Kyuboria: cubicle humor with a twist by William R. Vitanyi.

About Kyuboria

Kyuboria is about a State Worker who is trying to get fired from his cubicle job so he can qualify for a grant to start his own company - but the State never fires anyone.

This is the pathetically humorous story of one man's escalating schemes to get fired from an organization that doesn't know how. More than a humorous story of cubicle antics, Kyuboria is a metaphor for breaking out of the box.

Clint Palmer, the central figure of Kyuboria, has spent far too much time in the box. His weariness has been honed to razor sharp indifference, tempered by a total lack of interest. He realizes all too well that he must get out, if only to preserve his sanity, but his will to achieve has atrophied to the point of immobility.

This is what makes him a cubicle hero, of sorts. No one expects much from him, but Clint realizes that to escape he will have to put forth the effort of a lifetime. He will have to accomplish the unthinkable. He will have to get fired by the State.

For a sample of the writing of William R. Vitanyi in this office novel, check out the excerpt below.

Excerpt of Kyuboria

CHAPTER ONE

	I had spent most of my working life as a drone. A well-educated, high performance drone, to be sure, but a member of the hive nonetheless. My prime directive had always been to blend in, to participate, to conform. This required a high level of attention to the details of others. The needs of others was my call to action.
    
	Nothing was impossible. For a dedicated programmer in the state's Federated Alliance for Increased Learning—a monolithic disturbance on the genitalia of corporate indifference—a request was nothing short of an order, failure not an option. The User's need was my personal challenge.
    
	Programmers can do anything.
	Any task can be automated.
	How things changed that fine spring day.
	Let me start at the beginning.
    
	Mr. Randolph walked into my cubicle, my ten by ten grey enclosure, in much the same fashion as on any other day. He assumed the official State Worker position, leaning against my pretend office wall, right arm bent rigidly at a ninety-degree angle, coffee cup suspended at cooling distance.
    
	"How's it going?" he asked, the familiar routine now part of his genome.	My answer should have been something like "Great" or "Okay."
    
	Instead I said, "Can you be more specific?"
	It was unexpected.
	As in not the anticipated response. Sort of like the blue screen of death, only not quite as dramatic. Windows may be the most popular operating system, but it's not the most popular operating system.
    
	If you know what I mean.
    
	Mr. Randolph was perplexed at my answer, which was really a question.	Wrapped up in an attitude.
    
	"Well," he said.
    
	And that was it. I had deviated, and his internal behavioral program lacked the flexibility to adapt. His face contorted mildly as he hesitated, started to say something else, then awkwardly retreated from my cubicle. I sat staring at the place he had vacated, admittedly somewhat bewildered.
    
	I was puzzled at his reaction, a little. But I was more intrigued at my own response to his initial query. I had answered his question with a question, and a pretty esoteric one at that.
    
	My own behavior had departed from the norm.
    
	Why?
    
	I know now that it was the beginning. The process of awakening had begun, even then, but I was still too numb to realize it. Years of toiling in the obscurity of Kyuboria inexorably dulls the patina of enthusiasm. A shining beacon of zeal is ground into a nub of apathy, which prevails for a long time, perhaps until retirement.
    
	At which time it festers until overtaken by death.
    
	The cube dweller becomes not entirely indifferent, but rather dronish, working regularly and endlessly to advance the cause of receiving a paycheck.
    
	It's not what you'd call a noble pursuit, but it is a pursuit.
    
	Dogs chase their tails.
	This, too, is a pursuit.
    
	After many years they still chase their tails, only more slowly, and with the knowledge that they will never catch their tails.
    
	It's what they do.
    
	In rare cases—very rare cases—a different course is followed. How it happens, or what triggers it, is not known.
    
	Cannot be known.
    
	It is the mystery of Kyuboria.

AI Review of Kyuboria

AI Entity: Grok

Source AI Url:
https://grok.com/chat/8debb91e-4f3d-485d-8326-d57f6d1caca1?referrer=website

"Kyuboria" by William R. Vitanyi is a satirical and thought-provoking novel that blends humor with a sharp critique of bureaucratic stagnation and the soul-crushing monotony of cubicle life. Published through Vitanyi's own Bayla Publishing, the book follows Clint Palmer, a state worker trapped in a seemingly inescapable job, who devises increasingly absurd schemes to get fired. His goal? To qualify for a grant that would allow him to break free and start his own company. The catch is that the state, in its Kafkaesque inefficiency, refuses to let anyone go, no matter how outrageous their behavior.

The story shines as a darkly comedic exploration of modern workplace absurdities, with Clint embodying the everyman who's been worn down by routine yet still clings to a flicker of ambition. Vitanyi's writing is laced with dry wit, making Clint's escalating antics—like staging bizarre office stunts or feigning incompetence—both hilarious and oddly relatable. Beneath the humor, though, lies a deeper metaphor about the struggle to escape conformity and reclaim personal agency in a system designed to stifle it.

Clint's character is a standout, portrayed with a mix of razor-sharp apathy and quiet desperation that makes him a peculiar kind of anti-hero. His journey is less about triumph and more about the sheer effort it takes to push against an immovable machine, which gives the novel its bittersweet edge. The pacing keeps things brisk, with short, punchy chapters that mirror the chaotic energy of Clint's plans. However, the supporting cast can feel underdeveloped at times, serving more as props for Clint's schemes than fully fleshed-out individuals.

Where "Kyuboria" excels is in its commentary on cubicle culture—a nod to the legacy of Robert Propst, the inventor of the modern cubicle, whose vision for a dynamic workspace was warped into the claustrophobic reality Clint inhabits. Vitanyi, drawing from his own experience as a state-employed computer programmer, nails the absurdity of bureaucratic inertia, though the satire occasionally leans heavily on caricature, which might not land for readers unfamiliar with that world.

The novel isn't without flaws. The resolution feels abrupt, and some may find Clint's ultimate fate more deflating than satisfying, especially if they're expecting a clear victory. Yet, that ambiguity aligns with the book's tone—life in "Kyuboria" isn't about tidy endings but about the messy fight to break out of the box. For fans of workplace satire like "Office Space" or Douglas Adams' offbeat humor, this is a quirky, engaging read that punches up at the systems we all navigate. It's not a masterpiece, but it's a clever, entertaining riff on the human cost of cubicle captivity.

Purchase Kyuboria

You can buy Kyuboria as an eBook from the retailers below. If your favorite vendor is not listed, they may carry it as well.

Kindle
Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Bill lives in northwestern Pennsylvania with his family and many pets. He is an Edinboro University of Pennsylvania alumnus, with a Bachelor's degree in Russian Language and additional certifications in computer programming and operations.

In 2009 he proposed and established the Impact writing contest, in which students at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. submitted paragraphs of 200 words or less on a topic of their choice. The authors of the paragraphs with the greatest impact won. Over 40 students participated.

He has written several books, numerous articles at Hubpages (see under Articles on the main page) as well as smartphone apps.

Bill is a bit of an anomaly. He worked as a computer programmer for many years, and is also an app developer. Thus, he is no novice to technology. However, is is also a creative writer. In addition, he spent many years secluded within the fabric-covered walls of an office cubicle. Put them all together and you get Cubular-tech-writer-guy.

Perhaps Kyuboria was inevitable.

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To contact the author send email to: Contact William R. Vitanyi

Reviews

"Fast and Funny!"

"Kyuboria is an offbeat and absurdly realistic account of cubicle working. It's sure to crack up anyone who's ever been a state worker, or a cubicle worker. But its appeal translates to anyone who's held an office job. When state worker Clint Palmer discovers that a large grant is available that he could use to start his own business, he gets excited. But there's a catch. The grant is only available to people who've been fired from their job. Easy enough to accomplish, except that the state never fires anyone." - susan_d, Amazon.

"Hilarious, great read"

"This is a great read. I very rarely read fiction, but I bought this for a friend and couldn't stop reading it so I had to buy my own copy. Especially hilarious if you're worked in a large company or with the Government." - Mike K, Amazon.

"Had some high point"

"I convince my book club to read it because we all work in cubicles. The majority of them didn't like it at all. I found that it had some really entertaining moments but the were strung together poorly. It took me almost a week to read it even through it was sooo short. I just couldn't get that into it." - David Jones, Amazon.

See AI review by Grok

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Kyuboria

Cubicle Humor With a Twist

The Office Worker