Walkaway

Walkaway is a 2017 science fiction novel by Cory Doctorow that imagines a near-future where people opt out of capitalist systems by creating autonomous communities based on abundance and open-source principles. The narrative follows Huyang, Natalie, and Seth as they discover and join "walkaways"—settlements that use advanced technology and collaborative economics to meet human needs without traditional markets or property.

The novel explores themes of technological abundance, post-scarcity economics, digital rights, and the possibility of building alternative social systems. Doctorow structures the story as a series of interconnected narratives that examine how communities might function when basic needs are met through technology and cooperation rather than competition.

Walkaway engages directly with debates in tech culture about automation, inequality, and whether technological abundance could enable radical social reorganization. It has become influential in discussions of solarpunk futures and post-capitalist science fiction, offering a counterpoint to dystopian AI narratives by imagining technology as a tool for liberation rather than control.