My only complaint is that Doctorow is sometimes so eager to prove a point that he occasionally short-changes the story itself, or crosses that fine line between smart and preachy.

That said, this is a wonderful collection, and well worth your time.

A good collection of short stories and novellas loosely based off of spoofed titles of classic sci-fi novels, inspired by current events, and/or generally set in the present or near future with highly plausible (or already-existing) technology. There's the same preachy anti-copyright/information-wants-to-be-free message throughout, and some general anti-business Internet utopianism, but overall it was pretty good. I particularly liked the idea behind "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth", although I'd read it before this collection. If you're new to Doctorow, this collection is better than starting with a novel.

I worry about how well Doctorow's sci/fi will hold up to future generations. His stories are full of cultural and temporal markers and that can make sci/fi dated very quickly. Not that that should effect what I think of the stories now.
This is a very solid short story collection. The first and last stories are the best. Doctorow's blurbs are always amusing and often political. Not for the conservative audience!

Cory Doctorow'dan her biri birbirinden güzel öykülerin olduğu bir derleme bu kitap. Bazı öykülerde ileride yazdıklarına dair ipuçlarını ya da o fikirlerin gelişme noktalarını görebiliyorsunuz. Bu anlamda da Doctorow'un gelişimini görebilmenizi sağlıyor.

Kişisel olarak favori öykülerim After the Siege, Anda's Game ve When Sysadmins Rule the World. Hepsi oldukça iyi öyküler olsa da bu üçü kendisini öne çıkarmayı ve kafamda bazı şeyleri dürtmeyi becerebilenler oldu.

Özetle okunmasında fayda olan bir öykü(ler) kitabı.

This collection of short stories shows Doctorow at what I think he does best: Taking an idea about technology or social interaction and playing with it by means of fiction. This is a strong volume that demonstrates what he can do.

Some excellent, and therefore unsettling and bracing, examinations of consciousness, technology and the future now.