Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, by Cory Doctorow (also available online for free)
One reviewer called Down and Out "as much fun as Snowcrash", and since that's more or less the reference sci-fi novel among my friends (and definitely among my non-sci-fi friends) it seems like a good comparison. Down and Out doesn't have the sweeping scope of Snowcrash - no-one's aiming for world domination - nonetheless, like Stephenson, Doctorow envisages a radically different society shaped by easily imaginable (and quite likely) technological advances.
Jules, the main character, has taken up permanent residence at Disney World, in a future where everyone is online all the time, and the only scarcity is reputation points, called 'Whuffie", which come and go based on other people's gratitude or dismay. When Jules is murdered (and then recovered from the backup he had done just minutes before the murder), he gets on edge, and things spiral down from there.
I would recommend Down and Out to anyone interested in a likely highly accurate portrayal of the near-future. Highly Recommended.
(Although I do recommend actually purchasing the book - it's definitely worth it - it is a quick enough read to be managable on-screen should you have some free time at the office.)
A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East, by David Fromkin
Posted by Stephen Bronstein at February 20, 2003 01:58 PMThis sweeping book, more relevant to current affairs by the day, details (as you might expect from the title) the shaping of the modern Middle East, which took place primarily during and after World War I as a result of the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The Brits, and specifically the ignorant and bigoted officials of the 'Cairo office', were the main culprits in the eventual mess that ensued - Britain started the war with colonies in Egypt and India, and 'protectorates' in Afghanistan and Iran, and they thought they knew how to manipulate events to their benefit, initially with a goal of extracting themselves after the war, and later (after a change of government) with a goal of taking over more or less the entire region as the spoils of war.The French, with whom the British made some early agreements on the matter, felt that their historical 'parental' role in the Middle East, based on their forts and missionary activities dating back to the Crusades (yes, THOSE Crusades), required their continuing presence in the area. It turned out that the Turks and Arabs had ideas of their own.
A Peace to End All Peace is an intriguing look at how the actions of a small group of British officials, over a relatively short period of time, had an incredibly long-lasting impact on what is today the most volatile part of the world. Highly recommended.