I was somewhat let down by Makers. After the first half of the book I was reading more or less to get through it and onto a different book. The character development is shallow, with little to adore, admire, or connect with. Sure, the main characters develop some layers through their history together, but the majority of the book reads like a documentary, with its matter-of-fact dialog.
The only real gem in the book are the ideas that the plot runs on. While the majority of the characters seem hollow, the concepts that the characters contribute to have legs. Are they all original ideas? Definitely not. Doctorow clearly has much commentary into the modern day makers and relates todays issues through this not too distant future story. Additionally, his copyright activist background (EFF affiliation) infiltrate the moral conundrums within the storytelling—not to mention the various occurrences of TSA strip searching.
I was not expecting the significant inclusion of the Disney Parks into the story. It appealed to my Disney geek nature, but don't expect the light hearted nature of the parks found in Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom.
Makers lacked suspense, character and likability. Overall it's a decent intellectual and techie read, but not terribly interesting. If you like Doctorow's work, give it a read. Otherwise, check out his stronger pieces, Little Brother and Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom.