Several People Are Typing
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-25 09:52:10
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Calvin Kasulke
- ISBN：0385547226
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A work-from-home， comic tour-de-force that takes place entirely in a PR firm's Slack channels--a strange digital landscape where an employee claims to be literally trapped inside。 For fans of Office Space， Then We Came to the End and Severance。 And anyone who has ever struggled with an emoticon。
Gerald， a mid-level employee of a New York-based public relations firm， has been uploaded into the company's internal Slack channels--at least his consciousness has。 His colleagues assume it's just an elaborate ploy to exploit their lax work-from-home policy， but now that his productivity is through the roof， they are only too happy to indulge him。
Disembodied and alarmed by the looming abyss of an eternity on-line， Gerald enlists his co-worker Pradeep to find out what happened to his body and help him escape。 As Gerald plunges deeper into the surprisingly expansive Slack landscape， he finds an unlikely ally in Slackbot， Slack's AI assistant， who helps him navigate his new digital reality。
Meanwhile， the team's real-world problems are in danger of snowballing out of control。 Top client Bjärk dog food might be poisoning Pomeranians across the country; someone is sabotaging the boss's office furniture; Tripp and Beverly are breaking the unspoken rule against office romances; and the incessant howling of wild dogs is starting to drive Lydia insane。 Also: Why is Slackbot so interested in Gerald？ And what in the hell does the :dusty-stick: emoji mean？
Hilarious， irreverent， and wholly original， Calvin Kasulke's Several People Are Typing is a satire of both corporate and contemporary life， and a perfect antidote to the way we live now。
Gerald， a mid-level employee of a New York-based public relations firm， has been uploaded into the company's internal Slack channels--at least his consciousness has。 His colleagues assume it's just an elaborate ploy to exploit their lax work-from-home policy， but now that his productivity is through the roof， they are only too happy to indulge him。
Disembodied and alarmed by the looming abyss of an eternity on-line， Gerald enlists his co-worker Pradeep to find out what happened to his body and help him escape。 As Gerald plunges deeper into the surprisingly expansive Slack landscape， he finds an unlikely ally in Slackbot， Slack's AI assistant， who helps him navigate his new digital reality。
Meanwhile， the team's real-world problems are in danger of snowballing out of control。 Top client Bjärk dog food might be poisoning Pomeranians across the country; someone is sabotaging the boss's office furniture; Tripp and Beverly are breaking the unspoken rule against office romances; and the incessant howling of wild dogs is starting to drive Lydia insane。 Also: Why is Slackbot so interested in Gerald？ And what in the hell does the :dusty-stick: emoji mean？
Hilarious， irreverent， and wholly original， Calvin Kasulke's Several People Are Typing is a satire of both corporate and contemporary life， and a perfect antidote to the way we live now。
Reviews
January
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This book started out pretty good then just got super ridiculous towards the end。 Initially loved the concept of having everything play out in Slack messages at a PR firm/WFH - totally relatable and funny at first。 One of the characters in the story somehow manages to get sucked into Slack and it's about the only thing that has you invested as he and the Slackbot kinda of become one in the same in the weirdest way。 But even that plot train runs out of steam midway。 Of course it's a story where y This book started out pretty good then just got super ridiculous towards the end。 Initially loved the concept of having everything play out in Slack messages at a PR firm/WFH - totally relatable and funny at first。 One of the characters in the story somehow manages to get sucked into Slack and it's about the only thing that has you invested as he and the Slackbot kinda of become one in the same in the weirdest way。 But even that plot train runs out of steam midway。 Of course it's a story where you have to suspend disbelief but even the subplots around the main plot don't spice things up much。 I did like some of the character personas though， so it has that going for it。 But the book as a whole ended up being a disappointment for me。 。。。more
Stephanie
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Popsugar 2021 challenge: A book that has fewer than 1，000 reviews on Amazon or GoodreadsOoh boy I read this one so fast。 Although to be fair it’s about 250 pages and conveyed entirely through Slack messages so it only takes about an hour and a half to read。Anyway， obviously I loved this book。 I struggle to label the horror elements of this book。 Are they cosmic horror or more akin to the “liminal spaces” aesthetic that’s become popular lately （much to my amusement because liminal is one of my fa Popsugar 2021 challenge: A book that has fewer than 1，000 reviews on Amazon or GoodreadsOoh boy I read this one so fast。 Although to be fair it’s about 250 pages and conveyed entirely through Slack messages so it only takes about an hour and a half to read。Anyway， obviously I loved this book。 I struggle to label the horror elements of this book。 Are they cosmic horror or more akin to the “liminal spaces” aesthetic that’s become popular lately （much to my amusement because liminal is one of my favorite semi-obscure words。） I’m also sort of struggling to define what I loved so much about this book。 It just … okay so I live alone and since the pandemic started I find myself whining at Siri a lot more than I used to。 I’ll be like “hey Siri I’m way too tired！” And it’s often a bit frustrating when Siri says “hmmm I’m not sure I understand。” Or “hey Siri I really miss my brother and Siri will be like “I don’t have your brother’s name in my contacts” or whatever。 And I’m like “I don’t know what I expected…” but a part of you still finds it a bit jarring to talk to a bit that’s programmed to sound human。Anyway the book nails that particular wistful feeling。The main plot involves Gerald being uploaded into Slack， but there’s also other bits of surrealist horror such as sentient ad copy and one employee always hearing howling wolves when she tries to talk to people on their office’s Zoom equivalent。 There’s also totally mundane office politics that somehow seems just as surreal as the actual surreal bits。 If you’ve had to keep up with an office group chat while working from home （and that’s a good deal of us these days） then a lot of this book will feel very relevant。 It’s not for everyone。 This is a very extremely online book like No One is Talking About This。 But it doesn’t outstay it’s welcome and paints a really compelling picture。 This book came into my life at the right time I think。 。。。more
Audrey H。
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If you haven't used Slack or Google Chat before， I don't think you'll like this book。 The entire piece is a series of chats back/forth between coworkers on different threads （or chat "rooms"）。 Much of my enjoyment was from satirized office politics and communication - I even laughed out loud （in REAL life） from some of the discussions。 Many of the characters reminded me of how people I know at work "talk" online。I'd probably give Several People Are Typing a 3。5 stars， but rounded down。 It starte If you haven't used Slack or Google Chat before， I don't think you'll like this book。 The entire piece is a series of chats back/forth between coworkers on different threads （or chat "rooms"）。 Much of my enjoyment was from satirized office politics and communication - I even laughed out loud （in REAL life） from some of the discussions。 Many of the characters reminded me of how people I know at work "talk" online。I'd probably give Several People Are Typing a 3。5 stars， but rounded down。 It started much stronger for me （4 or 5 stars）， but as more and more fantastical elements were incorporated into the plot， I got more confused and less interested。 It also probably didn't need to be this long。 If you do read this， I think this needs your eyeballs for optimal consumption。 I listened to the audiobook for only a few minutes before realizing it was a series of chat rooms， and waited for the ebook version to come through my holds instead。 。。。more
rosie posie
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I’m so glad I didn’t review it right away because I’ve had time to sit with these feelings and now my opinion is solidified。 I cannot ignore that ending…It was enjoyable seeing Gerald struggle to get people to believe that he’s not consciously in his body anymore。 It was enjoyable to see him go head to head with the Slack help bot。 And it was enjoyable to see the other characters interact with each other through their work chat rooms。 For the most part， at least。 There were some choices that the I’m so glad I didn’t review it right away because I’ve had time to sit with these feelings and now my opinion is solidified。 I cannot ignore that ending…It was enjoyable seeing Gerald struggle to get people to believe that he’s not consciously in his body anymore。 It was enjoyable to see him go head to head with the Slack help bot。 And it was enjoyable to see the other characters interact with each other through their work chat rooms。 For the most part， at least。 There were some choices that the author made that seemed pointless and didn’t add any substance to the story。 SPOILERS:The story with Beverly and Tripp sleeping together on Beverly’s very first day of work simply because the two of them were the only two in the office just made my eyes roll。 Through their messages back and forth， they sounded conspiratorial in a way that made it seem like anything could have happened that day they were alone。 It would have been so much more intriguing to see something happen besides sex， but the author chose sex and it makes you completely check out because it’s a very boring trope。Another choice that the author made was toward the end。 It was very rushed and very poorly put together and very poorly portrayed。 It was so bad that， at first， I rolled my eyes but then thought more about it and then became very angry。Slackbot takes over Gerald’s body and brings Gerald’s body into work。 Gerald’s friend Pradeep is fully aware of what’s happening with Gerald and is helping regulate Slackbot-as-Gerald。 In a whacked-out conversation Pradeep is having with Slackbot-as-Gerald， they begin talking about sex。 One thing leads to another and Pradeep and Slackbot-as-Gerald end up sleeping together。 But this is revealed to the reader as Pradeep is coming clean to Gerald-as-Slackbot， still stuck in the system。 Now， you’d think that getting news like “hey， I know it wasn’t you in that body， but I had sex with your body anyway，” would make you want to… I don’t know， move to another state， change your name， and scrub away any memory of this workplace， let alone this coworker。 BUT NO！ Gerald says something along the lines of “well， damn， I wish I was there for it because I like you a lot！” Pardon me？Did he not essentially tell you that he raped your unconscious body？ And you’re turning this into a chance to express your crushes on each other？ This is some kind of joke， right？So， when Gerald is back in his body， they live their lives happily ever after。 It was so weird and very uncomfortable and I feel like it just glossed over a topic that really shouldn’t have been glossed over。 It happened within the last few pages， so there really isn’t time to discuss anything between the two characters。 It was the strangest thing and I cannot ignore it。 It was not OKAY。Not to mention， Lydia was a character who seemed to be a pretty big deal in the company and she just disappeared from life and from everyone’s memory with no explanation at all。 What the hell happened to Lydia？ 。。。more
Lainie
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In a marketing firm， a guy gets “stuck” in Slack （his body is in his apartment and in stasis but he’s fully communicating with colleagues via Slack）。 I’m in my house alone laughing out loud。If you’re on Slack， you’ll see why。 Recommended for Slackers and those stuck writing copy for non-existent marketing briefs。 My people！
Taylor Clarke
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What a romp！ I kept giggling on the couch， annoying my husband！
Tiana
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3。5/5
Amanda Hilde
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Strange techy dystopia， was a weird read
Sean Kottke
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Super fun corporate satire。 Spot on for those of us who’ve been in WFH mode for the last two years。
Melania
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Very creative format！ I could not put this book down and stayed up way late last night to read it。 I found parts of it so funny （like when a coworker didn’t want to answer a question， they put themselves on do not disturb）。 It did get a little old by the end， I recommend having breaks between readings， but overall I enjoyed this book。 Extra points for format， creativity， humor but the plot line is not something super memorable。 This book will be outdated at some point。
Kim
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4。5 stars。 Clever！
Kendall Sicnolf
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3。5 stars for an quick and quirky read perfect for those living that WFH life
Lindsey | bookmeallnightlong
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Loved the format and the story was weird but funny。 Super quick read。
Carly Gove
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really fun
Ashley
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Definitely a unique read。 It was enjoyable and funny and probably smarter than I read into it。 I'd recommend。 Definitely a unique read。 It was enjoyable and funny and probably smarter than I read into it。 I'd recommend。 。。。more
Susan Tunis
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This is the funniest damn book I've read in quite some time！ I listened to it as an audiobook， which was great in some ways and not great in others。 The book is written entirely as typed dialogue through an office messaging software。 I didn't think about it before， but I guess that makes this an epistolary novel。 I always seem to love them。 So， you've got an entire office communicating through these public and sometimes private messages。 And in the audiobook， each character is voiced by a differ This is the funniest damn book I've read in quite some time！ I listened to it as an audiobook， which was great in some ways and not great in others。 The book is written entirely as typed dialogue through an office messaging software。 I didn't think about it before， but I guess that makes this an epistolary novel。 I always seem to love them。 So， you've got an entire office communicating through these public and sometimes private messages。 And in the audiobook， each character is voiced by a different actor， and the performances are really pretty terrific。 And the comedy is just absurdist and awesome！ I seriously laughed out loud an embarrassing number of times。 And there was really only one thing not great about listening to this title。 A good chunk of the text featured what I assume were visual emojis。 An actor would say， "thumbs up" or "eyes" but I assume the actual emoji was printed in the book？ Anyway， that was an incredible minor issue。 Humor is tough， though。 It's just so subjective。 I could offer my highest recommendation of this book for folks in need of a laugh。 （Who isn't these days， right？） But there's simply no guarantee that you'll find funny what I find funny。 All I can do is share my own experience， and that experience was utterly delightful。 I forgot to mention that this is a debut novel。 Man， I love a great debut！ Mr。 Kasulke， what will you come up with next？ I can't wait to see！ 。。。more
Damara Rodriguez
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 My director has started a book club and this was her first pick。 It’s a fun and easy read。 I was reading it on a flight and I couldn’t stop laughing。Lydia is the funniest story ever。 I love that management convinced Rob she was a figment of his imagination。 It’s so relevant to the dystopian times we are working in with the various people we have never physically met but work with everyday！This is not life changing in any way but it’s hilarious！
Erin
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Getting trapped in a Slack channel is a very specific， of-the-moment， sci-fi horror scenario。 I was interested， but distracted， and so I did not finish it。
Deanna
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Dumbest book I’ve read in a very long time。 Waste of time。
BookOfCinz
，
Ridiculous， absurd， hilarious and un-put-downable！ Get ready for a treat！ First， you must have some knowledge of what Slack is or used it， that is the only way this book will make any form of sense。。。 and even then， it is still absurd。 In Several People Are Typing we meet Gerald who's consciousness is uploaded into Slack， his body is in the real world and he cannot seem to convince anyone to believe him that he is IN SLACK。 In all seriousness， would you believe him？ The book is structured th Ridiculous， absurd， hilarious and un-put-downable！ Get ready for a treat！ First， you must have some knowledge of what Slack is or used it， that is the only way this book will make any form of sense。。。 and even then， it is still absurd。 In Several People Are Typing we meet Gerald who's consciousness is uploaded into Slack， his body is in the real world and he cannot seem to convince anyone to believe him that he is IN SLACK。 In all seriousness， would you believe him？ The book is structured through slack channels and that's how the author moves the plot along， introduce us to characters and what life is like working for a PR firm。 How the author played with structure and story telling was fresh and very engaging。 It's like you are literally learning about these people from their conversations and it is beautifully done。 I found myself laughing out loud as how realistic the office setting was。。。 I believed it and I see my co-workers in so many of these characters: The office gossipThe weird bossThe couple who is dating but wont let you knowThe office cliquesThe cool crowdThe new hireGive Calvin Kasulke is flowers because this was a big risk structure wise but it paid off！ Such a great， fresh and captivating read！ I WANT MORE！ 。。。more
Samantha Martin
，
Several People Are Typing is the most unique novel I've read this year， or for a very long time。 I couldn't stop compulsively reading， and it's not just because the whole novel is written in easily digestible instant messages。 If you've spent a long period of time working from home during the pandemic， you'll relate and applaud the ingenuity of Kasulke's writing， which feels like a thought experiment on humanity， AI， and of course， our relationships to each other。 I laughed out loud reading this Several People Are Typing is the most unique novel I've read this year， or for a very long time。 I couldn't stop compulsively reading， and it's not just because the whole novel is written in easily digestible instant messages。 If you've spent a long period of time working from home during the pandemic， you'll relate and applaud the ingenuity of Kasulke's writing， which feels like a thought experiment on humanity， AI， and of course， our relationships to each other。 I laughed out loud reading this， and relating the plot points to my husband as they happened just made me sound absolutely bonkers--I loved it。 。。。more
Summer
，
Odd and unputdownable。 Tore through this。 3。5⭐️’s
Dalaine
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Let me start by saying that this is one of the most bizarre books I have ever read。 The premise of a book being written through Slack channels doesn't seem like it should work， but it does。This book is funny， thought-provoking and weird。 I loved it。 I read it in one day。 I highly recommend this if you're looking for a fun little escape。 Let me start by saying that this is one of the most bizarre books I have ever read。 The premise of a book being written through Slack channels doesn't seem like it should work， but it does。This book is funny， thought-provoking and weird。 I loved it。 I read it in one day。 I highly recommend this if you're looking for a fun little escape。 。。。more
Liz | anotherreaderaccount
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Such a funny， quick read that’s kind of relatable！ Poor Gerald somehow winds up stuck in Slack for the WFH experience from hell。 And his isn’t the only weird thing that’s happening around the office。 From a PR scandal of poisoned dog food to missing coworkers， the digital universe is more haunting and supernatural than you’d expect！Written totally in Slack messages， this book was such an easy read especially for those of us who conduct work on the app every week。 Almost makes you want to delete Such a funny， quick read that’s kind of relatable！ Poor Gerald somehow winds up stuck in Slack for the WFH experience from hell。 And his isn’t the only weird thing that’s happening around the office。 From a PR scandal of poisoned dog food to missing coworkers， the digital universe is more haunting and supernatural than you’d expect！Written totally in Slack messages， this book was such an easy read especially for those of us who conduct work on the app every week。 Almost makes you want to delete Slack after reading this！ Hilarious and captivating read that I highly recommend。 。。。more
Rix
，
Having read my fair share of social media AUS， this one didn't come across as so startlingly unique as a lot of the cover quotes made it sound。 Enough about fanfiction though， this book is funny and an easy read - perfect for killing a lazy afternoon with Having read my fair share of social media AUS， this one didn't come across as so startlingly unique as a lot of the cover quotes made it sound。 Enough about fanfiction though， this book is funny and an easy read - perfect for killing a lazy afternoon with 。。。more
Buffy
，
Such a weird but good book。 I expected it to be more straightforward but it’s got surreal postmodern elements to it。 Really well written and engaging and just weird。 Highly recommend。
Monica | San Fran Literary Gal
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5。 Smart， satirical， and very “of the moment。” Give this one a try！This book is so unique！ Written entirely in the form of Slack channel messages， this workplace satire is wacky， surreal， and most importantly， a fast and funny read。 I read it in one sitting and didn’t want to put it down！ When one employee accidentally uploads his consciousness into the Slack Help Center and becomes trapped inside， his coworkers all think it is a gag he’s pulling to be able to continue working from ho ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5。 Smart， satirical， and very “of the moment。” Give this one a try！This book is so unique！ Written entirely in the form of Slack channel messages， this workplace satire is wacky， surreal， and most importantly， a fast and funny read。 I read it in one sitting and didn’t want to put it down！ When one employee accidentally uploads his consciousness into the Slack Help Center and becomes trapped inside， his coworkers all think it is a gag he’s pulling to be able to continue working from home。 But this is no prank…What a cute and wacky idea for a book！ I’m going to have to find a way to work “dusty stick” into a future review。 I loved the side plots and the realistic workplace gossip。 When Lydia starts hearing a “howling” that gets progressively louder and the other employees are too absorbed in their PR crisis to notice or care， I was laughing out loud！ The plot did lose a little bit of steam in the middle， and I couldn’t follow the conversations when characters used too many emojis in a row （picture emojis would have helped）。 I would also caution the potential reader that this book would be impossible to listen to as an audio book -- the Slack messages need to be read visually for the jokes to land。 This is not a book I would take with me to a deserted island， but for people who read a lot of heavier material and want something different and fresh， this is the perfect choice！ 。。。more
k
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absolutely too online
may :）
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