Jimmy is a prototype. His genetic source was manipulated and modified so that he could live to near infinity. Jimmy’s Dad shared his research and was supposed to stick around to validate the experiment (it would take a few decades) so it could be improved for his colleagues own offspring.
I hear that the first [couple Wumpus] generations actually came with sourcecode and a makefile, which must have been handy.
But, Jimmy and his dad, who collect industrial artifacts– including the entire DisneyWorld Carousel of Progress– are at odds with the _treehuggers_ and their voracious reclamation drones. Jimmy himself is at odds with his own desire to stop being a near-permanent pre-teen.
Why is this on our bookshelf?
Cory Doctorow is a total nerd and we very much appreciate his activism for the Internet. In fact, this book not only contains the title Novella, but also a speech he gave about copyright in the digital age to the 2010 World SF Convention: “Copyright vs Creativity.” Plus, mecha are awesome.
Rating (4 stars)
The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow is a fun and quick read. It has Mech combat, a love interest, technology, and biology all wrapped up in just over 100 pages. You can get through it quick without feeling like it was lacking in any way. Plus, at the end, there’s a bonus speech and interview of Doctorow’s.
Read this book:
If you’re in a hurry, but want a solid science fiction read.
Don't Read this book:
If you’re a hoarder; it’ll only enable you.
Once you're done, do this:
Visit Disneyland (or World) and enjoy the (possible) delusion of a great big beautiful tomorrow.
