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juushikaTitle: Eastern Standard Tribe
Author: Cory Doctorow
Published: New York: Tor Books, 2004
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 125
Total Page Count: 126,020
Text Number: 366
Read Because: personal enjoyment, ebook free from the author under Creative Commons license
Review: There is a book here that I would love, but this isn't it. Tribes are self-selecting, internet-founded communities whose activities transition into the real world; members modify their lives (and sleep schedules) to interact with the Tribe and the Tribe rewards them with everything a community can, from socialization to business opportunities. But Eastern Standard Tribe isn't about that: it's about disintegration on the fringes of a Tribe, immersed in the technology that's created Tribes but preoccupied by banal characters and petty interactions. The future tech sells itself, buzzword-heavy and transparently cyberpunk but still believable; the concept and glimpses of a functioning Tribe are captivating. This is a short text, propelled forward by an intriguing paired narrative, first person/present tense and third person/past tense both focused on the same character, but Doctorow's writing lacks refinement and begs an editor (one who would remove the excessive italics, demarcated in my ebook by asterisks). I regret the book this isn't—I'd love to read about the how and why of a Tribe, its members and social function—but there's potential here: Doctorow is clearly invested in his concepts of the future, and his writing has momentum and strong dialog. I'll try more from him at a later date, but don't particularly recommend Eastern Standard Tribe.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
Author: Cory Doctorow
Published: New York: Tor Books, 2004
Rating: 3 of 5
Page Count: 125
Total Page Count: 126,020
Text Number: 366
Read Because: personal enjoyment, ebook free from the author under Creative Commons license
Review: There is a book here that I would love, but this isn't it. Tribes are self-selecting, internet-founded communities whose activities transition into the real world; members modify their lives (and sleep schedules) to interact with the Tribe and the Tribe rewards them with everything a community can, from socialization to business opportunities. But Eastern Standard Tribe isn't about that: it's about disintegration on the fringes of a Tribe, immersed in the technology that's created Tribes but preoccupied by banal characters and petty interactions. The future tech sells itself, buzzword-heavy and transparently cyberpunk but still believable; the concept and glimpses of a functioning Tribe are captivating. This is a short text, propelled forward by an intriguing paired narrative, first person/present tense and third person/past tense both focused on the same character, but Doctorow's writing lacks refinement and begs an editor (one who would remove the excessive italics, demarcated in my ebook by asterisks). I regret the book this isn't—I'd love to read about the how and why of a Tribe, its members and social function—but there's potential here: Doctorow is clearly invested in his concepts of the future, and his writing has momentum and strong dialog. I'll try more from him at a later date, but don't particularly recommend Eastern Standard Tribe.
Review posted here on Amazon.com.
