On the HahaFiction shelf
Office Preserves
Toby’s first day at Preser Tech becomes an escape attempt. The phones are pretend, the staff look worn out, and security takes his wish to leave as a threat. His possible ally is a secretary with a habit of poisoning coworkers. This short science-fiction comedy pushes the familiar misery of a bad workplace into a much more dangerous situation.
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What makes it funny?
Climbing the corporate ladder depends on surviving a hunting season. The Eclectic Review describes promotions going to the employees the predators fail to catch: a particularly brutal version of proving yourself at work.
The comedy at work
The aliens keep the workers content with sweets before treating them as prey. Familiar office comforts help maintain a workplace that Toby desperately needs to escape, giving the corporate satire a nasty practical logic.
Try this if…
Corporate satire and a short alien horror story share this office. The appeal is the savage exaggeration of working conditions, with human survival taking the place of an ordinary career setback.
Good to know
The danger includes predatory aliens, humans being hunted, poisoning and grotesque creature descriptions. The Eclectic Review identifies this as the opening Preserve installment, followed by Death and Taxes.
More funny workplace comedy
Sources & further reading
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