This is the reason why I stopped reading Doctorow, it's all just 'geeky back-patting'.
His stance on copyright is very black and white, and he uses his books to preach this black and white 'internet is best' world-view - Makers for example has the 100% good open blogger vs. the 100% evil traditional journalist, Down and out in the magic kingdom has post-scarcity financial system based on how much people like you on the internet..
It's all just preaching to the choir mixed with an obsession with Disney, and I learn nothing new from his writings.
I think you guys may have missed something. The protagonists feels a lot of emotion, but they mourn in a sad and silent way. They spend the whole story trying to get over what happened to their family. Its far from clear that the Internet is best, or that anyone is doing the right thing.
I'll give you that Doctorow's novels celebrate technology; birds are also going to fly, and fish are going to swim. And when a nerdy sysadmins write about nerdy sysadmins, the story will have a certain bend to it.
Its cool that you guys didn't like it, maybe you could express that in a way that isn't pedantic.
Exactly the point. Most people there lost someone. If I was in that situation, I'd be completely devastated inside, but I'd keep working, trying to make the best with what I can in the hopes that it creates a better world out of what's left. That's the point of what any of them were trying to do.
