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: Fantasy

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.

[Chanel Chapters · Rating 5 out of 5]

The literary equivalent of Viagra for conspiracy theorists.

Stay weird. Stay sexy. Stay hard.



Arc from NetGalley

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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+.

[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!

[Kayleigh | Welsh Book Fairy]

DNF @ 32%

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure. Loveable. Insanity.

It's Terry Pratchett on acid.

I was literally thinking about the best way to describe this book the whole through reading it. Best I could come up with - A group of friends play a big game of Cards Against Humanity, every turn is the next paragraph, every round is a chapter. The cards don't make sense, random words smushed together, but it's hilarious and you want to keep going...

I tried describing this to my husband several times and failed every time. Finally found a way he could kinda understand - We went for an over night stay in the city and to get to our room in the hotel we had to walk past about 40 doors along one winding corridor. "THIS. THIS IS WHAT THIS BOOK IS LIKE!". It doesn't make sense. The dimensions are off. The artwork is weird. Does this corridor have an end? I need to lie down.

Side note - I did not know this was in two parts and did not expect the abrupt end.

[Kevin Kane]

The book is fine. Competent, even. But there’s something… off about it. At first, I couldn’t quite put my finger on it—just this nagging, splintery feeling that the person behind the words wasn’t exactly… human.

At first, I brushed it off and told myself I was overthinking, but the further I read, the more it gnawed at me. I don’t know how else to say this, but I think Kevin Kane is secretly… a pencil.

Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. The metaphors start to give him away. Caring for a loved one is compared to using an eraser; rubbing yourself raw to erase their mistakes, which only makes sense if part of your body is an eraser. He doesn’t say a character is “dressed sharp.” He says they look "freshly sharpened."

And the paper descriptions? Why is construction paper a metaphor for futility? Is glossy cardstock really that unforgiving? Why is all of this treated like assumed knowledge?

I know it sounds insane, but I’m pretty sure Kevin Kane thinks the “G-spot” is the little curve that differentiates a lowercase “g” from a “q.”

Every character’s personality is defined by the shape of their signature. Every. Single. One. Just look at this actual line:

“Edith Sinner is a being whose movements through the world flowed as liquid calligraphy but cut as deep as a manila envelope. She writes with a precise hand, leaving behind slightly slanted characters, hinting at restrained violence, yet forms her fours in a single stroke that belies a contempt for savages who write their fours with two strokes.”

And OH MY GOD, the fours. I need to tell you about the fours.

It’s supposed to be an “Aha!” moment when the protagonist realizes one character writes their fours with two strokes—like this is how we know he’s the villain. But I honestly can’t tell if it’s meant as a calling card… or if the entire reason he’s the villain is that he writes his fours this way. Apparently, this is the gravest sin imaginable to Kevin Kane. Did you know Hitler wrote his fours with two strokes? I didn’t, but Kevin Kane spends two full pages just listing off every monster in history who did.

And the main love interest? She writes in cursive, and that fact is sexualized in a way that’s deeply uncomfortable. It’s like if someone told you they were really into elbows, then wouldn’t stop talking about how hot elbows were, and they were so convincing that now you’re into elbows too. And when they finally ask if they can touch your weenis…

…I found myself rolling up my sleeves, swallowing, and whispering, “Yes… God, yes.”

Because by the end of the book, I was thinking like a pencil. The mindset just leaches into you. Now I feel deep shame over how I write my fours. I gasp when I break a pencil tip, like I’ve hurt another living being. And late at night, when my wife is asleep, I sneak into my office, pull out a stack of triple-milled ivory vellum imported from a monastery in the Swiss Alps, and gently stroke it until I shudder. If my Nancy finds out how much I spent on fancy paper, she's going to divorce me.

Oh God… am I a pencil?
Are we all pencils?
Screw it. Welcome to The Deep Estate gets 5/5 pencils.

[Greg Neyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a polyamorus quad of: laugh out loud stoner comedy; deep in the rabbit hole tinfoil hat conspiracy theories; pop culture and media deconstruction; and The Entities that stalk the abandoned Backrooms of society. You're not quite sure how that polycule manages to stay together, but the love remains inspiring.
It effortlessly bounces from John and Bobo having pot-infused talks about the most pressing matters but with the lowest stakes possible, to the lizard people that secretly run everything, to Stephen King's haunting prolificness, to oh-my-god-don't-look-it's-behind-you. I got roller coaster whiplash and I screamed the entire ride.
Nothing is as you think it is, but everything is as you imagined it to be, and I can't wait for another ride on the next book.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Welcome to the Deep Estate* was definitely wacky. The two main characters are a "normal" guy (who has an imaginary friend named Bobo), and a not-a-vampire immortal assassin/warrior who work for the Bureau of Bizarre that covers up the reality of what we think of as conspiracy theories. That is, until they uncover a conspiracy WITHIN the Bureau and things go off the rails. Accompanied by Stephen King's sentient pencil, Carrie, they have to stay alive and solve the mystery, neither of which will be easy tasks.

The book is fun, absurd, and chaotic. Good for fans of John Scalzi, Dennis E. Taylor, or Douglas Adams. Looking forward to part 2.

I received an ARC of the audiobook from #NetGalley

[cosima. · Rating 4 out of 5]

entertaining, fun, fast read. totally unserious (affectionate).

i really like the main character and his light-hearted, stoner conspiracy-nut vibe. definitely a bit heavy on the bro dude jokes though. love his sidekicks bomo and carrie, which are absolutely hilarious and originally written. meanwhile, edie's characterization leans a bit too much into the badass stone-cold killer trope for my taste.

my favorite part is definitely the nonsensical, liminal, surreal backrooms of the deep estate office. the weirder it gets, the more i adore it. i just can't resist a nightmarish, illogical, sentient building <3

[Foxx Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like the dark humor of Dungeon Crawler Carl?! the insane nonsensical adventures of hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy? the fascinating collection of SCP Foundation stories? this was a crazy story filled with some of the sickest humor, the wildest adventure, and the craziest take on conspiracy theories i've ever seen. we follow a man who is so cracked in the head that nothing can affect him, and a vampire whose not actually a vampire, as they go into the Deep Estate, and even further into the Backrooms, and even further into insanity. it was twisted. it was dark. it was unhinged, and best of all, it was weird, hilarious, and absolutely packed with chaos.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome To The Deep Estate by Kevin Kane is a trippy, gory, weird sci-fi tale riddled with sarcasm, pop culture references, and jokes galore. If Beavis and Butt-Head waltzed into an episode of the X-Files featuring Deadpool. I recommend to fans of John Scalzi’s Constituent Service and Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary who are looking for a bizarre tale that doesn’t take itself too seriously and has more gory action. Christopher Harbour is an excellent narrator and did a fantastic job with this audiobook, fully bringing the odd characters of this story to life.

Thank you, Victory Editing, for providing me with this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Bureau of the Bizarre - It's safe to say I've stepped directly into one of Dad's paranoid delusions' indeed.

What an absolute fever dream of a book, but I was here for it!

Kevin Kane didn't completely write this, it was his best friend the Number 2 pencil Carrie while bingeing late night tv reruns.

There are so many historical and pop culture references it is like the inspiration for this was Billy Joel's 'We Didn't Start the Fire' meets Warehouse 13, but actually Kane 100% started the fire and transported it into a pocket universe.

(ARC provided by NetGalley)

[Ben Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Welcome to the Deep Estate” has got to be one of the most entertaining books that I’ve read in a very long time.

Kane says, lets just take the most outrageous conspiracies, string them together with a crap ton of pop culture references, throw them into the backrooms with a badge and gun, fill it with a wild cast of characters, and see what happens. Oh, and drugs! lots of drugs.

I did not get even half of the references in this book and it had me searching, wondering how i’ve lived this long not knowing about it! But just like Bobo, I just embrace the Slack and just enjoy the read.

[Moriah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, silly, and action-packed story with some top-tier worldbuilding. I don't like the main character much, but the sidekicks are awesome. The humor is a little bro-ey and sometimes outside of my pop culture wheelhouse. There is a really great reveal around one of the characters that won't disappoint. It's certainly an interesting time to put out a novel centered on conspiracy theories being true, but I think it pulls it off. I know I'm looking forward to returning to the Deep Estate.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley.

This book reminds me of Tom Holt's writing who I love. My only criticism was that it seemed to go on a bit in the middle. I think rather than being a 2 part being one novel with less in the middle.

However it then could be made into a proper series and I would be really interested in reading that!

[Sam R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in a long time that actually made me crack the f*ck up. Like real life LOL’s. And it’s got loads of adventure, gore, and my favorite…romance! The pop culture and historical references are so, so satisfying and bring so much humor and life to the story. And the plethora of conspiracy theories….*chef’s kiss*
Highly recommend!!

[Chrys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely bonkers!
I am so disappointed to see that this isn’t widely available in the UK (not available from Waterstones as of yet), it’s such a fun book it deserves a wider audience.
I love the idea of a secret government agency, that incidentally has been infiltrated by lizard people, which is trying to keep the public safe from unnecessary information. Imagine the panic if you knew about the lizard people!
This put me in mind of Men In Black crossed with the X-Files, with no limits on the ridiculousness. Perfect for anyone who enjoys their conspiracy theories with a generous sprinkle of craziness.