Microserfs [Paperback]

Microserfs is not about Microsoft--it's about programmers who are searching for lives. A hilarious but frighteningly real look at geek life in the nineties, Coupland's book manifests a peculiar sense of how technology affects the human race and how it will continue to affect all of us. Microserfs is the hilarious journal of Dan, an ex-Microsoft programmer who, with his coder comrades, is on a quest to find purpose in life. This isn't just fodder for techies. The thoughts and fears of the not-so-stereotypical characters are easy for any of us to relate to, and their witty conversations and quirky view of the world make this a surprisingly thought-provoking book.

"... just think about the way high-tech cultures purposefully protract out the adolescence of their employees well into their late 20s, if not their early 30s," muses one programmer. "I mean, all those Nerf toys and free beverages! And the way tech firms won't even call work 'the office,' but instead, 'the campus'. It's sick and evil." END --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'An hilarious, moving read… Brilliantly observed, sharply written and constantly entertaining.' NME

'A funny and stridently topical novel. Coupland continues to register the buzz of his generation.' Jay McInerney, New York Times

'The writing is astonishing, the emotions genuine and the characters fully formed… Microserfs shows yet again Coupland's ability to create rather than imitate.' Irish Times

'A witty novel with real heart.' Sunday Telegraph

From the acclaimed author of Hey Nostradamus! comes a wonderful comic novel with ‘more one-liners than a decade of Woody Allen films’ (Guardian), about the scramble for love and success in a brave new world…

Bill is wise.
Bill is kind.
Bill is benevolent.
Bill, Be My Friend… Please!

At computer giant Microsoft, Dan, Susan, Abe, Todd and Bug are struggling to get a life. The job may be super cool, the pay may be astronomical, but they're heading nowhere, and however hard they work, however many shares they earn, they're never going to be as rich as Bill. And besides, with all the hours they're putting in, their best relationships are on e-mail. Something's got to give…

At computer giant Microsoft, Dan, Susan, Abe, Todd and Bug are struggling to get a life in a high-speed high-tech environment. The job may be super cool, the pay may be astronomical, but they're heading nowhere, and however hard they work, however many shares they earn, they're never going to be as rich as Bill. And besides, with all the hours they're putting in, their best relationships are on e-mail. Something's got to give…

"Coupland is the crowned king of North American pop culture."
NME

"Cool irony and hipster cynicism are clearly not Coupland's intentions here: from beneath the sleek, wipe-clean prose of 'Microserfs' slowly emerges a yearning for spiritual depth and permanence in a world of random misfortune and economic turbulence. Coupland has grown up with his readers, finally living up to his early promise. His most satisfying and substantial novel yet."
STEPHEN DALTON, 'Vox'

"The kooky aphoristic ripeness of Coupland's writing almost succeeds in making us forget the hollowness of these live-to-work lives. In the first 50 pages, there are more one-liners than in a decade of Woody Allen films."
ROBIN HUNT, 'Guardian'

"A funny and stridently topical novel. Coupland continues to register the buzz of his generation."
JAY McINERNEY, 'New York Times'

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

DOUGLAS COUPLAND first came to prominence as the author of Generation X (1995). He followed that with a sequence of ever-more daring and inventive novels, including Shampoo Planet, Life After God, Girlfriend in a Coma and, most recently, Hey Nostradamus!. He lives in Vancouver.