Human Resources

by Scott Walldren

Joe Noone woke to painful ringing in his ears. His eyes stung and were crazy-glued shut. It felt like a team of surly Swedish furniture makers who lacked both the manual and universal handy tool were slowly rebuilding his mind. They erected shelves at gross angles that eventually came toppling down with a crash. His stomach lurched.Joe groaned and reached out in anguish to find something to hang on to. His hand brushed over the console of his security station."Oh, God." Suddenly he realized where he was. Work. Drunk. Again Joe Noone is a young, alcoholic security guard entering the fifth year of his mostly exemplary employment at the American headquarters of multinational conglomerate VirCorp. After passing out one night on the job, he wakes to find he's lost a day of his life-and his job. Gathering steam to plead his case before the head of personnel, Joe finds himself a pawn in a sinister plot within the Byzantine world of corporate politics that seeks to upset the balance of power of not only VirCorp, but of society itself.Between employment and enslavement, chases and escapes, unscrupulous executives and crocus plants (affectionately named Dennis), author Scott Walldren's exciting debut novel Human Resources is a comedic portrayal of a world that is quickly evolving.

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2005

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written during the period between graduating college and my first full-time job, this book explores what I considered at the time to be the absurdities of corporate life.

While my attitude has evolved with the reality of joining the workforce, the new and amazing aburdities I've encountered still tell me I was on to something with the satire.

Take it for what it is: a silly young man wanting to tell the story of conflicting viewpoints in what is right and ethical in the workplace and the role that "spin" plays in our perceptions of reality.