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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Counter-Culture Blockbuster, 23 Nov 2008
I picked up 'Little Brother' on the back of one or two interesting reviews, and it's fair to say it didn't disappoint. Both exciting and provocative, I expect it to become one of the most talked about novels of 2008.
With a title like 'Little Brother', Cory Doctorow's novel is bound to draw comparison with 1984, although the two are only superficially similar. To me choice of title feels as though it was made in the hope of catching some reflected glory from Orwell's masterpiece, which is shame; though not destined for 1984's greatness amongst the literary canon, I think 'Little Brother' may, in future, be seen as a seminal piece of counter-cultural fiction.
But what do I know? I'm over 25, which Doctorow goes some to lengths to point out, means that it's best not to listen to me. Little Brother, is very much a novel for the young and although I enjoyed it, I'm sure I missed some of the nuances of an IT savvy lifestyle and the general state of oppression that most teenagers (feel they) live under. I found 'Little Brother' very reminiscent of Scott Westerfeld's novels, which I have also enjoyed and at the end of the novel, Doctorow acknowledges Westerfeld's influence.
Little Brother breaks down into two major themes; the use of technology and the abuse of power. The sections that detail using an Xbox to create an underground internet and outline the various cryptographic measures taken by the characters, reek of authenticty and form a solid framework upon which the novel is built. For me though, the strength of the novel lies in its assessment of the abuse of our basic human rights through anti-terror legislation.
The near-future, pictured by Doctorow is entirely plausible and therefore all the more
terrifying. His arguments are a little one-sided; not all anti-terror measures are about controlling the population (but perhaps I think that because I'm over 25) and certain sections of the novel feel contrived; shoe-horned in to allow the author to make a certain political point. The teenage whinging of the protagonist is also sometimes a little hard to bear and occasionally gives the book a somewhat juvenile tone (again this may be an age thing).
Nevertheless, 'Little Brother' is an excellent and deeply affecting read. A wide ranging polemic on the abuse of power and people's contentment to let it happen, as long it doesn't affect them, or helps them feel safer at a minority's expense. Anybody who thinks identity cards are a good thing, or that you have nothing to worry about if you've done nothing wrong should read 'Little Brother'; it will open your eyes. The final pages brought a tear to my eye and left me wondering, just how much I am manipulated by the government and a reactionary media. Little Brother is the most important novel I have read in months, and I urge you to do the same.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Recommended with reservations, 7 Nov 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
Little Brother is a solid novel aimed at older teens and young adults. It's set a few years in the future (the date is not mentioned but they're onto the fourth Xbox console) and follows a group of San Francisco teenagers through the events leading up to and following a terrorist act which allows the restrictive Patriot Act II to be put in place.
All the way through this book, the author trod a fine line between preaching and telling a story. Much science fiction magnifies current events to predict a future we may wish to avoid, and Cory Doctorow obviously has a bee in his bonnet over events since 9/11 in the USA and the ways in which civil rights have been affected. Often he uses the lessons taught to Marcus in school to batter us over the head with information about the 60's civil rights movement, and there are also whole tracts of technical information (speaking as a web designer, I believe them to be pretty accurate), and these slow the narrative down quite a lot.
While being no Hawk myself, nor a right-wing apologist of any kind, I do think the the other characters are rather oversimplified, and the more right-wing their beliefs, the more they are portrayed as being simple, deluded or crazy. But then, since when has an author needed to present a balanced view of their political opinions? In fact, this author has very romantic notions about San Francisco, and especially the 60's civil rights movement.
Luckily the events of the story rescue us from feeling like we're being double-teamed by Naomi Klein and Michael Moore, and as these events occur the book reminded me of Pattern Recognition by William Gibson - another book set 'a few year in the future' that manages to pick up on subcultures so obscure to the mainstream that it feels like science fiction, even though, at heart, it isn't.
I don't know if Doctorow was compelled by the publisher to tack on a happy ending with the cavalry coming to the rescue and the general public coming to their senses, since it doesn't seem to fit with the general drive of his book.
While I found it a mildly diverting read, I'm sure that members of the target audience who pick it up at the right age (17 to 21, maybe) will wind up thinking this essential reading, but it's more Michael Moore than Noam Chomsky.
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tremendously creepy and thought-provoking, 19 Oct 2008
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
The title lends itself to the obvious comparison with `1984' and Orwell's concept of Big Brother. The comparison is justified in taking Orwell's narrative and transposing it into the 21st Century and most likely beyond. There are references in the novel to 9/11 and other than that I was unable to establish how far into the future (if indeed it was) the novel was set. Whilst reading, the 1983 film `War Games' instantly sprung to mind and I enjoyed this book as much as I loved that film.
I genuinely hadn't realised the novel was for younger reader's when I selected it, never mind though because it was fantastic. Some of the technology mentioned was lost on me in places, however with the author's ability to divulge the necessary information without you feeling bombarded, it didn't impinge on my reading or understanding of the plot. I have a feeling the title and cover would have caught my eye on a shelf, my cover has a teenager in a hoody in front of a CCTV camera; whilst another has a big red cross on the front.
I live in a fantastic area and because I live next to a roundabout close to businesses, there is a CCTV camera more or less outside of my front door. Whilst I was reading the book, the ideas that were beginning to circle around in my mind got me to thinking about why the surveillance cameras were there; even more so once I'd reached the two different afterword at the end.
Initially the book doesn't race along and when I first picked it up I thought it was going to be a slow read - mainly because some of the terminology was beyond me. However I was wrong and I soon became sucked into seventeen year-old Marcus' world. It's a world I will never naturally inhabit and for the brief time I was in it, I was fascinated. I'm not an oldie by any means but I became intrigued with how data is used and why surveillance is present. So thank you Cory Doctorow for making me think more about the day to day world around me.
The novel is character driven initially but then the plot takes over in a serious way. I don't want to reveal too much as it would spoil the plot, but some of the situations and locations Marcus gets himself into - could they really exist? It is quite mind-blowing to consider everything the author puts down on paper for us. I can see this novel having wide appeal from youngsters to adults from those who have the technological capabilities to those who simply enjoy a fantastic novel. However you approach this novel, you will need someone else you know to read it because you will want to talk about it.
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