The author does a fantastic job of writing in a prose the way a teen from the future might speak & think. It does take some getting used to.
Especially with the advent of Google Glass, this is an an interesting look into a future where the "Haves" have a permanent connection to the internet implanted and the "Have-Nots" don't, although that aspect really wasn't pursued much.
As the author states, his idea was to originally write a short story, but this idea was too "big for that format" so he extended it into this novella. He did it to flesh out the characters, but he does that in a rather superficial way, never really delving too deeply into their person-ness, the world, or the what could be fascinating aspects of the moral implications of the feed. He also brushes against other really interesting aspects of a potential future: ecological disaster, war, corporate monopolies, political accountability, and much more. But it seems like, by having the story told through the eyes of this self-absorbed teen (would that be redundant?), the author gives himself an out from delving even a little bit into those aspects.
In the end, while the book was enjoyable, it winds up being much like the feed itself: shallow (shortage of world & moral examination), lacking in human connectivity (you don't really care about the characters) and unfulfilling. It reads very much like a teen book, and not a particularly thoughtful one at that. All that being said, the first line in the book is still great: "We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck."
Especially with the advent of Google Glass, this is an an interesting look into a future where the "Haves" have a permanent connection to the internet implanted and the "Have-Nots" don't, although that aspect really wasn't pursued much.
As the author states, his idea was to originally write a short story, but this idea was too "big for that format" so he extended it into this novella. He did it to flesh out the characters, but he does that in a rather superficial way, never really delving too deeply into their person-ness, the world, or the what could be fascinating aspects of the moral implications of the feed. He also brushes against other really interesting aspects of a potential future: ecological disaster, war, corporate monopolies, political accountability, and much more. But it seems like, by having the story told through the eyes of this self-absorbed teen (would that be redundant?), the author gives himself an out from delving even a little bit into those aspects.
In the end, while the book was enjoyable, it winds up being much like the feed itself: shallow (shortage of world & moral examination), lacking in human connectivity (you don't really care about the characters) and unfulfilling. It reads very much like a teen book, and not a particularly thoughtful one at that. All that being said, the first line in the book is still great: "We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck."
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