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Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present
by: Cory Doctorow

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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9781560259817
ISBN: 1560259817
Label: Running Press
Manufacturer: Running Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 304
Publication Date: January 31, 2007
Publisher: Running Press
Sales Rank: 66933
Studio: Running Press

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Editorial Review:

Product Description:

Have you ever wondered what it's like to get bitten by a zombie? To live through a bioweapon attack? To have every aspect of your life governed by invisible ants? In Cory Doctorow's collection of novellas, he wields his formidable experience in technology and computing to give us mindbending sci-fi tales that explore the possibilities of information technology — and its various uses — run amok. 'Anda's Game' is a spin on the bizarre new phenomenon of 'cyber sweatshops,' in which people are paid very low wages to play online games all day in order to generate in-game wealth, which can be converted into actual money. Another tale tells of the heroic exploits of 'sysadmins' — systems administrators — as they defend the cyber-world, and hence the world at large, from worms and bioweapons. And yes, there is a story about zombies, too.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- A review of Cory Doctorow's work, including this collection
I own and have read all of Cory's novels and short story collections but one. Little Brother is actually on its way from Amazon as I type this. I hope to start reading it this weekend.

Cory writes excellent fiction. His short stories are smart and engaging. His novels are a lot quirky and innovative, but still pay homage to the classics of the genre. I can't compare him to Gibson or Sterling or Card or Asimov. He is closest in my mind to Neal Stephenson, because Cory, like Neal, is a techy that knows his stuff. But still Cory doesn't go that route. Cory is his own dude, he doesn't try to copy or be like anybody but himself, and it shows.

Rating:

- One is not enough
I bought this book while on a buying binge. Usually, on these binges, I buy books only if they are by Canadians. Homesickness, I guess, here take two novels and go to bed.
I loved this book, not because at some point in his life Doctorow was/is Canadian (if anything, I hold my compatriots to higher standards), but because the stories were fast, funny, and deep. Freaking amazing.
I loved having I, Robot next to I, Row-Boat. It reminds me of dropping a single drop of some bizarre chemical into a series of solutions and then documenting what happens. I think I did that once in high school.
Happily, I can re-read the book, a rare treat for me. Each story struck a high note for me:
Printcrime was a tad odd, but the punch line was worth the overdramatic scene leading up to it.
When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth had me laughing and crying. The tech-talk would have gotten to me, except the love ... Read More

Rating:

- A Very Mixed Bag
Cory Doctorow reminds me of the kid in class who always thought he was just a little bit smarter, hipper and cooler than everyone else. Yes, he was a geek, but a cool geek. The stories contained in this collection range from good to ridiculous and I'll opine on each separately. NOTE: Like many a Canadian who has settled in the US, he likes to make us the bad guys in his stories while sucking up the good old US$.

When Sysadmins Ruled the World: there is way too much geek-speak in this one for anyone but a geek. The story itself ends a little to sweetly to make a good story -- some people lived happily ever after, but everyone turned out ok.

Anda's Game: This would be an interesting story to expand. It is very anti-NAFTA and is about as subtle as a brick through a glass window. The use of a girl pre-teen character makes Cory a very 'liberated' man, but doesn't make the story any stronger. ... Read More

Rating:

- Underwhelming
Not a bad collection, but sometimes Doctorow's desire to use his fiction to promote his socio-political beliefs gets in the way of his genuine story-telling talent.

This collection included some good material: "After the Siege," the final story in the book, particularly impressed me. But "I, Robot," for example, seemed kind of clunky to me, a kind of "copyright opera."

I think these stories are available for free download under Creative Commons licensing. If you haven't liked some of Doctorow's work in the past, check out the free versions first.

If you are just starting to read Doctorow's work, try "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" or "Eastern Standard Tribe" or "Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town" first.

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