The Citadel of Bureaucracy

by J.D. Mitchell

Part story, part game, this is a book in which YOU make all the decisions!

The Citadel of Bureaucracy holds dark and dangerous perils for civil servants unprepared for its labyrinthine cubicle walls, but enter you must. The Albatross Pay System has shorted you, money's tight, and long hours have left you ragged and in desperate need of a vacation. You've just got to make it through one more day. But it won't be easy. Packed with asbestos, bad wiring, and with air quality equivalent to a dank, rat-infested dungeon, the Darby Complex, known as "The Citadel" to its hapless inmates, is riddled with appalling hazards and frantic civil servants to test you beyond all reasonable limits.

Working against the clock, you must fight unreliable transit, dodgy I.T., the dreaded Canada goose, and a rising sense of nihilism in an effort to get paid and clear your desk before your vacation. YOU decide which paths to take, which dangers to risk, and which colleagues to confront. May the blessings of the Janus-faced God of Finance and H.R. be with you, for you'll find little succour in the Citadel's unhallowed halls.

274 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2023

About the author

J.D. Mitchell is a Canadian writer of speculative fiction. His stories are informed by his historical studies and transient upbringing. The latter, while terribly angst-inducing, exposed him to a rich tapestry of people and places, as did his varied service industry jobs and a sixteen-year stint in the Public Service of Canada (but who's counting?).

Reviews

[Janae Schiele]

I loved this book! It was a lot of fun and kept me engaged for hours. This isn’t a play once and never get to use it again book. I played through the story multiple times and still haven’t scratched the surface of paths to take. I love the gameplay and dice rolling aspect of it.

After you create your character stats, you simply follow the story prompts and choose what to do over and over again. Any decision could dramatically alter the path you follow. It’s very interactive and enjoyable to play alone or with friends.

[David McCallum]

I loved this book. Sufficiently kooky, challenging. So much personality. You don't even need to have worked in the civil service to appreciate it, the difficulties you experience in the story speak to a greater frustration of trying to living a modern life. Definitely recommend it!

[Alexis Cattley]

This takes me back to my childhood, the long summer days playing fighting fantasy
Well written, entertaining, and re readable it’s defiantly a book for someone who remembers their childhood, and finds bureaucracy frustrating.
It’s almost cathartic
I encourage the finger in play/5 finger bookmark technique

[KRM]

Absolutely brilliant. For kids who grew up reading choose-your-own-adventure novel, this book is a more sophisticated version that keeps all the nostalgia. It's beyond clever, the structure of the book itself and the writing are both top notch.