What would you do if you were offered $200,000 cash to transport a woman and a large black box across the country? You cannot look inside the box. You cannot ask questions. You cannot tell anyone. You must leave immediately. And you must leave all trackable devices behind.

This was such a crazy ride! Being my first book of Pargin, the chaos and craziness combined with heart warming and humorous situations, was completely unexpected. And while some reality need to be suspended, I also kept thinking, “Well, I guess that could probably happen.” As per most of the reviews, there is a lot of social commentary in this book, but around the commentary was dialog, that in my opinion was thought provoking and should be “the start of a conversation, not the conclusion” per the authors notes. Each of the characters were flawed in their own way and while totally fictional, most were recognizable and showed growth overtime. Unfortunately. I do feel like this will be a decisive book and you will either love it or hate it. I do hope it prompts conversations and I actually loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I was so excited to receive this but ended up disappointed. I enjoyed the first two chapters, but unfortunately, my opinion shifted after that. I pushed myself to keep going, to see if it was just certain POVs I was disliking or something of that sort. I read up to chapter six before deciding to DNF.

I think some people will really like this book, but unfortunately, I’m not one of them. The plot itself is intriguing, which is what I wanted to keep reading for, but the book seems more social commentary than thriller as advertised, and that's not what I was looking for. Some parts felt as if I was just reading someone’s rants about social media and the younger generations, and it seemed like there was something on every other page. Like I said, some people will probably really be into that, but for me, it was just obnoxious. I didn’t find any of the characters particularly likable either, some worse than others.

Maybe I’d like the book more if I stuck it out, and it’d end up being satisfying, but I really have no desire to keep reading to find out.

2.75 stars rounded up
I'm starting to worry that this book was simply too long. While I understand what Pargin was trying to accomplish with his book, it read more social justice rant than dark thriller.
- .25 stars for the constant reference to specific social media apps like tiktok which feels dated, although I thought the reddit elements were very well done.
TLDR: the book was probably 125 pages over what would have been a length that kept my attention

Wow this was so witty and entertaining! I loved the cast of characters and the silly situations they found themselves in.

I’m not sure what I thought I was getting into with this book, but I didn’t think it was going to be this good. This book is not written to be a work of art, it is meant to be entertaining and semi thought provoking without being one side or a political piece. It just brings up some very interesting ideas on how you can take different topics.

I thought it was funny on how there are interjections from Reddit conversations thought out the book and I thought they were so spot on to how life is in the real world.

I will definitely read more of his books!

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin is a very highly recommended unique, humorous thriller and road-trip novel set in the digital age featuring a mismatched couple. I love everything about this highly entertaining novel!
When Abbott Coburn heads over in his father’s Lincoln Navigator to pick up a Lyft fare he encounters a young woman sitting on a large black box. The woman, who later introduces herself as Ether, offers Abbott $200,000 cash, $100,000 now and the rest when they arrive, to transport her and that box across the country, from California to Washington, DC. There are a few rules: don't look inside the box, no questions, he can't tell anyone, they must leave now, and all trackable devices must be left home.

During a quick stop at his house to pack a bag for the trip, Abbott, who is a Twitch streamer, uploaded a short video to let his followers know he’d be offline for a while. This sets off a hilarious maelstrom of commentary, speculation, rumors, and conspiracy theories on social media regarding what Abbott is doing, the identity of the green sunglasses girl (GSG), and what is really in the black box. Reddit and subreditt communities are created to follow the pair online and theorizing about what is in the box. Also following them is an aggressive, huge tattooed man named Malort and a retired FBI agent Joan Key.

I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom is an exceptionally well-written, fast-paced novel/social satire set the modern age of anxiety and social media rumors. The narrative follows Abbott and Ether, Malort, Key, some of Abbott's followers, and many of the Reddit hypotheses along with comments on the threads. As they travel across the country, the increasingly dangerous narratives online followers imagine/create out of very little information are hilarious but also true to life in many ways.

As they travel, Ether and Abbott get to know and understand each other, which stands in sharp contrast to the out-of-control social media. The conversations between the characters feel authentic and relatable. This is especially effective because Abbott and Ether don't know they are trending online and that a host of people are trying to track their every move. Beyond the mystery of the contents of the box, the plot also follows discussions on culture, society, and the influence of technology on our lives.

Everyone in the novel has tunnel vision in some form or another as they follow their own assumptions, expectations, and theories as the trip heads into mad-cap comedy territory in the action-packed climax. By the way, the contents of the black box of doom will surprise you. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

I got sent the widget for this and I wasn’t sure whether or not this was going to be for me but I ended up getting intrigued. It’s kind of long winded and at times repetitive but I’d call it a cool look at society and the direction it’s heading.
The premise is this: Abbot, a gamer/streamer and part time Lyft driver picks up a fare who calls herself Ether. She offers him 200k to transport her and her large black case across country without asking any questions and he has to leave all his traceable electronic devices at home. This starts a wild and at some points dangerous journey because several people want to get their hands on the box as well as 5r multiple people on the internet who have their own theories as to what they are doing on this trip and what might be in the box.
The ending kind of got wrapped up a little too quickly after all it took to get there for my liking, but I did enjoy the Reddit and subreddits and Twitch comments that helped move the story along.
This was an interesting look at how media and in particular social media drives society and how we get deep into mob mentality and I think that may get drowned out somewhat in the lengthiness of the book. But the fact that it gets drowned out is also much like real life in itself.
Thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Well this book was not what I was expecting and definitely a wild something. It was bizarre but much like a train wreck I had a hard time looking away. I listened to the audiobook and read the kindle (switching because I wanted to be done honestly) and I thought the narrator did an excellent job. This book was strange in that for most of the book every main character is pretty horrible until you get to the end and they’re all not as bad as you thought (except I struggle with Abbott still) so you’re questioning your own judgement and experience. This book was less a thriller and more a social commentary which was fine, except I was expecting a thriller and felt like it could have gone a little more quickly. This book was funny but it was a really dark level of humor, the kind of humor that makes you question your morality when you find it funny so be warned of that. I did like the blog posts and twitch chats and Reddit posts that were sprinkled in the story as I felt like they enhanced it and helped underline some of the bigger themes. I will admit I never would have guessed the contents of the black box in a million years. Abbott goes to give a person a Lyft ride to the airport when the girl who orders the ride offers him 200,000 dollars to drive him and a giant mysterious box to DC by the Fourth of July but he can’t ask what’s in the box. Some small pieces of information get leaked and twisted by social media and suddenly Abbott and the girl, Ether, are the topic of public scrutiny and suspected to be bringing a bomb to DC. Their five day journey was chaotic and the book is also fleshed out with some other perspectives who have connections to the two. This was an interesting book. I’m not sure how it made me feel, but it did make me think about things I wouldn’t have been thinking about.

I tried but failed- so I'll be the the outlier. This has an interesting premise- that Abbott and Ether road trip to DC with a mysterious box and a lot of people are chasing them. But it also was just not for me, perhaps because I didn't like Abbott. Although I'm generally up for madcap satire. this was over the top. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

This is my first Jason Pargin read, and what a read it was! This book perfectly toed the line of comedic irreverence and surprisingly thought-provoking social commentary. In the beginning, I laughed a lot and immediately felt drawn to his portraits of the bizarro cast of characters, but I wondered why this was labeled a sci fi “thriller,” as it seemed mostly silly. But a third of the way in, I realized this was the work of an extremely clever writer, who manages to provide a delightfully original (and non-preachy) take on contemporary issues while crafting one hell of a storyline. This book reminded me of Black Mirror if the show managed to be comical and somehow, despite all odds, uplifting and optimistic in the face of overwhelming doom and gloom. There were moments I experienced actual discomfort reading some parts of the book, but touchy topics were handled well, imo, and discomfort is sometimes necessary. In fact, it were these uncomfortable moments that make me think this book is a necessary read for modern readers. What a delight, from start to finish. If you don’t mind some profanity and irreverence, love a motley crew of characters, and can appreciate hidden depths of surprising profundity, add to your TBR at once! For reference, the humor, pacing, and sense of urgency in this book remind me of Pulp Fiction, and I think this title similarly deserves a spot at least as a modern cult classic, and I think it is actually important reading, which is not something I can say for most of the books I’ve read this year.

Pargin threads dually delightful and disturbing POVs throughout the novel with adept skill that keeps it from ever veering into too chaotic territory. The social commentary here is so refreshing and timely. Every character contains multitudes and made for an extremely compelling, unpredictable reading journey. We all just need to touch grass.

Thank you St Martin’s Press @stmartinspress , Netgalley @netgalley , and Jason Pargin @jasonkpargin for this free ebook!
“I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom: A Novel” by Jason Pargin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: Dark Satire. Location: Victorville, California to McClean, Virginia, USA. Time: June-July. Present.

In Victorville, Lyft driver Abbott Coburn (26) meets Ether (29), a young woman with a black, band sticker-covered road case (like musicians use for gear). She offers him $200,000 to drive her and the box to Washington, DC by July 4th. Rules: 1.Don’t look inside the box. 2.Don’t ask questions. 3.Don’t tell anyone. 4.Start immediately. 5.Leave all trackable devices behind. Why did he take the job? It was just too awkward to say no. As anxious Abbott and perky Ether hit the road, social media decides the box is a terrorist attack, or an alien, or worse. The truth is stranger. Soon everyone is following GSG (green sunglasses girl) and Abbott on their road trip as outlandish social media theories increase.

Author Pargin has written a humorous satire about isolated modern life and its lack of interpersonal trust. (“Aggrieved narcissism: A total inability to put personal affronts into perspective.”) Abbott is an angry loner, while Ether is commentator/teacher: (“What you fear most of all is humiliation at the hands of the unfamiliar.”) Pargin’s USA road trip is weird, funny, frightening. You’ll meet bald, tattoed Malort in his red Buick Grand National (“Never challenge a man in a Buick. He’s got nothin’ to lose.”), retired FBI agent Joan Key who can’t stay away from cold cases, Zeke Ngata, taking the Abbott problem to Reddit’s hive mind, Abbott’s father Hunter, who wants his Navigator back now! If you remember playing the telephone game, and you’re into reading about into a bunch of van misfits, screen addiction, deep loneliness, fear of end times -with satirical comedy relief, this is your book! It definitely kept me reading, and It’s 4 stars from me🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️ #SMPinfluencers #SMPGEarlyReaders

Jason Pargin continues to prove that he's king of the satirical, dark, tongue-in-cheek humor. This is no exception. At this point in his career, he basically has created his own subgenre in fiction and I am all here for it. As a stand-alone novel he proves that he can continuously come up with new and creative stories that are not tied to previous stories and I am so excited to see what he comes up with next!

Thank you so much St Martins Press for the complimentary copy.

This started off great, I was immediately hooked and wanted to know what was going on and what was in the box. There was a lot of commentary on our reliance/addiction to technology and the lack of true community we now have. It really gives you a lot to think about and would be great for book clubs because there's lots to discuss and debate. However, after a while it became exhausting, a heavy handed 'lesson' within the storyline that I became tired of reading about. The MC wasn't likeable, and in fact the more I read and learned about him the less I actually liked him, though there was some growth by the end. As for the ending, it descended into chaos, I was really hoping for so much more but it veered almost to the ridiculous rather than fun and entertaining.

Eh, this was a book that felt infinitely longer than it actually was because of the pace and the Reddit posts, which I didn’t care for at all. There’s a reason I avoid the dreck of social media that follows those veins. And Abbott became a complete surprise the more we got to know him. He went from a scared, whiny, lazy and lost kid to an incel, and I’m unsure which version of him I disliked more, because both versions were equally grating.

I can deal with unlikable characters if the story is strong, but this just wasn’t it, because there was too much in the story working against it. However, this might be the right fit for others, so I encourage people to give it a try.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Sept. 24, 2024
Jason Pargin is known for his quirky, tongue-in-cheek novel titles, such as “John Dies at the End” and “Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick”. So, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that his new novel also has a lengthy, and humorous, title, “I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom”.
Abbott is a Lyft driver and the day he picks up a young girl who calls herself Ether, is the day that his life is forever changed. Ether has with her a large, sealed black box that she needs to transport to the other side of the country, with Abbott’s help. Ether will pay Abbott very well for his troubles but there are a few rules- Abbot cannot ask what’s in the box. Abbot cannot look into or open the box. He cannot tell anyone where he is doing and they must leave immediately and Abbott must leave all of his electronic (and traceable) devices behind. As soon as Abbot agrees, albeit reluctantly, he knows he is about to embark on a journey that no one prepared him for.
“Doom” is eccentric and quirky, an “end of the world” thriller novel that sets two strangers on a mission to deliver a black box, without knowing its contents. Speculation mounts, in both Abbott and the reader, compounded by the /reddit comments and channels that Pargin intersperses in his novel. The internet community begins to express their opinions on what Abbot and Ether are transporting, everything from nuclear bombs to the bodies of extra-terrestrials and, with the mystery that shields the box, it honestly could be any or all of these things (or none of them). Right from the start, I wanted to know what was in the box and that (along with the witty banter between Ether and Abbott) kept me turning the pages at rapid speed.
The” Black Box of Doom” is not only the mysterious black box that is being transported across state lines, but it is also a metaphor for the Internet, and society’s addiction to it (handheld devices, like cell phones, being the prime target). The forum comments that are scattered throughout the novel are very poignant, identifying how very quickly rumours can grow among the internet masses. As the miles pass, both narrators share their strong (and often opposing) opinions on everything from misogyny to technology, bringing the readers along for the journey.
All of the main characters in the novel take their shot at narrating, and there are far more than just our two protagonists, which works to increase the tension regarding the theories of what the black box contains. Abbott is likable in parts, as is Ether, and they are two characters who would either be best friends, or kill each other, by the time the book ended (My opinion on which one it would be changed many times as I read).
The ending was satisfying and so worth the read! “Doom” is my first novel by Pargin, but he is not a stranger to the literary world and many of his novels have been turned into TV series and/or movies. His witty titles alone are intriguing, and he has the writing skills to match!

4.25/5 ☆

Black Box of Doom was one of those books that covered so many wide topics - from incels to the danger of social media to the dangerous side of widespread connection via Reddit. I think the characters bring up some good points about disconnecting sometimes and why we need to take a step back to really think about what we are consuming and how it can affect our outlook on our situations.

This was my first book by Pargin so I can't speak to if it is similiar to his other works, but I really enjoyed this one and hope to pick up some of his other works soon.

A 20-something man gets talked into a crazy roadtrip by a girl with a shaved head who calls herself ‘Ether’. She tells him that he can make a small fortune (enough to get him out from under the thumb of his overbearing father) by driving her and a large black box across the country from LA to DC for a few days, but he has to leave behind his phone and all other technology and navigate by map. What ensues is a cross-country manhunt, a thousand ridiculous conspiracy theories, a giant man covered in tattoos that will stop at nothing to keep them from reaching their destination and a giant, anime titty van.

I honestly struggled with what to rate this book. Full disclosure, I’m a big fan of Jason Pargin’s work going back to his Cracked days, but I’m also an avid reader of the JDATE series as well as the Zoey Ashe series. I was really excited to read this book and was also super psyched to get a physical copy of the ARC (side note: the reason I started reading ARCs was so I could get a copy of this ARC). I don’t know what I was expecting, but I have to say that while I really enjoyed this book, I found parts of it hard to read and others came off a little preachy even? Specifically, there is a section of this book where the main character, Abbott, goes on a long, sexist rant that gets little to no pushback from the female main character, Ether. I understand (or at least I think I do) what the author is trying to do here. The main theme of the book seems to be a commentary on how divided our world is and how easily a disagreement on social issues can become a screaming match. How we all could be better off if we listened and responded to each other with sincerity and empathy, and in many ways I agree. I would have, however, liked to see some actual resistance from Ether during this section of the book as I feel that even though the point is that we all need to listen to each other, Abbott does little listening to Ether on this subject. I also think that the “woman who is kind and compassionate even while a man is shitting all over her ideals and gender” thing just feels gross. Lying back and taking it while someone screams sexist rhetoric at you feels like a step backward and not a step forward. I’ve always admired Pargin’s ability to have really clear and well thought out ideas about societal issues and frankly, it felt like this missed the mark. I was never more aware that I was reading a female character that was written by a first-world man than I was while reading parts of this book.
*However*, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t like this book. I really liked the redemption arc that Ether’s character is going through and also somehow (spoiler alert) Malort? Crazy. Did not see how much I was going to cry when I figured out Malort’s deal coming. Truly, there were parts of this book that made me laugh so hard and parts that made me tear up so much. It’s a clichè to say, but this book was full of honesty and heart. I had a hard time putting it down on multiple occasions. After watching how people I knew got so far into conspiratorial thinking so quickly during the pandemic, I found the Reddit conspiracy sections so entertaining and realistic. That’s something that I’ve enjoyed about some of Pargin’s other work: The parts where you read it and go, “Oh my god, that’s so dumb that it’s exactly the way it would actually happen!” Is it my favorite book by this author? No, but I have to say that I feel it’s one of his best written works. I would’ve liked to see Abbott have some sort of personal growth at the end, which I didn’t really see, but seeing the others’ made for a really satisfying and touching read. I would recommend this book to anyone who feels they might enjoy it.
I’m Starting To Worry About This Black Box Of Doom comes out September 24 and preorders are available now.

An anxious Lyft driver gets offered $200,000 to deliver a mysterious black box with a hazard sticker on it across the country in five days. The catch? He can't ask any questions, look inside, or tell anyone. He also must leave all his technological devices behind. The bigger catch? After he and his companion hit the road, a conspiracy theory leaks online that the box is part of a terrorist plot and it sends the whole (Reddit) world after them.

I don't know what to say about this other than it was one insane madcap adventure. Never have I been on a road trip this crazy, with characters so bizarre or borderline uncomfortable, with stakes so ridiculous I didn't know whether to snort, snarl, or scoff. It had a lot of satirical elements, especially in regards to social media and its pitfalls, and because of that, it was one of the most unique stories I've ever read.

Mind you, I wouldn't say I loved it but it was outside of the box to say the least!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my review.

An unsuspecting Lyft driver gets a job driving a mysterious black box with a nuclear hazard sticker.... along with its wacky handler, across the country.

I was really interested in reading this book based on the blub and the cover projected “a whole vibe” I was pretty into. While action does happen pretty quickly, I did feel some of the story dragged in some places. But The last ⅓ - ¼ of the book really made up for it. That’s really the point where I felt the characters and the crazy stuff that happens in society (mainly due to “the internet”) just really came together and it felt cohesive.

The backstories of the main, and even supporting characters were really interesting. Pargin did a great job of telling their stories and made it all very relevant to the story he was telling.

This is less of a story about disaster and doom and more of a story about people and how they get caught up in the whirlpool of division and sensationalism. It even made me think about how I look at “the internet” and media, too.

This one had a cool setup—a road trip with a mysterious woman, a strange black box, and a bunch of weird rules. I was interested at first but I quickly lost steam, and by the halfway point I was ready to abandon the book.

The characters felt flat, and I just couldn’t connect with them, which made it hard to stay invested. The pacing was all over the place, too; what started as a promising ride ended up feeling slow and a bit too absurd for my taste. I kept hoping it would pick up again, but it just never clicked for me. It’s got a fun concept, but in the end, it wasn’t really my thing.