[PDF] Download Qualityland by Marc-Uwe Kling | Free EBOOK PDF English

Book Details Title: Qualityland Author: Marc-Uwe Kling Number of pages: Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Reprint edition (January 7, 2020) Language: English ISBN: 1538732963 Rating: 4,5     38 reviews

Book Description Review “QUALITYLAND is very funny and very scary — my kind of book.”―Mike Judge, creator of HBO’s Silicon Valley, writer/director of Office Space “Eerily prescient and peppered with near-future projections (including the cryogenic resurrection of Jennifer Aniston), Qualityland reads like the best Black Mirror episode as written by Kurt Vonnegut. Kling delivers scythe-sharp satire, steering us through a hysterical dystopian adventure of technological determinism, all while skewering consumer culture, politics, free will, and making me rethink my relationship with my Roomba. Witty, wise, and terrifyingly funny, Qualityland is a genius gem and an absolute must read. I laughed my phone off.”― Kira Jane Buxton, author of Hollow Kingdom “Kling’s dialogue is witty and sharp, the relationship between Peter and the droids is handled with a great deal of humour and warmth, and more often than not Kling lands his jokes–Qualityland is incredibly funny–a rare feat for a science fiction novel.”― Locus “A hilarious romp through an absurd hypercapitalist dystopia…This is spot-on satire.”―Publishers Weekly“QUALITYLAND is the best kind of satire, offering up a funhouse mirror version of our world that is so smart and so cutting, you have to laugh to keep from crying.”―Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse “The times we live in demand a satire as sharp and unrelenting as QUALITYLAND. The funniest parts will make you cringe. But rather than merely beat the reader over the head with doom and gloom, this novel goes further, showing the value of endurance and even hope in an age of emptiness.”― Robert Repino, author of D’Arc and Mort(e) “How much you enjoy this is in direct proportion to how much trouble you think we’re all in. Sleep tight.”―Kirkus “Kling’s sharp observations target the economy, the law, xenophobia, relationships, security, and government, sparing few and exposing with delightful brutality how close QualityLand is to reality.”―Booklist “The plot unfolds in a way that surprises, which is quite refreshing when dealing with storylines which create a cautionary tale about corporate overreach.”― The Nerd Daily Read more About the Author Marc-Uwe Kling is a German author and songwriter. Qualityland spent months on the German bestseller lists, has sold more than half a million copies to date internationally, and is currently in production as an HBO series. Kling lives in Berlin. Read more Customers Review: QualityLand has been compared to George Orwell’s 1984 (my all-time favourite book), and I agree. 1984 Lite, maybe; but a fitting 21st century complement, a companion, to Orwell’s masterpiece. The themes are similar – the threat of totalitarianism, albeit of another kind – and the disappearance of personal freedom but the tone is very different. While 1984 is very dark and depressing, QualityLand is often very funny, heavy on sarcasm, irreverent, and as relevant today as 1984 was in its day.QualityLand is a biting critique of our internet-dependent consumerist society. The beginning is hilarious but as the story progresses, it takes a more philosophical turn while the author provides astute political commentaries. A reviewer suggested wisely to download a sample to deem if the caustic humour suits you, and I agree. I read the sample and purchased the book right away.Kudos to the translator for what must have been an arduous task. I found however that there is no real sense of time and place; I assume it takes place in the near future, it could be in Berlin or Washington. Maybe it was deliberate on the author’s part, but it feels like something’s missing. The characters, on the other hand, are fully fleshed out and a lot of fun, and the dialogues are great! After the dazzling and brilliant first half, I thought the second half of the book lost a bit of its momentum, but the ending was rather unexpected and intriguing. A very interesting book, much better crafted than recent endeavours on the same topic. I got the German Code, the numerical references, but what about 81.92? I don’t get that one…I give 4.5 stars. Okay, it is hilarious to read! Very entertaining from that perspective. It is not funny because it does not seem very far from the truth in a broad sense. That makes it great satire in my opinion. I not sure it’s a call to action exactly but it does elucidate some issues with the world that has evolved with the explosion of technology in the last several decades. The fun slows periodically for some exposition about these issues but these interludes to explain the world are brief, insightful, and necessary for those who are not already aware of the absurdity of the world we live in. Read it! A uniquely (and very rarely) brillant book…a true successor to something like “Snow Crash”. (even exceeding it in many places)!The last third of the book/ending kinda sucks though (ironically, just like snow crash) I really liked the premise of this book. It was so interesting to imagine the scenario of an all-powerful big business. Not to mention the underdog fighting for justice and a self-sacrificing intelligent machine. All around, it was really compelling. A light hearted satire of a distopian future in which man is a slave to technology. Lots of good jokes layered on top of some deep existential questions. A compelling story, wonderful characters! A tongue in cheek dystopian view of what could be if we are not careful. This is one of the odder books I’ve read in a while. Basically, it’s a near future tale of a world where big retailers are in charge, where targeting consumers has become vastly overdone, where robots are the good guys and it’s literally illegal to recycle or repair. It’s the ultimate consumer culture.Peter Jobless (who isn’t really jobless—it’s complicated) is the everyman who decides to try to return an item sent to him by the supposedly flawless programming that has decided he needs and wants it. With the help of his gang of tossed aside robots and a mysterious woman he meets, he finds a way to confront the system at the top. A parallel story is of the election of a new president, which pits a good robot against an evil man. The ending is explosive but somehow quite unsatisfying.This novel is chock full of jabs at today’s big companies, flawed political leaders, dating apps, movies and much more. It’s a dense kind of read, and I found I could only read a bit at a time. It’s very detail-filled. However, it’s not really a great read overall, at least if you are looking for a compelling plot or strong characters. This is more like a extended commentary through parody on the foibles of today’s world, and I know a lot of people will like it for that. However, I felt a bit tired out by it. I could have grasped the ideas presented here in a much shorter and more focused read.