Qualityland

Well, this was a good time. Best book I've read in quite a while. Another reviewer said it's been picked up for development by HBO, which I can only hope is correct.

I'll make an effort here to not repeat what others have said about this. I got to thinking at some point during reading & came to the conclusion that despite all the nice sounding ideas that always return to that concept of advancing tech. somehow

Well, this was a good time. Best book I've read in quite a while. Another reviewer said it's been picked up for development by HBO, which I can only hope is correct.

I'll make an effort here to not repeat what others have said about this. I got to thinking at some point during reading & came to the conclusion that despite all the nice sounding ideas that always return to that concept of advancing tech. somehow leading to an inevitable improvement in our lives, it's as nonsensical of a concept as the idea that nuclear weaponry would make us safer & end wars. In fact, just as w/ advances in weaponry, nuclear or otherwise, the history of advancing tech. in our lives seems in actuality to have served only to intensify everything that already was. Sometimes there is convenience, improvement is debatable, & there will be some good, of course, but seemingly there is always a con for every pro when it comes to the addition of tech. in our lives. The reason, naturally, is b/c tech. not only doesn't exist in a vacuum, but specifically because it wasn't created in a vacuum it is going to be impossible to remove the biases & errors of humans. We can’t see outside our own conceptions of reality, after all. Even when deciding to create a piece of tech., it is created by humans made in this world, to solve problems or make offers that are relevant to this same world. It does not exist outside of this structure that of course we also exist in, & thusly tends to reinforce all the aspects of this social structure, for good or for ill. Additionally, the creators of tech. are not normally the philanthropic types, but rather are striving to serve their own interests with the creations they push forward in to the rest of our lives. This scenario leaves us in a progressively disadvantaged relation to the ultimately self-serving motivations of others in the great power structure that is the scaffolding of our society. The ramifications of this state of affairs we are only just being to realize, but once this state is known to us, it's terrifying. Tech. is only as good as the humans that make it, & the world it exists in. With the imbalances in power that humanity has such difficulty eschewing, it's sets us up for an increasingly bleak future.

While all of that may be so, it is not the pervading mood of this book, b/c there is such a well-done element of humor that overlays the whole thing. On the surface, the book is about our MC trying to just get through one day & then another, in an altered version of our current world. The world he exists in is very believable for a modern reader. In particular, the frustrations & roadblocks to forward motion he encounters are highly relatable. The writing is easy to digest, & makes for a quick but entertaining read.

Many classics of dystopia & science-fiction have been mentioned by reviewers as having similarities with this book. I agree with them all, save for one. Perhaps the most commonly referenced book people keep bringing up is The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. I disagree with this comparison. Here's the thing: I HATED that book. I never once found it to be even mildly humorous or entertaining. I sincerely do not understand why everyone loves it so. (That said, I'm also not a huge Monty Python fan, so I assume there is some difference in comedic preferences amongst individuals at play.) Despite the intriguing premise, because this book was pushed sooo hard as being similar to that book, I at 1st was put off & did not enter for the give-away. I did this twice, actually. Then the reviews started coming in, & they sounded like something very unlike that book I so despise. So, I took a chance, I won a copy, & I'm so glad that I did. I am recommending it to just about everyone, b/c it is so very readable, & I believe it will satisfy a variety of audiences. I do, however, want to make the point that I don't fully believe the humor to be all that similar to that of Mr. Adams. I actually feel it would more closely be associated with the humor present in works like Schrödinger’s Cat, & The Illuminatus Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson. I do highly agree though, w/ the Vonnegut comparisons. The Brave New World, & 1984 elements are definitely in there, as well.

Before I close this out, I'd like to mention a few things that pleased me to no end. There are little bits inserted b/w chapters that add to experience of this world's reality. Ads, offers, messages, & the like, including when appropriate, excerpts from the comments section below such communications. They will be familiar to any reader, even though this story is not happening in our world….although, really it kind of is. The socio-cultural & socio-economic interplay w/ the nonsense of politics & our ridiculous feedback loops is again, all too real. Here & there throughout the book are very well-placed quotes from actual historical figures that turned out to be uncomfortably apt. The thing I loved most however, in the whole of the book, was the brilliant truth re: Jennifer Aniston. Finally, I have found proof of the existence of someone else who is as confused as about her popularity as I am. Truly, we get what we deserve as a society, but that doesn't mean I am going to understand it.

For presenting me with one of the best things I have read in a long time, & for adding a bit of a bright spot to my life, I want to thank the author & the publishers that helped make this work known & available to the wider world. This is a good thing that you've done here, guys.