Eastern Standard Tribe

By Cory Doctorow

From Cory Doctorow, a powerful and funny novel about time, tribalism, and a young man's dismaying discoveries about his own life

Scathing, bitter and funny, Eastern Standard Tribe examines the immutable truths of time, and of societies rebuilt in the storm of instant, ubiquitous communication.

Art is an up-and-coming interface designer, working on the management of data flow along the Massachusetts Turnpike. He's doing the best work of his career and can guarantee that the system will be, without a question, the most counterintuitive, user-hostile piece of software ever pushed forth onto the world.

Why? Because Art is an industrial saboteur. He may live in London and work for an EU telecommunications megacorp, but Art's real home is the Eastern Standard Tribe.

Instant wireless communication puts everyone in touch with everyone else, 24 hours a day. But one thing hasn't changed: the need for sleep. The world is slowly splintering into Tribes held together by a common time zone, less than family and more than nations. Art is working to humiliate the Greenwich Mean Tribe to the benefit of his own people. But in a world without boundaries, nothing can be taken for granted-not happiness, not money, and most certainly not love.

Which might explain why Art finds himself stranded on the roof of an insane asylum outside Boston, debating whether to push a pencil into his brain....

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: Apr 1, 2005
• ISBN: 9781429972697

Cory Doctorow

Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction author, activist and journalist. He is the author of many books, most recently The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation, a Big Tech disassembly manual; Red Team Blues, a science fiction crime thriller; Chokepoint Capitalism, non-fiction about monopoly and creative labour markets; the Little Brother series for young adults; In Real Life, a graphic novel; and the picture book Poesy the Monster Slayer. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Reviews for Eastern Standard Tribe

[liscarey · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Art Berry lives in a world just slightly askew from the rest of us. In our increasingly wireless world of instant and constant communication, he gives his loyalty not to a state or a company or family and friends he sees regularly, but to the Eastern Standard Tribe—a largely faceless collection of people whose home time zone is the Eastern Standard Zone, who are locked in cutthroat competition with other tribes aligned with other time zones. Art himself is currently working in London, engaged in industrial sabotage against the Greenwich Mean Tribe. Virgn/Deutsche Telekom thinks he's working for them, improving their user interface; in fact he's trying to make it almost unusable. He's got a partner and supervisor from the Tribe, Federico, and a new girlfriend, Linda, whom he met when she staged an accident with him as the fall guy so that she could claim the insurance.

For some reason, that doesn't suggest to Art that perhaps Linda is fundamentally untrustworthy and not looking out for his best interests.

Art's having fun, screwing with V/DT's user interface, dreaming up a really good, fun, and profitable idea for EST to sell to MassPike, involving rights management for downloaded music. There are frustrations, too, of course, as he begins to dimly realize that Fede might be double-crossing him, trying to steal his idea and cut him out of the deal. There are more frustrations as Linda and Fede make increasingly contradictory and irreconcilable demands on him. Eventually, on a trip which he thinks is to pitch the idea, and a side trip home to Toronto to introduce Linda to his Gran, Art finally figures out that Linda is not his friend, either. He reacts very badly, and winds up on the roof of a mental institution in Massachusetts, trying to decide whether to stick a pencil into his brain.

There are some neat ideas here, and the story moves along briskly, alternating between the main story and Art on top of the asylum, trying to figure out what he does next, with quite adequate amounts of suspense. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite satisfy. Except for Art, neither the characters nor the book's main conceit, the Tribes, feel fully developed. I was left feeling that this will probably be a fun book to read when Doctorow finishes writing it.

[ragwaine · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cory Doctorow always seems to think outside the box, and even though this one didn't blow me away it definitely had it's bouts of brilliance and originality. The one thing I couldn't get around though was the "girlfriend", she was written as such a complete psycho, selfish, bitch that I didn't find it believable that he stayed with her or if he was the kind of person who would stay with her then I wanted him to fail.This started off really "meta", but eventually strayed away from that. I thought that in the end it should have come back to that, a kind of "wrap up" referencing the beginning, but it never did and so it kind of made that beginning section feel irrelevant.

[bensdad00 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

short, cute, but abruptly ended.

[tumler100 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A strange start set in the near future. This book promises a lot but fails to deliver an end that sets your world askew. Still it has many fine points and an engaging story.

[vickifoxsmith · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've been a Boing Boing reader forever, so I looked forward to reading one of Cory Doctorow's novels. I like the fact that Eastern Standard Tribe is set in the future, but not the distant future; 2022 is just around the bend. It made the technology seem feasible and somehow familiar.

And although I was expecting the techie parts to feel as they did, I was surprised that so much of it took place in a psych hospital, and that it also felt familiar, in the same way. It was the part of the book I liked the most. I also like the parts of it that were explicitly Canadian, though I would hope that the copyright mess detailed in the book, as part of the plat, wold be resolved sooner, rather than later.

The story line itself was less than compelling. I'd say that the length of the book had something to do with that, but I have read shorter pieces that somehow did not have that failing.

I'll probably read another of his books, especially since they are available for free from multiple distributors.

[paul_s-289480 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Short and witty. Without the tiresome moralising that the author now practices.

[elenaj-147457 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I didn't like this one as much as Makers, the only other Doctorow I've read. I didn't find the plot terribly compelling, I didn't buy the central conceit of time zone "tribes." It's zippily written, and certainly clever, so it wasn't a bad read, just not a great one.

[jen6e6moore · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Eh, it was a Cory Doctorow novel, so it was great fun, but the main character was one of those geekier-than-thou douchebags so I enjoyed it a lot less than I could have.

[keebrook · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

science fiction at the edge. felt like a ripping tale built-in with near-future slang and technospeak that we can understand if we just tilt our heads just so and put our tongues in the corners of our mouths.

the glimpse of the society shown here works well as the backdrop but also entangled within the fabric of the prose itself. that is, it feels real. Doctorow does not spoon feed us. there are some details from his future that i just do not grok but that doesn’t make it any less compelling.

really, this book is about the virtual tribalism that is happening right now all around us and how it has the potential to grow into and beyond Masonic proportions through the power of digital and wifi connectivity.

the book works on the level of a piece of art, too, with the interspersion of screenshots of chat banter with the text and plot.

i will say that the ending and what exactly happened there is a bit foggy but i think i understand it well enough to still have enjoyed this character-driven story. a nice slice of a very possible very near future that is already happening.

[tcwriter · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Interesting character, though overall it's not the most engrossing read - probably because it times it feels as if Doctorow's trying a little too hard to make a point. Almost preachy.

That said, near-future sci-fi novels are hard to do, and this one held my attention throughout the book.

[librarybrandy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This held together much better than Someone Comes To Town. The plot point referenced in the title is barely a part of the book; it's mostly used for setting, I think. Worth reading!

[texascheeseman · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Eastern Standard TribeAuthor: Cory DoctorowPublisher: Project GutenbergPublished In: Date: 2005Pgs: 224REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERSSummary:People who sleep when you do aren’t like you. The people who are awake when you are awake are your tribe. The world is splintering into Tribes based on time zone barriers. Dark happenings are afoot. Can an interface designer working on sabotaging the Massachusetts Data Turnpike find happiness or is he just insane? Does he belong in a Boston insane asylum or should he be dead. Corporate tribal time zone cyber warfare. The future is now.Genre:CyberpunkFictionScience fictionWhy this book:I’ve seen and heard things about Doctorow for many years.______________________________________________________________________________Least Favorite Character: Paranoid Fede. Though just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean that there isn’t someone who is out to get you.I’m not really in love with Art or Linda either.Character I Most Identified With:I would like to identify with Art. I want to. But I just can’t.The Feel:There’s an odd feel to the story. Not fluff, but maybe plastic. Like the world that this takes place in is both real and unreal. This may be a function of my not fully grasping the whole Tribe concept as it is presented here. Or maybe I’ve got it right and that is the way I’m supposed to feel about the world that Art is living in.Well crap. The story took a turn into “Cuckoo’s Nest” and I’m not a fan of “Cuckoo’s Nest”. I know...I know blasphemy. Cuckoo’s Nest and courtyard drama are real no-go areas for me.Favorite Scene:The trapped on the roof, brick to the car in the parking lot explosion is awesome.Pacing:The flow is good. Hmm Moments:Choosing smarts over happiness...oh goodness...how many of our psyche’s did Doctorow just hit either where we currently live or in a house that we used to know. Damn.Coffium, a caffeine product that stays hot...because it’s made with heavy water and is radioactive.The Massachusetts Turnpike drivers napster tastemasters.The escape from the bin with a Doctor in tow and with a lawyer and a priest at his side is pretty cool.______________________________________________________________________________Last Page Sound:HA!Author Assessment:I’m not sure about this story yet. But Doctorow’s work is awesome.Knee Jerk Reaction:it’s alrightDisposition of Book:e-Book

[plappen_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Here is a near-future novel about an industrial saboteur who finds himself on the roof of an insane asylum near Boston.In a 24-hour, instant communication world the need for sleep is the only thing that hasn’t changed. The world is splintering into tribes based on time zones; those in other time zones will be at lunch or sleeping when you need them. Only those in your own time zone can be depended upon.Art lives in London, and he works for a European telecommunications mega-corporation. His "real job" is to make life as difficult as possible for those in the Greenwich Mean Tribe by inserting user-hostile software wherever he can. Of course, other tribes are doing the same thing to Art’s "home tribe," the Eastern Standard Tribe.Art is also working on managing data flow along the Massachusetts Turnpike. Most cars have some sort of onboard computer on which songs are stored, sometimes tens of thousands of songs. Art comes up with a system for wireless transfer of songs between cars, while they are driving on the Mass Pike. Art’s business partner, Fede, sends him to Boston to sign an agreement selling the system to a local company. After several days of being told to wait, while “details” are being finalized, Art realizes that he is being screwed by Fede, and Art’s girlfriend, Linda. The two met when Art hit her with his car in London. That is how Art finds himself on the roof of a forty-floor insane asylum near Boston; Fede and Linda had him committed there.As with any Doctorow novel, this book is full of interesting ideas. It’s easy to read, very plausible and very much recommended.

[joeteo1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The concept of time zone tribes did not strike me as plausible but the protagonist of the book is likable and the story well paced. The story tries to make a statement regarding the repercussion of our increasingly online existence and how it changes the ways in which humanity interacts. Its refreshing to see a story that tackles such big questions while still being very entertaining.

[jonathangorman_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty engrossing. The main character has a nice geeky feeling that not surprisingly reminds me a bit of myself and people I know. Lots of ideas for tinkering and improving things.One thing I'll say is the blurb is a little misleading. I was expecting something Illuminatus like from the blurb, with different groups attempting to cause radical change in the real world through a variety of mechanisms. Not a bad book, but I'd like to see Doctorow write that one someday too ;). Also, there's some stuff about tribes, but I don't know if someone who hasn't been involved in a similar thing would get the feel. Obviously the geeks who've spent time in an irc channel will understand, but I don't know

[piair_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I started reading the book I at first was confused. Who was this Art and what was he doing on the roof? And it took me a while to get the two story lines straightened out. After that I really wanted to find out how he ended up there and what had happened.Like the other Cory Doctorow books, the story is staged in the not too distant future, making it feel more believable, though the idea of music sharing described in the book isn't that innovative. Unlike the suggested use of the tracking bracelets for patients.

[aethercowboy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I met Cory Doctorow, he was speaking at my school as part of a conference on the web (WWW@10). Hearing him speak got me interested in his background, and I discovered that he had recently published a book. So I bought it (even knowing that I could get it for free online).This book, just barely a novel in length (I think it's about 60k words), paints a not-too-distant future in which people join "tribes" that correspond to different regions. These tribes distinguish themselves by adjusting their biological clocks to their respective zones, regardless of their geographical location. This is perfectly understandable in this information-dense future, in which your grandma, who may be all the way across the globe, is only a phone call away.Art, our protagonist, works for the EST while trying to sabotage the GMT0. He gets a great idea, but finds himself in a bit of trouble trying to market it back to his home tribe.This book is hilarious satire, if you're in the mood for reading satire, or just a quick glimpse into the future, if you're feeling divine.It will most likely appeal to readers of minimalist or new weird authors, or fans of Doctorow's other works (including his contributions to the BoingBoing.net blog).

[anderew_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I work in an organization very much like the one where the protagonist of this book executes his agent-provocateur activities. Suddenly it all makes sense! Agents of our enemies are destroying us from within by corrupting our UI and business processes! I laughed out loud many times reading this book and found it very thought provoking. I like the fact it feels so real, has a just beyond the cutting edge view of the way technology affects us and at the same time has such human characters in it.I have recommended it to several of my colleagues who also enjoyed it. I have even found myself quoting passages in design meetings when it all gets a little too surreal.

[tyroeternal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book hits the ground running. Falling into the groove of understanding the story took a moment, but once the story got rolling I quite enjoyed it. The ending came much faster than I would have expected, and left me a bit disappointed. Much of the book felt as if it needed to be fleshed out much further, and would benefit from a larger page count. All said, however, I quite enjoyed this story. EST made for an enjoyably light, fast paced, fun read-through.

[jshrop_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another great "near future" drummed up by Doctorow! I have enjoyed everything I have read of his and Eastern Standard Tribe doesn't dissapoint. The base concept, of "tribes" within each time zone trying to make their domain the best, most interactive, most engaging, while putting rougue tribe members into other time zones to purposely sabotage the experience of those in their domain is fantastic. I liked the dual perspective used, telling the story of the same characters timeline broken up so that we reach the two climaxes in the story at the same time, even though they happen weeks, maybe even months, apart in time. Even without as much "high-tech" as Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, there are enough forward thinking ideas and "tech" to keep you feeling like you are living in the future, but not so distant that it might start happeneing as soon as next week.

[dvf1976 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After reading "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom", I wanted a 'whuffie detector' (to say nothing of immortality)This book has comms which function about the same.Doctorow should have an 'embedded fund' that he expects to create his future.