Cory Doctorow, my friend and longtime Boing Boing colleague, has a new Kickstarter campaign that has already raised over $46,000 for his upcoming novel Picks & Shovels.
Set in 1982, this prequel to his Martin Hench series (a forensic accountant in his 60s, known for his expertise in tracing and uncovering hidden financial transactions) follows a young MIT dropout who uncovers religious leaders exploiting their congregations through locked-down PC sales. It recalls the AIDS crisis, queer hardware hackers, punk rock Unix programmers, and Reaganomics-fueled pyramid schemes.
It's narrated by Wil Wheaton, the actor and writer best known for his role as Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: The Next Generation and for playing a fictionalized version of himself on The Big Bang Theory. Listen to the first chapter here.
Here's what renowned English actor, comedian, writer Stephen Fry had to say about Cory's latest:
I hugely enjoyed Picks and Shovels. Cory Doctorow's reconstruction of the age is note perfect: the detail, the atmosphere, ethos, flavour and smell of the age is perfectly conveyed. I love Marty and Art and all the main characters. The hope and the thrill that marks the opening section. The superb way he tells the story of the rise of Silicon Valley (to use the lazy metonym), inserting the stories of Shockley, IBM vs US Government, the rise of MS – all without turning journalistic or preachy.
Cory began Kickstarting audiobooks in response to Audible's restrictions. They dominate audiobook sales but refuse to carry his work unless he accepts their restrictive DRM terms. "They use DRM to trap customers on their platform," Cory explains. "Removing DRM faces harsher penalties than shoplifting or hijacking a truck."
I backed this project, as I have with Cory's others. I've always enjoyed his writing, and his fight for an open, independent tech ecosystem is worth supporting. Go Cory, go!
Previously:
• RIP, Aaron Swartz
