Review – Makers by Cory Doctorow

Makers is a fascinating and exciting read. Exciting not in the guns and kabloomy sense, but because of the idea train that started rolling through my head on page one and still hasn’t stopped a few days since finishing the novel. Cory Doctorow has taken a look into our future and presented an optimistic society, flawed only by the difficulties that confronts those who are smart and creative. The heroes struggle to try and do what they love to do — create — in this world. The heroes are a lovable cast from a reporter who has stepped into the fascinating ‘new work’ movement to the creative tinkerers building and selling bizarre machines to the businessmen attempting to adjust to this new society. At the core the protagonist of the novel, in my opinion, is not any of the characters, but the movement itself — this ‘new work’ — and it is this movement that thrives, dies, and continues on, supported by some characters and threatened by others.

Its been a long time since I’ve read a book that’s made me want to dig out my soldering iron and start tinkering in the garage. Strongly recommended.

Note: like all of Cory Doctorow’s work Makers is released under Creative Commons and can be downloaded for free or purchased through normal book stores. If you’d like to donate a copy to a worthy institution, Mr. Doctorow also has a page listing libraries wanting copies of Makers.