Sharply satirical, this speculative fiction novel cuts closer to the truth than is comfortable. Terrifying truths wrapped up in an extremely funny and entertaining story. This is a must read for 2020.

Never has dystopia been so hilarious!

The author has done an amazing job of raising some really important issues which will make you think long after you've stopped laughing.

Welcome on this QualityBlog, sponsored by QualityCompulsiveReaders. This is Meggy BookBlogger, and I am your host today.

Have you ever dreamed of a system who knows yourself better than you? Applications ready to find the ideal dating partner or the object you most want, even if you’re not aware of it? A world in which AI decides who you are in the society? Who you can be friend with, what you can or can’t do? Me neither.

No more need to drive, intelligent cars take you where you want to. Follow the system’s rules and you may up levels, gain credits, and therefore more options. Doesn’t it sound fabulous?

I know, I find it dreadful too. But guess what! Qualityland may be our future! You can’t tell me you don’t believe it, just look at the elections in every country. The world is sick.

Marc-Uwe Kling deserves applauds. I am all for dystopian worlds, places that make me pray hard that the universe won’t ever turn this way. But with Qualityland, I have reached the summit! I can’t think of a better representation of my nightmarish future.

Now, all is not gloomy. In fact, the book is actually quite funny. QualityHilarity around! Because in the middle of this dreadful satire lives John Jobless. John is a man. John is jobless. Hence the name. And my own name above. I much prefer mine, by the way! Anyway, John has inherited a machine scrapper company, where robots and other machines are sent when they don’t fit the system or a flaw is discovered. His business is… small and not very successful, hence the jobless surname. Machine scrappers are not really trendy. At the beginning of the book, John has a girlfriend. He is somewhat bored by the life he is leading. It is quite a ride to follow him to get acquainted with his surroundings. A crazy, ‘what on earth’ kind of ride. The more I read, the more horrified I was. And yet, I couldn’t stop reading. An intense and sick urge to see how far the author had gone in my nightmare spurred me to spend time in QualityLand. But you know what? I don’t regret a minute of it.

An AI running for president? A very powerful country that should remain unnamed got an orange monkey elected, so why not? Home-delivery of whatever is in your mind? Yes, please. Well, John is not happy with his gift. A lovely… pink dolphin sex toy. Yes, you read this right.

So, you get used to a digital place where humans are made to believe technology is here to help them when in fact jobs are cuts, people are tricked into losing their free will and opinions, but hey, they have nice tailored ads! And then, the glitch happens.

Can humans beat the system? Helped by his unconventional army, John Jobless embarks on a quest: return the sex toy, and shout to the world that whatever computers think they know about him, they are wrong. HE DID NOT WANT THE DOLPHIN!

To be honest, the dolphin itself is not the problem. The problem is when you are surrounded by algorithms narrowing your life to such a tiny tiny tiny tunnel that you lose the essence of who you are.

Did I say I loved the book? Because I did.
Did I say why? It is bloody brilliant!!!!

John & Co settle to have the last work and get the unwanted object return, despite TheShop’s insistence there is no mistake. That’s the limit to binary and cold technology awesomness. It takes a mind, a bit of courage, a dose of luck, and nothing much to lose, to stand against a big machine and say ‘No’ That’s what humans do!

I won’t divulge anything about John’s friends, John’s love life, or the weirdly familiar and very important politic race of the book, because that would take away the QualityFun of discovering how beautiful and cleverly forked-up this book is.

I adored it. Simple at that. It’s different, it’s hilarious even when it shouldn’t be, it’s irreverent. It raises the question of technology as improvement, or as a threat. Where is the line?

The idea might be far-fetched for some, but the more you read, the more real it becomes and you become part of QualityLand. This book has all I love, great lines, good and bad guys, weird situations, weirder moments, and a soul.