Welcome to the Deep Estate: A Surreal Sci-Fi Comedy of Vampires, Conspiracy, and Bureaucratic Nonsense

by Kevin Kane

Reality is broken. Somebody has to file the paperwork.

John Doe always thought his dad was bonkers—ranting about secret lizard people and a shadowy Deep State pulling the strings. Then a newspaper from another timeline lands on his doorstep, and things get… weird.

A hidden message leads him to an unlisted office with an extra-secret elevator that only has one Down.

And down the rabbit hole he goes.

At the very bottom, John discovers the organization keeping the world blissfully unaware of the truth that’s all around Reality is kind of insane.

Get ready to dive headfirst into the mind-warping, bureaucratic belly of the beast that is The Bureau of the Bizarre. Their job? To catalog, contain, and hide away all the weird things the universe spits out when it’s bored or drunk.

We’re talking cursed Victorian dolls, the Bermuda Triangle, murder clowns, a certain author’s booger sugar, cranky kinda-sorta vampires, secret lizard people, double-secret lizard people that even the regular secret lizard people don’t know about, and way too many Schrödinger’s Cats.

Welcome to the Deep Estate.

Genres: Humor, Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction

332 pages, Paperback

Published August 12, 2025

About the author

Kevin Kane is, without question, a real author.
He enjoys doing writer things in between human-person activities, like itching himself and occasionally worrying that he may be too itchy and might have bed bugs. In his spare time, he peruses local handmade paper and artisanal vellum.

His favorite saying is “To err is human,” because we’re all humans here, and it would be an error to assume he was anything else, such as a Ticonderoga No.2 pencil manufactured in Versailles, Missouri, circa 1974.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got the audiobook arc from netgally.

I was instantly intruiged by the book, it had a diffrent cover on netgally, and by the blurb. It was a strange bit very fun story. Even tough so much happens and a lit of strange and quirky things it never felt to much. 3.5 stars rounded down. While I enjoyed the story it wasn't enough for 4 stars.

[Billie's Not So Secret Diary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Welcome to the Deep Estate
by Kevin Kane
The Deep Estate #1
Science Fiction Humor
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Sept 1, 2025
Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op
Ages: 16+

His father named him John Doe, so it would be harder for 'Them' to find him. Even though thinking his dad was crazy, John still finds himself jumping into a rabbit hole when a newspaper shows up on his doorstep, a paper that has similar but different events. While exploring, he finds a hidden message for a job opportunity.

Now he's a rookie Collector for the Bureau of the Bizarre, B.O.B, partnered with Edith, who is a vampire thanks to Halloween fangs. But there's a conspiracy in the Bureau, and they are accused of murder. Knowing the truth, they find themselves arrested, John in a cell, but Edith is taken to The Backrooms, a place where people get lost and are never found.


This book started off funny, with Stephen King references and others, but sadly it tapered off to a few snickers here and there. Sure, I still liked the concept of Carrie, a sentient pencil, and the idea of a wacky 'Men in Black' type organization, but it got boring when John ventured into The Backrooms, which was the main plot of the story. If the reason he went back there was different, something that matched the conspiracy, then it might have been more engaging. I get why and admire the heroic act, but I don't think it worked. I was expecting more of the bizarre that the blurb advertised.

Another issue I had with the book was the sudden jumps between the two other subplots. One had something to do with the conspiracy and the other involved Bobo... spoiler... The jumps were sudden, and because the characters weren't fully developed in the first part of the story, I wasn't sure what was going on, why, or who the people were.

There is some violence, a lot of language, and humorously described adult content, but it's still suitable for readers sixteen and older, but if a person is not a Stephen King fan, a lot of the jokes will not make sense.

Not a bad story, but it lost my interest before the halfway mark, and I had to push myself to finish, so it's highly doubtful I'll continue with the series.

2 Stars

[Jo Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I was roofied ……………..

Thank you to Victory editing, Kevin Kane and NetGalley for providing me with an ALC of this title that I have no clue how to rate or review and spent the entirety of in a state of confusion laced with some giggles!

[Chanel Chapters · Rating 5 out of 5]

The literary equivalent of Viagra for conspiracy theorists.

Stay weird. Stay sexy. Stay hard.



Arc from NetGalley

[Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an ARC provided by NetGalley.
Deep Estate is a fun surreal experience that feels right at home alongside Welcome to Nightvale and Tales From the Gas Station. I enjoyed the modern stream of consciousness style of writing and the authors quick wit and sense of humor drew me in immediately. The story is rooted in surrealism and takes place largely in the backrooms which both allows for engaging off the wall randomness but also acts as a bandaid to cover places where the plot seems thin or meandering. And once the story moved into the backrooms, meander it did.
I found the characters of John and Bobo to be very fun and entertaining. Their banter felt real, and it was a constant source of amusement. The other B.O.B workers were a lot of fun too and I enjoyed getting to know them. When it comes to Edie, I can say that the she was far outshined in both charisma and dialogue by a character that is a pencil(do with that information what you will).
When it comes to plot, the main story line moves and a nice pace that keeps tension high, and you invested in all the characters the story jumps between. I DEVOURED the first half of the book! Sadly things began to drop off once the main character moved into the back rooms. The back rooms portion of the book tends to deviate into long non sequitur tangents. I understand this is the nature of liminal space but, it felt like there were some disjointed short stories just injected into the main narrative. The monsters and encounters were really tense and fun to read and I think if the second half was trimmed down a bit it would be able to really shine. The romantic sub plot between the two main characters also fell flat for me. There was no real chemistry and everything to do with the romance moved quickly and felt forced. They went from acquaintances to hooking up and considering they barely spoke and had the non existent chemistry of two coworkers who just met, it just felt weird.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to part two. I’m excited to see this author continue to hone his craft and can’t wait to see where the B.O.B takes us next!

[lfthndofdrknss · Rating 4 out of 5]

received as a NetGalley arc in exchange for an honest review

Ever wonder what would happen if the quirkiest, most delusional, and clueless guy that just ran into that lamp post could vibe his way through life using quantum (NOT magic) powers? I mean, probably not, but consider reading this anyway.

[Yoder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received advance review copy of Welcome to the Deep Estate.

Welcome to the Deep Estate is the epitome of dumb humor. This is a really fun book to read as long as your not expecting to much.

The characters in this story really fit the type of humor though the main character definitely grated on my nerves from time to time, but the Garden Gnome Bobo makes up for that. Then when it comes to women, the only real female character is interestingly written, which works most of the time (but definitely feels like "women written by men" type of character). Best character in the book is Carrie (an anomalous pencil), and that is non-negotiable.

The story is pretty spot on for a SCP style story, and though it can be wholly nonsensical at times, it all mostly works. Sometimes the story does veer off into left field in a way that makes zero sense even in the context of a a story like this.

My biggest issue is that this book is NOT a complete story and ends without any resolution. The author notes that this is just book one, however this was so short that I'm thinking the book should have released as a single self contained story.

Overall, Welcome to the Deep Estate had me laughing throughout. Still there is not really much of substance here. Check this book out if your looking for either almost pure comedy or a new SCP style story.

[NoelaniK · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun ride this book was. No, correction- a smart-alecky, snarky fun read filled with chaos and confusion in the best way. Think Hitch Hikers Guide meets Men In Back. Great character development and the narrator, Christopher Harbour, did an amazing job bringing this book to life. I definitely recommend this book and suggest tandem reading it with the audio to catch all the cultural references, and conspiracy theories. I look forward to picking up the next book in the series (thanks to that cliff hanger).

5/5 Stars for the Narrator

I was provided a ALC through NetGalley for a honest review.

[Kayleigh | Welsh Book Fairy]

DNF @ 32% due to the use of a cleft-lip insult

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every once in a while, I read a book where I am completely conflicted with what rating to give it, and, you guessed it, this is one such book. First, I have to say this is a well-written, snarky, smart aleck-y, clever, tiny bit gory, lots of fun, and engaging book. I did want to throw my ereader across the room when I finished it with that very frustrating cliffhanger. LOL! So, why the conflict? I’m not sure, but at times I did find this almost too snarky, and that says a lot because I love snark, and sometimes I found John Doe a little too…something I can’t put my finger on. Otherwise, I just loved this book, the characters, and the premise, and it’s more than worth a read. I definitely want to get my hands on the next book. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

[Jessica Gleason · Rating 4 out of 5]

John seems like a cool fella, flawed, a little strange, but someone you can sit down and have a drink with. It wouldn't be a dull night, you know?

I was all in on his adventure through meeting up with Carrie, who's another delight, zipping all over the place. After this point, things really start to get unhinged.

At some points, I'm like, ok here we go, we're back with John and Carrie again. Let's do this. Or, we're sometimes with Edie, and that's fine too. But, there are points in the book where I was like who are these people? Where are we? What even is going on? Bizarre things are afoot in the backrooms.

So, give it a go.

[Hone · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Audio courtesy of Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and NetGalley.)

5 really wild, really bizarro ⭐s

First, and CLEARLY, most important: Kansas City representation for the win! Wild seeing my town—was not expecting that.

So, what's this book about?

Well …

Uh…

Hrm.

Okay, so John Doe’s best friend is a garden gnome he got from a garage sale as a kid. They drop a lot of acid together, and the acid may or may not have paranormal properties. There you go, now you have a complete and total understanding of the book. (You really, really don't.)

It’s easier to just say that this story is an experience. Very silly, in the best ways. I really loved John Doe as the MC. He's good-humored and not an asshole. (Traits we should all aspire to.)

The plot leans hard into the liminal space—but I’m not sure that it does the best job of showing liminality. Since Doe’s POV feels like he’s talking to you, the reader, there isn’t the complete sense of isolation that you get if you’re, say, playing a liminal horror video game. Does the book suffer for it? Not even a little.

Now, the monster work? Excellent. The creatures are grotesque and menacing, but never shift the story out of its humor. It's all very well balanced.

Also, I was super stoked to see that this is a series, because it landed on a very satisfying stopping place for book one, but I’m already chomping at the bit for a sequel on audio.

Audio-Specific 🎧: Christopher Harbour really fits the main character’s vibes. The voice he created for Doe is rough and grimy, with a little bit of sleaze, and somehow also has “total fuck-up” baked right in. It's really nuanced.

I ran the book at 1.5x, but honestly? 1x isn't awful. I find most stories are pretty intolerable at 1x these days, to the point that I wonder if they aren’t actually slowing down a narrator’s normal reading speed in post-production. But with this one, I think you'll be pretty pleased with the default speed.

📌 TL;DR: Bizarre, liminal-ish, crazy-ass masterpiece. Read it. Or not, your loss.

[Courtney Lake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very rarely feel the need to tell everyone I have a casual conversation with about a book. I have had that need CONSTANTLY since I finished this one.

This is a wonderful topsy-turvey mashup between Men in Black, Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy, twilight zone and X-files, with a little weed humor for good measure. The absurdity very carefully walks the line between being "Okay this is just ridiculous" and "Maybe lizard people really DO run everything"

The author does a good job of maintaining just enough pseudo scientific credibility for you to have an easy time suspending your disbelieve, while keeping you engaged and not losing the average reading in the minutia.

I adored how it lovingly mocked the common TV and Literature tropes while also bending them to their advantage. Like how when someone has a moment of clarity in a horror movie that maybe they SHOULDN'T go down the creepy basement stairs.

I also enjoyed the ebb and flow of the chemistry between the two main characters. Watching their relationship grow in a natural, organic way through shared trauma and disasters. It felt like a really rewarding character development.

Despite its length, I flew through it and cannot wait for the next one. And I told everyone I know they should get a copy and read it because it's awesome.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Katie May · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a great time with this. This is actually pretty short but I really think it was the perfect length for the story, I think it accomplishes everything it set out to do and leaves some room for more stories in this world.

It was a little slow near the beginning for me, as it seemed there was a section that was a little more character driven than plot driven but it did pick up then. This was funny in a quippy way and full of heart and found family. Maybe we’ll get a little more of the romance in a future installment. Full of pop culture references and some literal fart jokes, if you like your sci fi unserious and light hearted this is the perfect book for you.

The audiobook narrator does a great job with all the characters and really conveys the spirit of the book. I think it adds to the comedic timing and enhances the experience. Definitely recommend this on audio.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for this ALC in exhange for an honest review.

[Ruby Voigt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pretty conflicted by this book. But before we get to that, I gotta get some obvious praise out of the way. Cause damn, this book sets up so many fun conventions it's kind of hard not to grin.

Many of the ideas here are incredibly fun and also funny. The magic forms that ask exactly the right questions to advance the plot are just one of them, and you realise their potential when the last question on one of those forms is "Wait, were those gunshots? ( ) Yes ( ) No".

This is just one of them, and I'll keep it there because it has a lot of ideas like this that deserve their spotlight in the narrative and not a simple review. This is distilled Prachett/Adams weirdness, and while the quality of the prose never reaches that level of mastery, it certainly scratches the lower bound of that limit pretty frequently.

Characters are fun, for the most part, the setting's fun, for the most part, and so's the way it's written. John Doe is a relatable and enjoyable first-person protagonist, and his best friend Bobo is just the right amount of crazy for a sidekick. Edie Sinner, deuteragonist, is a little less interesting and I didn't enjoy her dialogue as much compared to the chemistry that John and Bobo have, but she's still a good character, even if the archetype is nothing new and a little on the nose. I guess the entire book could be seen as a satire on a whole laundry list of things, starting at bureaucracy and ending somewhere in the library of Babel's supply closet.

It's good. The book's good, and I enjoyed it, but it's not flawless. It doesn't really become more than its constituent parts, and some of the exchanges feel a little bit too quippy for my tastes. There is however a big, nearly glaring flaw that I wish I didn't have to talk about.

Each chapter is punctuated by a full-page image, which in the narrative is explained as being a sketch that the main character puts in his journal. Superficially, I am fine with this, it's cute and underscores the levity that the entire book requires as a load bearing element, but...

...look, I'm just gonna rip off the band aid. The drawings are AI-generated. It's obvious, and while they're not *bad*, I don't get why they're here. If you can't draw yourself, that's one thing, but adding stuff made by a machine with human direction just seems like a weird choice I didn't understand and crucially didn't make the book any better. The illustrations could be removed, and that'd be that. But they're here, the rubicon has been crossed, and now the nagging cynic in me calls into question if Kane himself wrote all the words, and if not, what that means for the medium and so on.

But I'm off to the doctor next week to get a nagging-cynic-ectomy, so this shall get a pass from me. I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. It's fun, charming, enjoyable to read, more than competent and a solid B+.

[coley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Victory Editing, and Kevin Kane, for this audiobook.

This was a great time from start to finish. It is chaos, it is absurdity, it is….heartfelt? Listening to it gave me similar vibes to the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, which I swear is very high praise. The way that the author could weave a solid story with so much hilarity and folly while simultaneously having heartfelt moments and truly caring about the characters, was fantastic.

This is absolutely worth the read/listen. And I would be remiss to not mention that Christopher Harbour (narrator) was the *perfect* choice for this book and role.

[Susan J. Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super–entertaining, but at times, very difficult to follow. The pace was frantic and, as it’s a comparatively short book, this makes for a fast read. However, the unexpected changes in POV, timeline and scene changes, along with the unannounced introduction of new characters, confused me. At times I had to reread pages to check I hadn’t missed parts. I feel like it could have been better structured which would have helped a lot with the flow. Towards the end I honestly found myself wondering whether the author may have enjoyed one too many fruit pastilles, as some chapters definitely got a little trippy.
Christopher Harbour does a brilliant job on the narration.
A fun but confusing read.
3.5 stars from me with thanks to NetGalley and specifically the Victory Editing NetGalley co-op for the ARC.
Welcome to the Deep Estate published on 16 December.

[yazzyvb · Rating 3 out of 5]

literally felt like you were on the weirdest trip of your life and also like dreams? 😭 like the most random things happening with new people showing up and being like wait what? how? then you’d have something more coherent then random but i strangely want to read the next one 😭 2.75 or a 3 (DON’T JUDGE ME 😭)

[Doug Beebe]

A thoroughly clever and pun-filled romp of an adventure through a crazy multiverse. If you like Douglas Adams' work, give this book a read! I laughed out loud a lot as I was reading.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Madeline Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whirlwind of twisted fun! Couldn't stop laughing. Both a page turner and a modern-day dark comedy. Highly recommend!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

See? Someone did read this sh!tty story.

Just go in expecting Inside Job in book form and you're good.

I received this as an ALC from netgalley.

[Suzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very much reminded me of Stranger Times and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It was silly and funny and went off in all kids of directions I didn't expect.
I'm not the hugest ran of romance crowbarred into my stories, but as it wasn't the main focus I let it slide.
Looking forward to reading the next one.

[Kristin Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure about this book at first. You have to understand guy humor and Stephen King references but if you do, I think you’ll really enjoy this book. I found it quite funny and I appreciated the sarcasm lack of seriousness.

[Nate LaClaire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin Kane’s Welcome To The Deep Estate is a wild mash-up of conspiracy theory, liminal-space horror, and raunchy comedy. John Doe is the son of a doomsday-obsessed dad who raised him to believe the Deep State is real. Then John gets recruited by the Bureau of the Bizarre, and all the “crazy” stuff turns out to be true: lizard people, glitches in reality, and backroom corridors that run longer than physics should allow.

The voice is the hook here. John narrates with manic, self-deprecating energy, and his friendship with wisecracking garden gnome Bobo keeps the banter moving even when the plot goes off the rails. The book leans hard into pop-culture riffs and a “nothing is too weird” approach to its worldbuilding, which made the Deep Estate feel like a gonzo cousin of SCP files, Warehouse 13, Men in Black, and John Dies at the End.

I liked how the story alternates between semi-grounded agency chaos and surreal set pieces in the Backrooms. The action stays brisk, the cast is colorful, and the escalating weirdness keeps you wondering what is going to happen next. There are moments of genuine intrigue beneath the jokes, especially as the Deep Estate’s internal politics and hidden agendas start to surface.

On a personal note, and attempting not to give any important plot points away, the city of my birth features not insignificantly in the story, which was a fun additional detail for me.

If I have a critique, it is that the humor is intentionally crude and and the gore generous, which will be a dealbreaker for some readers and a draw for others.

If you want a fast, off-the-wall adventure with conspiracies made literal, strange creatures, and a lot of profanity, this is a fun ride. It is messy in the best way, and I am curious to see what happens in the second half of the duology (or maybe it qualifies as a diptych? I’m not sure…).

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Christopher Harbour, whose energetic performance really brings the story to life. His delivery adds an extra layer of humor and pacing that complements Kane’s writing style perfectly. Although the book is great on its own, I highly recommend the audiobook version.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author via NetGalley audiobook and NetGalley ebook. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

[Alex Slate-Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was recommended to me by my partner and this might actually be one of my favorite books in existence. It took me longer than usual to complete a read like this but I mostly listened to it in the car with my partner, otherwise it probably would’ve been done in two, maybe three days tops.

I wanted so desperately to give it 5 stars but I ran across two issues (both of which are very heavily opinionated so please take it with a grain of salt if you’re reading this)

1. I found the usage of everyone’s names a little confusing. I did listen to the audiobook so if I was reading things this may not have been a problem for me. Edie & John were easy to follow because obviously, but when it came to Darvish, Cho and Motts I had a hard time tracking who was supposed to be talking to who. In my opinion, this was solely based on the mix of first, last and nicknames used for all of them. Motts was a little easier with the accent used by the audiobook narrator but when someone else referenced him any way other than by his last name I got confused. I had written them down at one point just so I could keep track a little easier and had to reference back to it constantly, which is why I feel this issue would’ve been resolved had I read it instead of listened.

2. The ending could’ve used a little more of a cliffhanger. I promise I’m not going to spoil anything in this! I had no clue this wasn’t going to be a complete story going into it, so I think it left me a little disappointed. I had certainly hoped there would be more, but I wasn’t expecting things to end so abruptly. I don’t even know what could have been changed at the end to make it more of a cliffhanger though, so I really think just somehow making it more known that this is a two parter may help future readers.

All that said: KK, if you’re reading this, please for the love of GOD do not stop writing! This was so good, I laughed harder than I have in quite some time reading this. I’m interested to see if you have other books and if they’re at all similar to this one, and if you don’t currently then I’ll be following you very closely waiting for more.

To me, the fact that I’m even writing this says a lot because I rarely share actual reviews. I think the author is absolutely phenomenal though and I desperately want to see him succeed. I plan to put this same review on Amazon and any other platform I can think of because I want everyone to know about this book. Please, if anyone is reading this debating if the book is worth your time: READ IT!

[Horror Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is gloriously weird, deliciously demented, generously gory, and absolutely hilarious.

Stay with me here, it's about a guy who's a slacker who's best friend is not at all what you would ever think (still here?). There's also a woman who has all the characteristics of a vampire but actually isn't one (don't leave yet). They get a job at the Deep Estate which deals with every weird and bizarre things in this world and others, including a sentient flying pencil (don't go yet), fighting a blood thirsty Amelia Earhart, more Schrodinger's cats than you'll ever believe, lizard people, and seemingly normal objects which have time/space continuum implications...all of them bad.

Yeah, there's more references in here about everything from liminal spaces and conspiracy theories than you can imagine. And it's all written with a razor sharp humor that'll leave you laughing like a fool.

And special kudos to all the awesome references to the Church of the Subgenius, a very real thing which I've been a psrt of since the 80s. Google it! Praise "Bob" and pass the froop pipe.

This is the first book in a series and I'm all in on diving back in when the second book releases. I highly recommend it. I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley. This review is voluntary and is my own personal opinion.

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. I reviewed the audiobook narrated by Christopher Harbour.

Normally, when I review an audiobook, I focus first on the book, not this time! I think if I read this book, I would not have liked it, I probably wouldn't have finished it, but the performance given by Christopher Harbour brought this book to life. Christopher had voices for every character, and his punchy delivery carried the satire in this book, elevating it to new heights. His narration made you believe the world and its characters were real and genuine inhabitants of the book, not just constructs meant to carry a joke or irony.

A supremely surreal book, best described as the world created by an author on an acid trip while staring at Dali paintings. Packed with references galore, turned on their heads, and embedded in a world where every conspiracy theory you can think of is true. This book will either leave you spiralling down the rabbit hole (in a good way?) or reinforce every crazy belief you already have.

Looking forward to further books in the series, but only if narrated by Christopher!

[Rachael Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so glad I picked this book up. Not only was it incredibly funny, it had some really poignant themes which resonate with current topics. It feels as though this book looks at topics such as discrimination and political goals in a humorous light, where the audience can laugh but can also see echoes in the world around them.

However, the story is really fun. The main character, John Doe. A guy who grew up with his conspiracy theorist father, and still sees the world with odd coincidences and connections. Though he doesn't fully live off the grid, he tries not to leave too much of a digital footprint. One day he receives a newspaper which shouldn't exist and he finds a hidden message in the looking for love section which leads him to an address. His best friend seems to be a garden gnome he can hear speaking but no one else really can, Bobo.

Things happen and he becomes partnered with a girl named Edith who is an accidental vampire. This book is chaotic, bizarre, and silly with rivers of gravy and ice cream that tastes like a savory meal. I needed something pretty light-hearted since the world is currently in shambles. So I have to give this book a solid 4*stars, not because it is perfect but because I was utterly entertained and hope others can find the same in it.

[Coca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the audio version of the book, provided by NetGalley, and narrated by Christopher Harbour.

3.75/5

This was one of the most bizarre and a unique experiences I've had with a book, in a while.

Following John Doe, yes really, as he stumbles into the existence and employment of, the Bureau of the Bizarre (the Deep Estate), he finds himself in a world that he's, oddly, suited to be in (his dad is an extremely devoted conspiracy theorist, but like, for all of the conspiracies).

On his 1st day of work he finds himself in and out of pocket dimensions, with a "meta-vampire" partner and a sentient pencil.

And that's just where the story starts.

Once I managed to stop trying to figure how things got from one point to another realm with a possessed lawn ornament, it became much more enjoyable.

This is going to be a fun time for a lot of people, but be prepared to have some of your norms poked fun at. There is racism (feudal Japan? really?) and sexism, but it also calls itself out for making the jokes in the 1st place.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I laughed that the MMC, is named John Doe. Of course, his name is John Doe. I want to work for The Bureau of the Bizarre aka B.O.B. John and Edie working together is like oil and water. However, the longer these two are together in each other's presence, they do rub off on one another and actually become casual working partners. Edie would never admit it out loud that she actually likes John.

I grabbed this book because of the premise of it. It intrigued me. I am so glad that I did as I absolutely hulled with laughter throughout this book. I listened to the audio version. The Stephen King references were great. I grew up watching X-Files and Twilight Zone. Also was a big fan of the Sci-fi channel. So, for me this book was right up my alley. It is so quirky and at times cringeworthy but that is what made this book so good.

If you are a fan of the bizarre and do believe that aliens exist, then you will want to grab a copy of this book. I do hope to see John and Edie again in the future.