The World Without Various Stuff: A Collection of Hypothetical Absences

by Kyle A. Massa

In a world without holidays, turkeys would subjugate humans. In a world without coffee, we’d all die sooner. And in a world without The World Without Various Stuff, you’d never know any of this.

In this humorous collection of hypothetical nonsense, author Kyle A. Massa examines 31 subjects and imagines how life might differ without them. Ever wondered how Taco Bell saved the film career of Sylvester Stallone, or why airports are pits of doom and misery? Then this is the book for you.

226 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2025

About the author

Kyle A. Massa is a comic fantasy author living somewhere in upstate New York with his wife, their daughter, and three wild animals. His published works include two books and several short stories. When he’s not writing, he enjoys reading, running, and drinking coffee.

Reviews

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks, Kyle, for this amazingly hilarious book. I loved reading it. I tried to read a couple of sections a day to brighten each day with a little laughter. However, I found that I just couldn't stop reading it. I laughed so much reading this. I also loved how it made me think and reflect on what my life would be like without these things, especially Nicolas Cage, Vampires, Halloween, and School. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The best way to describe this book is probably: "It's exacltly what it claims to be". It says a collection of hypothetical absences and it is a collection of hypothetical absences.

What I liked:
- It's pointless, fun, and lighthearted
- It's an easy and quick read
- The ideas in there make good conversation/discussion prompts

What I didn't like:
- It's very America-centric. Many points are about American culture, which weren't very interesting to me as a European. But due to the nature of the book, you could easily skip a paragraph you don't care too much about.

[Red Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyle has a knack of taking something that is serious and making it very silly. I love reading his books. If you like silly things and need a few laughs, this book is for you! Hard to stay mad at the world when Kyle does a fantastic job of showing you the silly side of it!!

[Debbie Pyette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of tongue in cheek speculative ponderings. While I didn't get all the references I did still appreciate the humor.