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Makers

Makers, published in October 2009 by Tor (US) and HarperVoyager (UK) is about people who hack hardware, business-models, and living arrangements to discover ways of staying alive and happy even when the economy is falling down the toilet. Weirdly, I wrote it years before the current econopocalypse, as a parable about the amazing blossoming of creativity and energy that I saw in Silicon Valley after the dotcom crash, after all the money dried up.

15 Responses to “Makers”

1. Melina says:

   October 28, 2009 at 11:48 am

   Will you be offering an audio version, as you did with Little Brother?

   I'll buy the audio in a heartbeat, if I can.

   Thank you for what you do!
2. Cory Doctorow says:

   October 28, 2009 at 3:00 pm

   Indeed I will -- I'll have the link up in a day or two.
3. Bill Rowe says:

   November 1, 2009 at 6:47 pm

   I'm reading the free download. Thank you very much for that.

   The book is just a huge treat - best thing I've read this year. Never mind the basic premise and the dozens of grace-note descriptions of post-modern America, I was blown away by the number of "Big" ideas, I laughed out loud at "dinosaurs like Disney Parks are like rich seams of locked-away capital begging to be liquidated and put to work at nimbler firms" and I had to explain the whole book to my wife to get the point across.

   For sheer imagination this reminds me of charles stross or some early greg bear.

   Thanks!
4. Bill Rowe says:

   November 3, 2009 at 4:10 pm

   Priceless:
   "Disney-in-a-Box sat on his desk, humming faintly -- not humming like a fridge hums, but actually humming in a baritone hum, humming a medley of magic-users' songs from Disney movies..."

   Just priceless.

   Thanks again Cory
5. marti garaughty says:

   November 12, 2009 at 9:53 pm

   hi Cory, just saw your interview on The Hour. Makers is now on my recommended gift list.
6. Fred Simkin says:

   November 20, 2009 at 4:44 pm

   After a short period of availability the Franklin Township Public Library, Franklin Township New Jersey has removed Makers from circulation and from the catalog. Library personnel have refused to say why the book as removed and if or when it will be returned to open circulation
7. gcb says:

   November 20, 2009 at 5:16 pm

   Downloaded Makers the other day, stayed up way too damn late reading it. It's rare that I call a book "inspirational", but yours reminded me what I like about the tech field. Thanks!
8. Mike says:

   November 21, 2009 at 12:45 am

   If it's removed, I would suggest local fans download a copy, print several, and leave in the stacks.
   Along with some post-it's giving the URL for those that want to read on their own.
9. 365 tomorrows » Makers : Cory Doctorow : A New Free Flash Fiction SciFi Story Every Day says:

   December 23, 2009 at 8:20 pm

   [...] Di Filippo had this to say about Cory Doctorow in a December 22nd review of Makers In science fiction, however, the pool of hip, youthful, happening, fresh-eyed, keen-witted, [...]
10. The BLTN Series, 2: {The Hugo Finalists, Part 5 - The Novels: Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow} | Books Talk says:

    December 27, 2009 at 2:24 am

    [...] of society!), through Eastern Standard Tribe and smart mobs, to the recently published Makers, which explores, in Doctorow´s own words, “people who hack hardware, business-models, and [...]
11. Yatterings » Making things – Cory Doctorow’s Makers says:

    January 9, 2010 at 7:53 am

    [...] it that the earlier Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom or Eastern Standard Tribe. On his website he comments: I wrote it years before the current econopocalypse, as a parable about the amazing blossoming of [...]
12. Patrick says:

    January 10, 2010 at 8:30 pm

    Makers is an amazing book, I will be looking forward to purchasing all your books once I again have the money to do so. I have felt an amazing weight lifted from my shoulders by reading this book. It reminded me why I originally blazed a path into the financial unknown and started my own company; despite the company failing during the economic downturn I can see I have not. I believe I will be picking myself up and reentering into that wonderful wilderness again soon. Thank you for reminding me why I stay creative, and determined to make a better world.
13. Rick Hatfield says:

    February 2, 2010 at 6:16 pm

    I love all your books, but this one should be required reading. "Inspirational" doesn't even begin to cover it. It's like a breath of fresh air after being trapped in a coffin for centuries. Why aren't we actually DOING this stuff?
    I haven't done a whole lot of CAD yet, but now I'm just itching to get a 3d printer and start making stuff. Beats bronze-casting all to hell and back, believe you me! And it would be a great way to manufacture my "Collapsible Polychoron" toys, which are a huge pain to make by hand, to put it mildly... Assuming the printer can actually handle it, that is...
    And if not, I bet I could help improve the process. No offense intended (or not too much anyway), but normal humans have only the most superficial and inadequate grasp of Shape; you need a freaky autistic-savant like me to show you how it REALLY works (NO false modesty here at Anomaly Plexus)!
    Anyway, thanks a bunch for publishing this awesome novel. Keep up the excellent work!
14. Cory Doctorow says:

    February 2, 2010 at 9:21 pm

    Woah, thanks, Rick!
15. Nate Stokes says:

    February 8, 2010 at 9:44 pm

    I completely agree with Rick on this book. I used to be a fan of Cory Doctorow stories, because they are fun and interesting and thought provoking blah blah blah.

    Now I am a fricken Cory Doctorow EVANGELIST. Everyone needs to read this book, if only to get a hint about how they are behaving now, and where that behaviour is headed.

    I wanna live in a trailer in an abandoned mall with street food all around me and a community of other creative people surrounding me. But knowing my luck, I'd be the guy that gets 'copped' all the time for having a big mouth.

    Thanks so much for another excellent book Cory.

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