So, if you've read my other book reviews this year, you'll be familiar with the name Cory Doctorow (@pluralistic). If not, become familiar! His work (published in books, delivered by RSS feed or Xitter, or appearing on various websites) is always entertaining and informative.
The infotaining nature of his writing is clearly evident in his latest book: The Bezzle. I backed the Kickstarter that successfully funded an audiobook version, although audiobooks aren't my thing and I read it in eBook form on my Pixel 6a. It's the second Martin Hench book, a period piece starting in the dotcom boom era, years before the first Hench book, Red Team Blues. Here we see a less established Martin (sans tour bus) stepping unwittingly into the attention of a sleazy robber baron. Events spiral wildly away from a burger-supply Ponzi scheme (no, really) as the book progresses.
The book structure is a little odd; it felt like the pelt of two-and-a-half Last Week Tonight With John Oliver episodes stitched onto the bones of a modern-day Grisham novel. Here the blend of entertaining and informative comes to bear; you know you're being educated as you read, but it's enjoyable, so it doesn't feel like a lecture. There's lessons about MLM investment traps, the hideous state of the California prison-for-profit system, unfair music royalty practises, and more.
The Bezzle was a quick and excellent read, and I'll be delving more into Doctorow's back catalogue as the year progesses, thanks to a tasty Humble Bundle deal that's still active as I write.
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