Very thought-provoking in a lot of ways. A wild ride with a well-fleshed out cast of characters. This was my first Pargin book although I've had a few of his others on my radar for a while. I'm looking forward to diving into some of that blacklist as this was a really pleasant experience that I would be happy to have again with other offerings. Highly recommend for any other chronically online folks like me, as well as lovers of intrigue and adventure. Must love unlikeable characters and some discussion of politics but nothing too divisive.

This book is totally bizarre, but not in a bad way. This will be a book for a very specific audience, so I will still recommend it, but it won't be for everyone. I couldn't really get invested in the story, but it will be fantastic for readers looking for something unusual and thought-provoking.

This book is very much outside my normal genres, but there was something about it that drew me in and made me want to read it. This book was bizarre… but in a good way… I think. I’ve never read anything by Jason Pargin before, but I’ve had some of his books on my TBR forever. I think his writing style is one you have to be in the mood for.

This dark comedy follows Abbott, a Lyft driver who agrees to transport a woman and a mysterious black box across the country. Unfortunately for Abbott, he has no idea what he is getting himself into and the media craze that will follow.

This book is a wild social commentary on the power of social media and online gossip. A mysterious black box is blown up to extreme proportions online. What is fact and what is fiction?

It followed an interesting group of characters. The book flips between narratives and includes mixed media elements, and it all seems to work to create a unique narrative. Ether, the woman Abbott is transporting, is a voice of reason in a pile of outrageous characters – including Abbott who is very much the worst of the online world.

This book is darkly funny and very appropriate for the time we are in. I don’t even know how to review this book because it really was just completely bananas. Although this was very much outside my comfort zone, I really did enjoy it.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

It's entertaining but even from the very beginning I wanted a deeper understanding of the motivations of these characters because without that specific element the book reads like fluff - very fun and entertaining fluff, but fluff nonetheless. I would say I'm very very picky when it comes to comedy so others may find this wildly entertaining in a way that makes up for my complaints.

I read maybe one or two sci-fi novels each year, so I tend to be really picky about which ones I pick up, looking for titles that bring in elements from other genres. I was drawn to I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom mainly because of the mystery and thriller aspects, and while I enjoyed reading it, my overall feelings about it are a bit muddled.

To be clear, the story is wildly entertaining. It starts with a Lyft driver being approached to drive a mysterious package across the country, and then it goes to places I didn’t expect. The story is fast-paced and darkly funny at times, and I was never bored while reading.

It really reminded me of Hank Green’s An Absolutely Remarkable Thing in that it definitely has a lot of sci-fi elements, but it doesn’t read like a stereotypical sci-fi novel. Both books also share a similar commentary about internet fame and how our online world can ultimately be a negative and dangerous space, which was very thought provoking.

Where the book lost me was in the fuzziness of the message. The author is really trying to make a point about darker corners of the internet, but after reading this, I was confused about what the message was. Maybe reading it post-election was a bad choice, but in the end I found it difficult to just accept the story at face value.

In short, if you’re ready to read some comedic sci-fi that will start discussion, this is the book for you.

Thanks to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4+ fun and very funny stars

I thoroughly enjoyed I’m Starting to Worry…even though, a retiree, I am probably Not part of the target audience. This book will appeal even more to younger people.

Pargin’s writing uses strong very visual elements. This book with the Cumbersome Title that is Very Long would make an outstanding action-adventure movie with lots of humor. I think the long unwieldy title that continues to go on and worry me might be part of the ‘irony/ satire’ of the book.

Things I liked about …This Black Box of Doom:
• Its fast-paced plot (Personally, I think it climaxed a little early (and then stretched out the tiniest bit long, but there is always lots happening.
• The creativity in pulling this together
• Interesting characters with depth!
• Many LOL moments. The humor flowed easily and did not feel forced. It is a hilarious book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pargin writes a modern classic for the meme generation. There's a lot of dialogue, which makes sense as the novel takes on internet debate culture. The pacing drags a tad and there's a lot of references you may miss if you don't spend a lot of time on the internet. Overall it's a great read and a lot of fun.

I saw a fellow reviewer relate this to Kurt Vonnegut, and I wholeheartedly agree. There are absurdities, yes, but there are a lot of pointed observations that make the reader go, "Hey! I took that personally." Doesn't matter what your life perspective is — if you have any internet presence, you'll be a target at some point in this book. This is both a good thing.

Heavy is the hand that has opinions on and about the internet.

I waffled on the rating for this book, but considering how many times its plot points, ideologies, and factoids bubbled up in my real-life conversations, I'd have to give it five stars.

2.5 / 5 stars

Abbott Colman is in his mid-twenties, but lives at home with his father. He makes his living as a Twitch streamer and sometimes driving for Lyft. Everything in his life -- his prospects and his outlook -- changes when he meets a young woman with a large black box who offers him $200K to drive her and the box straight across the country. But he has to leave his phone and laptop behind. Abbott accepts, and soon he's on the road and has no idea that the whole Internet is watching him and speculating on what is inside that box.

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom is part road-trip adventure, part recap of the very excellent book Factfulness. Unfortunately, the long blocks of dialogue between the characters while they are on the road makes for an uneven plot. The mystery of the box's contents did keep me hooked, and the third act was action-packed and quite fun.

I too am starting to worry about this black box of doom...Ironically, this book, which was about how the black box of doom can twist reality and detract from real human interaction ... and potentially blow up in your face, actually took me a ridiculously long amount of time to finish BECAUSE of my own black box of doom. Impending U.S Election doom, coupled with U.S Election outcomes (which feel pretty damn doom-centric) kept me unfocused and jittery...staring at my phone, doom scrolling through narrative after narrative. Add some real life stress and a 3-4 day read took me SIX FREAKING WEEKS TO FINISH. I feel like Pargin would appreciate that my delayed review was directly related to the insanity that he details in his book.

I appreciated the reminder that perhaps I need to look up and out and to try and keep perspective on how real human interactions can and should work. I also appreciated the demonstration of how one person's perspective might not be every person's reality. I also just really enjoyed the ridiculousness of the whole plot line and the characters themselves, as both archetypes and as fun and unique individuals that I would love to know (and sort of do).

As always, I appreciate the opportunity afforded me to have an early read by netgalley and St. Martin's Press. The opinions in this review are expressly those of ButIDigressBookClub and are intended for use by my followers and friends when choosing their next book. #butidigress #butidigressbookclub #imstartingtoworryaboutthisblackboxofdoom #blackboxofdoom #jasonpargin #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #arc #arcs #twitch #streaming #influencer

When Abbot's Lyft passenger offers him $200,000 to transport her and a large black box from Los Angeles to Washington, DC, Abbot knows it's life changing money. The catch - he can't look inside the box, ask questions, or tell anyone about the box. As Abbot and his passenger cross the United States, they unknowingly become some of the most wanted people in the country. As the general population and online sleuths try to track the two down, misinformation has the country on edge for a potential deadly terror attack.

With plenty of dark humor and a great array of characters, this is a must-read book. It's fun. It's unique. It's such an interesting depiction of the perils of social media. It's a bit far-fetched and it's best to go into the story with an open mind. I read this while driving from Texas to Iowa, and it's the perfect road trip read. It definitely made the 20hour drive that much more enjoyable. If you have a holiday road trip coming, grab this one to accompany you.


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This is a book that will either work for a reader or really, really not work. I fell into the latter category as the randomness, zaniness, and general meta-ness of the book was far too much for my own tastes. However, I can appreciate what the author was doing and I'm confident there are a handful of customers at my store who will be absolutely obsessed with this one. The trouble is figuring out which ones, so the rest don't think I've lost my mind.

This book is not for me - I usually like quirky characters, but maybe I am too old to appreciate all the randomness that happens when an uber - type driver agrees to drive a slightly crazy girl with a big black box across the country. I am from the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" era of funny narratives and social commentary. Maybe younger readers will like it. I probably would have watched this as a movie, but but 400 pages is too long for this type of book.

Another one of my most anticipated reads of the year, I’m Starting to Worry about this Black Box of Doom captured my attention way before it even came out. I wasn’t expecting the story I got, but that was an awesome surprise for me!

This book was written for a specific person, and that alone could be controversial, I’m not sure. I feel like the underlining message of this book was more important than it had any right to be, and for that I consider it worth the hype.

This story follows a kid named Abbott who is just living his mediocre, stream-addicted life by doing ride shares to shut his nagging father up in his spare time. His full time job is streaming on the internet and talking to his friends. Social interactions for him aren’t something he’s good at, and this gets under his father’s skin something fierce.

As fate would have it, Abbott picks up an odd looking woman sitting on a black box that spells trouble from the get go. He second guesses this ride share, but goes through with it anyway because why not. Not only was this the worst person for someone like him to pick up, but now she’s asking him to do something he wouldn’t even dream about in a million years. What does he say? What does he do when she tries to convince him to do what seems like such a simple task of delivering her and her box across the entire country for an obscene amount of money!? What happens next is what the controversy is really about.

His life goes from zero to sixty in this action packed, satirical thriller that will leave you asking “what did I just read” long after you’ve finished it.
Kurt Vonnegut would definitely approve of this one.

Another note: this book is for anyone that has ever felt frustration toward the current societal shifts that we’ve experienced in the past ten years, but wrapped in a big red bow of a story that will probably make you smile when you turn the last page, or maybe it won’t.

"I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom" by Jason Pargin is a sharp, hilarious, and incisive satire that plunges deep into the absurdities of contemporary life and the increasingly chaotic world of social media. His trademark wit is fully on display here, balancing dark humor with insightful commentary about the terrors of technology, surveillance, and how online platforms manipulate our attention. The way the novel reaches toward cutting-edge social network scenarios feels amazingly current, drawing comparisons from real viral controversies to the uprising of influencer culture. Well-paced, Pargin moves the reader through the quickly building absurdities while providing moments for some honest reflection on the state of our digital world.

The only real flaw in the story is with its protagonist, Abbott Coburn, who comes across as being generally unlikable for much of the book. All of which can lend a somewhat off-putting texture to the narrative voice, but as minor complaints go, this one doesn't hold much water against the overall excellence of the book. Coburn's character is, however, deliberately flawed. His struggles with the black box of doom-that represents not only the chaos of social media but also the general darker aspects of human nature-add an extra layer of complexity to the story. While Coburn is not the most relatable character, the novel makes up for that threefold: clever storytelling, insightful social comments, and laugh-out-loud moments. I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom is a wondrously entertaining read that can make one laugh, cringe, and think all at once. Highly recommended for readers who love satire with a keen eye on contemporary society.

I'm the owner of a few gems from Jason Pargin's "John Dies in the End" series, though I haven't dived into them yet - the everlasting TBR list, you know? Hence, embarking on this book was like stepping into uncharted terrain.

The story unfolds at breakneck speed, each turn more original than the last. The characters? A vibrant tapestry of individual voices, each more distinctive than the next. Throughout the book, you'll find it hard to warm up to these main characters, until the final act reveals they aren't as villainous as first believed. Abbott is the lone exception – my sympathies don't quite reach him.
Dark humor and utter chaos infuse the pages, a crazy cocktail that I found utterly delightful. The laugh-out-loud escapades the characters embark on as they traverse the country with an enigmatic package in tow, coupled with the commentary from subreddit users tracking the box's progress, had me thoroughly entertained. The climax? Perhaps the only part I wasn't head over heels for. More than a riotous read, it delivers a poignant critique on social media - the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.

Now, I'm not usually one to champion books for movies, but this one? I can't help but feel would translate rather well to the big screen.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for offering this book for review via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own. There was no obligation for a review in exchange for an advance copy, and no commitment to provide one.

I adore Jason Pargin's books no matter what pen name he uses. Their weird matches my weird, and this one was no different. The title was the first thing that pulled me to this book, the author was the next, and lastly the premise. I will say I struggled with this one a little bit because one of the characters suffers from anxiety and you can taste it in those chapters, and it was hard for me to read those chapters. But the fact that I could feel the character's anxiety was really cool, even if I had to take a break after his chapters. Overall I liked it, but I do want to go back and read it again because I know I missed things on the first read. Pargin books are ones I enjoy reading a second, or third, time because I feel like I always miss little things here and there while I am too busy trying to unravel all the crazy.

Jason Pargin's newest novel is about Abbott Coburn, Abaddon online, who is bullied by a stranger named Ether into helping her deliver a mysterious package to Washington DC before the Fourth of July. I mean, she offers him money too, but mostly she sizes him up and realizes he's more afraid of saying no than he is of the rest of the world (and he's really afraid of the rest of the world). They leave a note for Abbott's dad, ditch their electronics, and start a roadtrip that somehow seems less nefarious to them than it immediately does to the rest of the world. Abbott's Twitch followers, including a friend named Zeke, sound the alarm right away, but the rest of the internet is more interested in what's in the box and whether Abbott and Ether are secret terrorists. There's a recently released meth dealer tracking them, an ex-Fed, Abbott's dad, and all of Reddit. Most people think Abbott and Ether are escorting a bomb, on orders from Russia or the aliens or something. Weirdly, Abbott’s biggest defender is his shithead dad, who thinks Abbott is too weak to commit a crime. The story is told from the points of view of several main characters, and interspersed with reddit posts, the craziest of which I mostly skimmed.

This Black Box of Doom gets off to a rocky start. It's so fundamentally meta that it hurts my head, and I'm a millennial whose entire life has been ruled by the internet since it was message boards and chats with perverts and cops. Since online anonymity. I'm on social media all day and I watch streamers and I've created content and I still read this and think "that's absolutely more than enough." Which is probably The Point, but I prefer to care a little about the characters before The Point crashes directly into me, and these characters are awful. Ether communicates entirely in Hot Takes (she’s the Pargin insert), and Abbott is just a whining incel mess of depression and anxiety, and when the two of them talk it makes me feel like I've spent four days Reddit and finished it off with several hours of watching Pargin monologue. It's hard to believe these are real people when they talk in vlog rants (Ow, the Point). Dick Dad and The Felon are a tag team of grounding the reader in reality and soothing that confusion. They're The Worst, but they know who and what they are and they don't care to analyze it.

What comes across very strongly is this: Pargin has a great deal of empathy for these horrible people, and wants us to feel that way too. He wants us to feel that Society and The Internet are to blame, not the individuals on this journey. And god help me, we do empathize with them by the end. As soon as they are removed from the Internet they start morphing into multidimensional humans that we can root for, or at least not actively want to see dead. The second half of the book is an enjoyable race to foil a terrorist plot and build connections with real human beings, even Dick Dad. It's genuinely good. A better editor might have advised Pargin to loosen his grip on The Point before he smacked me in the head with it, but I'm giving this book four stars because it wasn't as difficult to read as Anna Karenina.

Tracks with the narrative of the story, just keeps getting weirder and weirder and not stale yet. I understand the author's desire to use his real name at this point, but I do understand how the name David Wong was part of the storyline previously. Although I'm hoping he goes back to his previous name, I loved the connection to the narrative based on the pseudonym.

I was apprehensive about this one as it didn't sound like my typical read. It was definitely interesting but just not for me. And that's okay! I would definitely recommend this to a couple friends I think would enjoy it. I would also absolutely give this author another try in the future.