My Work Is Not Yet Done – Thomas Ligotti – book review

My Work Is Not Yet Done – Thomas Ligotti
Virgin Books – paperback edition

All that is wrong with the corporate workplace is brought to light in this short novel by Ligotti. Every paranoid thought you ever had about working in a company office is confirmed and played to the extreme; from the boss stealing your ideas and passing them off as his own, to the office floozy setting you up for a sexual harassment complaint. When Frank Dominio’s seven co-workers conspire against him – leaving him no choice but to resign – he plans the ultimate revenge. Then, something happens to him that makes his vengeful plans seem simplistic and minor. Bestowed with supernatural powers, Frank devises even more horrific devices for retaliation against his back-stabbing co-workers.

You’ll be turning pages faster and faster as the pace and intensity of this book increases and Frank Dominio learns the price to be paid for his dark gift. The analytical first person narrative offers stark and quirky commentary on office politic and tidbits of pessimistic wisdom concerning corporate life. This story is told like no other author would tell it and reads like a one-of-a-kind tale, both strange and familiar in its occurrences. The horrific acts of revenge dispatched by the main character reveal the dark imagination and bizarre forms of terror that lurk in the mind of Thomas Ligotti. This story is a double-edged sword because when you see tragic events in the workplace like this unfold in real life, your first thought is, “What a sicko.” However, reading this book you can’t help but root for the character exacting revenge; perhaps that is the real horror here. This is recommended for anyone who has ever had a job in the corporate world or worked in an office atmosphere.

www.virginbooks.com
www.ligotti.com