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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Such a nostalgic trip! The events in 'Microserfs' are before my time, but wow this was a time capsule. If you are curious about the tech world of the 90s before the .com boom, this is the book for you. We follow a couple of Microsoft employees who share a home and a friendship, as they struggle to come into their own in their private lives, reconcile their relationship to work and of course, the finances that come with it.
For me this was a humorous take on a history lesson. It's told in the form of a journal, so the thoughts are written simply, to the point, and contain a lot of the impressions of the protagonist. We see a world in which Microsoft is king and Bill is its icon. Apple is barely a startup. Silicon Valley is still developing, San Francisco is considered libertarian and artistic, a beacon of light in what is otherwise an economically-focused region.
In many ways this reminded me of something like 'The Big Bang Theory' or 'The Office', the characters are nerdy, the jokes are cheesy, but the sentiment between them is full of authenticity and heart. They have inside jokes, yet they get on each other's nerves. They blindly believe in each other's ideas and continue to support them even when difficulties abound. It's genuinely a fun read, and I liked to understand more about the corporate culture as well. Susan is dating within the office, Dan met his significant other, Karla, as a colleague. Microsoft is a safe space, startups are highly risky, something that stayed completely the same. In their 20s, people try to pursue their own ideas, only to realise in their 30s that they can't afford anything. And Menlo Park wasn't associated with Meta yet. Something that surprised me was that we already see generations of families who work in tech, such as Dan's dad, who was made redundant in his 50s.
A bit dated, but I had a good time.
For me this was a humorous take on a history lesson. It's told in the form of a journal, so the thoughts are written simply, to the point, and contain a lot of the impressions of the protagonist. We see a world in which Microsoft is king and Bill is its icon. Apple is barely a startup. Silicon Valley is still developing, San Francisco is considered libertarian and artistic, a beacon of light in what is otherwise an economically-focused region.
In many ways this reminded me of something like 'The Big Bang Theory' or 'The Office', the characters are nerdy, the jokes are cheesy, but the sentiment between them is full of authenticity and heart. They have inside jokes, yet they get on each other's nerves. They blindly believe in each other's ideas and continue to support them even when difficulties abound. It's genuinely a fun read, and I liked to understand more about the corporate culture as well. Susan is dating within the office, Dan met his significant other, Karla, as a colleague. Microsoft is a safe space, startups are highly risky, something that stayed completely the same. In their 20s, people try to pursue their own ideas, only to realise in their 30s that they can't afford anything. And Menlo Park wasn't associated with Meta yet. Something that surprised me was that we already see generations of families who work in tech, such as Dan's dad, who was made redundant in his 50s.
A bit dated, but I had a good time.
slow-paced
Michael said this, and it was sooo deep, and then Karla said that, and it was really funny, and then we hung out and did some quirky stuff, and it was great, and now I'm waxing lyrical about whether our body is a machine etc etc, and then we did some coding, and we ate some fast food... Look, you just had to be there, OK?
This was probably even funnier/more interesting if I'd read it in the mid-90s, which is when it was set and when it was written; it hasn't entirely stood the test of time. The book revolves around a set of low-level employees (serfs) who work at Microsoft and realize they don't really have a life of their own outside work and decide to make some big changes. The plot meanders, and there isn't a ton of coflict/suspense, but you find yourself hoping for the best for the characters anyway. Despite my criticisms, found it charming and enjoyable.
2024 reads, 8/22
“The stock closed up $1.75 on Friday. Bill has 78,000,000 shares, so that means he’s now $136.5 million richer. I have almost no stock, and this means I am a loser.”
The title of this book tells you all you really need to know – Microserfs, a portmanteau of “Microsoft” and the feudal “serfs,” is about a group of programmers working at Microsoft who take the risk and start their own software company. Really, it’s a nineties version of HBO’s Silicon Valley.
This is an epistolary novel, but instead of a diary or letters, narrator Dan Underwood types all his thoughts in a “PowerBook entry,” filled not just with his day-to-day life, but with random notes and emails, complete with typos and grammatical errors to really give it that “draft word document” feel.
“Note: I think Starbucks has patented a new configuration of the water molecule, like in a Kurt Vonnegut novel, or something. This molecule allows their coffee to remain liquid at temperatures over 212° Fahrenheit. How do they get their coffee so hot? It takes hours to cool off—it’s so hot it’s undrinkable—and by the time it’s cool, you’re sick of waiting for it to cool and that ‘coffee moment’ has passed.”
I was born in 1995, so while I obviously cannot relate to these characters, Coupland does an excellent job of immersing you in this era of young programmers through his skillful incorporation of pop culture references. It’s a nice little slice of the nineties, infused with humor, quirkiness, and heartwarming moments.
“Checked the WinQuote: The stock was down 86 cents over the day. That means Bill lost $70 million today, whereas I only lost fuck all. But guess who’ll sleep better?”
“The stock closed up $1.75 on Friday. Bill has 78,000,000 shares, so that means he’s now $136.5 million richer. I have almost no stock, and this means I am a loser.”
The title of this book tells you all you really need to know – Microserfs, a portmanteau of “Microsoft” and the feudal “serfs,” is about a group of programmers working at Microsoft who take the risk and start their own software company. Really, it’s a nineties version of HBO’s Silicon Valley.
This is an epistolary novel, but instead of a diary or letters, narrator Dan Underwood types all his thoughts in a “PowerBook entry,” filled not just with his day-to-day life, but with random notes and emails, complete with typos and grammatical errors to really give it that “draft word document” feel.
“Note: I think Starbucks has patented a new configuration of the water molecule, like in a Kurt Vonnegut novel, or something. This molecule allows their coffee to remain liquid at temperatures over 212° Fahrenheit. How do they get their coffee so hot? It takes hours to cool off—it’s so hot it’s undrinkable—and by the time it’s cool, you’re sick of waiting for it to cool and that ‘coffee moment’ has passed.”
I was born in 1995, so while I obviously cannot relate to these characters, Coupland does an excellent job of immersing you in this era of young programmers through his skillful incorporation of pop culture references. It’s a nice little slice of the nineties, infused with humor, quirkiness, and heartwarming moments.
“Checked the WinQuote: The stock was down 86 cents over the day. That means Bill lost $70 million today, whereas I only lost fuck all. But guess who’ll sleep better?”
One of those interesting-food-for-thought-but-not-much-of-a-story kind of novels.
When asked, I always list Microserfs as my favorite book of all time. I read it for the first time when I was 17 - no, 16? - on the recommendation of a coworker. I have continued to read it at least annually for the last nine years, and it is one of the few books that has continued to grow with me. While the subject matter will be dated all too soon, Coupland's simple and heartbreaking observations on what it means to be human are spot on. And it has Legos on the cover.
I have lost at least two copies of this book since I first read it in 1997. I have also read this book at least 10 times since I first read it in 1997. It's strange to now be older than the characters that seemed impossibly old in 1997.
I have lost at least two copies of this book since I first read it in 1997. I have also read this book at least 10 times since I first read it in 1997. It's strange to now be older than the characters that seemed impossibly old in 1997.
A very funny, touching portrait on "having a life" in the mid '90s Silicon Valley culture. Very interesting to compare 20-something culture from this decade to our own.
I have read this book at least half a dozen times and I keep going back. I think this is coupland's finest work. There is charm, sadness, technology and a snapshot of life at a very specific moment in time. With the exception of a notable lack of cellphones, this story could be 2013 as easily as it is 1993.
2018:
Re-read this again. There are certainly some dated references like "information superhighway" but there are certain messages that continue to resonate about tech/nerd culture and employment self-identity and finding a real life. Some of my favorite characters in all of Coupland's novels appear in this book.
2018:
Re-read this again. There are certainly some dated references like "information superhighway" but there are certain messages that continue to resonate about tech/nerd culture and employment self-identity and finding a real life. Some of my favorite characters in all of Coupland's novels appear in this book.