Microserfs

Rating:
Summary: A writer with talent
Review: My standard method of gauging a new read is to open the book at random in the middle, read a page or two, and if I feel like going on from this spot or going back a few pages, then the book is promising enough to consider buying it. I bought Microserfs, and I didn't regret it. Obviously I am not after "messages" (who gives a hoot on opinions? Everybody has opinions, like a dog has fleas.) And of course I don't share this obsession with "plot" Ð plot is a crutch for authors with inferior talent. Besides, in a novel, a good plot is the outcome of a good character development. (For very short stories, this rule may not apply.) I read Microserfs from cover to cover in one sitting, which doesn't happen too often these days. Everything in the book is likable except for the soapy and over sentimental ending. Perhaps this was meant to be satirical, but that's not how it hit me. The author doesn't give the impression of making fun of his characters. But it is fun to read. The sequence on menstrual bleeding has an almost Rabelaisian quality. Pity that there wasn't more of this. But then this is exactly the point: these people have no life. An author has to have real talent to create a captivating read from such material.

Rating:
Summary: Douglas Coupland is very clever.
Review: He has tapped into a niche of society--- the computer slave. This is a must read for anyone who has felt that they are in a job that doesn't quite do it for them, Or FOR ANYONE IN THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY. It's a very funny, sarcastic and clever (as usual for Coupland) read. I enjoyed every word. Be sure to read his others as well! They are all terrific. If you like Vonnegut, sarcasm, wit, and a view of mundane life from alternate angles...Coupland's writing is right up your alley.

Rating:
Summary: A personal favorite...
Review: Stop reading reviews and buy this book for christ's sake! Coupland will make you laugh out loud, you'll quote it for years, and it will touch you profoundly (I only eat flat foods now, for example). Be brave, give it a read.

Rating:
Summary: As Good as Legos!
Review: I love this book. I can't say enough good things about this book. Do yourself a favor and read this book. Then read it again. Then don't give it away or trade it at the used bookstore because you'll end up reading it again. Take it into a bubblebath with you. Carry it in your backpack and chuckle over it in traffic jams. Turn your friends onto it. Read it and share it so many times over the years that you need to tape the cover back on. It'll become a mental comfort item for you...the book you take to bed with you when you have the flu and want to read something that makes you feel better. Just read this book!!! Microserfs is one of my top 5 all time favorite fiction books.

Microserfs glorifies the geek lifestyle. It is an accurate, endearing portrayal of a group of devoted geek friends in 1990's Silicon Valley. Tech start-ups, venture capital, and angst. If you are not a geek, you'll want to be one. If you are a geek, you'll be proud to be one. Computers, Legos, Nerf, bulk grocery purchases, food peculiarities, geeksex (yes, such a thing exists), love, maturity development, eccentric millionaires, roadtrips, foreign films, money worries, self-discovery, swimming pool robots, menstruation discussions in the workplace, inflatable toys, failed seeing eye dogs, aggressive Canadians, high security government installations...I mean, really, this book has it all and more. Above all else, though, it has loveable, thought provoking, interesting, well developed characters. If Dan, Karla, Michael, Todd, Abe, Bug, et. al. were real, I'd be honored to be their friend.

Read this book! Laugh till you shoot soda out of your nose! Gasp and tear up when bad things happen! Pat your computer lovingly and offer it a new bumper sticker and memory upgrade. Bask in your beautiful geekiness! Just read Microserfs!

Rating:
Summary: A wake up call
Review: Coming from the software industry I was a little wary of this book for two reasons - 1, it was at the time the first by a new author (to me) and 2, I was uneasy at the prospect of reading a set of caricatures. Some hours later I walked away from possibly the most provoking book I have ever read, it's insight into my generation (oh the joy of having someone write about people I relate to) and the hollowness that surrounds us (and it's attractiveness) were quite something. Even now some years later I am at a loss to describe the pertinence of this book. Buy it, read it, get past the jargon and get to the message. Amazing

Rating:
Summary: Coupland brings cooky start-up life to life
Review: This is a book for people who like fiction, randomly talk about Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, work for a high-tech start-up, and ever been to Silicon Valley. This is an amazing book -- the best I've ever read from Coupland and one of my favorite all-time fiction books. The dialog is really amazing. This would make a great movie too.

Rating:
Summary: Biography of the 90s
Review: More than any other decade in history, the 90s were driven by highly educated, mostly anonymous worker-bees. Coupland absolutely nails a point that evades most other observers--high-tech geeks DO have a life, it just takes place at the office. The book's deceptively low-key plot smolders toward a moving and unexpected conclusion. Most in the tech industry have opinions on this book, but I'd recommend it very highly to anyone who wants to learn about a fascinating segment of our culture.

Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: It's not typical, and I loved it. It's easy to read and entertaining--at least, if nothing else, everyone can agree on that. I can't help but recommend this book, but saddens me to think that most people will be unable to appreciate it because it lacks convention and a normal plotline. Give it a try, at any rate.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but lacking a lot..
Review: The basis of the book was rather interesting and being a geek working in the Silicon Valley area, I especially felt I might be able to relate at least some to the content. Unfortunately, the book ended up being extremely fluffy and had various inconsistencies throughout, including character details and language issues that are usually taken care of by a proofreader *before* a book is published.

The book also flowed along at a decent pace for the first three-fourths of it, but then included a sudden 8-month jump in the storyline that left me hanging. After this jump in the timeline, various details were introduced without any back-up or reason for their inclusion. It seemed as if the author got to this point and then decided he was writing too much, so as a quick solution to end the book within the next 20 pages, he threw in the time jump.

Overall, if you want a fluffy book about geek life and that you can finish quickly, this is the book for you. Just don't expect any quality writing if you pick it up.

Rating:
Summary: I hate to read - and I couldn't put it down!
Review: I'm dyslexic and I hate to read. Just can't concentrate or deal with the frustration of reading. Stuck on a 5 hour long Amtrak train one evening I read this book. I couldn't put it down!

The character development is fantastic. Each character is very different, and Coupland explores the depths of each in striking, whimsical detail. Dating a unix geek myself I could fully appreciate the latenight code hacker references. This book was funny, witty and at times downright philosophical. Did I spell everything right?

Bottom line: a must read. If you don't enjoy this book there is something wrong with you.