This is the first Cory Doctorow book I've read and I'm certain it will be the first of many. I absolutely loved this story written in the form of a memoir of the main character Martin Hench. I initially thought I would be put off by the technology aspects of the story with its frequent discussions of types of computers and the programming discussions of the characters. I wasn't at all as it was carefully woven into the story and not at all a stumbling block. Picks and Shovels is not only well written, suspenseful, and informative in the way much of the historical fiction I've read can be, it is also fast paced and extremely entertaining to read. In some ways it is a coming of age novel for both the characters and the technology advancements of the 1960s and 70s, combining a bit of the hippie generation with the rise of computer geeks working in garages, their parent's cellars, or basically anywhere they could find simpatico folks who just wanted to code and debug code and figure out ways to make the technology work faster and better. Sure they had a desire to make money but it was often sublimated to the joy of the hive mind solving gnarly problems with hardware and software in its infancy and there is much of the "wanting to make a better world" attitude of the times in the characters' motivations. As a reader I rooted for Marty to find his path in life as he navigates (picks and shovels) his way to find that path while also amassing friends, lovers and enemies along the way. The family Marty creates is a microcosm of the social upheavals of the times and any reader above the age of 50 would be hard pressed to not find someone they recognize. Doctorow does a great job of describing the free-wheeling times the characters inhabit and I had to remind myself that all of them were mostly undergrads or younger and pretty fearless about taking chances that would help them each find their own paths. I highly recommend this book as a great read for someone who came of age in the 60s and 70s and for those ambitious enough to want to read about a time when there were no cell phones, computers often still used acoustic couplers, and social mores were beginning to break down and some of the many freedoms we enjoy today were being hard won.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and the inimitable Cory Doctorow for this eARC of Picks & Shovels.

If you are a fan of Cory Doctorow, you know what kind of a ride you're in for. Usually. And that's exactly as it should be with Mr. Doctorow.

Picks and Shovels delivers well on the promise of Doctorow's name on the cover - solid characters, compelling story, the delightful and unique flair of humor. This follow up to The Bezzle and Red Team Blues absolutely belongs on your shelf!

"Picks and Shovels" is a historical thriller novel from Cory Doctorow, set in the late 1980s when computers were getting more popular. Martin Hench goes to MIT for engineering and fails his freshman year because he is too interested in learning about computers from his friends in the Newbury Street Irregulars. He uses this interest to get a degree in accounting and moves with his friend Art to San Francisco. While there, he is hired by a group of three religious heads (the Reverend Sirs) who run a computer business specifically for religious organizations. Martin finds out that all is not what it seems and the Reverend Sirs are actually the bad guys, so he switches to help their competition: three religious women with a love for computers and an actual desire to help people. Unfortunately the Reverend Sirs are not willing to let things go easily.
An interesting and compelling view of the beginning of computing in America coupled with a thriller involving extortion, violence, and pressure. Readers will root for the underdogs in this novel. A must buy for fiction collections, especially where Doctorow is popular.