Résumé With Monsters

by William Browning Spencer

Philip Kenan is battling a series of bad jobs—and the monsters from H.P. Lovecraft's fiction go with him.

Philip's first confrontation with the monsters set in motion a bizarre chain of events that finally sent his girlfriend Amelia packing. Now the battle rages from the dank, cramped sweatshop of Philip's former place of employment, Ralph's One Day Résumés, to the gleaming, deadly corridors of corporate giant Pelidyne. Can he save Amelia this time, or will the monsters triumph and consign all humanity to an existence of grim servitude?

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Lovecraftian, Science Fiction, Weird Fiction, Humor

469 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 4, 1995

About the author

William Browning Spencer is an award-winning American novelist and short story writer living in Austin, Texas. His science fiction and horror stories are often darkly and surreally humorous. His novel Resume With Monsters conflates soul-destroying H. P. Lovecraftian horrors with soul-destroying lousy jobs.
His story "The Death of the Novel" was a 1995 Bram Stoker Award nominee for Best Short Story.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think your boss is a soulless, inhuman, bunny-blowing pile of ass vomit who’s slowly sucking the joy out of your existence with each intake of breath into their smarmy, callous, troll-like mouth...wait until you hear about the monsters Philip Kenan works for in this bizarre, intelligent, Cthulhu-spiced and frighteningly funny piece of corporate horror/dark comedy/satire.

So the math on this book is pretty simple:

Lovecraft + Wall Street + Philip K. Dick (with a dash of William S. Burroughs) + Office Space (the movie) + the love child of Ben Stiller & Woody Allen =

A mighty nice dose of smart, funny, wildly inventive, mind-warpingly awesome...
Weird…Terrific… Fun..................uckery.

For those who want a little more verbiage, here's the plot rundown and some thoughts:

PLOT SUMMARY:

Angsty author, Philip Kenan, works as a word processor for Ralph’s One Day Resumes, where he spends his days preparing copy for resumes, flyers, business cards and the like. Just another in a series of dead-end jobs that Philip can’t seem to hold on to while he works obsessively on his as-yet-unpublished 2000 page manuscript inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

Of course, Philip believes that his frequent job loss and daily brushes with disappointment and frustration are the result of a vast inter-dimensional conspiracy orchestrated by the “elder gods” of the Cthulhu Mythos and that his boss and most of his co-workers are really inhuman servants (shaggoths) of these deities. As he sees it, these Old Ones have taken over corporate America and are using advertising, technology and the dreaded Necronomicon to open a portal that will allow, Nyarlathotep, Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth and the whole diabolical gang into our reality.

On the other hand, Philip has a history of mental illness and it’s quite possible that he's simply a delusional “bag-o-nuts” who has allowed his over active imagination to seep out of his writing and contaminate his everyday life. It doesn’t help matters that Philip was encouraged, nay indoctrinated, in his beliefs by his now dead father, Walter Kenan, who blamed all of his own misfortunes on the dastardly machinations of “The System” controlled by these elder gods.

The System. The Old Ones, crouched at the beginning of time, malevolent and patient. They thwarted all aspiration, all true and noble yearning…The System was ubiquitous and merciless. Its minions were everywhere, from the President of the United States to the clerk at the hardware store…The Systems creatures were fellow office workers, mysteriously generated regulations, numbers, signs on the walls, one-way streets, radio announcers, movies. These were the puppets of the Dark Gods. The distinguishing feature of a creature of the System was this: It bore Walter Kenan malice and worked diligently to confuse, demoralize and destroy Walter Kenan.

Throughout the novel, the reader is forced to confront the question: are Philip's troubles the result of a genuine cosmic conspiracy or is Philip out of his mind and nuttier than an Almond Joy?

That you will have to decide for yourself.

THOUGHTS

One thing is beyond question, this book was terrific. The dream-like, reality-bending (is it real or not) narrative employed in this novel reminded me of works by Philip K. Dick (e.g., A Scanner Darkly), except that this story has a much lighter, more humorous tone. Spencer’s prose is crisp and highly readable while being peppered with well crafted dialogue and funny bon mots. As a random example, at one point, Philip’s co-worker theorizes to him that maybe God’s a clumsy boy who causes disasters to happen because he’s trying to speak to us:

‘I mean, think about it. What if God just don’t know his own strength, like the cartoon character, what’s his name, Baby Huey? ‘Look out!’ God hollers, and a tidal wave destroys a seaport. ‘Heads up, Merl’ God roars, and a lightning bolt sends old Merl tumbling down a hillside, the soles of his shoes smoking.’

These bizarre theories of why bad things happen to good people provide a number of interesting Hmmm moments, as well as some chuckles.

However, most of the satire is reserved for bludgeoning corporations, corporate executives and the "life sucking" "soul crushing" nature of the corporate work place. This is where Spencer spends most of his time. Individually, these barbs are often subtle and casually delivered, but the cumulative effect is in your face and very biting. In this regard, I found interweaving and fusion of the indescribable namelessness of Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos with the button down, lock-step work of the corporate world to be just magnificent.

Hopefully the above gives you the flavor of the story. However, before I wrap up, I want to mention the one thing I found most intriguing about the work. Throughout the novel, Spencer does a phenomenal job of providing clues and insights into Philip’s unique vision of the world without ever giving the game away. You will go back and forth regarding whether what he sees is real or imaginary. Even at the very end of the novel (which is just wonderful), you will only have an “idea” or an “educated guess” regarding Philip’s mental state.

I think this allows the reader to “write their own ending” so to speak and I thought it was outstanding. The subtle shades of the story allow to look, along with Philip, for deeper meaning.

Overall, this is an engaging, original, off-beat story that doesn’t fit neatly into a particular genre box. However, it’s a well written, well plotted story should keep you entertained throughout.

4.0 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

P.S. A big thank you to my good friend, Richard for recommending this book to me. Richard, as a token of my esteem, I am going to try and track down some 1929 Montgomery Ward & Co. stock certificates to help kick start your scripophily collection.

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This fantasy by the author of the superb Zod Wallop is sort of a combination of "Office Space" and Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, with the Morlocks of The Time Machine thrown in just for the fun of it. Amusing and horrifying by turns, it shows us that although creatures from beyond the stars may swallow our souls, so may our mind-numbing, boring jobs.

This is one of my favorite kinds of fantasy, with much in common with Marquez' magic realism. At first, the world seems perfectly normal, but then, little by little you begin to notice the fantastic in your peripheral vision. And then--little by little--it inches closer and closer . . .

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cross Woody Allen with H. P. Lovecraft and you begin to get a notion of what "Resume with Monsters" by William Browning Spencer reads like. If you don't like those references, then cross Joe R. Lansdale with Philip K. Dick. In other words Mr. Spencer is one heck of a writer. In fact, this book was the winner of the International Horror Critics Guild Award for Best Novel in 1995.

What the book offers is Philip Kenan our hero and he does not appear to be the most reliable narrator.

This becomes apparent with his constant obsession with H. P. Lovecraft's "Great Old Ones" who constantly appear to try and invade his life oth at work and in private. He is able to fend them off by constantly revising his work in progress his novel "The Despicable Quest".

This obsession makes his girl friend Amelia to finally run away. The book's combining of the "Cthulhu Mythos" and "The Office" gives us a glimpse of just what monsters run our corporate world.

Highly Enjoyable.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about a surreal read! While I guess this could be called a horror novel, especially as the main theme concerns the 'old ones' from Lovecraft, this really defies any genre except perhaps 'weird'. Our main protagonist, Philip Kenan, is 45 and still working a series of bullshit jobs. Actually, reading this along side Bullshit Jobs: A Theory kinda made my day!

Philip graduated college with an English degree and set out to write a novel. His wife is a painter and they live off her trust fund until it runs out and Philip starts working a series of temp and other bullshit jobs to pay the bills. Flash forward 20 years or so to when the novel starts. Philip moved to Austin TX in pursuit of his girlfriend (his wife ODed years ago), who dumped him after a. she thought he was going crazy, and b. he basically kidnapped her from work (they worked together) and tied her up, dumping her in a mail cart. Why would he do such a thing? Well, he was convinced the 'old ones' were using the building/corporation as a conduit to enter our world and of course destroy it.

For fans of Lovecraft, this will be a treat. Philip is convinced the 'old ones' are on the verge of breaking through to our reality; in fact, that is the subject of his 2000 page novel he has been working on for 20 years (through a mass of rejections from publishers I might add). So, Philip is in Austin working another bullshit job and he becomes convinced the 'old ones' are at work here also.

Spencer takes us, via a series of surreal flashbacks, on the journey of Philip's life. Is Philip just crazy, or are the 'old ones' really on the verge of coming through? I will leave it to you to answer that as I am still on the fence on that after reading this. A fun read for sure, with lucid descriptions of so many bullshit jobs Philip worked through. So, romance (sort of), mystery, suspense, and a heap of Lovecraftian monsters lurking on almost every page. 4 surreal stars!

[Baal Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure where I got the idea that this book was going to be funny, but I went into it with that expectation, and my expectation was wrong. It is darkly humorous, but more in a reflection of all the worst aspects of corporate culture with business speak crammed into motivational pamphlets, stupid dress codes, lectures about company loyalty and working hard, all mixed in with a background of elder gods influencing the background to make everything weirdly off. The story starts with small touches, and develops into a bizarre dreamlike state where zombie workers make inappropriate advances on the main character, and security guards casually shoot secretaries in the head. I like Spencer's approach to the world of Lovecraft. It's got the right balance between inexplicable and mundane. The fact that it was set in Austin was a nice little bonus.

[Daniel Garrido · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi reseña: https://caballerodelarbolsonriente.bl...

[J.R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find the whole star rating system to be arbitrary and silly, but I will add that this is more of a 2 1/2 stars for me, if that matters. It was a solid 3 stars until perhaps the last 1/5, when it really flies off the rails.

I should add that I am a fan of Spencer's short stories, which tend to either be pithy and clever, or sad and poetic. I prefer the latter kind, and this novel certainly is not that. It's well-written, engaging, clever, and has several funny observations, but I had some real problems with it. First, I am not a Lovecraft purist (or at least I don't think I am), but the mythos elements are, frankly, stupid and frivolous. And I don't want to add any spoiler elements, but dear lord there are some terribly stupid decisions made here concerning the Lovecraft elements. Second, the office satire is stale and redundant, and the passage of time has made the particular milieu he covers (temp word processors, copy editors and type setters) pretty anachronistic. Third, the action sequences just don't really work, tonally or really even logically. They are hard to follow along and Mr. Spencer's verbal gifts of observation don't really transfer well to the action sequences.

That being said, I would recommend The Ocean and All Its Devices by this author.

[Beth Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this novel is my life.

[Román Sanz Mouta · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://dentrodelmonolito.com/2022/01...

Empezamos con lo primero, para situarnos y saber sobre qué hablamos, porque en Currículum con monstruos contrasta que sea una aventura relativamente amable, delirante y divertida, cuando amable no es el término al que referirse nunca delante de la amenaza de los Antiguos o los Primigenios en avalancha a través del espacio-tiempo. ¿Cuáles son las razones de esta contradicción maravillosa? Al argumento de cabeza.

En el primer acto, Philip es consciente de la existencia de esas entidades terribles y ominosas, el panteón completo de Lovecraft, que quieren entrar en nuestra realidad a través de su nefanda empresa administrativa: MicroMeg, la tapadera (o no). Emporio que los usa mientras él solo anhela recuperar a su ex, con la que tiene una relación procelosa. Philip ya poseía los conocimientos de esa amenaza, e intenta actuar contra ellos, ser oposición, hormiga contra numen. Mientras avanza lento y pesaroso en esa novela lovacraftiana (qué irónico) que es su leitmotiv y que a la vez le separó de Amelia, buscando ayuda psicológica (y psiquiátrica) en Lily (maravilloso y místico personaje). Presentación, interrelaciones, puesta en escena. Ya nos gusta.

En el segundo acto contemplamos la historia en dos tiempos, con Philip saltando desdoblado al pasado, reviviendo cómo llegó a dicho conocimiento y cuál es la relación con su ex, Amelia (causa y efecto), a la vez que vemos la prosecución del acto anterior, donde ya cuenta también con ayuda psicológica reglada (sumada a Lily, claro, nunca es demasiado). Una lucha entre la cordura y la demencia, aceptar que todo lo imagina o abrazar la certeza de lo inevitable, de la extinción y la esclavitud como el mejor de los finales. ¿Cuántas líneas temporales hay? ¿Qué ha cambiado? ¿Se ha curado? ¿Seguirá solo?

En el tercer acto, tras el clímax de los dos primeros (me encantan los clímax tempranos y múltiples), el personaje ha evolucionado, es otro, igual que las circunstancias, y alguno de los personajes que le acompaña o se le opone. Pero quizá la amenaza permanezca latente, porque todo cambia para que todo permanezca. Entenderéis que no cuente mucho de este último episodio para no estropear la sorpresa.

Porque Philip es un hombre simple, un escritor fallido, un administrativo de raza que solo trabaja, escribe y echa de menos a la inefable Amelia, quien podría ser corrompida por esos nefastos conceptos. En la oficina se encuentra situaciones cotidianas que se salpimientan con dichos terrores ignotos, denuncias de abusos, reemplazos, sustituciones, carcasas. ¿Qué es real y qué no? El narrador nos invita a entrar en ese juego y participar del mismo. Lily, la terapeuta, anciana, sabia, incisiva, ahonda en todos esos problemas, se gana la confianza de Philip (y la nuestra).

Porque Philip avanza caótico, sobreviviendo mientras se hace preguntas perturbadoras, intentando luchar, siguiendo sus instintos de escritor, porque es escritor por encima de cualquier cosa (de una novela interminable), y ha puesto su obra por encima incluso de Amelia. ¿Está en posesión de la verdad? ¿Apostamos por él? Cuántas preguntas, ¿verdad?

Al personaje protagonista le marca mucho más el amor por Amelia que el hecho de tener una conciencia clara del advenimiento de los primigenios por desencadenar, que arrasarán toda existencia. Y aunque pelea por y contra ello, necesita mucho más que Amelia lo quiera, que vuelvan a estar juntos (¿por encima de la novela?). Esa dicotomía (la normalidad de lo imposible) resulta en que ambas situaciones (el amor y el horror) pueden ser verdades, anormales e imposibles. Aunque no olvidemos también que existe una frontera no tan tenue entre amor, obsesión y acoso (¿cierto, Philip?). No resulta excusa que tu mente haya sido manipulada tantas y tantas veces y que la misma realidad no se sostenga en la balanza que debiera.

Añadamos, esto por deformación profesional (palo y zanahoria), la incomprensión que recibe de su ámbito más cercano el escritor o la escritora, tildado de vago, de perezoso, de hobby, de no hacer nada, de ser preso de su imaginación. Una imaginación que para poder escribir en condiciones tiene que poseerte, absorberte, obsesionarte. Es verdad que tal compromiso colinda con estos monstruos que rodean a Philip, que ya llegan. Ahondando un poco más allá de su traslación al mundo real (¿locura?). No deja de ser una realidad cruda, y aquellos que escriben bien lo saben (a quienes tienen el apoyo completo de su entorno, enhorabuena).

Sumemos al caldo los dilemas de la salud mental, qué y cuándo creer a un paciente, a un amigo o una pareja que te cuenta algo improbable, fuera de lugar, una fantasía. ¿Qué haces? ¿Lo apoyas? ¿Lo abandonas? ¿Lo aíslas? Otro problema de incomprensión demasiado común.

Desde lo técnico, la voz narrativa le aporta mucha frescura al texto, le favorece un grado de sinceridad cómplice que te hace dudar de esa salud mental y a la vez nos permite acompañar a Philip con empatía. Le da sentido al argumento. Los personajes son tangibles, quizá exagerados (algún estereotipo), pero todo en favor de la obra (bueno, malos y neutros, clones, robots, secundarios o principales, númenes). Y la atmósfera, sobre todo en las apariciones de las criaturas con las que el maestro pobló nuestras pesadillas, fugaces pero amenazadoras.

El final, explosivo, deviene delicioso (otro término que no debería encajar con el mal llamado género de la novela, pero…), con una vuelta a la calma sorprendente. Y es que, si una virtud tiene este manuscrito, es que abandona la común sensación de incognoscible, poniendo la mente y los deseos de los primigenios a la altura del hombre, para, aún con poderes desproporcionados en favor de los primeros, se comuniquen y tengan anhelos parecidos, tan pequeños que no parezcan dignos, y que no dejan de ser caprichos. Ese prisma convierte el texto en divertido.

Concluyendo, una novel ágil, entretenida, con escenas de conflicto que pasan raudas, visuales, y con las psicoterapeutas que descifran la psique del protagonista. Con actuaciones empresariales donde se muestra el habitual y cotidiano abuso de poder que se ejerce desde las altas esferas (siempre crítica social, se agradece, se necesita). Se entremezclan varias tramas (y tiempos) para crear un argumento compacto, funcional, adictivo. Porque Philip pasa de víctima o testigo a luchador. No se conforma. Y ya sabemos lo que pasa cuando enfrentas a tamañas deidades. Me gustan el tono y planteamiento, aunque no se perciba ese horror cósmico que nos haga cerrar los ojos, dejar la lectura, estremecernos. No es el objetivo. Trepidante en sus tres episodios concatenados. Y crea un vinculo compartido con el lector o la lectora, contigo. ¿Os habéis enterado de algo?

Poco más y poco menos que decir. El mercado está lleno de pastiches, de tochos, de infumables que dicen referenciar al gran H.P. Lovecraft y que no hacen más que usar sus bichos, mencionarle de pasada o repetir la sobreadjetivación con las mismas palabras que él solía usar en demasía. Sin crear miedos, porque los tiempos han cambiado, porque no habrá otro Lovecraft. Sin embargo, este homenaje cariñoso sí funciona. Con lo cual, a leer (o Yog-Sothoth te comerá vivo).

Pd: sabiendo por cosmogonía que los primigenios y los antiguos, incluso familia, no se llevan bien entre sí, ¿confluirían en acuerdo para conquistar juntos algo tan insignificante como es el planeta tierra? Ahí lo dejo.

[Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has currently had trouble staying on my shelves. I'm now on my second copy of the book, but it's always on someone else's shelf as I lend it out to anyone who has ever read the Call of Cthulhu or any other Loveraft writings.

The office life is hell, but moreso for the story's protagonist than most people. Philip is... sick. Or that's what his past psychiatrists (court appointed) would tell you. He believes that the corporate entities of the world are not headed by men, but my extra-dimensional entities from outside of time and space. The horrors of H.P. Lovecraft are real, and they control fortunes and assets most can only dream of. His ex-wife, Amelia, however has had enough of it. After he kidnapped her from her office a few years back claiming that he was protecting her from the alien horrors of the Mythos, they're on less than ideal relationship territory and it's driving him (even more) insane.

Soon, he finds a new horror lurking at his newest place of employment and the cycle of madness begins anew.

The best thing about this book is that it's written in such a way that it's entirely possible, even plausible, that Philip is really just batshit crazy. It could all be in his head. Yet, there are little inconsistencies that could point to the fact that in an unreasonable world, Philip may be one of the few sane people in it - frightening stuff.

[James Ellis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned about 1/3rd of the way through. Didn't like the protagonist. Didn't like the setting. Didn't like the plot. Didn't like the. Discordant. Writing. Style.

[Ryan Croke · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the tradition of other "weird" fiction this is quite the trip. Not as unnerving as I thought it would be but it was engaging. A quick and entertaining read. I will be reading more novels by this author.

[Artie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about the horrors of capitalism and mid-90s Austin, Texas.

[Junn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entré en este tomo pensando que habría un montón de referencias a los cuentos de Lovecraft que no iba a entender. Aún no he leído dichos cuentos (no todos), pero sólo me ha hecho falta saber una cosa para esta lectura, y es la capacidad de Lovecraft para dejar al lector preguntándose qué es real y qué no. Desde luego, Currículum con monstruos captura ese algo, poniéndonos en la mente y recuerdos de un protagonista muy interesante que te hace querer pasar a otro capítulo enseguida.

Es una obra que, aunque parece dirigirse hacia un tono humorístico con sus situaciones disparatadas y su lenguaje, juega sus grandes contrapuntos con situaciones realmente duras en el pasado y el presente.

Con todo, he llenado de post-its el libro con cantidad de escenas y frases que me han gustado (y tampoco es que sea algo que haga mucho), así que creo que eso puede hablar bastante en su favor.
La recomiendo. Diría que especialmente si te gusta Lovecraft, pero no me he encontrado con referencias muy cerradas, así que cualquiera puede disfrutarlo.

ATENCION, SPOILERS:
Si hay algo con lo que me ha dejado colgado es con el personaje que más me prometía, Lily. Aún presentada como la mujer que iba a indagar en lo más profundo de la mente de Phillip hasta sacarlo todo, terminó rindiéndose como tantos otros. Desde luego lo han justificado con la trama, pero me ha parecido que Browning no le dio el impacto a esta decisión que merecía el personaje.

También me he quedado un poco descontento con Sissy, que aparece para solucionarlo todo de forma casi mágica, dándonos un final que creo que no está a la altura de la obra en conjunto.

[Fabulantes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reseña: https://www.fabulantes.com/2022/05/cu...
"Browning Spencer toma una decisión genial como punto de partida: (...) en Currículum con monstruos los Primigenios son «el Sistema». (...) El «Sistema» es esclavizador y subyuga toda inteligencia y cualquier atisbo de imaginación. ¿Acaso alguien se siente realizado en su trabajo? Browning Spencer nunca debió estarlo. La crudeza de sus descripciones y de sus diálogos, pavorosamente realistas, inducen a pensar que lo que denuncia -las condiciones de trabajo efímeras, vergonzosas, alegales- le supuso un calvario vital. Puede que Browning Spencer escribiera Currículum con monstruos a modo de catarsis. De ser así, admitimos que puede leerse como una bien urdida venganza. Browning Spencer no deja títere con cabeza al recrear métodos laborales, al implantar horarios, al atisbar sueldos misérrimos, al burlarse de las dinámicas que pretenden conducir al éxito social".

[Andrés Zelada · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empecé este libro sin mucha fe (venía gratis en mi bolsa de la HispaCón) y la verdad es que me ha gustado. Un poco señoril, pero a cambio me ha tenido toda la lectura con una sonrisita.

El autor intenta caminar entre la comedia costumbrista y el horror cósmico, y no le sale mal el invento. Estamos a finales de los '90 y las puntocom están en auge: Philip lleva una existencia de mierda, trabajando en una empresa que hace encargos de diseño gráfico e impresión (principalmente gente que quiere que su currículum tenga un aspecto profesional) y tratando de volver con su ex novia, a la que ha seguido a Austin. El problema es que es el único que parece saber que las criaturas que describió Lovecraft son reales y están intentando entrar, y claro, así normal que no dure en ningún empleo.

La identificación entre el sistema corporativo y despersonalizador y los monstruos de más allá del tiempo ("soy sindicalista, claro que veo a los monstruos") es poco original, pero funciona muy bien.

[Terrance Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Office Space' meets Lovecraft's Cthullu mythos in 1990s Austin, whence all sorts of delightful literary wackiness ensues. This darkly comic novel is a fun, fast-paced read featuring exciting, vivid, gruesome set pieces leavened with nuggets of laugh-out-loud humor. The setting is universally familiar (and cozily specific, too, anyone's who's ever lived in or visited Austin will feel right at home), the characters mostly down-to-earth and highly relatable; everything and everybody perfectly normal, except for that whole thing about the ancient race of monsters from outer space coming to subjugate the planet. Against this cosmic threat, one lowly office drone stands alone, yet inevitably draws others into his half-mad, often-clueless conflict, and therein hangs one heck of a fun story! You'll never take paperclips for granted after reading 'Résumé with Monsters'! Highly recommended

[John Rennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book hard work. It didn't sweep me up as I'd hope for from a book. It's interesting but I can't recommend it.

It's a form of unreliable narrator book. We are never sure if the protagonist, Philip Kenan, is actually seeing what he reports, and as far as we know the (happy) ending could just be inside his head while he rots in a padded cell somewhere. The book is sort of humorous, but it's a very dark humour and you won't find yourself laughing very much.

I'm not sure what Spencer's intention was with this. As a comment on corporate America it's not especially insightful and as entertainment it's not very entertaining. The book isn't awful and I don't feel the time I spent reading it was wasted, but there are far better books for your limited reading time.

[Jimbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spencer gives us commentary about office work in a way that hits the nose on the head. I haven't read a book that tackles the office drone and the office managers in such a way. A Lovecraftian way. It is a bit dated (technology has changed so much), but the idea that monsters are coming through in major corporations and using office workers as drones/slaves etc is kind of brilliant.

I liked the book, I just wish I like Lovecraft. Not my favorite, but I appreciate the world of Cthulhu, just never found it to be frightening or not just a bad drug trip on paper. LOL!

[Meg Golding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly this is my favorite unexpected book find. I love this story and how the lines between the mundane and the supernatural are blurred to the point where you can't tell what's real. The way the author describes the slow build up of resentments, workplace politics, and the lies we tell ourselves to justify our actions in a true yet fantastical way never fail to grip my brain for days on end when I read this.

[Artur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong beginning and pretty good end, but the middle of the book is a bit too long, not funny or scary enough. But I like the premise and the writing enough to give it a decent rating.

The back page though... Yog Sothoth should punish the writer of the back page in any way it finds fitting for such a shitty and spoily page. I mean, it's less than 100 words and yet that spawn of Mi-Go decided to spoil 89% of the entire book (Yes, I've checked). What a jerk move...

[Coby Vandenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a hundred pages to really sink my teeth into this, and then I couldn’t let go. There are a few images in this that really stick with me, Lovecraftian scenes of incomprehensible horror that I truly believe were perfectly written.
Anytime Lovecraft comes up in future conversations, I will be bringing this book up 👀

[Brennan Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super strange book about a (relatively) boring man who is accosted by lovecraftian monsters at every turn. I found myself going back and forth as to whether the monsters were real or just in his head and I really don't know the answer. A fun, sad, and strange read.

[John Opalenik · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "Office Space meets the Cthulhu Mythos" tagline is a pretty perfect descriptor. Parts of this were very funny, while others showed how toxic work culture can be just as terrifying as a Great Old One.

[Tatiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I was told it was a horror novel but it was really more unsettling than anything. It was so funny and works as a satire of office culture. I couldn't believe it was so hard for me to find a copy but it was fast moving and enjoyable.

[Hugo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this; it's a light read, gently invoking the Lovecraftian horror behind the corporate office facade, and the romance feels real and unforced. There are a million Lovecraft pastiches and homages out there these days, but this is one of the earliest, and remains one of the best.

[Curtis F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this even more than Zod Wallop!!! So good, it's funny but never loses it's sense of horror, has great imagery and characters, and just great prose that really kept me glued. I read it in only two days. One of my favorite depictions of the Lovecraft mythos. Highly recommended!!!

[Olga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given the book for free in my local bookstore after a big purchase, i would have never in a thousand years have chosen it for myself.

Well, I loved it.

sure, it is not for everybody, but it is clever, subtle and funny.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mind-rending look at the dread cosmic forces at play beneath the banality of the average office job. Or, alternatively, a fascinating insight into an utterly insane man who sees fantastical monsters where there are only ordinary ones.

[FRan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philip sigue escribiendo su libro aún después de todos los acontecimientos de su vida y como los primigenios juegan con su cordura y la realidad.

Divertida, entretenida y curiosa. He pasado un buen rato con la vicisitudes del protagonista y el enfoque de los mitos que hace el autor.