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Qualityland
(QualityLand #1)
by
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY meets 1984. In the near-future, all decision-making is automated, until one man makes a brazen choice of his own, with global consequences.
Welcome to QualityLand, the best country on Earth. Here, a universal ranking system determines the social advantages and career opportunities of every member of society. An automated matchmaking serv ...more
Welcome to QualityLand, the best country on Earth. Here, a universal ranking system determines the social advantages and career opportunities of every member of society. An automated matchmaking serv ...more
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Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
January 7th 2020
by Grand Central Publishing
(first published September 22nd 2017)
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Start your review of Qualityland (QualityLand - Saga, #1)

MY FAVORITE BOOK OF 2019
Do you know why it's called the net? Because we're caught in it.
That's a paraphrase of a quote from "Qualityland," the best book I've read this year. It's one of my all-time favorites, and while relationships with books change over time just like relationships with people do, I think this one's going to last my lifetime. It's a remarkable dystopian satire and I love it so much that upon finishing it, I immediately turned back to page one and read it a second time. For da ...more
Do you know why it's called the net? Because we're caught in it.
That's a paraphrase of a quote from "Qualityland," the best book I've read this year. It's one of my all-time favorites, and while relationships with books change over time just like relationships with people do, I think this one's going to last my lifetime. It's a remarkable dystopian satire and I love it so much that upon finishing it, I immediately turned back to page one and read it a second time. For da ...more

Feb 02, 2020
Manny
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Douglas Adams fans who can read German
Welcome to my review of QualityLand! This state-of-the-art piece of infotainment is brought to you courtesy of Amazon®, everyone's favourite online retailer. Why don't you download the latest Kindle® bestseller now before your Facebook® friends reveal all the spoilers?
I'm sure you've already heard about QualityLand, the novel everyone is talking about, but let me tell you about it again! QualityLand is the best, richest, most powerful country in the world! It is formally illegal to refer to Qual ...more
I'm sure you've already heard about QualityLand, the novel everyone is talking about, but let me tell you about it again! QualityLand is the best, richest, most powerful country in the world! It is formally illegal to refer to Qual ...more

“The algorithm is always right…
Machines don’t make mistakes."
I can never decide if it's reassuring or alarming when algorithms are very wrong.
Last week, Twitter suggested I expand my timeline by following six subjects: Richard Branson, Football, Manchester United, Premier League (which is football), video games, and hip-hop & rap. I have never had any interest in any kind of sport, and I’ve no idea what prompted the others. Of course, typing that list in a Google Doc on the cloud and then pasti ...more
Machines don’t make mistakes."
I can never decide if it's reassuring or alarming when algorithms are very wrong.
Last week, Twitter suggested I expand my timeline by following six subjects: Richard Branson, Football, Manchester United, Premier League (which is football), video games, and hip-hop & rap. I have never had any interest in any kind of sport, and I’ve no idea what prompted the others. Of course, typing that list in a Google Doc on the cloud and then pasti ...more

The Peril of Eliminating Moral Peril
In 1966, Dennis Jones wrote a sci-fi novel called Colossus: The Forbin Project. Made into a film a few years later, it always seemed to me the perfect complement to Arthur C Clarke’s (and Kubrick’s) story 2001: A Space Odyssey . Neither Jones’s book nor the film caused anything like the cultural splash that Clarke and Kubrick made. This has always struck me as unjust, especially when I encounter pieces like Qualityland which seem to be direct descendants ...more
In 1966, Dennis Jones wrote a sci-fi novel called Colossus: The Forbin Project. Made into a film a few years later, it always seemed to me the perfect complement to Arthur C Clarke’s (and Kubrick’s) story 2001: A Space Odyssey . Neither Jones’s book nor the film caused anything like the cultural splash that Clarke and Kubrick made. This has always struck me as unjust, especially when I encounter pieces like Qualityland which seem to be direct descendants ...more

Feb 18, 2020
Zoeytron
rated it
really liked it
Recommended to Zoeytron by:
Lori's review
Shelves:
public-library
Is it really going to come to this? I was planning to poach a phrase of a GR buddy to say this novel is "Crazy Town Banana Pants", but we may have already gone too far down the road. As our dependence on techie toys becomes rote, it may very well be that it is too late to turn back now. Gnats caught in a web, that's what we are.
Androids are a species unto themselves now. In an effort to make all Artificial Intelligence more closely resemble that of humans, a dangerous corner has been turned. ...more
Androids are a species unto themselves now. In an effort to make all Artificial Intelligence more closely resemble that of humans, a dangerous corner has been turned. ...more

Feb 26, 2020
Jenna
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Jenna by:
Lori
Satire lovers do not want to miss this one!
I love books that simultaneously make me laugh and think. That's what good satire does and that's exactly what QualityLand did for me. I don't know how many times I busted out laughing, nor do I know how many times I had to pause my reading to share something with my long-suffering partner. Luckily for her, I do most of my reading when she's at work. Perhaps not so luckily for her, I then fill her in on everything as soon as she gets home and is trying ...more
I love books that simultaneously make me laugh and think. That's what good satire does and that's exactly what QualityLand did for me. I don't know how many times I busted out laughing, nor do I know how many times I had to pause my reading to share something with my long-suffering partner. Luckily for her, I do most of my reading when she's at work. Perhaps not so luckily for her, I then fill her in on everything as soon as she gets home and is trying ...more

All right!
This is hands-down the most interesting and funny and QUALITY SF I've read this year. It should be a shoo-in for a Hugo at the very least.
Not only is it an easy, funny read, but it's also an absolutely scathing a satire with fantastic pacing, dozens of tongue-in-cheek zingers, and a pitch-perfect condemnation of our modern ratings-based society.
I mean, honestly, we ARE all exactly what our profiles say... aren't we? There's NO ONE out there that isn't exactly what the credit agencies ...more
This is hands-down the most interesting and funny and QUALITY SF I've read this year. It should be a shoo-in for a Hugo at the very least.
Not only is it an easy, funny read, but it's also an absolutely scathing a satire with fantastic pacing, dozens of tongue-in-cheek zingers, and a pitch-perfect condemnation of our modern ratings-based society.
I mean, honestly, we ARE all exactly what our profiles say... aren't we? There's NO ONE out there that isn't exactly what the credit agencies ...more

I've never been able to finish reading an entire satire book. I start them, laugh at the absurdity and have a great time for a while, but then I quit reading them. Once I've got the point they are trying to make, and have a few laughs at whatever-they-are-making-fun-of's expense, I don't see the point of going on. It gets monotonous and loses its humor for me.

This book is a dystopian set in an extreme consumer-driven world. Basically, a company that is definitely not Amazon has taken over and al ...more

This book is a dystopian set in an extreme consumer-driven world. Basically, a company that is definitely not Amazon has taken over and al ...more

Feb 11, 2018
Auntie Terror
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.


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Qualityland is what happens when Big Business takes over politics and the economy. An online retailer called TheShop is an economic superpower that runs everything and everyone with handy algorithms. So what if they invade your privacy? They know what you want better than yourself, after all. In an odd nod to medieval times, people's surnames are named after their parents' professions, and people are accorded video game-like "levels" bas ...more

Qualityland is unique and genre-bending, described as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets 1984. It is entertaining, exciting, and a quick read with short chapters, which I LOVE. I’ve also downloaded the audio to listen to in the future because I previewed the narrator, and I think it’s going even more exciting in that format.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher.
Many of my reviews can also be found on instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader ...more
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher.
Many of my reviews can also be found on instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader ...more

Not's bought the English edition of QualityLand, and I've been flicking through it. As several people had already led me to believe, it isn't as funny as it is in German. "Sweetie", the name of Sandra Admin's PDA, isn't as funny as Schnucki. "Listen to soft rock", as a euphemism for "have sex", isn't as funny as Kuschelrock hören. And "To make the markets fly, we just have to buy! So never share and don't repair!" isn't as funny as Neues kaufen, das ist recht. Reparieren, das ist schlecht. To na
...more

My review of this hugely entertaining book is for another edition, HERE.
This is NOT a review.
It’s a messy and incomplete list of the many books, films, theories that are referenced directly and indirectly.
It may be the basis of a Bingo drinking game.
But it’s not a review.
Don’t click to view unless you’ve read the book and want to compare.
(view spoiler) ...more
This is NOT a review.
It’s a messy and incomplete list of the many books, films, theories that are referenced directly and indirectly.
It may be the basis of a Bingo drinking game.
But it’s not a review.
Don’t click to view unless you’ve read the book and want to compare.
(view spoiler) ...more

Algorithms and capitalism gone wild! The “most perfect-est” country has all your needs even before you know you need them. A robot is running for president. Dating, shopping, and book sites have pre-selected your choices. Your profile signals deliveries of all sorts.
Qualityland is a humorous satire that speculates on how our world could deteriorate with reliance and trust of those that have access to our computer devices. (At least, I think it’s speculative. I’ve upped my paranoia to level 10 a ...more
Qualityland is a humorous satire that speculates on how our world could deteriorate with reliance and trust of those that have access to our computer devices. (At least, I think it’s speculative. I’ve upped my paranoia to level 10 a ...more

Edited on 18th September 2019: I just found out that the English edition will be published on 7th January 2020, so keep an eye on it and/or possible ARCs: Qualityland (as much as I liked the double cover of the German original, the English version is even more beautiful and clever!) I listened to the audiobook and saw the theatre play, enjoyed both and now wholeheartedly recommend this to my English speaking friends and followers, hoping the translation will do it justice. /ETA
Das Wichtigste zue ...more
Das Wichtigste zue ...more

I was halfway through mentally composing a German review of this German book before learning that it's coming out in English in early 2020, with an HBO series to follow, so nochmal auf Englisch it is.
I burst out cackling in public several times while reading this, so I think it qualifies as quite funny. It's a dystopian future in which algorithms and filter bubbles completely control everyday life. People receive packages they haven't ordered (but are predicted to want) delivered by drones that ...more
I burst out cackling in public several times while reading this, so I think it qualifies as quite funny. It's a dystopian future in which algorithms and filter bubbles completely control everyday life. People receive packages they haven't ordered (but are predicted to want) delivered by drones that ...more

Let’s say this, I am surprised by all the love this book has received here. Because, here’s the deal folks: It’s just not very good. Artistically, stylistically, creatively.
Now, let’s take a step back. In terms of the overall message of the book and the leanings of Marc-Uwe Kling, I am sympathetic. Really. Make no mistake, Marc-Uwe Kling is well-intentioned: he sets out to write a science fiction critique of late stage capitalism. The problem is that it’s just not very well executed.
We’ve seen ...more
Now, let’s take a step back. In terms of the overall message of the book and the leanings of Marc-Uwe Kling, I am sympathetic. Really. Make no mistake, Marc-Uwe Kling is well-intentioned: he sets out to write a science fiction critique of late stage capitalism. The problem is that it’s just not very well executed.
We’ve seen ...more

So you're off to QualityLand for the first time ever. Are you excited? Yes? And quite rightly so!
QualityLand is set is some distant future (hard to say how distant, but they'll need to defrost the cryogenically-preserved Jennifer Aniston to film more rom-coms when her movies unexpectedly regain popularity), and despite the book itself being pretty funny (in the vein of Douglas Adams or Kurt Vonnegut), the world it describes is dehumanisingly shallow and bleak – and pretty much exactly what w ...more


Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
"What if we live in a world where everything is exact but wrong?
This was quite an interesting read. It was a mash-up of Robopocalypse and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and it was so much fun!
So, what's this book about?
Welcome to QualityLand, the best country on Earth. Here, a universal ranking system determines the social advantages and career opportunities of every member of soci ...more

Rarely would I consider a lampoonish parody of our culture as worthy of 5 stars, but this novel is pitch-perfectly clever.
QualityLand begins by posing the question: what if nearly any problem could be solved by rebranding? Maybe perception truly is more important than reality.
The best rebranding is of the Nuremberg defense, but the other elements are pretty spot-on, too, in this farcical treatise about the unforeseen consequences of data mining, propaganda, and dependence on technology.
QualityLand begins by posing the question: what if nearly any problem could be solved by rebranding? Maybe perception truly is more important than reality.
The best rebranding is of the Nuremberg defense, but the other elements are pretty spot-on, too, in this farcical treatise about the unforeseen consequences of data mining, propaganda, and dependence on technology.

As good as the book, maybe even better. I don't know whether that is because of the edition (black vs. gray) or because of Kling's abilities as a reader.
...more

QualityLand Marc-Uwe Kling
Thank you Grand Central Publishing and @librofm for the audio copy of this book that I absolutely loved and enjoyed listening to.
This was initially published in German 2017. QualityLand is part science fiction, part speculative and one hundred percent amazing!
Just imagine a world where data rules everything we do from who we date, what we buy, where we work and what opportunities presented were based on points. Predictive algorithm rules most of the day to day activiti ...more
Thank you Grand Central Publishing and @librofm for the audio copy of this book that I absolutely loved and enjoyed listening to.
This was initially published in German 2017. QualityLand is part science fiction, part speculative and one hundred percent amazing!
Just imagine a world where data rules everything we do from who we date, what we buy, where we work and what opportunities presented were based on points. Predictive algorithm rules most of the day to day activiti ...more

Probably a 3.5.
This satire on capitalism, tech companies and the way our lives are so dependent on algorithms set in a future where all of these things have been taken to an extreme is quite hilarious. The way language is used, or how we live in our own confirmation bias bubbles or even electoral politics - the author makes a lot of fun about all of them but we can also clearly see the parallels to our current reality and that uncanniness was a bit scary too. It’s also very easy to read despite ...more
This satire on capitalism, tech companies and the way our lives are so dependent on algorithms set in a future where all of these things have been taken to an extreme is quite hilarious. The way language is used, or how we live in our own confirmation bias bubbles or even electoral politics - the author makes a lot of fun about all of them but we can also clearly see the parallels to our current reality and that uncanniness was a bit scary too. It’s also very easy to read despite ...more

This is an excellent read. Its vision of the future expertly combines an alarming view of where our current internet obsession could lead us (or maybe we're already there?) with an unusually refreshing sense of humour.
And besides, Marc-Uwe Kling is a good writer.
I can highly recommend this book. ...more
And besides, Marc-Uwe Kling is a good writer.
I can highly recommend this book. ...more

I really should show my independent thought and not rank this one. Let’s just say this is the BEST book about QualityLand ever written.
A satire of a near dystopian future. A future so near when this book was written in 2017 that we have already, in 2020, passed it in many ways. LOL funny, true, and totally irreverent. It has a purple dolphin vibrator that lights up – would else could one want.
Oh, another copy that is written in the original language – thanksTheShopAmazon.
A satire of a near dystopian future. A future so near when this book was written in 2017 that we have already, in 2020, passed it in many ways. LOL funny, true, and totally irreverent. It has a purple dolphin vibrator that lights up – would else could one want.
Oh, another copy that is written in the original language – thanks

I don't read German books that often, though I hope to read a few this year. One must maintain one's knowledge and skills, which can be done in various ways: reading, listening, writing, ... separately or combined. Audio books are useful tools in this context.
The premise of 'QualityLand' looked very promising: (dystopic) science-fiction with a good slab of humour. Also perfect to listen to in the car, for example. Although the story takes place in the future, it can really be considered a satire ...more
The premise of 'QualityLand' looked very promising: (dystopic) science-fiction with a good slab of humour. Also perfect to listen to in the car, for example. Although the story takes place in the future, it can really be considered a satire ...more

Arrrgh! Everybody loved it except me! The two words that come to mind are ‘hilarious’ and ‘satire’. Unfortunately, I have never found anything described as ‘hilarious’ that funny, and I am not a fan of satire that goes nowhere, satire that that is just a string of jokes bound together, jokes like the one here where we have a vacuum cleaner that was mistakenly sent to a war zone that led to the general reporting that it was the cleanest battlefield he had ever seen. What puzzles me is that it has
...more

Very clever, at times hilarious, parodic dystopia of a world in which nothing is private and everything for sale. Some resemblance to the «Nosedive» episode of Black Mirror, only worse, and comedic. References to a wide range of literature and movies, but the individual rating system reminded me the strongest of Nosedive.
I read the German edition, in which most trademarks and many punchlines, especially commercial ones, are in English. I’m no native speaker, but have the strong impression that ...more
I read the German edition, in which most trademarks and many punchlines, especially commercial ones, are in English. I’m no native speaker, but have the strong impression that ...more

I give this all five smooches! 💋💋💋💋💋
Starting with cover design, the goodreads book cover gets a thumbs up. The author’s named looks like a rubbed out “E” and makes it clear we’re talking about QualityLand, folks—not EqualityLand.
This is a dystopian satire inspired by the rise and rise of Amazon. Its topics are smart: freedom of choice, profiling, economics, friendship, and the way the story is told is just as compelling. I want to reread it again, as well as The Warehouse. And I’m chagrined my ...more
Starting with cover design, the goodreads book cover gets a thumbs up. The author’s named looks like a rubbed out “E” and makes it clear we’re talking about QualityLand, folks—not EqualityLand.
This is a dystopian satire inspired by the rise and rise of Amazon. Its topics are smart: freedom of choice, profiling, economics, friendship, and the way the story is told is just as compelling. I want to reread it again, as well as The Warehouse. And I’m chagrined my ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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SFF Hot from Prin...: Qualityland | 27 | 20 | Oct 29, 2020 06:33AM |
Marc-Uwe Kling wurde geboren. Er studierte an der Großen Akademie von Lagado, wie man ein Haus vom Dach her nach unten baut. Er hat über seinen Mitbewohner, ein kommunistisches Känguru, drei kapitalismuskritische Bücher geschrieben, welche sich total gut verkaufen. Außerdem macht er mit seiner Band „Die Gesellschaft“ Reformhauspunk und am Ende muss wieder der Steuerzahler für alles aufkommen. Hey.
...more
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