The Planet That Was Mistaken for a Fool by Tamás Szikszai (Book Review #2228)

Tamás Szikszai’s The Planet That Was Mistaken for a Fool is a wildly inventive and razor-sharp satirical romp through a dystopian sci-fi future that feels eerily plausible, and all too human. With the madcap spirit of Douglas Adams and the dystopian edge of Black Mirror, Szikszai crafts a world where mega-corporations dictate reality, algorithms rule thought, and toilets are no longer sacred spaces.

We follow Winston, a down-and-out miner fleeing the icy grip of Jupiter’s moon back to an Earth gone entirely sideways. What should have been a familiar homecoming becomes an absurdist journey through bureaucratic madness, tech-fueled oppression, and existential slapstick. Alongside his eccentric companion Gáben—equal parts comic relief and philosophical counterpoint—Winston searches for his lost family and, in doing so, begins to unravel the absurd structure of a society obsessed with monetization and control.

Szikszai’s prose is whip-smart and unafraid to jab at everything from surveillance capitalism and consumerism to politics, AI, and self-help culture. But what sets this debut apart isn’t just its satire—it’s the heart beating beneath the chaos. For all its irreverence and absurdity, the novel never loses sight of the human core: the longing for connection, meaning, and autonomy in a world that feels increasingly engineered to erase them.

Moments of quiet introspection sneak between the laugh-out-loud passages, reminding readers that behind every dystopia is a deeply personal struggle. The plot—while twisting, tangling, and often exploding—is expertly woven and climaxes in scenes that are as emotionally affecting as they are unexpected.

This novel is not only a punchy, hilarious commentary on where our world might be headed—it’s also a declaration of the importance of resistance, friendship, and doughnuts.

A must-read for anyone who enjoys satire with soul, dystopia with depth, and sci-fi that dares to laugh at the void.

Written by Jeyran Main

“Support the writing community—purchase our magazines today!”

“Explore more reviews and find your next great read!”