ludwinas's review against another edition
3.0
This book is hilarious, some kind of ready player one fantasy but about infosec and hacking culture instead of videogames.
aomernik's review against another edition
4.0
This book is a little hard to rate. On one hand, it's a brilliant plot, with believable characters, so on, so forth. On the other hand, there's quite a bit of info-dumping involved in the story, which, while necessary to explain everything, just gets to be tedious after a while.
So, I give Little Brother 4 stars. The end.
So, I give Little Brother 4 stars. The end.
sephipiderwitch's review against another edition
4.0
I got this book as a present from my son who felt I would enjoy it given our similar feelings on the over reaching of the government and NSA encroachments. I have to admit that I was very much hesitant to read this book given that the last time my son told me about one of the best books he had ever read, it was Crooked Little Vein. I am sure he is still snickering about luring me into reading that one. Thankfully, this book is in a totally different realm, so I shan't need nearly as much therapy to get over it.
Little Brother is an excellent book about what happens when the government gets out of hand and dismisses the people's bill of rights. Not too far removed from so very much of what we see happening in the world right now with the NSA and other government agencies that have been allowed to sidestep personal privacy and encroach on people's lives.
The story is told through the eyes of a group of high school kids who are playing a game and are in the wrong place at the wrong time when a bomb blows up the Bay Bridge. They wind up in the hands of Homeland Security on Treasure Island where they are interrogated for days with methods that are barbaric and criminal. When they are finally release, they are given threats of what will happen to them if they speak to anyone of what happened to them.
Through Marcus' eyes, you watch the transformation in the adults in his life as they find ways to accept and cope with the loss of freedom they are subjected to as their city becomes a police state run by Homeland Security. Marcus and his friends decide to wage an electronic war with the government and it becomes a cat and mouse game throughout.
Its a good story and one that needs to be told and needs even more to be read. The biggest problem I have with it is that it is written to the young gamers and computer geeks. Though he does try at times to explain the geek speak in many of the areas, it takes up a very large chunk of the novel and will cost him the readership of many people that don't share the vocabulary and interest in such things as role playing games and such. If his goal is just for the crowd that understands this, then it is fine. Because maybe he is plying to them to spur them into action to change the things he sees happening in the world. If that is his intent, then he has done an excellent job. But, if he wanted to reach a wider audience, he would need to cut some of the geekdom out of the book. The problem is that it is hard to tell which of the two he wants because at one turn he seems to be speaking to the young adult readership and then a few pages along, he seems to be addressing the rest of the readership.
My son tells me that the second book is even better than this one and has also sent that to me. So, when I get to it, I will see if he has made up his mind what his readership is in it. I will hope that it is the more general readership as he has a story to tell that I think needs to be told. He is a very good writer and I did enjoy the book. Particularly, the knowledge that much of what he refers to in the book is actual technology that we currently have. For those that think that people are being paranoid and our privacy is not being encroached upon at an unreasonable level, they really need to read this book. For those that he calls to action in the jacket of the book, I hope they take heed and take up the challenge.
SephiPiderWitch
http://sephipiderwitch.com/little-brother-cory-doctorow/
Little Brother is an excellent book about what happens when the government gets out of hand and dismisses the people's bill of rights. Not too far removed from so very much of what we see happening in the world right now with the NSA and other government agencies that have been allowed to sidestep personal privacy and encroach on people's lives.
The story is told through the eyes of a group of high school kids who are playing a game and are in the wrong place at the wrong time when a bomb blows up the Bay Bridge. They wind up in the hands of Homeland Security on Treasure Island where they are interrogated for days with methods that are barbaric and criminal. When they are finally release, they are given threats of what will happen to them if they speak to anyone of what happened to them.
Through Marcus' eyes, you watch the transformation in the adults in his life as they find ways to accept and cope with the loss of freedom they are subjected to as their city becomes a police state run by Homeland Security. Marcus and his friends decide to wage an electronic war with the government and it becomes a cat and mouse game throughout.
Its a good story and one that needs to be told and needs even more to be read. The biggest problem I have with it is that it is written to the young gamers and computer geeks. Though he does try at times to explain the geek speak in many of the areas, it takes up a very large chunk of the novel and will cost him the readership of many people that don't share the vocabulary and interest in such things as role playing games and such. If his goal is just for the crowd that understands this, then it is fine. Because maybe he is plying to them to spur them into action to change the things he sees happening in the world. If that is his intent, then he has done an excellent job. But, if he wanted to reach a wider audience, he would need to cut some of the geekdom out of the book. The problem is that it is hard to tell which of the two he wants because at one turn he seems to be speaking to the young adult readership and then a few pages along, he seems to be addressing the rest of the readership.
My son tells me that the second book is even better than this one and has also sent that to me. So, when I get to it, I will see if he has made up his mind what his readership is in it. I will hope that it is the more general readership as he has a story to tell that I think needs to be told. He is a very good writer and I did enjoy the book. Particularly, the knowledge that much of what he refers to in the book is actual technology that we currently have. For those that think that people are being paranoid and our privacy is not being encroached upon at an unreasonable level, they really need to read this book. For those that he calls to action in the jacket of the book, I hope they take heed and take up the challenge.
SephiPiderWitch
http://sephipiderwitch.com/little-brother-cory-doctorow/
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very interesting book. The storyline was a little high-schoolish for me, but the security concepts were very interesting and very well explained. This one would scare the pants off of anti-government conspiracy theorists.
odinblindeye's review against another edition
5.0
This is my first Doctorow book, and I have to say I'm impressed. A great book full of allegorical tales to reflect where paranoia will eventually lead. Absolutely a great book.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
I read this after seeing the theatrical adaptation in Chicago this past summer. Doctorow's vision of techno-rebellion in the face of increased surveillance/"security" certainly resonates (just last week we had yet another attempted bomber on a plane) but... there's part of me that vividly remembers what happened on Sept. 11 and is not convinced that we have gone too far in our methods. Sure, some are stupid and some are just ill-planned (really? a color-coded alert system??) but we do have an enemy with whom there is no middle ground for bargaining.
His love of technology led to several passages I just had to tune out (how one sends a tunnel in or through DNS, for example) but the rest of the story sounds relatively plausible, particularly the bits about the rest of the country not caring about SF and the gradually creeping increased measures. One would like to think that we couldn't get to that point here, but it's a definite possibility. When he went off on a tirade, as with the conversion of a "real" neighborhood to create City Center, again: tune out time.
His love of technology led to several passages I just had to tune out (how one sends a tunnel in or through DNS, for example) but the rest of the story sounds relatively plausible, particularly the bits about the rest of the country not caring about SF and the gradually creeping increased measures. One would like to think that we couldn't get to that point here, but it's a definite possibility. When he went off on a tirade, as with the conversion of a "real" neighborhood to create City Center, again: tune out time.
honu_girl's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book - sometimes a bit heavy-handed, but then again, our rights are being taken away in a very heavy-handed way in the name of "security." Some good history of hackers and cyber-security in there, too. Definitely a book to make you think.
somewheregirl7's review against another edition
3.0
Like many books, this one started with a lot of promise and quickly fizzled. I followed through until the end, however, hoping for some redeeming factor. I wanted to like the book - I really did. Some aspects were good but too many others felt contrived and the entire thing felt too much like a thinly veiled political statement. Subtlety has no place in this book. It was well written and coherent, the pacing was decent. I think the plot was just ... meh. The overtly political leanings really turned me off.
Now admittedly I am no fan of the current administration, and a lot of what this book was saying is true about the loss of freedom and the rise of "big brother" mentality in the U.S. Outside a novel I completely agree with most of what the author was saying. BUT. It comes down to what you read for. I read to escape, to be entertained. Not to read a political statement/agenda. If this had been a non-fiction book, no problem. But it wasn't. I don't mind my books having a moral - but a little subtelty in weaving it in please. My head still hurts from the concussion of having the message bashed in.
SPOILER ALERT
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.
.
Asside from the political stuff, I was disturbed at how quick Marcus was to abandon his best friend. For goodness sake, he gets free but his best friend is missing and he knows where he is and tells NO ONE? Also, the graphic description was at times a bit much. The torture scenes were told a little too lovingly - yes thanks I get he's flecked with barf. Let's move on.
Now admittedly I am no fan of the current administration, and a lot of what this book was saying is true about the loss of freedom and the rise of "big brother" mentality in the U.S. Outside a novel I completely agree with most of what the author was saying. BUT. It comes down to what you read for. I read to escape, to be entertained. Not to read a political statement/agenda. If this had been a non-fiction book, no problem. But it wasn't. I don't mind my books having a moral - but a little subtelty in weaving it in please. My head still hurts from the concussion of having the message bashed in.
SPOILER ALERT
.
.
.
Asside from the political stuff, I was disturbed at how quick Marcus was to abandon his best friend. For goodness sake, he gets free but his best friend is missing and he knows where he is and tells NO ONE? Also, the graphic description was at times a bit much. The torture scenes were told a little too lovingly - yes thanks I get he's flecked with barf. Let's move on.
amandabock's review against another edition
4.0
The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because his mom is referred to as both Louise and Lillian on the same page. And his hair kept changing lengths. But other than that, I thought it was FANTASTIC. Make me never want to buy anything with a credit card ever again. Especially my T pass.