Makers and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more

Buy New

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Buy Used
Used - Good See details
Price: £2.80

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Start reading Makers on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Makers [Paperback]

Cory Doctorow
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.00 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 6 left in stock (more on the way).
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.
Want delivery by Tuesday, 28 May? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £3.99  
Hardcover --  
Paperback £5.99  
Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more.

Book Description

8 July 2010

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…


Frequently Bought Together

Makers + Little Brother + For the Win: Organize to Survive!
Price For All Three: £17.97

Buy the selected items together


Product details

  • Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Voyager (8 July 2010)
  • Language: Unknown
  • ISBN-10: 0007327897
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007327898
  • Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 100,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Product Description

Review

‘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

About the Author

Canadian-born Cory Doctorow is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Little Brother. He has won the Locus Award for his fiction three times, been nominated for both the Hugo and the Nebula, and is the only author to have won both the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the Campbell Award for best SF Novel of the Year. He is the co-editor of BoingBoing.net, writes columns for Make, Information Week, the Guardian online and Locus and has been named one of the internet's top 25 influencers by Forbes magazine and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Cory Doctorow lives in London with his wife and daughter.


Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars
4.0 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Fable of Tech Entrepreneurs 22 May 2013
By Syriat TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Makers is a novel set in the near future and tells the tale of tech-savvy, business-naive inventors who are part of a new work initiative of a dotcom guru. Their inventions become popular and then through failure and success we see friendships stretched, tech fads grow and wither and an almost moralistic tale take shape. There is a narrative of trailer culture, nuclear families and America in the 21st century. The main characters are likable and the Disney influence after the halfway point is enjoyable and grows as the story goes on.

Doctrow seems like a younger version of Douglas Coupland and he covers some of the themes and genres. Its a very readable book that rips along at a good pace. Its not perfect, but as a modern day fable of corporate politics, invention and 21st century geek culture it makes some salient points and works well.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
4.0 out of 5 stars Makers - making you think 1 May 2013
Format:Paperback
This interesting, near-future technology-based novel initially came out in 2009 in serial form as an ebook, before being released by Voyager as a printed version. I've been interested to read a variety of responses to the book, many of them hostile...

Perry and Lester invent things. All sorts of things. Seashell robots that can 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, and together Perry and Lester transform the country, with journalist Suzanne Church there to document their progress.

For the record, that's half the blurb published on the inside of the cover - and the reason why I'm not continuing any further, is that the next paragraph proceeds to give away at least half the major plot points of the book. Which is the reason, I reckon, that one of the recurring complaints I've encountered about this book is that the story is slow and predictable. If the reviewers knew in advance what was coming up, no wonder they felt the book dragged. That's the only explanation I can come up with - because although it's a long book, at no time did I find my attention wandering. Doctorow's gleeful enthusiasm for the new toys he's envisioned for the near future didn't stop him paying attention to providing an entertaining storyline and likeable, interesting characters. I was also impressed at the clarity of the writing - at no point was I scratching my head or having to backtrack and reread any sections in order to understand exactly what all these cool, techie gismos did. And while I enjoy browsing through the New Scientist, I'm no science specialist.

Doctorow has all sorts of interesting observations to make in this thoughtful look at the near future and how technology may shape the outlook for sections of American society. I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Lester, Perry and Suzanne and found the epilogue poignant and memorable.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
To me this is a book about principals and relationships, in particular friendship and the challenges there in. taking place within and bridging the disparate realms of the "Maker Movement" and multinational Corporate-ville, set in a very near future and highly plausible world, tech' speaking (IMHO).
If you're not remotely techcentric I wouldn't bother as it would read as gibberish.
I am sure this book will be seen as a prophetic vision in a couple of years time when we all have our domestic 3D printers churning out bits of "tchotchke" to sate our need for instant and momentary delectation.
The book is long and detailed and there are a few continuity flaws and some repetition . . . . .

THAT SAID! In the end (which is pretty pedestrian with no whistles, bells or explosions!)I was left with a tear in my eye, balling the book around in my hands looking for the little world of "Makers" and wanting more. So vivid was the story in my mind that I feel I'd recognise the characters were I to pass them on the street and I'm desperate to see what's so good about the "ride".

Very involving and thought provoking and I'm very glad I found it, not perfect but great for the right reader, therefore it's 5 stars.

Keep on "MAKING" ;)

Regards, Mark
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges