Getting Through an Alien Invasion with Sameer Chopra

A review of The Work Ahead: A Novel

2022-07-24 - David Redl

I sent out a request for recommendations of new books to read and review and author Sameer Chopra easily sold me on his novel, The Work Ahead, released in May of 2022. As an office worker myself, a story about an office worker who suddenly finds himself farming for his new alien overlords made for a very tempting concept and I’m very glad I checked it out.

The beginning of The Work Ahead makes it clear that author Sameer Chopra understands corporate culture and all the good and bad that comes with it. He wastes no time, however, in pulling the reader into a most hilarious alien-ruled apocalypse where governments around the world draft their citizens into essential services, specifically military and farming roles, to work alongside or for the new alien overlords. Everything changes again when a software engineer turned alien farmer becomes embroiled in an epic poetry battle. Yes, you read that right. Yes, it was as over the top and funny as the moment deserved.

While the perspective character is a bit of a self-insert of the author and while there are enough internet and pop culture references to dip into cheesy territory, it turned out to be the fun type of cheese and hit all the right notes to be a satisfying tale of an everyman (and nerd) put in the way of destiny. The supporting cast were also compelling and acted as great supports or complements for the lead, even when I found myself questioning their sanity or usefulness.

All-in-all, The Work Ahead is a fun and funny take on alien invasions that is exciting from start to finish. I recommend it to fans of science-fiction or comedy stories, as well as people who crave an escape from corporate culture.

Comments

No comments yet.