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Cory Doctorow
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Overclocked: More Stories of the Future Present Paperback – Unabridged, 25 Oct. 2016

by Cory Doctorow (Author)
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Now available for the first time with two additional stories!

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be bitten by a zombie or live through a bioweapon attack? In Cory Doctorow's collection of novellas, he wields his formidable experience in technology and computing to give us mind-bending sci-fi tales that explore the possibilities of information technology--and its various uses--run amok.

"Anda's Game" is a spin on the bizarre new phenomenon of "cyber sweatshops," in which people are paid very low wages to play online games all day in order to generate in-game wealth, which can be converted into actual money. Another tale tells of the heroic exploits of "sysadmins"--systems administrators--as they defend the cyberworld, and hence the world at large, from worms and bioweapons. And yes, there is a story about zombies too. Plus, for the first time, this collection includes "Petard" and "The Man Who Sold the Moon."

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  1. Print length
    438 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Blackstone Publishing
  4. Publication date
    25 Oct. 2016
  5. Dimensions
    13.34 x 3.18 x 20.96 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1504757602
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1504757607
  8. See all details
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Product description

Review

"Cory Doctorow straps on his miner's helmet and takes you deep into the caverns and underground rivers of pop culture, here filtered through SF-colored glasses. Enjoy."

-- "Neil Gaiman, #1 New York Times bestselling author"

"Doctorow's intimate knowledge of the techno-cyberculture gives his stories more credibility than a casual reader might think: it doesn't take a hardcore SF fan to believe that zombies, invisible ants, a 3D-printer world, video-game sweatshops, and global catastrophe may be lurking just around the corner...All of the tales contain provocative scenarios and believable, nonconformist protagonists. Smart, entertaining, and at the vanguard of the genre."

-- "Bookmarks magazine"

"Doctorow's sci-fi collection explores the best and worst of the future of technology. Read by a variety of talented narrators...Most of the narrators succeed in blending Doctorow's sf premise seamlessly with the human experiences at its core. Standouts include 'After the Siege, ' read by Emily Woo Zeller, who conveys the anger, loss, and determination of Valentine as she goes from carefree child to war-weary teen during the siege of her city. R. C. Bray does an effectively unflappable, deadpan cop about to crack under the strain when his daughter goes missing in 'I, Robot.' Most sf fans will find something to enjoy in this excellent collection."

-- "Booklist (audio review)"

"He sparkles! He fizzes! He does backflips and breaks the furniture! Science fiction needs Cory Doctorow."

-- "Bruce Sterling, award-winning author and a founder of the cyberpunk genre"

"Just as Heinlein, Asimov, and Clarke were at the vanguard of the genre in the '50s, '60s and '70s, Doctorow explores revolutionary--and visionary--territory with every new novel and short story he publishes. Other authors may be considered at the cutting edge of the genre: Doctorow is the cutting edge."

-- "Barnes&Noble.com"

"This collection shows a stunning talent coming into his own, balancing good storytelling and contemporary technology near perfectly...These stories reflect a wicked sense of humor, clear knowledge of contemporary problems, and an understanding of the way good SF works."

-- "Booklist (starred review)"

About the Author

Cory Doctorow is a blogger, journalist, and author science fiction and nonfiction. His writing has won numerous awards, including three Locus Awards, two John W. Campbell Awards, three Prometheus Awards, two Sunburst Awards, the White Pine Award, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award, among others. He has served as Canadian regional director of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is coeditor of the blog Boing Boing, and he was named one of the web's twenty-five "influencers" by Forbes and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He is a contributing author to Wired magazine, and his writing has been published in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the Globe and Mail, the Boston Globe, Popular Science, and others.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Blackstone Publishing; Unabridged edition (25 Oct. 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 438 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1504757602
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1504757607
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.34 x 3.18 x 20.96 cm
  • Customer reviews:

About the author

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Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow

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Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction author, activist and journalist. He is the author of many books, most recently RADICALIZED and WALKAWAY, science fiction for adults; CHOKEPOINT CAPITALISM, nonfiction about monopoly and creative labor markets; IN REAL LIFE, a graphic novel; and the picture book POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER. His latest novel is ATTACK SURFACE, a standalone adult sequel to LITTLE BROTHER. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
316 global ratings

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There are 0 reviews and 3 ratings from United Kingdom

Top reviews from other countries

Corina Muter
4.0 out of 5 stars Well written, an interesting look at plausible futures.
Reviewed in Canada on 7 December 2021
Verified Purchase
The writer presents us with a number of short stories, each presenting a different look into the near future. Lots of interesting questions are raised, and it gives plenty to think about long after finishing the book.
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J. D. Lasica
5.0 out of 5 stars Speculative sci-fi with a smart cyberpunk edge
Reviewed in the United States on 15 February 2018
Verified Purchase
What we have in “Overclocked” is a passionate, smart collection of shorts and novellas that ply the territory of speculative sci-fi with an absurdist, cyberpunk edge. It reminds one of the Netflix series “Black Mirror,” a sci-fi anthology that explores a twisted high-tech near future—except in “Overclocked” a ray of hope often pierces the darkness.

Some of these stories are vintage, dating back to 2005-2007 when the Web was still a gangly teenager, while other tales are more recent, but all take on a special resonance in today’s grim, chaotic online environment.

With the death last week of John Perry Barlow, the role of Internet freedom torchbearer has been passed to Doctorow, who mines the intersection of cyberspace and the physical world not through provocative manifestos but with stories of loss, dislocation and occasional redemption.

Sci-fi fans will recognize the knowing tributes to the genre’s masters, including Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein and Orson Scott Card (can you tell which ones by the titles?).

• “Printcrime” gives us a snappy takedown of the copyright cartel’s sometimes thuggish behavior. Are 3-D printers mankind’s last best hope to democratize technology?

• In “When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth,” you’ll find IRC chat rooms, Usenet newsgroups, Trojan bots, zombie computers, and blogs teeming with “millions of posts from scared survivors huddling together for electronic warmth” after an unnamed enemy unleashes a bioweapon pathogen that sends civilization reeling. While surviving techno-geeks debate whether to shut down the Internet or keep it running, Felix, our protagonist, doesn’t want to rebuild the old world. He wants a new one.

• “Anda’s Game” offers a take on cyber sweatshops where the schoolgirl Anda and other low-wage online gamers are exploited to generate in-game and real-world wealth.

• “I, Robot” transports us to a techno-totalitarian era when robots are at war and only one mega-corporation is allowed to produce anything and wields the power of the state, including a police officer sent to arrest anyone who pirates copyrighted goods. His daughter, a rebellious teen, takes up the cyberpunk mantle. Bad things happen.

• “I, Rowboat” takes a more fanciful approach, featuring a sentient rowboat with free will that heads out and disturbs a self-aware coral reef. The story explores the question: What is the nature of consciousness when all the people are gone?

• “After the Siege” is a reimagining and updating of the real-life struggles of the author’s Russian grandmother during the seige of Leningrad, though I’m guessing zombies weren’t as big a problem back then. It’s a bleak, powerful story where the horrors of war become fodder for a documentary crew's infotainment.

• “The Man Who Sold the Moon,” a heartfelt riff on Heinlein’s 1950-51 novella of the same name, is updated for the age of Burning Man, where geeks and Burners ultimately come together to put a solar-powered 3D printing robot on the moon to convert sand into habitable structures. This one won the 2015 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best short science fiction.

• “Petard” features a young, personable hacktivist who fights shortsighted school administrators and corrupt corporations in an effort to return power to the people.

Bravo! Whether you’re a geek or not, prepare to be entertained and let Internet freedom ring with “Overclocked.”
11 people found this helpful
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Sean Sullivan
3.0 out of 5 stars Pplllttt
Reviewed in Canada on 5 September 2018
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I don't want to stop making this a requirement . i just want to go on to read other lit
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BigOrangeDave
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice collection
Reviewed in the United States on 23 February 2018
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I'd come across just one of these stories previously; the rest were all brand new to me. Thought-provoking, entertaining and well written are the best way to describe the stories. A few cover just a small place and time while one follows it's characters through most of their lives and into a place where their children will spend their days. In some cases, the world presented is so very different than ours and in others it's just a slight but Oh so significant difference that makes the story so interesting.
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Kimberlie L.
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved all of it!
Reviewed in the United States on 12 September 2020
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I bought this book because I love the show Black Mirror, am fascinated by it, and these short stories fit right in, each one could be an episode.

Printcrime: ****

When Sysadmins Ruled The Earth: ***

Anda's Game: *****

I Robot: *****

I Rowboat: *****
This is one of the best short stories I have ever read. Humans have uploaded their consciousness and no longer inhabit the earth. A sentient rowboat takes human shells on daily excursions to keep them in shape, until one day an actual human being jumps into one of the shells in his charge.

After The Siege: ****
A future world war, where food, clothes, and drugs can be printed and zombieism is curable.

The Man Who Sold The Moon: ****

Petard: ****

The book is long, the stories are long, and they are all awesome.

For anyone who liked both this book and the show Black Mirror I recommend Children Of The New World by Alexander Weinstein.
One person found this helpful
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