Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctrow

Summary: Living in Disney World isn't all it's cracked up to be when someone is trying to kill you.

Title: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Author: Cory Doctrow

Genre: Fantasy

The Take-Away: What if you could live forever without aging? What if the opponents to this plan were eliminated simply because they died and you didn't?

Cory Doctrow explores what happens when humankind is "perfect." Wuffie, or popularity, is important because that regulates your basic necessities, but work is only what you "want" to do, since you use it to increase your Wuffie. Sounds like high school, right?

And then there's the real drawback to this futuristic high school. To combat aging, a back of your memories and body can be made and uploaded into a clone whenever you want. No more illness or disease. If you get sick, just grow a new you. Changing your looks is easy too, including age lines, wrinkles, and bad joints. But what if something goes wrong with a back-up? Or you don't have the most recent one on file?

I can't say more without giving away a major plot point (and I might have said too much as it is) but it was this twist that I loved.

The other thing that I really liked was how Doctrow is managing his electronic rights. He has made an electronic copy available through DailyLit.com. A short segment is delivered to your inbox on a schedule you set-up. The next fragment is always a click a way.

Recommendation: I liked it, but it's not for everyone, I'm sure.

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