Reviews

Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke

saintalana's review against another edition

5.0

Extremely weird and disconcerting.....loved it!

eva3546's review against another edition

reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.75

kai3cll's review against another edition

4.0

All the reviews saying this is a weird book are correct but I wanted to add that it was more of a feel-good read than a fever dream read. (perhaps because I already have the fever, will pick this book for second reading to see if it gets weird without the fever until then-)

The story is told in the form of Slack messages and follows a marketing/copywriting firm. There are three conflicts in the story with the main focus on Gered, who gets stuck inside Slack and tries to find his way back into his body.

Secondly, we have a dog food company fighting allegations of poisoning and a missing client. While the person attending this project keeps complaining about howling.

The last weird but not so weird thing is the conversation between two colleagues almost entirely made up of emojis. (two emojis to be specific.)

Overall, this thrilling ride that goes into some fantastical IT and existential conflicts, wasn't as weird for me as I expected. Perhaps, because I was expecting some mind-numbing experience like reading Bae Sua, Sayaka Murata, or a novel called Perfume.

However, that doesn't mean this is any less entertaining. The book hooks your attention and then safely lands you back on the ground after a ride.

emencii's review against another edition

funny reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

meganhagmaier10's review against another edition

4.0

This read to me like a Portlandia episode… I would love a sitcom like this (unless there already is one, then oops)

mochitofu's review against another edition

funny mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

robyy_g's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

4.25

ryttu3k's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious 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

4.25

s4peace's review against another edition

2.0

It's a quick read and very inventive writing but the plot twists and the arch conclusions feel very incomplete. I thought the book did a good job setting the premise up but the ending or the arch completions were very unsatisfying. It had the potential to be great! I like the unique storytelling. I did not enjoy the emtoicon conversations. Those were annoying and tested my patience. I don't use slack so it's not easy for me to understand that.
Overall it's a right airplane read I guess.

wolf013's review against another edition

funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5