Science fiction writer and digital rights activist Cory Doctorow's new young adult sf novel, For The Win, just hit shelves today. And with Doctorow, when you say "shelves," of course that means you can find it in physical bookstores, but you can also download it for free from his web site licensed under Creative Commons.

FTW picks up themes Doctorow touched in his short story "Anda's Game," about the shadow economy of developing-nation computer gamers playing for virtual gold to be sold for real money, in a parable of exploitation versus organization which comes uncomfortably close to fact rather than fiction. From the blurb:

Mala is a brilliant 15-year-old from rural India whose leadership skills in virtual combat have earned her the title of “General Robotwalla.” In Shenzen, heart of China’s industrial boom, Matthew is defying his former bosses to build his own successful gold-farming team. Leonard, who calls himself Wei-Dong, lives in Southern California, but spends his nights fighting virtual battles alongside his buddies in Asia, a world away. All of these young people, and more, will become entangled with the mysterious young woman called Big Sister Nor, who will use her experience, her knowledge of history, and her connections with real-world organizers to build them into a movement that can challenge the status quo.

Only just started reading it, and hope you'll do the same. And if you download it for free, hope you'll consider Cory's "pay it forward" approach — if you enjoy the book, you can donate physical copies to libraries and classrooms at a matchmaking page on his site, craphound.com.

FTC disclosure: I know Cory; free copies distributed on the Web in no way influence my opinion. Splah.