Author and activist Cory Doctorow’s latest novel, Makers, paints a picture of the future as influenced by the maker communities of today. From Random House Audio’s audiobook description:
Perry and Lester invent things—seashell robots that make toast, Boogie Woogie Elmo dolls that drive cars. They also invent entirely new economic systems, like the “New Work,” a New Deal for the technological era. Barefoot bankers cross the nation, microinvesting in high-tech communal mini-startups like Perry and Lester’s. Together, they transform the country, and Andrea Fleeks, a journo-turned-blogger, is there to document it.
Then it slides into collapse. The New Work bust puts the dot.combomb to shame. Perry and Lester build a network of interactive rides in abandoned Wal-Marts across the land. As their rides, which commemorate the New Work’s glory days, gain in popularity, a rogue Disney executive grows jealous, and convinces the police that Perry and Lester’s 3D printers are being used to run off AK-47s.
Hordes of goths descend on the shantytown built by the New Workers, joining the cult. Lawsuits multiply as venture capitalists take on a new investment strategy: backing litigation against companies like Disney. Lester and Perry’s friendship falls to pieces when Lester gets the ‘fatkins’ treatment, turning him into a sybaritic gigolo.
Then things get really interesting.
We think so too, and more than likely many Fabbaloo readers will as well. There’s a couple of ways to obtain Makers:
- Buy the Audiobook from Borders Online
- Read the serialized version on Tor.Com, who are publishing a small chunk twice a week, ending in January
- Buy the physical book from MacMillan
Cory Doctorow has long been writing innovative fiction, often focused on the maker and geek cultures. Hope you enjoy it!
Via Craphound (Hat tip to Javier)
