14 December 2012

Pirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow



Can I take a moment for a vital public service announcement? I absolutely insist you all read the book in the title of this message. It is nominally what is called a "Young Adult" book, being as its hero is sixteen, but don't let that put you off. I think Doctorow writes some great fiction that has become more and more assured and skilled as time has gone by (but even his earliest stuff is well worth reading), but this latest is a bit different, touching us lot particularly.

Now, Cory usually puts his books up on his website for free download (he says that piracy is better than obscurity) and he hasn't yet done so with Pirate Cinema (actually he has). I hesitate to do what I'm about to but I believe that he intends it to happen. I'm going to pirate his book and give it to you - it's that important. I bought the book as I have done with nearly all his earlier work and will buy Pirate Cinema when it comes out in paperback as usual. In fact I will buy three copies and give them to people (my version of a hail mary?). I would buy more, but in these benighted days I worry that I won't find readers for them (especially given that I am in France).

The book is set in England, Cory's adopted home, and talks about Trent who runs away from home in Bradford to the bright lights and big city of London since he's managed to get his family's internet connection cut because of piracy. The early chapters masterfully set the scene in a near future that is only too imaginable.

This is an ebook. Most people have a device on which to read them these days and if you don't I'm sorry but you do still have a computer on which you can read it. I know it will be less comfortable, but it will be worth it I promise. I have enclosed a link to a zip file
containing the book in four different formats: ePub, PDF, RTF and TXT. They contain the complete work in descending order of faithfulness with the original ePub format.

< Useless original link removed>

Please read it. I urge you, nay implore you to do so. I'm in the middle of a very serious work schedule right now and I have put asidethe time to write this email because I consider it important. Like theUSB keys with Lady de Winter 18 distributed in the book (it will makesense if you read), I want to get this out to as many people as possible and I'm starting with you guys, but that does not mean I'm stopping with you as well...

PS. The fact that this book has exceptionally not been made available on his site doesn't mean that the others have been withdrawn. Go to http://www.craphound.com and get (among others) For the Win about global MMORPG unions; Makers about building stuff; Little Brother about Big Brother and terrorism; Eastern Standard Tribe about living
out of your timezone; Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom about repurposing Disneyland...

This was a message I posted this morning to the movie mailing list I'm on. In a fit of conscience I forwarded to Cory who graciously replied with the correct link, which I shall now post:

http://craphound.com/pc/download/

Please read this book. It is very important.

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