Thank you Salon. You have continued to be the cutting edge source of 'what's next' and in publishing the first cut of many of Mr.Future's (maybe ;>})Doctorow's great musings you move us towards a more thoughtful vision of what our future might be - or could be - or should be. You know give me ambivalence or 'what ever'.

Come on, Salon--let's have Book 2!

I really enjoyed this serialization...

The mental image of an army of dancing Elmo dolls teaming up to drive a car will stick with me for awhile :)

I'm an avid reader, really rather addicted to books (as my Amazon Visa can attest), but I've never read anything quite like this. I'm not even sure how to classify Mr. Doctorow's work, but no matter. Since "Themepunks" began I've gone back and read everything else he's ever had published here on Salon, and I've bought or wish-listed his novels. So this is just a simple thank you: to Salon, for opening my eyes to a genre of literature I never before would have read, and to Mr. Doctorow, for offering the kind of work that lifts me out of the present and allows me to to immerse myself in new and fascinating worlds. That is why I read, after all. :)

Salon, please bring us Book 2! You've made waking up on Mondays so much more worthwhile!

... for another fantastic work.

I must say, I've become quite enamored by Doctorow's science fiction, mainly because it avoids slipping into either the libertarian or socialist utopia-molds that all too many visions of the future involve. Doctorow's works- especially Themepunks and "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom"- recognize both the great positive virtue and the ugly realities of market economics; to think of him as the "Thomas Friedman of Science Fiction" isn't too far off the mark (and I definitely mean that as a compliment!) The success of his experiments with releasing online e-books and portions of his writing and then selling the rest should be inspirational to other would be novelists- give them a big enough bite, and they'll pay for the rest.

Keep blowing my mind, Doctorow, and, as for Salon, keep publishing quality work- you have a loyal reader here.

I like Cory's writing and I hope that Salon picks up the next part of Themepunks. The story thus far has a unique quality... you'll be sailing along with the fast-paced prose when suddenly a little nugget of insight forces you to stop and send a quote to someone via instant message.

The format also works very well -- each installment is just long enough to read during lunch at the office.

Although I'd never read anything by Cory Doctorow, and I'd mostly given up on current science fiction novelists, I've been reading this story since Salon began running it. (I'll give anything a chance if the editors of Salon think it's worth running.)

It turns out, Themepunks is not only a great story, it's a fantastic fit with Salon's editorial content.

Please, Salon, serialize books 2 and 3 of Themepunks!

This was excellent, and I look forward to the next parts. You had me at the laser pointer! Thanks Cory, and to Salon.

Dear Salon,

I just noticed a surprising detail after reading the most recent chapter of Themepunks. From the tone of Cory Doctorow's note to the reader, it seemed like Salon may or may not continue with the serialization of this wonderful novel. Is this true, that you might not continue with book 2? But to stop now would be cruel and unusual, an "e-nology" to ending a clinical trial in which the experimental group was receiving untold benefits! Remembering that sometimes riots were started by people waiting for the arrival of the next installments of Dickens' books, I implore you to keep the series running. From my own experience I can say that for the past few months, the main reason that I checked Salon each day was to see if the next installment was listed yet. And in the course of that I also became an avid Salon reader for its other content. So don't throw out a baby that makes the bathwater so appealing!

I have enjoyed "Themepunks" so much and will really miss it if we don't get to see Book 2. I agree with Ransom that the ideas explored in this story really jive with much of the content on Salon. I have become a huge Cory Doctorow fan through these Salon serializations.

I just read all of this story basically in one sitting. It sucked me in and wouldn't let me go. Now I can get some work done while waiting for book 2. I can't wait.

As the person most invested with ensuring that Cory Doctorow's work continues to run in Salon, let me just assure everyone reading these letters that I'm doing everything I can to keep this serial going. I take great pride in the fact that two of the stories I agreed to publish from Cory, "Ownzored" and "Anda's Game," have been widely recognized by the literary establishment as gems, and I hope the same is eventually true for "Themepunks."

Running a science-fiction serial, however, does not generate the kind of page-views that, say, a piece about condom patent disputes or real life dolls or mysterious bulges underneath a president's jacket does. So it's not necessarily easy to get editorial buy-in from all concerned. But I think in general that most of the editors at Salon consider Cory's presence in our pages to be a feather in our cap, so I am personally hopeful that when Cory has more chapters to deliver, we'll be ready to publish them.

I love Salon, but don't get time as often as I'd like to read your fair pages. Themepunks has been a major motivator to get me back. It delivers a thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking combination of social commentary, prediction of future events, and connection to the tech world in which many of us are so engaged.

In fact, as one who is continuing to evovle my "life plan," Salon is the only place I've found such a great mix. Themepunks represents that mix directly. You must continue to run it. I might even pay a small amount. Just a thought.