Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorowby Cory Doctorow
Shares rank 135 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended for provocative, interesting science fiction ideas about how practical immortality might work for people and society.
Recommended for provocative, interesting science fiction ideas about how practical immortality might work for people and society.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 2 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 2 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Provocative ideas about practical immortality
“The book is full of provocative ideas about how practical immortality might actually work on a personal and societal level.”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “We Need to Die” Wonderful, interesting science fiction
“Cory Doctorow's wonderful sci-fi book explored exactly this in interesting ways”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “We Need to Die” Tonally similar to another recommended book
“Down And Out in the Magic Kingdom is tonally similar”
Comment from 24 Aug 2026 in “Andreessen Horowitz is investing billions into a bleak future”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Down and Out in the Magic Kingdomby Cory DoctorowThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Down And Out in the Magic Kingdom is tonally similar”
“Cory Doctorow's wonderful sci-fi book explored exactly this in interesting ways”
“The book is full of provocative ideas about how practical immortality might actually work on a personal and societal level.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.