First line: "I will never forget the day my family got cut off from the Internet."
Plot: Teenager Trent is obsessed with making films - he cuts footage from published movies and edits them seamlessly together to create his own story. But when Trent is caught illegally downloading, his whole family loses its Internet access and with it their livelihood. Unable to face his family, Trent flees to London. On the streets, he discovers a new family, a new life, and a new cause to fight for.
Comments: Pirate Cinema was an intriguing story of citizens' rights, the bonds of family and friends, and politics from the perspective of a brand-new activist - all told from the point of view of a teenage boy.
Admittedly, I didn't read the parts where the politics became too complicated. There was a lot of detail in this book, but it was often too technical and dry for me to find any interest in it. Not just politics, but also a lot with the technology references. I think partly this technology was a different level than what we have now, so I had trouble getting used to the small changes, but there was also a lot of in-depth descriptions that more computer-knowledgeable people would understand. As a normal person merely competent with a computer, I didn't understand much.
Similarly, the characters in this book would often speak for paragraphs at a time in a way that seemed unrealistic to me. They all had so much to say! But I skimmed over these long chunks of dialogue because I found them to be boring, extensive speeches.
The characters felt much older than they were supposed to be. I couldn't believe Trent was only sixteen or seventeen. The rest of the characters were the same age, and they all seemed like twenty-somethings. This was another part of the book that felt unreal.
In fact, after about halfway through the book, it felt like everything was oriented towards the goal of warning readers of a possible future with an overbearing government. The plot and the characters felt forced to fit the message of protecting your rights as a citizen and standing together as a democracy. It's perhaps a good message, but the impact of the story was lessened dramatically. I finished the book but didn't really enjoy it anymore.
I liked Trent for the most part, and I liked some of the other characters, so it was fun to read about their bonds growing closer as they defeated challenges together. I just wish the story had focused more on them.
Rating: I rate Pirate Cinema a seven out of ten.
Plot: Teenager Trent is obsessed with making films - he cuts footage from published movies and edits them seamlessly together to create his own story. But when Trent is caught illegally downloading, his whole family loses its Internet access and with it their livelihood. Unable to face his family, Trent flees to London. On the streets, he discovers a new family, a new life, and a new cause to fight for.
Comments: Pirate Cinema was an intriguing story of citizens' rights, the bonds of family and friends, and politics from the perspective of a brand-new activist - all told from the point of view of a teenage boy.
Admittedly, I didn't read the parts where the politics became too complicated. There was a lot of detail in this book, but it was often too technical and dry for me to find any interest in it. Not just politics, but also a lot with the technology references. I think partly this technology was a different level than what we have now, so I had trouble getting used to the small changes, but there was also a lot of in-depth descriptions that more computer-knowledgeable people would understand. As a normal person merely competent with a computer, I didn't understand much.
Similarly, the characters in this book would often speak for paragraphs at a time in a way that seemed unrealistic to me. They all had so much to say! But I skimmed over these long chunks of dialogue because I found them to be boring, extensive speeches.
The characters felt much older than they were supposed to be. I couldn't believe Trent was only sixteen or seventeen. The rest of the characters were the same age, and they all seemed like twenty-somethings. This was another part of the book that felt unreal.
In fact, after about halfway through the book, it felt like everything was oriented towards the goal of warning readers of a possible future with an overbearing government. The plot and the characters felt forced to fit the message of protecting your rights as a citizen and standing together as a democracy. It's perhaps a good message, but the impact of the story was lessened dramatically. I finished the book but didn't really enjoy it anymore.
I liked Trent for the most part, and I liked some of the other characters, so it was fun to read about their bonds growing closer as they defeated challenges together. I just wish the story had focused more on them.
Rating: I rate Pirate Cinema a seven out of ten.
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