Welcome to the Deep Estate

A Surreal Backrooms Comedy

De: Kevin Kane

Narrado por: Christopher Harbour

Here’s a little secret: Reality is insane.

A death cult led by a box of Kraft mac and cheese. The Bermuda Triangle. Lizard people walking among us. When every conspiracy theory, urban legend, and fever-dream headline is true, someone has to keep it all cataloged, contained, and out of sight. That someone is the Bureau of the Bizarre.

John Doe always thought his paranoid father was crazy, then the crazy showed up on his doorstep with a job offer. Now, he’s a Collector for the Bureau, partnered with Edith Sinner, a metanatural vampire with a murder glare and a past that refuses to stay buried. Their office is The Deep Estate, a liminal space carved out of The Backrooms, where nightmares take shape and reality bends to the collective unconscious. Their coworkers are anything but normal. Carrie is a stab-happy flying pencil. Marybeth is a Victorian doll with serious Devil Daddy issues. And then there is the Murder Clown...

But when John and Edie bump into a conspiracy the Bureau was never meant to see, reality itself is rewritten to frame them for murder. Hunted by their own and pursued through impossible corridors, they have to expose the truth before the Deep Estate’s secrets swallow them whole.

Equal parts cosmic horror and comic absurdity, Welcome to the Deep Estate is what happens when Men in Black stumbles into the Backrooms carrying a copy of Hitchhiker’s Guide.

Welcome to your new nine-to-five. Welcome to the Deep Estate.

©2025 Kevin Kane (P)2025 Kevin Kane

Had a blast listening to this

This book is definitely meant to be listened to! Amazing job with every single character, there was so much personality in this reading and it was just such a good time.

Bizarre and pretty fun

This review is for the audio version of the book, provided by NetGalley, and narrated by Christopher Harbour.

3.75/5

This was one of the most bizarre and a unique experiences I've had with a book, in a while.

Following John Doe, yes really, as he stumbles into the existence and employment of, the Bureau of the Bizarre (the Deep Estate), he finds himself in a world that he's, oddly, suited to be in (his dad is an extremely devoted conspiracy theorist, but like, for all of the conspiracies).

On his 1st day of work he finds himself in and out of pocket dimensions, with a "meta-vampire" partner and a sentient pencil.

And that's just where the story starts.

Once I managed to stop trying to figure how things got from one point to another realm with a possessed lawn ornament, it became much more enjoyable.

This is going to be a fun time for a lot of people, but be prepared to have some of your norms poked fun at. There is racism (feudal Japan? really?) and sexism, but it also calls itself out for making the jokes in the 1st place.

READ THIS BOOK

This was recommended to me by my partner and this might actually be one of my favorite books in existence. It took me longer than usual to complete a read like this but I mostly listened to it in the car with my partner, otherwise it probably would’ve been done in two, maybe three days tops.

I wanted so desperately to give it 5 stars but I ran across two issues (both of which are very heavily opinionated so please take it with a grain of salt if you’re reading this)

1. I found the usage of everyone’s names a little confusing. I did listen to the audiobook so if I was reading things this may not have been a problem for me. Edie & John were easy to follow because obviously, but when it came to Darvish, Cho and Motts I had a hard time tracking who was supposed to be talking to who. In my opinion, this was solely based on the mix of first, last and nicknames used for all of them. Motts was a little easier with the accent used by the audiobook narrator but when someone else referenced him any way other than by his last name I got confused. I had written them down at one point just so I could keep track a little easier and had to reference back to it constantly, which is why I feel this issue would’ve been resolved had I read it instead of listened.

2. The ending could’ve used a little more of a cliffhanger. I promise I’m not going to spoil anything in this! I had no clue this wasn’t going to be a complete story going into it, so I think it left me a little disappointed. I had certainly hoped there would be more, but I wasn’t expecting things to end so abruptly. I don’t even know what could have been changed at the end to make it more of a cliffhanger though, so I really think just somehow making it more known that this is a two parter may help future readers.

All that said: KK, if you’re reading this, please for the love of GOD do not stop writing! This was so good, I laughed harder than I have in quite some time reading this. I’m interested to see if you have other books and if they’re at all similar to this one, and if you don’t currently then I’ll be following you very closely waiting for more.

To me, the fact that I’m even writing this says a lot because I rarely share actual reviews. I think the author is absolutely phenomenal though and I desperately want to see him succeed. I plan to put this same review on Goodreads and any other platform I can think of because I want everyone to know about this book. Please, if anyone is reading this debating if the book is worth your time: READ IT!

A fun, crazy experience!

Kevin Kane's Welcome To The Deep Estate is a wild mash-up of conspiracy theory, liminal-space horror, and raunchy comedy. John Doe is the son of a doomsday-obsessed dad who raised him to believe the Deep State is real. Then John gets recruited by the Bureau of the Bizarre, and all the “crazy” stuff turns out to be true: lizard people, glitches in reality, and backroom corridors that run longer than physics should allow.

The voice is the hook here. John narrates with manic, self-deprecating energy, and his friendship with wisecracking garden gnome Bobo keeps the banter moving even when the plot goes off the rails. The book leans hard into pop-culture riffs and a “nothing is too weird” approach to its worldbuilding, which made the Deep Estate feel like a gonzo cousin of SCP files, Warehouse 13, Men in Black, and John Dies at the End.

I liked how the story alternates between semi-grounded agency chaos and surreal set pieces in the Backrooms. The action stays brisk, the cast is colorful, and the escalating weirdness keeps you wondering what is going to happen next. There are moments of genuine intrigue beneath the jokes, especially as the Deep Estate’s internal politics and hidden agendas start to surface.

On a personal note, and attempting not to give any important plot points away, the city of my birth features not insignificantly in the story, which was a fun additional detail for me.

If I have a critique, it is that the humor is intentionally crude and and the gore generous, which will be a dealbreaker for some readers and a draw for others.

If you want a fast, off-the-wall adventure with conspiracies made literal, strange creatures, and a lot of profanity, this is a fun ride. It is messy in the best way, and I am curious to see what happens in the second half of the duology (or maybe it qualifies as a diptych? I'm not sure...).

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Christopher Harbour, whose energetic performance really brings the story to life. His delivery adds an extra layer of humor and pacing that complements Kane's writing style perfectly. Although the book is great on its own, I highly recommend the audiobook version.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author via NetGalley audiobook and NetGalley ebook. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Fan of the bizarre

First off, I laughed that the MMC, is named John Doe. Of course, his name is John Doe. I want to work for The Bureau of the Bizarre aka B.O.B. John and Edie working together is like oil and water. However, the longer these two are together in each other's presence, they do rub off on one another and actually become casual working partners. Edie would never admit it out loud that she actually likes John.

I grabbed this book because of the premise of it. It intrigued me. I am so glad that I did as I absolutely hulled with laughter throughout this book. I listened to the audio version. The Stephen King references were great. I grew up watching X-Files and Twilight Zone. Also was a big fan of the Sci-fi channel. So, for me this book was right up my alley. It is so quirky and at times cringeworthy but that is what made this book so good.

If you are a fan of the bizarre and do believe that aliens exist, then you will want to grab a copy of this book. I do hope to see John and Edie again in the future.