44:120 Walkaway by Cory Doctorow

We are in a possible (probable future) where we can manufacture things so simply and easily that there should be no need for people to go without the basic necessities but the uber rich (zottas) have continued to try and keep things as the status quo (default).  Now there are parties where people find abandoned warehouses with manufacturing capability, play the music, drink, and make the stuff that people need for them to come take for free.  It is at one of these parties that Seth has dragged Etc. and they meet with a zotta girl, Natalie.  The party is broken up by drones and death which leaves them back at Natalie's house feeling very despondent when the idea gets floated about to go Walkaway, to join with those who have eschewed the Default society to try and create a more egalitarian society without want of basics and without money and zottas.  The three new friends go and find more than they ever thought they would but life is not easy as even among the Walkaways, there are those who want to impose their will upon others and there are those doing research that the zottas from default will stop at nothing to try and get their hands on.  Besides, Walkaway shows others from Default that the zottas are not needed to run things and challenges their whole way of life and sense of self, something they just cannot allow to continue.

I enjoyed the beginning of the book immensely and the end was good but the middle was much more of a slog and there were several jumps of many years that was quiet disorientating.  The book itself was definitely dystopian and scary in how easily I could see our world heading that direction.


Page count: 384p/9,780p ytd/283,799p lifetime

69:120 Lawful Interception by Cory Doctorow

A short story that serves as a follow-up to Little Brother and Homeland.  Marcus and Ange are in Oakland when a huge earthquake hits and devastation follows.  They help out and end up falling in with the Occupy Senaca group to help those who are being lost in the system.  Of course, powers that be don't like the Occupy group and work with the city government to shut it down.  Marcus and his friends are not about to let this happen and get in on the demonstrations and with the help of some new technology he comes up, are able to find a way to outsmart them

In all, this was a good follow-up story that does work as a standalone if needed. It was pretty basic and kept to the same plotlines of the books.  I found the description of democracies interesting and the idea of fluid democracy intriguing.



Page count: 51p/19,035p ytd/268,185p lifetime

44:120 Homeland by Cory Doctorow

The sequel to Little Brother.  Set in modern day but even more dystopian than the US currently is (but not by much unfortunately) and California's economy has collapsed. Marcus and his family are definitely feeling the effects of this with everyone out of work so when Marcus is offered a job as webmaster for a political campaign of someone who looks to be the real deal, he jumps at the opportunity.  Unfortunately, all this happens right after Burning Man where Marcus was given a bunch of encrypted files by Masha before she was taken away by someone he is convinced was Carrie Johnson, his own personal demon.  Now he must find a way to release these files while remaining anonymous or risk losing his job.  His friends come to the rescue but when they see that there are over 8000 documents and some is extremely serious, they also start realizing just how high the stakes are and once they start dribbling them out the consequences start coming home to roost.

A brilliant sequel that once again might be set in a dystopian reality but none-the-less hits home about the chipping away at our civil liberties and rights and how the courage of one person or even a small group can be the ripples that might eventually bring about change.  Yes, it's scary but when everyone does nothing the outcome is that much scarier.

Page count: 396p/12,231p ytd/262,308p lifetime

19:120 With a Little Help by Cory Doctorow

Mr. Doctorow's first foray into self-publishing with a reprint of several short stories and one commissioned piece.  I found the stories at the end more engrossing since they were typically longer and it was easier to really get into them.  The story of BIGMAC was definitely intriguing but I think my favorite was the one with the ancient millionaires being kept alive artificially and people trying to come up with the next big thing to intrigue them.  Nothing in the book was bad but some were definitely more memorable than others.  The origin stories were nice to have as well since I'm always interested where authors get their ideas from.

Page count: 360p/4,800p ytd/219,734p lifetime