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More NerdCore Science Fiction From Cory Doctorow

Posted by chrisd on from the joined-the-eff-yet dept.

Andrew Leonard writes "Cory Doctorow has published a new short story in Salon. This time around, he's imagined a cyberpunk wi-fi future, with spectrum cops, a mobile multinational startup, and guerilla warfare on Indian reservations. Readers who liked his previous story, "0wnz0red" will undoubtedly savor this one." We've posted things about Cory before, but I personally enjoy his writing, so here's more!

7 of 122 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Average writing skill by stratjakt · · Score: 2, Insightful

    You're being generous.

    I couldn't even get through a few paragraphs.

    Why anyone would compare his stuff to the likes of HHGTTG or Snow Crash is beyond me.

    This guy's a hack. But he wrote a story about Wi-Fi, buzzword of the new millenium.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  2. Re:Average writing skill by Ponty · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Excruciating detail can be helpful sometimes. I know I've read some really good writing that makes artful use of it.

    It's the semi-poser wannabe writing that gets me. The use of familiar words in vaguely correct arrangements doesn't make good writing:

    You gotta read your classics, bro. I've been catching up over the past six months or so, doing a lot of reading. Mostly free e-books from the Gutenberg Project. Descartes' "Meditations" are some heavy shiznit.
    Crap, man. That's worse than Thomas Wolfe.
  3. A better question might be... by Ieshan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Why does everyone with a computer think they're a critic? =P

  4. give salon money by tomlord · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Salon has a bunch of good content. Maybe you agree that this story is good. Subscribe!

  5. Re:Average writing skill by ashultz · · Score: 2, Insightful


    He may be average, but it's always funny for someone to criticize writing in a post that gets gets plural and singular tenses messed up and uses all caps.

    Personally, I find him an above average fiction writer. Hardly my favorite, and his characters are not well developed, but head and shoulders above a lot of stuff that gets published. Perhaps head, shoulders, and bellybutton above the web average.

  6. Re:Average writing skill maybe, but... by alakazam · · Score: 2, Insightful
    ...above-average skill at finishing a story that he's started.

    Everybody who has more than a couple (dozen?) stories started who are going to finish them "one of these days" please raise your hand. (Ouch, I can't count that high.)

  7. Devils in the Details (or lack thereof) by _Sprocket_ · · Score: 2, Insightful


    The underdeveloped characters are stereotypes and he uses excruciating detail to describe minutia which DOES NOT MATTER. Writing involves showing the TELLING details and having a strong sense of POV.

    I would argue that the details DO matter. What makes these stories interesting are the technical / political / social concepts each story explores. To better express these concepts, a certain degree of detail is needed.

    The trouble is, this detail ends up highlighting a lack of detail elsewhere. There are attempts at fleshing out the world in which these concepts are playing out. But these attempts ultimately fall flat. One example, as has been pointed out, is the commonly underdeveloped character.

    Doctorow has a good start. Enough to be kind of interesting now. I hope he improves with time. Then he may be worthy of the breathless praise his critics currently scoff at.