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    Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
    Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
    Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
    Ebook211 pages3 hours

    Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

    By Cory Doctorow

    3.5/5

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArchive Classics
    Release dateJan 1, 2002
    Author

    Cory Doctorow

    Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, and journalist. His latest book is THE LOST CAUSE, a solarpunk science fiction novel of hope amidst the climate emergency. His most recent nonfiction book is THE INTERNET CON: HOW TO SEIZE THE MEANS OF COMPUTATION, a Big Tech disassembly manual. Last April, he published RED TEAM BLUES, a technothriller about finance crime. He is the author of the international young adult LITTLE BROTHER series. He is also the author of CHOKEPOINT CAPITALISM (with Rebecca Giblin), about creative labor markets and monopoly; HOW TO DESTROY SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM, nonfiction about conspiracies and monopolies; and of RADICALIZED and WALKAWAY, science fiction for adults, a YA graphic novel called IN REAL LIFE; and other young adult novels like PIRATE CINEMA. His first picture book was POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER (Aug 2020). His next novel is THE BEZZLE (February 2024). He maintains a daily blog at Pluralistic.net. He works for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is a MIT Media Lab Research Affiliate, is a Visiting Professor of Computer Science at Open University, a Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of North Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. Born in Toronto, Canada, he now lives in Los Angeles. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. In 2022, he earned the Sir Arthur Clarke Imagination in Service to Society Awardee for lifetime achievement. York University (Canada) made him an Honourary Doctor of Laws; and the Open University (UK) made him an Honourary Doctor of Computer Science.

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    Reviews for Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

    3.5/5

    940 ratings73 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Its an interesting story of a future utopia. While the characters are well developed, I never really felt any investment in them. In a way, the story is kind of like a vacation trip where you meet some people and enjoy spending a few days with them, then go on your way knowing you'll probably neve see them again.

      One of the things I found interesting about the story was how, even in this Utopian future, everyone still placed a high value on the basic tenants of the Disney experience.
    • 1/5
      One of the most horrible books that I read in 2006. The only good part about this book is the fact that the line spacing is doubled in order to make it look longer than it actually is.
    • 2/5
      Not sure why, but this novel dragged terribly, and every time I took it up again I had to force myself to read more than a few pages - and that's although awesome ideas litter the floor of the future Disney Land where the protagonist fights not to get murdered again and to maintain the family business. But Jules remained bland and pale in my mind, just as his girlfriend and most of the other chars.
    • 4/5
      Set in a future world where everyone has implants, think connected to the web at all times. Death is virtually non-existent, you die and you have your consciousness transported into a new clone of yourself. The story takes place in Walt Disney World which again is in the future. They are redoing the Hall of Presidents and removing the animatronics. Their being replaced with what they call flash baked. You get visceral and factual information about the presidents just slammed into your brain. Think of Neo learning Kung Fu in a second. The main characters are trying to save the Haunted Mansion from getting the same treatment. They want it to stay closer to the original concept. But the gang who has control of the presidents has they're eye on the mansion too. Was an interesting read. Seemed to race right through it. Is a good book for fans of the theme parks.
    • 3/5
      Disappointing, Disney-fetishistic
    • 1/5
      Underdeveloped adolescent frippery. The authors later works are much better, but then again they'd have to be considering how bad this is.
    • 4/5
      Cory Doctorow's novella spins a tale set in the "Bitchun society" - a time in the future where death has been cured and money has been replaced by a system of respect/popularity points that's immediately accessible since everyone somehow has the internet in their heads now.The "Magic Kingdom" referenced in the title is THE Magic Kingdom - the story takes place in Disney World, which has taken on an elevated importance in a world where people no longer have jobs or, essentially, purpose. It's short and breezy, yet thought-provoking - despite all the changes technology has enabled, the main character clings to keeping the rides at Disney World in their original form and freaks out when someone threatens to update them.
    • 3/5
      The key to reading science fiction seems to be waiting. The author throws out a series of neologisms that baffle the reader, and your only chance to catch up is to keep plodding along until context allows you to sort out the meaning.

      The key to writing science fiction, then, seems to be finding a fine balance between explaining that context so the reader doesn't feel perpetually lost and falling into an information-dump situation.

      Doctorow does a fairly good job of walking that line - the first few chapters, I was a little confused, but I waited it out, and was able to sort it out - and I was glad I did. The ideas he comes up with are fresh enough to be intriguing, practical enough to make you think, and imaginative enough to make you interested.

      The story focuses more on the adventure aspect, and while the book does involve a murder, it isn't really a mystery - the killer is pretty obvious from the beginning and seems to be almost secondary to the storyline.

      The only real complaint I have is that the book revolves around a central theme of preserving history versus accepting change - and there are several pointed cybertechnological anecdotes to underline that question. I would have loved to see more of an exploration of some of the philosophical ramifications of the technology presented, and indeed, two of the main characters start in on those conversations, but the storyline takes precedence and cuts it off before they wade too deep.

      Which is not to say that it wasn't enjoyable - the storyline is fun enough to read in a jiffy, and even if the narrative doesn't really take the time to explore some of the neater aspects, it gives you the seeds and allows you to run with it long after you've put the book down.
    • 2/5
      I've mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I love some of the ideas, most obviously "Whuffie," the quantified amount of respect everyone uses as a sort of currency. It reads like good, old fashioned sf, but I don't much *like* old sf. On the other hand, I just plain disliked all of the main characters.
    • 3/5
      This a great example of cyberpunk and a rather fun story. The recording of this, though, is not very good. It is read by the author, which is fine aside from lack of distinction between characters, but it sounds like a live recording - there is paper rustling, flubbed lines, and general rushing through passages, plus some parts are loud and others are soft.
    • 3/5
      Liked this book and still remember 7 years later.
    • 3/5
      The future! Where death has been conquered, there's no scarcity, no work and no money either. But there's still Disney World and that's where Julius currently resides with his girlfriend Lil. He's joined the ad-hoc society that's keeping Liberty Square and Tom Sawyer Island running as it's always been running despite fresh interest in upgrading with the latest technology. That is until he gets murdered and while he's away getting restored from his last backup another ad-hoc has taken a run at the Hall of Presidents and their modern refurb has gone down a storm. Julius obviously suspects them of his murder and using the distraction to gain a foothold and thinks this new group will not be satisfied with just the Hall and the beloved Haunted Mansion could be next. Jules needs a plan to stop them and so enlists the aid of his newly arrived long-time friend Dan to put what he comes up with into action.The reader is dumped straight into this new world without much exposition to help come to terms with it. What's Whuffie and why does it matter if you've got none? Never fear as it all becomes clear if you just keep reading. (It's a way of keeping track of your current approval rating and with enough of it you can pretty much do anything you want to.) There are some grandiose ideas contained in this short (just about hits the 200 page mark) novel but the majority of them never really pass beyond germination as the story concentrates on the plot at hand with only a few diversions along the way. Unfortunately, this leads to garnering the reader with certain expectations with the setup of the book which are then not followed through with. It probably doesn't help that the main character is not really that likeable either but as this was the first published novel from the author then allowances can be made especially since I've already highly enjoyed one of his later works ([Little Brother]). Still, I'm not entirely disappointed that I've read it and it's a very quick and easy read.
    • 3/5
      I really like Cory Doctorow's ideals so I wanted to check out one of his books. I really like the idea of the book. It is a very humorous plot of "death being non-existent so let's spend eternity at Disney World". Unfortunately the plot didn't really suck me in. I felt like he could have done so much more. The biggest problem was most likely that I listened to the audiobook, which Cory Doctorow narrated himself. He isn't much of a voice actor and I think this took away from the book a lot. I think if I would have read it instead, I would have enjoyed it more. It still kept me very entertained though and will probably pick up another one of his books.
    • 5/5
      I got this as a free e-book, as Mr. Doctorow is a smart man and offers full downloads of all his books. I have to say, this book made me want to read more from him. His style is clean, quick, and he's clever all as heck. I'm a sucker for dystopian and utopian what-if type books, so this was right up my alley.

      If you like science fiction and are tired of the overlong worldbuilding and no plot crap that can happen with sci-fi, then this is the book for you.
    • 3/5
      "I lived long enough to see the cure for death; to see the rise of the Bitchun Society; to learn ten languages; to compose three symphonies; to realize my boyhood dream of taking up residence in Disney World; to see the death of the workplace and of work."This was my first book by Cory Doctorow, who has a good reputation, and whose work in internet-land I admire. I was looking forward to it, but I came away disappointed.The ideas, as you'd expect, are great. The book is a clever look at a fairly plausible post-scarcity society. Luxury items are purchased with a currency based on respect and contribution -- the more you do for people, and the more they like what you do, the richer you get. I'd have liked more detail (Only basic sustenance is free -- but why? Is everywhere similar to the America he portrays?), more history of how society got to where he shows it -- but still, it's good stuff.The characterisation, though, is poor. Jules, the protagonist, spends much of the book uncertain of his own motivation, possibly mad, certainly angry and obsessive. It's possible for a novel to succeed with an unlikeable hero, but it takes a very good writer to pull it off. Doctorow doesn't manage it. You often feel that Jules ought to fail, because he's being such an idiot.He also misses a great opportunity with another character -- Dan, who's struggling for motivation in his life, who's only thrived when outside the comfort and safety of the have-it-all society. He has been visiting communities which have stayed isolated out of fear or mistrust or ideology, living with them, and convincing them to join everyone else. When he's convinced them all, he runs out of interest in living. But how does he feel about what he's done? Can he not see the conflict there? Doctorow doesn't even glance at these questions.Also, Disney World as the rock upon which defenders of the "real" base their fight against the virtual? What's up with that? If it's meant to be ironic, the idea needed to be given more bite.Cory Doctorow is great to have around, but on this evidence, he's not a great novelist.
    • 4/5
      While Cory Doctorow always comes off as pedantic, perhaps that is just because I know his themes and his mindset and it transfers very obviously to his works of fiction to the point that they stop being fiction and more like a roundabout way to brainwash people. Yet I can't deny he knows how to spin a tale, and this is a quick, interesting little mystery with enough real thoughtfulness to balance out the catchphrases.
    • 2/5
      I really didn't get this book. He seemed to drag out and become difficult to follow.
    • 3/5
      I started reading Doctorow's books written in 2009/2010 first. This much earlier book doesn't hold a candle to his later work. I liked it but ... the later works are much more well written!
    • 3/5
      This future world is so intricately created, bringing a sense of the familiar from the theme parks, and the futuristic science fiction elements.

      The main character's emotions and mindset came through remarkably. I hated his decisions and I loved him for it. The secondary characters are well written as well, but I think the story ended a bit too abruptly to fully give them a finish.

      The plot was engaging, a murder mystery and a corporation take over to spice things up.

      3.5 stars rounded down because I probably won't reread it.
    • 4/5
      The first and best of Doctorow's books, Down and Out touches is one of those books that are "relevant" today, but likely won't be in 20 years or so once many of the issues that Cory cares about are either resolved or we're living in a post-apocalyptic world and therefore they don't matter anyway.

      While the concept of Whuffie is a bit too utopian for me (and a logistical nightmare when you think about the massive computational power that would be required to crunch the complex algorithms to calculate Whuffie scores in real time), this book is a pretty fun read. Don't expect a whole lot of depth from it, though.
    • 3/5
      This book was highly recommended on r/printsf, and the major plot points sounded intriguing: They've conquered disease/death! They live at Disneyland! Society based on popularity/likes like that one (awesome) episode of Black Mirror! Unfortunately, I didn't end up liking the *actual* plot which was, "guy goes more and more insane and alienates his girlfriend and friends trying to figure out who murdered him as well as protect his favorite-est Disney ride from being modernized"Also interestingly, I thought I remembered really liking Cory Doctorow, but I just checked and this is the only one of his books I've ever read. Maybe I just like him on Twitter.
    • 3/5
      I wasn't expecting to feel for the protagonist, but while reading and despite myself I found myself stressed out at the possibility of a bad income.

      I thought the idea of Whuffie and being eternally jacked in was incredibly cool, and as much a relevant spin on today's (2011) society than a prediction of some strange distant future.

      That being said, I was terribly disappointed at the end of the book. I was hanging on my seat for resolution, and that resolution happened far too neatly and quickly, snacking the hero out from the jaws of defeat ... although I am impressed that, in true cyberpunk fashion, he wasn't exactly set down in victory either. And even then, Alfred Bester's "The Demolished Man" was an amazing story with a disappointing end, so "Down and Out" is still in quite excellent company.
    • 3/5
      A fascinating premise, but executed like White Guy Sci-Fi, and that just leaves me a little cold these days.
    • 2/5
      both times I read this book I found myself thinking a lot about souls. The way people are reborn as clones in this story means that if souls do exist they died along with the original body. Or maybe the spark of consciousness in the new body births a new soul, or maybe the soul carries over with the consciousness, or maybe souls dont exist. Basically all the people in this are meat computers and I spent a lot of time thinking about that.in regards to the actual story i was kinda meh on it. The plot was interesting but I grew to dislike the main character so by the end of the story i didnt really care what happened to him.
    • 2/5
      Starts off well and I like some of the ideas, but even for a short book it wears by the end - not helped by the unlikeable nature of the main characters.
    • 2/5
      Strange futuristic story of mutiny at Disney among warring groups. I gave it to stars because of the imaginative story, not the story itself. The author had developed lifestyles and devices of the future. Very creative. But as a genr I do not like sci-fi.
    • 5/5
      I read this through email on DailyLit in 65 parts, starting September 30. Clearly I enjoyed more than one installment a day.I'm not even sure why I liked this so much.I was really surprised by how much the sci-fi details were similar to Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series, Extras in particular. (Westerfeld mentions this book himself here, but not in much depth.) Cosmetic surgery allowing anyone to look like anything and keep in perfect health, the internal computer interfaces operated by small gestures, and the reputation economy. I did start reading this right after I finished that series, but I would be shocked if Westerfeld hadn't read this right before starting it. Cut from very similar cloth.I had a lot more fun with the language, symbolism, and ideas here. I love "squirting" information at each other's systems with finger guns. I love the succinct, intriguing flashbacks. And the story's main thrust, Julius's willful spiral after being knocked offline, is really moving. I love that it's not a story of man vs. society, an attack on a big-brother dystopia, as much as a person losing all his bearings and finding his utopia can't help him.
    • 5/5
      Ad-hocracy? An economy based on, well, karma? Hmm. Cary Doctorow has written a story that takes place in a Wired paradise, with a murder mystery that's investigated by an immortal victim in Walt Disney World. I downloaded this book for free from Doctorow's web-site and read it on my off-time at work. At that price, this is a great read, and I'd even recommend the non-free dead-tree version as a great mystery for computer nerds.
    • 5/5
      About a third of the way into the novel, I am hit by a sense of having been here before. The tone, the scenario, the characters seem familiar though I can attest that I've never read this book before. This may be a case of a book that is so influential and inspiring that it sets the standard for style and subject matter for later books. In particular, the transhumanist cyberpunkish viewpoint resounds with some of the books by Stross, Kline's Ready Player One, Reynolds' House of Suns, Vinge's Rainbow's End. I can guess what's going to happen next in the book but am still eager to read on. I am beginning to dislike the main character in this book, like Case in Neuromancer.
      --------------------
      Done. Bitchin! Quite a romp with very profound views on the future of instant data access, communications and social media. Close to the end of the book, I got to thinking, "If you have infinite energy, immortal lives, interstellar travel, why go to Disneyland?" But the Magic Kingdom does provide for a unique, easily accessible background environment that allows Doctorow more freedom to develop his ideas. The book's conflict among the main characteristics and the final resolution seem contrived, in fact the "Down" part of the title applies to the particularly morose ending, but these are not why I like the book. The book has much to offer in Doctorow's vision of social interactions and society in the picture. Just for this aspect of the book alone, I highly recommend it.
      --------------------
      Aside: After I discussed the idea of universal viruses with my young son, I inexplicably exclaimed, "Bitchin!" He gives me a quizzical look, perhaps thinking, "Is that an allowed word now?" I'd say only after one has read this book.
    • 3/5
      This is one of the Cory Doctorow books I've been wanting to read for a while, so I picked up a copy for my Kindle. It was a different read from what I had been expecting. I like how Doctorow sets up this completely futuristic world, but in the context of the Magic Kingdom, it still feels down to earth. I did have a big problem relating to Julius and Dan (Lil was the only character that I liked for the majority of the book) and their issues, although I kept reliking and disliking them throughout the course of the novel. I really did like the overall set-up of the book- Julius getting murdered, trying to figure it out- but once it got into his vendetta against Debra and her ad-hocs, that was the point I started not relating to the characters anymore. It was an interesting read, and does make me want to pick up more of Doctorow's adult work.

    Book preview

    Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom - Cory Doctorow

    Project Gutenberg's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, by Cory Doctorow

    This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with

    almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or

    re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included

    with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

    ** This is a COPYRIGHTED Project Gutenberg eBook, Details Below **

    **     Please follow the copyright guidelines in this file.     **

    Title: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

    Author: Cory Doctorow

    Posting Date: August 13, 2012 [EBook #8086]

    Release Date: May, 2005

    First Posted: June 13, 2003

    Language: English

    *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DOWN AND OUT IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM ***

    Down and Out

    in the

    Magic Kingdom

    Cory Doctorow

    Copyright © 2003 Cory Doctorow

    doctorow@craphound.com

    http://www.craphound.com/down

    Tor Books, January 2003

    ISBN: 0765304368

    Table of Contents

    Blurbs

    About this book

    PROLOGUE

    CHAPTER 1

    CHAPTER 2

    CHAPTER 3

    CHAPTER 4

    CHAPTER 5

    CHAPTER 6

    CHAPTER 7

    CHAPTER 8

    CHAPTER 9

    CHAPTER 10

    Acknowledgments

    About the Author

    Other books by Cory Doctorow

    Blurbs:

    He sparkles! He fizzes! He does backflips and breaks the furniture! Science fiction needs Cory Doctorow!

    Bruce Sterling

    Author, The Hacker Crackdown and Distraction

    In the true spirit of Walt Disney, Doctorow has ripped a part of our common culture, mixed it with a brilliant story, and burned into our culture a new set of memes that will be with us for a generation at least.

    Lawrence Lessig

    Author, The Future of Ideas

    Cory Doctorow doesn’t just write about the futur … think he lives there. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom isn’t just a really good read, it’s also, like the best kind of fiction, a kind of guide book. See the Tomorrowland of Tomorrow today, and while you’re there, why not drop by Frontierland, and the Haunted Mansion as well? (It’s the Mansion that’s the haunted heart of this book.) Cory makes me feel nostalgic for the futur … dizzying, yet rather pleasant sensation, as if I’m spiraling down the tracks of Space Mountain over and over again. Visit the Magic Kingdom and live forever!

    Kelly Link

    Author, Stranger Things Happen

    Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom is the most entertaining and exciting science fiction story I’ve read in the last few years. I love page-turners, especially when they are as unusual as this novel. I predict big things for Down and Out—it could easily become a breakout genre-buster.

    Mark Frauenfelder

    Contributing Editor, Wired Magazine

    Imagine you woke up one day and Walt Disney had taken over the world. Not only that, but money’s been abolished and somebody’s developed the Cure for Death. Welcome to the Bitchun Society—and make sure you’re strapped in tight, because it’s going to be a wild ride. In a world where everyone’s wishes can come true, one man returns to the original, crumbling city of dreams—Disney World. Here in the spiritual center of the Bitchun Society he struggles to find and preserve the original, human face of the Magic Kingdom against the young, post-human and increasingly alien inheritors of the Earth. Now that any experience can be simulated, human relationships become ever more fragile; and to Julius, the corny, mechanical ghosts of the Haunted Mansion have come to seem like a precious link to a past when we could tell the real from the simulated, the true from the false.

    Cory Doctorow—cultural critic, Disneyphile, and ultimate Early Adopter—uses language with the reckless confidence of the Beat poets. Yet behind the dazzling prose and vibrant characters lie ideas we should all pay heed to. The future rushes on like a plummeting roller coaster, and it’s hard to see where we’re going. But at least with this book Doctorow has given us a map of the park.

    Karl Schroeder

    Author, Permanence

    Cory Doctorow is the most interesting new SF writer I’ve come across in years. He starts out at the point where older SF writers’ speculations end. It’s a distinct pleasure to give him some Whuffie.

    Rudy Rucker

    Author, Spaceland

    Cory Doctorow rocks! I check his blog about ten times a day, because he’s always one of the first to notice a major incursion from the social-technological-pop-cultural future, and his voice is a compelling vehicle for news from the future. Down and Out in The Magic Kingdom is about a world that is visible in its outlines today, if you know where to look, from reputation systems to peer-to-peer adhocracies. Doctorow knows where to look, and how to word-paint the rest of us into the picture.

    Howard Rheingold

    Author, Smart Mobs

    Doctorow is more than just a sick mind looking to twist the perceptions of those whose realities remain uncorrupted - though that should be enough recommendation to read his work. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom is black comedic, sci-fi prophecy on the dangers of surrendering our consensual hallucination to the regime. Fun to read, but difficult to sleep afterwards.

    Douglas Rushkoff

    Author of Cyberia and Media Virus!

    Wow! Disney imagineering meets nanotechnology, the reputation economy, and Ray Kurzweil’s transhuman future. As much fun as Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash, and as packed with mind bending ideas about social changes cascading from the frontiers of science.

    Tim O’Reilly

    Publisher and Founder, O’Reilly and Associates

    Doctorow has created a rich and exciting vision of the future, and then wrote a page-turner of a story in it. I couldn’t put the book down.

    Bruce Schneier

    Author, Secrets and Lies

    Cory Doctorow is one of our best new writers: smart, daring, savvy, entertaining, ambitious, plugged-in, and as good a guide to the wired world of the twenty-first century that stretches out before us as you’re going to find.

    Gardner Dozois

    Editor, Asimov’s SF

    Cory Doctorow’s Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom tells a gripping, fast-paced story that hinges on thought-provoking extrapolation from today’s technical realities. This is the sort of book that captures and defines the spirit of a turning point in human history when our tools remake ourselves and our world.

    Mitch Kapor

    Founder, Lotus, Inc., co-founder Electronic Frontier Foundation

    A note about this book:

    "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" is my first novel. It’s an actual, no-foolin’ words-on-paper book, published by the good people at Tor Books in New York City. You can buy this book in stores or online, by following links like this one:

    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0765304368/downandoutint-20

    So, what’s with this file? Good question.

    I’m releasing the entire text of this book as a free, freely redistributable e-book. You can download it, put it on a P2P net, put it on your site, email it to a friend, and, if you’re addicted to dead trees, you can even print it.

    Why am I doing this thing? Well, it’s a long story, but to shorten it up: first-time novelists have a tough row to hoe. Our publishers don’t have a lot of promotional budget to throw at unknown factors like us. Mostly, we rise and fall based on word-of-mouth. I’m not bad at word-of-mouth. I have a blog, Boing Boing (http://boingboing.net), where I do a lot of word-of-mouthing. I compulsively tell friends and strangers about things that I like.

    And telling people about stuff I like is way, way easier if I can just send it to ’em. Way easier.

    What’s more, P2P nets kick all kinds of ass. Most of the books, music and movies ever released are not available for sale, anywhere in the world. In the brief time that P2P nets have flourished, the ad-hoc masses of the Internet have managed to put just about everything online. What’s more, they’ve done it for cheaper than any other archiving/revival effort ever. I’m a stone infovore and this kinda Internet mishegas gives me a serious frisson of futurosity.

    Yeah, there are legal problems. Yeah, it’s hard to figure out how people are gonna make money doing it. Yeah, there is a lot of social upheaval and a serious threat to innovation, freedom, business, and whatnot. It’s your basic end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it scenario, and as a science fiction writer, end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it scenaria are my stock-in-trade.

    I’m especially grateful to my publisher, Tor Books (http://www.tor.com) and my editor, Patrick Nielsen Hayden (http://nielsenhayden.com/electrolite) for being hep enough to let me try out this experiment.

    All that said, here’s the deal: I’m releasing this book under a license developed by the Creative Commons project (http://creativecommons.org/). This is a project that lets people like me roll our own license agreements for the distribution of our creative work under terms similar to those employed by the Free/Open Source Software movement. It’s a great project, and I’m proud to be a part of it.

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