The themes in this book are very current, very controversial, and they are presented using extreme perspectives without much of a gray area in the middle. The villains - Homeland Security, and by extension the SFPD - are a youth-hating, conspiratorial Big Brother-type presence in the story. The conspiracy, of course, goes all the way to the top. And while it's tempting to roll your eyes a little bit at the uncompromising moral superiority of the author and his main character, I appreciate the sentiment and I, too, am passionately moved by the issues of privacy, surveillance and censorship.
The writing itself is pretty good - lots of mathematical and technological details that make my eyes go blurry after a while. There is also a touch of condescension, I think, in the way the book is written. It's clear that the author really respects young people and supports their freedoms and their right to privacy, but it's written in that forced "young adult" tone that always sounds a little out-of-touch. But the underdog element to the story is universally compelling, and I am definitely rooting for the protagonist to triumph over his grimly terrifying oppressors. The periphery characters are decent, though they too have feel of being caricatures at times.
Doctorow is successful in perhaps the most important way - I have had to stop myself several times from reading the whole book in one sitting. He definitely has me wondering what will happen next.
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