What if business could move at the same speed as technology? Cory Doctorow gives us what he envisions the answer could be, given advances in 3D printing and information technology. The book begins with a company announcing that it has purchased the remnants of the Duracell and Kodak companies, and the idea to make little cells of mad-scientist inventors overseen by an in-house manager who uses the massive corporations’ contacts and distribution system to send waves of new products out into the consumer market. Through the wild roller coaster ride that follows, the reader meets Suzanne Church, Perry Gibbons, and Lester Banks. Banks and Gibbons are two of the inventors, and Church is a reporter/blogger who documents the innovations the pair makes, the collapse of the new corporate structuring, and their rise from the ashes. While Gibbons and Banks could have ended up with nothing after the Kodacell merger fails, instead they go on to create something even more innovative, a ride that allows riders to vote on its content and which updates itself every night. Little do any of them realize the cultural rennovation they’ve started just by doing something that they think is cool. Along the way, they manage to inspire a menacing corporate manager from Disney to redeem himself and threaten to overthrow the entire Disney Corporation for, of all things, copyright infringement.
Doctorow creates very memorable characters in the book. They seem real because they have quirks and flaws, and they don’t always do the right or mature thing. Despite the things they’ve been through, they aren’t really angry or bitter, but there are moments in the book where they’re clearly resigned to their fate. What’s more interesting is that while any given character might decide that things are inevitable, not a single one of them ever decides to just give up. Everyone strives for the next innovation or the next idea that’s going to save their career or make them happy. More interesting still is that, as each character makes the decision to pursue work that makes them happy, good fortune, global impact, and wealth all seem to simply fall into place, though happiness isn’t always the end result.
Makers is a difficult book to describe because it involves satire, science fiction (though it is science that isn’t far removed from what is going on today), condemnation of corporate culture and structure, and an informed view of the economics of attempting to run a business. It’s the kind of book that makes readers think, because the events in the book could actually happen if the reader extrapolates the possibilities of technology that is already in place. However, don’t think all this talk of economics and technology means that the book is inaccessible; there was never a point in the book where I felt lost or overwhelmed with concepts or jargon that I couldn’t understand.
This book is, above all, fiction, and it doesn’t fail to entertain. The plot involves a fair amount of suspense and corporate intrigue that makes it an exciting read, just because the reader find themselves wanting to know what happens next. Humor definitely plays a role, actions do have consequences, and current pop culture references abound.
If you’re looking for an interesting book to read, something that might defy your expectations of what an urban science fiction novel could be or something that will get you thinking, or even if you just want to read something a little bit different, I would highly recommend Makers. However, be aware there are a couple of fairly explicit sex scenes, and Doctorow doesn’t spare on “salty” language. If swearing offends you, I would advise you to seek reading elsewhere. But if you’re looking for engrossing characters in some pretty extraordinary circumstances, definitely get this book.
