Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Makers by Cory Doctorow - Available

Makers

A Novel of the Whirlwind Changes to Come

by Cory Doctorow
Bernadette Dunne
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
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-start-ups like Perry and Lester’s. Together, they transform the nation, and Suzanne Church, a journo turned blogger, is there to document it.
Then it slides into collapse. 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 engineers a savage attack.
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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 27, 2009

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780307714541
      • File size: 531984 KB
      • Duration: 18:28:17

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 7, 2009
      In this tour de force, Doctorow (Little Brother
      ) uses the contradictions of two overused SF themes—the decline and fall of America and the boundless optimism of open source/hacker culture—to draw one of the most brilliant reimaginings of the near future since cyberpunk wore out its mirror shades. Perry Gibbons and Lester Banks, typical brilliant geeks in a garage, are trash-hackers who find inspiration in the growing pile of technical junk. Attracting the attention of suits and smart reporter Suzanne Church, the duo soon get involved with cheap and easy 3D printing, a cure for obesity and crowd-sourced theme parks. The result is bitingly realistic and miraculously avoids cliché or predictability. While dates and details occasionally contradict one another, Doctorow's combination of business strategy, brilliant product ideas and laugh-out-loud moments of insight will keep readers powering through this quick-moving tale.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Doctorow examines the same types of intellectual property and technology issues that he explores in his popular blog, BoingBoing. This downbeat novel recounts the odyssey of two entrepreneurs who simply want to make cool stuff who are brought down by a stagnant corporate culture that sees their innovations as threats. Bernadette Dunne narrates with vigor, focus, and compassion. But she makes a bobble at the outset that geeks will find jarring, incorrectly pronouncing the word "Linux." Despite Doctorow's emotionally involving characters and apt extrapolations of contemporary trends, one can never fully overlook the book's tone of didacticism, which is a bit tough to take for 18+ hours. A.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading