James Hynes is the author of three New York Times Notable Books of the Year. That same publication praises Kings of Infinite Space as "unspeakably funny!" This off-beat novel satirizes an experience ubiquitous to modern times- office life. With a defeated sigh, ex-college professor Paul Trilby faces the downward spiral that is his existence. After his wife and three subsequent girlfriends dump him, and he loses just as many jobs, he's sure he's a pawn in some vast conspiracy. Worse still, he may be losing the only thing he has left-his mind.
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"Kings of Infinite Space grabbed me from the description on the back of the book. A technical writer, in Texas, whose work life is hell? Hey, this main character and I have a lot in common! (Minus the part about him being haunted by his dead cat.) After I read the first page, I knew I was going to love this book, and it certainly delivered. Awesome character development, genuinely creepy goings-on, and real laugh-out-loud moments. The ending went pretty far into strangeland, but it was still a fantastic read, one of my favorites in recent years. There's a blurb on the back of the book that says "Office Space meets the X-Files" and I think that's about dead on. I loved it, and I'll probably read it again soon. Well done, Mr. Hynes!"
— Christopher (5 out of 5 stars)
" You know, I don't actually remember whether this book was great or not. But I do remember it. And I have a passing thought that it was hilarious. The fact that I remember it, however, implies it is worth recommending. "
— neil, 2/20/2014" This starts out pretty entertaining and rapidly goes straight into idiotic. Kind of a shame - I enjoyed the first 50 pages or so, but it moves from clever to wacky at such a breakneck speed that I found myself wondering if I'd mistakenly picked up a different book. "
— Jaime, 2/14/2014" Hynes does for office work (for the state government, no less) what he did for academia in the Lecturer's Tale, providing witty satire of office politics and drudgery. At the same time he tells a macabre tale of mysterious goings-on after hours that takes a turn to the supernatural (the point being that office work is so mindless that the undead could do it for you?). I would have liked a little more of the office satire and less of the scary tale, but it was definitely a page turner. "
— Caroline, 2/8/2014" Perhaps I wasn't in the right frame of mind when i read this book but I did not enjoy the story at all. The ending of the book was to over the top with the exception of maybe the last paragraph which actually made me chuckle. "
— Michelle, 2/4/2014" It was okay. Honestly, having come off of my Christopher Moore high, I was really looking for a novel to fill that void: something smart and sarcastic and funny. You know, more-Moorish. This book was okay. I think I only laughed out loud once. The main character got to be a little tedious in the way Hynes kept going on and on and on trying to set up what a loser he was because of his fall from grace. I found myself not really caring about the characters- not because they were successfully set up that way, but because for the most part they were flimsy and transparent. The only character I truly cared about and believed was Charlotte, the ghost cat. See what I mean? It was a quick read, but once I finished, I sadly didn't feel excited to read more of Hynes's work. I ended up skimming through parts of it, silently mouthing "blah blah blah." The ending was sort of abrupt and fantastical (which is fine) but overall it was kind of bland. Oh well. "
— Devon, 2/2/2014" Great satire of the work world! "
— Adrian, 1/27/2014" Just not my kind of humor, I guess -- I heard a glowing review on NPR and decided to buy the book, but I think I only chuckled once, at what happens w/ the cat on the very last page. "
— Kparke, 1/14/2014" Mike made me read this...makes me afraid to have a real/office/cube job. Probably entertaining for someone who works in an office. "
— Sara, 1/10/2014" A fun premise - middle management as literal vampires - done in an engaging way. Could've used a stronger protagonist and fewer distractions, but it's a fun read. "
— Neven, 12/26/2013" this was fun. it's kind of a creepy office space-ish book. it reminded me of the big u, as well, except the descent into fantastical warfare wasn't so ridiculous since the presence of the ghost cat right from the beginning signalled that it wasn't going to be realistic. "
— Lucy, 12/15/2013" I dind't know what to expect when I read this but I was rewarded with a sci-fi ish story with a glaze of comedy. When you are hating your job or your life, read this. "
— Anderson, 12/2/2013Adam Grupper, award-winning narrator, has garnered honors from AudioFile magazine, Publishers Weekly, iTunes, the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences, and the Audio Publishers Association. He has been in eleven Broadway productions, including the acclaimed revival of Fiddler on the Roof. His film and television credits include The Rebound, Homeland, Master of None, Music and Lyrics, Two Weeks Notice, Elementary, and Allegiance.