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Douglas Coupland

Microserfs Paperback – May 30, 1996

by Douglas Coupland (Author)

217 ratings

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Narrated in the form of a Powerbook entry by Dan Underwood, a computer programmer for Microsoft, this state-of-the-art novel about life in the '90s follows the adventures of six code-crunching computer whizzes. Known as "microserfs," they spend upward of 16 hours a day "coding" (writing software) as they eat "flat" foods (such as Kraft singles, which can be passed underneath closed doors) and fearfully scan the company email to see what the great Bill might be thinking and whether he is going to "flame" one of them.

Seizing the chance to be innovators instead of cogs in the Microsoft machine, this intrepid bunch strike out on their own to form a high-tech start-up company named Oop! in Silicon Valley. Living together in a sort of digital flophouse --"Our House of Wayward Mobility" -- they desperately try to cultivate well-rounded lives and find love amid the dislocated, subhuman whir and buzz of their computer-driven world.

Funny, illuminating and ultimately touching, Microserfs is the story of one generation's very strange and claustrophobic coming of age.

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harper Perennial
Publication date

May 30, 1996
Dimensions

5.31 x 0.86 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0060987049
ISBN-13

978-0060987046
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Microserfs is not about Microsoft--it's about programmers who are searching for lives. A hilarious but frighteningly real look at geek life in the '90's, Coupland's book manifests a peculiar sense of how technology affects the human race and how it will continue to affect all of us. Microserfs is the hilarious journal of Dan, an ex-Microsoft programmer who, with his coder comrades, is on a quest to find purpose in life. This isn't just fodder for techies. The thoughts and fears of the not-so-stereotypical characters are easy for any of us to relate to, and their witty conversations and quirky view of the world make this a surprisingly thought-provoking book.

" ... just think about the way high-tech cultures purposefully protract out the adolescence of their employees well into their late 20s, if not their early 30s," muses one programmer. "I mean, all those Nerf toys and free beverages! And the way tech firms won't even call work 'the office,' but instead, 'the campus.' It's sick and evil."

Review

“Coupland continues to register the buzz of his generation with fidelity.” -- Jay McInerney, New York Times Book Review

“The novel’s real fun is the frequent and rapidly fired pop-culture references that span the 70s, 80s and 90s...and Coupland uses them with relish.” -- Entertainment Weekly

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; First HarperPerennial Edition (May 30, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060987049
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060987046
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.86 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,241,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #135,915 in Computers & Technology (Books)
- #277,679 in American Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
217 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		58%
4 star		21%
3 star		3%
2 star		6%
1 star		12%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Max Walker

An good read if you're interested in the culture of Silicon ...

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2017

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An good read if you're interested in the culture of Silicon Valley in the 90s but prefer reading a narrative rather than non-fiction. Coupland manages to create believable characters and place them in a real setting so flawlessly that I often found myself forgetting that the book was fiction at all. Nevertheless, he also manages to create intriguing and occasionally dramatic plot points that drive character development while simultaneously demonstrating the positive and negative aspects of being a programmer. The book has its flaws; paragraphs can start to become very wordy and it uses its share of literary cliches, but if you can look past these sort of things it's definitely worth a read if you want a short but in-depth look at a group of coders who live together, spend hours on end coding, interact in very surreal and yet believable ways, and are fascinated (or terrified) by the future of technology.

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Flounder

Resistance is Futile

Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2002

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This is a good book. Perhaps it is not as strong as Gen X or Shampoo Planet--or those Harolding moments in Portraits--but still a quite decent read. Although at times, the plot is a bit slow. Coupland accurately portrays characters whose cyber-world consists of computer games, coding, and geeky emails.
This is a must for those of us who deeply empathize with thematic elements in films such as Office Space or Trees Lounge. I actually was acquainted with a real housemates couple in Berkeley who could be characters in this novel, who in their "free time" romantically played computer games with each other and otherwise spent vast amounts of time behind a computer screen.
I remember the world before Atari and the internet. I recall anxious nuclear holocaust days prior to when "cyberspace" was a regular constituent in our mental vocabulary. Perhaps technology does in fact ennoble our human values and aspirations, or perhaps it is a means of convenient evasion from self-knowledge.
Coupland explores some of these concerns in this novel with real-life characters who could mirror those folks in tech cultures (Irvine, Silicon Valley, Seattle, and/or Portland)--a culture that is both oddly familiar yet cubicled in silence--nameless shadows who input code and ship products for our servile consumption.

One person found this helpful

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C. Taylor

A Likeable, Oddly Prophetic Read

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2015

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This book's major strength, in my opinion, is its prophetic view of what "The Net" will become, from the predecessor to Twitter (at Apple) to word clouds. It is told from the viewpoint of a programmer (it's basically his diary) so that gave the author a little leeway in terms of style and vocabulary, which I sort of viewed as a cop out at first. The character is very likeable though, so the problems I had with the style actually became endearing as I flipped the pages. The ending is sort of anti-climactic, but I do respect the lack of blatant drama which is prevalent in generic fiction.

Also I really love the references to "Bill." All in all, a fun read with some incredibly interesting insights into what the internet has become.

2 people found this helpful

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Mark L. Smith

Great novel! Clearly bad OCR of it for Kindle ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2017

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Great novel! Clearly bad OCR of it for Kindle version. The obvious OCR misreads make it struggle to get through certain sections.

5 people found this helpful

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Kaotic1

Still true even into the next millenium....

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2002

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I first read Coupland's Generation X in the late 90's. After moving to the PAcific Northwest and working for a handful of dot.coms before and after the bust, I picked up this book in hopes of finding other stories of tech geeks with no life so I didn't feel so abnormal.
Whity, funny, yet emotionally honest and soul piercing at times, this book reveals the true nature of IT workers during the climb of the IT field. Written in 94 (i think), many of the lifestyles that Coupland wrote about then still hold true today. It showed me just how much of an IT slave I really am, but that freedom must first come from within, and that I am still a human being even though I work 60-70 hour work weeks. Is there a life outside of IT?
I think so! This book shows me the way and allows me to laugh at myself and the stupididty of my way of life. Thanks Doug...thanks for showing me there is more to life than computers.
kevin

2 people found this helpful

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Mark Polino

It didn't work for me

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2015

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I wanted to like Microserfs, but frankly, there's a lot of nothing in here. The plot leaves Microsoft pretty quickly and I kept waiting for something, anything to happen. In the end it felt like a pile of spaghetti code that ultimately leads to nowhere.

3 people found this helpful

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harryhoudiniTop Contributor: Photography

Excellent read for the hardcore geek or techno-enthusiast

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2002

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This book opened the door for me to all of the great Coupland works, however I must say that wituout a doubt this is his best. This book appeals to me on many levels, but the irony and sarchasm is just over the top! I've re-read it several times now just to catch more of the witty banter that makes this book a great fun read. Being a fan of the .com era and the happenings in Silicon Valley, this book had a little of everything I look for in a good read. Definitely reccomended.

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Maria

Great book, awful paper

Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2016

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Book itself is great, I love it. Have read the digital version (multiple times) and decided to get the hardcover version just to own it.
That is a disappointment, paper is very cheap

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Top reviews from other countries

Matt Bedford

Gentle brilliance

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 5, 2018

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Love Coupland's work generally and this book showcases what he does best: exploring how we humans fit into this weird business/digital-driven world we've created.
One thing I particularly liked about the book was his take on family... Usually I don't think he paints a very sensitive picture of family relationships, instead this time he does and it gives a gentler, deeper novel because of it. Really enjoyable book and highly recommended.

A. Thomson

A novel which humanised geeks

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2012

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My kindle download of this book was my third purchase! I lent my original copy to a friend (yes, JerryD) and a second copy to my son (yes, Ben). It's not a clever or smart story but one about how a different kind of expertise and intelligence takes shape: Where nerdiness, body modification; or gender politics make peace with smart (what goes on between your ears).
This is a gentle, uplifting amusing tale.
Worth reading whenever you're down - Yes, you CAN reinvent yourself while remaining yourself!

One person found this helpful

Robert Stockman

Great Book for Tech Geeks!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2020

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Hilarious and moving look at the life of techies in my native Palo Alto. I identified so much with the characters I could almost see myself in the story. Nice edition, too.

N. E. Mathers

Coupland's best

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 22, 2007

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In my opinion, this is Coupland's best, probably because I personally related to the main character most.

But a great story, well written and genuinely funny. Really funny. Not those kind of small wry smile kind of laughs, but the ones out loud where you get embarrassed on the train kind of laughs.

You'll not regret reading this book.

nadav raviv

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 7, 2016

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Gr8 quality

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