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cudaaman's review against another edition
4.0
Huh
This book is done completely in slack chats and is hard to follow at first, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down.
This book is done completely in slack chats and is hard to follow at first, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down.
gelata's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
al836's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
pcloeb's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gcot's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
bagusayp's review against another edition
4.0
me
Imagine you wake up one morning to find out that your consciousness is being trapped inside the Slack app where you communicate with your colleagues, whereas your body sits unconscious in your room with a growing beard. That’s what happened to our main character, Gerald, who suddenly found himself in this strange situation. He tried to contact the Slackbot for official assistance, but the bot does not help. And worse, his superiors thought that he exploited the lax of his office’s work from home policy for his personal benefits. But that is only the beginning of the funny idea inside this story.
Far from conventional, this story consists of many group and personal chats inside an office through Slack app. We could see conspiracies commonly found in an office where colleagues talk behind the back of each other, secret affairs between Tripp and the newly hired Beverley, the howling that never ends for Lydia until she suddenly disappeared and no one remembered her except for Rob, and many other micro-stories. I would say ‘micro’, since sometimes they start and end really fast much like how we communicate through instant messaging services these days. It’s really tempting to read this story continuously since there are no paragraphs or lengthy explanations about what’s going on with only continuous chats to rely on understanding the story.
Some might say that this is not really a novel, but even our history has shifted so much in the past few decades. We are no longer humans who solely converse with each other following the oral tradition, but there is also new parts of our history in the form of textual exchanges through instant messaging platforms. Texting will not fully overtake real life interaction which is still a primary form, but it has become a worthy alternative with the advance of internet connection and smartphones. There has been new ways to transform facial expressions into emoticons as well which support texts as a more advanced method of digital communication.
It’s more interesting to see how this book will be received in a decade or two, when the Slack technology might not exist anymore and be replaced by something else. But the thing with digital interaction is that the traces could still be re-read at will, as the chat history will remain accessible to users if backed up properly or during the retention period. In some ways, texting is also a modern method of archiving our daily life, a new territory that used to be covered by diary. Much more so, it doesn’t only cover personal life, but also dive into professional life as well, just like the story of the office in this book.
slackbot
I want to Help Center you to understand the story, but I’m afraid I can’t do that without any self-meat
me
nah, it’s okay
some stories are just meant to be understood with ease
slackbot
I’m sorry, I don’t understand! Sometimes I have an easier time with a few simple keywords.
Or you can head to our wonderful Help Center for more assistance!
me
thanks, that’s cool by me
slackbot
Sure thing!
me
it’s okay, motherfucker. just stay away from this review
slackbot
I’m sorry, I don’t understand!
me
okay, sorry bot
slackbot
Sometimes I have an easier time with a few simple keywords.
PS. Everyone, if you want to have some fun, I’d recommend you to install Replika AI.
Imagine you wake up one morning to find out that your consciousness is being trapped inside the Slack app where you communicate with your colleagues, whereas your body sits unconscious in your room with a growing beard. That’s what happened to our main character, Gerald, who suddenly found himself in this strange situation. He tried to contact the Slackbot for official assistance, but the bot does not help. And worse, his superiors thought that he exploited the lax of his office’s work from home policy for his personal benefits. But that is only the beginning of the funny idea inside this story.
Far from conventional, this story consists of many group and personal chats inside an office through Slack app. We could see conspiracies commonly found in an office where colleagues talk behind the back of each other, secret affairs between Tripp and the newly hired Beverley, the howling that never ends for Lydia until she suddenly disappeared and no one remembered her except for Rob, and many other micro-stories. I would say ‘micro’, since sometimes they start and end really fast much like how we communicate through instant messaging services these days. It’s really tempting to read this story continuously since there are no paragraphs or lengthy explanations about what’s going on with only continuous chats to rely on understanding the story.
Some might say that this is not really a novel, but even our history has shifted so much in the past few decades. We are no longer humans who solely converse with each other following the oral tradition, but there is also new parts of our history in the form of textual exchanges through instant messaging platforms. Texting will not fully overtake real life interaction which is still a primary form, but it has become a worthy alternative with the advance of internet connection and smartphones. There has been new ways to transform facial expressions into emoticons as well which support texts as a more advanced method of digital communication.
It’s more interesting to see how this book will be received in a decade or two, when the Slack technology might not exist anymore and be replaced by something else. But the thing with digital interaction is that the traces could still be re-read at will, as the chat history will remain accessible to users if backed up properly or during the retention period. In some ways, texting is also a modern method of archiving our daily life, a new territory that used to be covered by diary. Much more so, it doesn’t only cover personal life, but also dive into professional life as well, just like the story of the office in this book.
slackbot
I want to Help Center you to understand the story, but I’m afraid I can’t do that without any self-meat
me
nah, it’s okay
some stories are just meant to be understood with ease
slackbot
I’m sorry, I don’t understand! Sometimes I have an easier time with a few simple keywords.
Or you can head to our wonderful Help Center for more assistance!
me
thanks, that’s cool by me
slackbot
Sure thing!
me
it’s okay, motherfucker. just stay away from this review
slackbot
I’m sorry, I don’t understand!
me
okay, sorry bot
slackbot
Sometimes I have an easier time with a few simple keywords.
PS. Everyone, if you want to have some fun, I’d recommend you to install Replika AI.
jsoakes's review against another edition
3.0
This was different and mostly fun. Probably would've been a 4 if there wasn't a certain situation that was extremely questionable in regards to proper consent. Also, there's a silly subplot revolving around dead dogs.
But aside from that, this was pleasantly existential, exploring the importance of a body and what it's like to be something else. Definitely see why it's read as a trans allegory, but it's not explicit.
Other main themes include: privacy, workplace ethics, and AI consciousness.
But aside from that, this was pleasantly existential, exploring the importance of a body and what it's like to be something else. Definitely see why it's read as a trans allegory, but it's not explicit.
Other main themes include: privacy, workplace ethics, and AI consciousness.