Makers

What does the future look like? A brilliantly entertaining and original novel about the end of the economy from the visionary author of Little Brother.

Perry and Lester invent things. All sorts of things. Seashell robots that make toast, Boogie Woogie Elmo dolls that drive cars. They also invent an entirely new economic system. 'New Work' is a New Deal for the technological era. Soon barefoot bankers are criss-crossing the nation, microinvesting in high-tech communal start-ups like Perry and Lester's. Together they transform a country, and journalist Suzanne Church is there to document it.

But a new economic system requires a whole new belief system – and there are plenty of non-believers out there. The New Work bust puts the dot.com-bomb to shame and soon Perry and Lester are out of funds and out of business. Down but not out, they go back to what they do best – making stuff. But when a rogue Disney executive grows jealous of their once more soaring popularity and convinces the police that their amazing 3-D printers are being used to run off AK-47s, things get very dark very quickly…

This brilliantly entertaining and original novel from the visionary author of Little Brother fizzes with bold ideas about the future and how our lives will look as part of it. But at its heart are three characters, Perry, Lester and Suzanne, on an unforgettable journey that will bring them together only to break them apart as they each try to discover how to live meaningfully in an ever-changing world filled with both beauty and horror – where some things really are immutable…

Reviews

‘Doctorow's novel fizzes with ideas and jumps with breathtaking speed from one technological breakthrough to another until you're no longer sure what's based on reality and what's purely a figment of his inventive mind … Doctorow's optimism about the technology of the present and the near future is infectious’ Guardian

‘Fresh and full of thought-provoking ideas, a book about tomorrow that demands to be read now.’ The Times

‘A compelling near-future tale … a complex, ideas-led, thought-provoking book … the vivid characters and meticulously crafted future make this a book well worth checking out’ SFX

‘A tour de force … one of the most brilliant reimaginings of the near future since cyberpunk wore out its mirror shades … bitingly realistic and miraculously avoids cliché or predictability’ Publishers Weekly

‘Doctorow brilliantly shows us a near-future that’s equally wondrous, inspiring and terrifying’ BBC Focus

‘There is plenty in Cory Doctorow’s fifth novel to get technology buffs salivating … interesting and effective’ Metro

‘Prodigiously inventive … intriguing’ Daily Mail

‘Exhilarating and thought-provoking’ Courier Mail (Australia)

‘A gread read’ Good Reading (Australia)

‘Bursting with ideas’ Sydney Morning Herald

Praise for Little Brother:

‘I’d recommend ‘Little Brother’ over pretty much any book I’ve read this year. Because I think it’ll change lives. It’s a wonderful, important book’ Neil Gaiman

‘Cory Doctorow’s novel could hardly be more relevant, scary and eye-opening … seriously entertaining.’ The Times

‘A cracking read’ Guardian