One is tempted to be uncharitable and write "pot-boiler" in a discussion of this book by Michael Lewis, the tie-in to a four-part BBC TV series. The publisher's blurb, describing it as a "wonderful exploration of how new technology affects our lives" with specific relevance to the internet, sounds at once both daunting and slightly hackneyed. Lewis sees new technology as a Trojan Horse for subtle social changes that are far more interesting than the hardware itself. His book consists of four long essays: Old versus New, Professional versus Amateur, Here versus There and Tyranny versus Freedom, which may put the general reader on his or her guard. Fortunately Lewis's characteristic light prose style saves the day, his account being redeemed by elements of satire and irony - the absence of which would surely have left a lesser writer floundering in dryness. Those who enjoyed his well-received previous book The New New Thing will recognise the roots of this new work stem from that, and will want to read his new portrait of modern times.
