Camp zero was one of my most highly anticipated books this year and I was SO excited to receive an ebook ARC copy to review. Climate fiction is usually a slam dunk for me, and the comparisons to Station Eleven, one of my all time favorites, was icing on the cake. Unfortunately, I had the hardest time getting into this one. The storylines were so disconnected from one another and I just wasn't invested enough to keep reading to find out if and how they ultimately come together. I ended up DNFing this one as it just didn't work for me

This is such a unique storyline that really drew me in and I was excited to pick it up! While the writing wasn't for me, I think everyone should give this book a chance to see if it's for you! I think fans of dystopians related to climate change should pick this up, it might be right up your alley. I don't understand why so many readers are giving this book such horrible ratings, the author had a unique storyline that really hasn't been done before.

This was a pretty solid book, but I will say that I was more engaged with the first half than the second. The social commentary on climate change and the integration of technology into our daily lives is definitely something that is relevant in the real world and I appreciate the author’s examination of those issues.

I enjoyed how the plot was structured and trying to figure out how our three different perspectives were connected. But the varying timelines and perspective shifts made it very important to pay close attention to what was going on so I didn’t get lost or confused.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and Michelle Min Sterling for the e-arc of Camp Zero in exchange for an honest review.

I’m in the minority here but I just can’t get into this book. I don’t know if it’s the writing or the pacing but something is definitely off. Life is too short to read something I can’t enjoy at least a little bit. This one is a thumbs down for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

This book had such beautiful writing but lacked an exciting plot. I thought this was going to be a more thrilling tale but instead it just lackluster. I mean the fact the world is so grim and dark, that all of humanity has lost touch with literature and learning but the main characters just happen to all love books and understand it's power felt a bit too fake to me. Sadly, this book tried so hard to be gritty and dark, but everything ended up feeling meh.

I had high hopes for this book, especially with the Canadian dystopian future setting and the diverse cast of characters. (It had me thinking back and hoping to one of my favorite and sadly discontinued series, Zero Repeat Forever/Cold Falling White by G. S. Prendergast). Unfortunately, this book drew me in in the first half, but just didn't deliver. It was definitely readable and pulled me along, but it felt incomplete in terms of the breadth/depth it achieved by the end. I am fine with multiple POVs, but here I felt it held the story back (unless the book was going to be longer). The representation wasn't what I had thought it would be, either: as another reviewer pointed out, there's no First Nations character, which felt weird in the context of this book, and there's lots of talk about colonization and social issues but not much of a deep dive. The worst for me was that we were stuck with a really annoying POV character who is a rich white boy and whose "tragic past" we seem to be meant to feel sorry for, but we come to learn it's just completely avoidable harm he did to his former girlfriend. I also had a hard time seeing the point of the entire subplot with the off-the-grid and violent "feminist" commune characters, known as "White Alice." By the end, a lot of things had happened, but I was left wondering about the larger point(s), and I was left feeling ambivalent about most of the characters.
I'd like to see more books take on similar settings and themes, and would be interested to see this author develop more as a writer, but ultimately I don't think I'll be recommending this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

*This ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Very interesting premise about a climate-ravaged world which features a multi-character POV investigating the story of a mysterious camp located in remote Northern Canada. We follow the stories of Rose & Grant, both newer arrivals to the camp, each with their own intentions for learning more about the camp. Rose is a Korean immigrant coming to the camp as a sex worker while Grant arrives as a teacher for the diggers helping build the camp. The 3rd perspective shared in the story involves the White Alice camp, which doesn't have a clear association with Rose & Grant's story until later in the book.

I did find the world building to be good and engaging, touching on the remoteness of the camp and it's neighboring locations and diving further into the changes around the world, including a thriving Floating City located near Boston. I enjoyed Rose's character as she peeled back the layers into her past, revealing more about her intentions. As for Grant & the White Alice camp, I can't say I was able to connect well with either. Especially the White Alice camp as most all of the characters from the camp just had generic names (ala The Engineer, The Botanist etc...) and was confused about how their story was relevant.

I am intrigued to see how the story will continue it's progression as it was left open-ended for a sequel down the line. I must admit that I haven't been reading much Sci-Fi/Cli-Fi recently, but I do this think book helped bring back some of that interest. Thanks again to the Author and Net Galley for the early preview!

This one surprised me! I typically don't go for futuristic, dystopian reads, but I found myself very invested in the different story lines that made up this book, and the end when they all came together was so satisfying, even though the very end was left open. I really enjoyed the White Alice chapters and Rose's story, but found Grant's less interesting overall, however not enough to skim through them. Overall a very original story and I'm excited to watch Sterling's career grow!

As someone who enjoys futuristic, dystopian novels (think Station Eleven!) I was really excited to dive into CAMP ZERO. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to the hype. This falls under the Survival category than Dystopian in my mind.

I loved the various POVs, especially figuring out how they all are connected. However, I felt that overall plot and characters lacked depth. I needed more. I needed more insight to the world they were living in, how the world got to that point, etc. One thing that I absolutely LOVED about Station Eleven was the time jumps and how it really showed the progression to how the world as they knew it came to be -- Camp Zero lacked in that department.

If this is your first dive into futuristic, dystopian, survival novels -- CAMP ZERO could be for you.

Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling is a dystopian novel set in the near future during a time of intense global warming. Citizens are moving north in an attempt to escape the heat. One community of women is doing what they can in order to survive. Another community is attempting to build the perfect living situation for these trying times. All are determined to survive. This book has a fast paced plot and characters that the reader can become invested in. Read and enjoy!

Mixed emotions about this book. I loved the dystopian climate change narrative but did not care for the characters and the story itself was a little boring.
The flashbacks were a too long and too confusing.
I loved the premise and thought this story actually had a lot of unrealized potential.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my audio arc in exchange for my review.

I really like this book, but I wanted to love it. I can’t put my finger on why I didn’t love it. I liked the twist in the way it all came together in the end, but I wish more of the women had more character development.

7/10

I can’t think of another book I’ve read that was so well written with such a compelling story yet, somehow, didn’t touch my soul. I wish I could put my finger on it.

I am in awe of great writing. Michelle Min Sterling is, without a doubt, a great writer.

I love a surprising story. Camp Zero is full of surprises. It is the proverbial onion and every new chapter peels off another layer you never saw coming until, in the end, you realize that it wasn’t even an onion after all. (That’s a terrible analogy but let’s stick with it anyway).

The story takes place a couple of decades in the future. Climate change has caused everything to go to hell. The world is crumbling.

Most of the story takes place in the cold barrenness of northern Canada and it consists of three different story lines:
- the group of builders who are creating a new university
- the group of escorts who are there as companions for the builders
- Grant, a new college graduate who took a job teaching in the university

There’s a lot that happens and, eventually, all the stories slam into each other in a hugely surprising way. I definitely didn’t see it coming.

You know what, I think I just realized why I have a problem with this book. It’s not bad - not by any means. It’s a very good book, it isn’t great. It should be great.

Throughout the book, the author will tell the backstory of a character. Of all the characters, this is only addressed for about three of them. Every one of those backstories are ridiculously compelling - probably because we finally get to empathize with the characters. We learn about their strengths and their struggles. The characters are brought to life.

The rest of the book stays very much on the surface - you don’t truly feel for the characters because you don’t know who they are and how they got to where they are. If only Michelle have a little more intimacy into all of the main characters histories, this novel could be great.

In the end, it feels like the frozen tundra in which it takes place: beautiful, smooth, inviting but also a bit too barren.

Camp Zero in northern Canada is under construction to become a new utopia for people hoping to escape the ravages of climate change. Rose is a sex worker sent by her wealthy patron to spy on the progress of Camp Zero in exchange for permanent, safe housing for her displaced mother. There's also a side story about a group of women scientists working at a remote research station that ties in an unexpected way.

I loved this book. I binge-read it in a day and didn't want it to end -- the ending was sort of open-ended, so maybe there's a sequel in the works (?) The comparisons to Station Eleven felt accurate, which is really saying something! There was something simultaneously dreamy and brutal about the way both were written that really appealed to me. I loved the multiple POVs and how all of the stories came together, and especially enjoyed the sections about White Alice and how they built their new society. This one was a winner all around, and I'm already looking forward to reading any and everything Sterling writes in the future.

I found this to be incredibly engaging and so unsettling. The way the author was able to blend all of the stories together and show us the motivations of each character was lovely and terrifying. I feel as though this book was a wonderful blend of a very scary reality (climate change), survival, and just an overall critique of humanity. I’m sitting her after finishing it wondering, what makes life worth staying alive for? Is there any way to live without causing harm? But like.. not in a nihilistic way, just in a thought provoking way. This isn’t something I would normally pick up to read, but I really really enjoyed the journey is took me on.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

{3.5 stars}

Rose is living in a remote camp working as an escort. Men within the camp are digging to build an epic campus, the dream of their leader. Women are brought in to keep the men happy. But she has a bigger mission, to spy for a man who will offer her residency and chance to stop being an escort. She learns that all is not what it seems in the camp. In a different camp, we see a group of women surviving in an old climate station. We are told the story of how they got there and given a second glimpse of what it is to survive in this world.

Y'all know dystopian is my jam, but this one took forever to really get interesting. It's billed as a riveting page turner but the pace was really quite glacial. I liked the unfolding of the uncertain world but I had to divide up the beginning of the book into smaller pieces and force myself to stick with it. I'm glad I did, because the last 20% was really great, I loved how the two stories came together. But it was a bit of a slow road to get there. I enjoyed the White Alice sub-story much more than the Camp Zero story. I also didn't love the ending, I wish it had ended a chapter earlier.

Thanks to Atria Books for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

I would like to thank Atria books for providing a digital copy of this novel via NetGalley. The setting is post apocalyptic/climate change catastrophe future. We find Rose trying to survive in Camp Zero. She meets Grant, a college professor. We are told early Rose is not her real name. The novel alternates between Grant and Rose POVs, as well as the perspective of characters in White Alice, a research station. These parallel stories find the protagonists trying to get out of their current predicaments. There is this theme throughout the story about all our problems going away if we can just leave where we are now. Besides being a story dealing with climate change and a future Earth, it as just as much a story about sex work and the treatment of sex workers. I felt the novel would still have worked without the postapocalyptic setting. Regardless, these elements added to the story. There are several revelations that fit organically into the story. Ultimately, this was a relatively quick read and thought provoking on many fronts.

I was a little nervous when the first narrator of this story turned out to be a sex worker. Where was this story going? Then we are introduced to two additional narrators; a rich young man escaping his family, and a collective of women in a remote outpost (yes, the narrator is a collective - it works). While Rose, the sex worker, and Grant, the rich young man, are almost immediately in the same place in the story, the collective of women is more confusing. Where are they, and more importantly, when are they?

The bulk of this story takes place in the future (but not very far into the future) where climate change has created a number of unsurprising changes, including much of the United States being hot and inhospitable and both the North and designed floating cities providing the hope for the future. The story skips around between the three narrators, their stories now, and their backstories. They are brought together in a town in the North where everyone is there for a different reason, and these reasons are often in opposition to each other. No one knows the whole story, so each person is trying to put the pieces together. Men are not highly regarded in this story and most of them are not portrayed well. Uncovering the story and figuring out how he character will fare is worth the journey. Keep an eye on this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an eGalley. My opinion is my own.

Published by Atria Books on April 4, 2023

Camp Zero is a novel of climate change, sisterhood, survival, and the privilege that accompanies wealth. In the relatively near future, southern climates have become unbearable, forcing migration to the north. The true impact of global warming in the United States is only hinted at in a story that primarily focuses on northern Canada. We nevertheless learn that one American city — a new one, constructed to house wealthy Americans offshore to avoid the threat of rising sea levels — has prospered despite (or because of) climate change.

Damien Mitchell lives in the Floating City. He invented the Flick, a device that is wired into the brain to provide internet connectivity. Damien has not told the public of a long-term downside to using the Flick. Camp Zero might be sending a message about the downside of staring at smartphone screens all day long, but the damage caused by the Flick is measurable. Unfortunately, after Michelle Min Sterling introduces that story element, she does nothing with it. Doing nothing with story elements is a recurring issue in Camp Zero.

Rose is Damien’s client in the Floating City. Rose is a half-Korean sex worker whose true name is revealed in an anticlimactic moment late in the novel. Using the promise of a decent life for Rose’s mother as an inducement, Damien convinces Rose to travel to Dominion Lake in Canada, where a camp employs Diggers to dig holes in the frozen ground. Rose is instructed to use her talents as a working girl to spy on Meyer, the architect who believes he is building a new settlement for Americans who are fleeing from the climate crisis.

Rose joins five other sex workers who are collectively known as the Blooms. They are supervised by a woman named Judith who extracts their Flicks, a seemingly pointless exercise since Dominion Lake has no wireless connection. Whether the Blooms feel exploited or happy to have a job (or both) is unclear, as neither the sex workers nor Judith are developed in depth. Only two Blooms are of consequence to the plot. Rose’s background is presented as a sketch while Willow’s underdeveloped character ties into another part of the story. Since the Blooms eventually seize an opportunity to make a better life, a reader can infer that they are unhappy with their present lives, but the women are so insubstantial that I found it difficult to connect with their plight.

Dominion Lake was once an oil drilling town but jobs became scarce after the US finally banned oil. Life in Dominion Lake is primitive. The Blooms operate from an abandoned mall. Why the stores left so many goods behind when they closed is never explained.

Grant Grimley came from money. With the help of his parents, he survived a hurricane that devastated Manhattan, but his girlfriend was less fortunate, perhaps because Grant’s parents regarded her as unworthy. Grant went north, accepting an invitation to teach English at a newly built campus in Canada. The campus at Dominion Lake turns out to be something less than he expected. His students are Diggers who, with Meyer, are supposedly awaiting an influx of funding so they can build a bigger community. Why it was deemed wise to give Grant a useless job is never made clear.

The story of Dominion Lake is woven into the separate story of White Alice. White Alice is a research station within snowmobiling distance from Dominion Lake. Because it was once used as a military radar base, it supposedly establishes American sovereignty, giving the US a foothold in an area that has an untapped supply of rare earth elements. The White Alice story, compressed in time, begins before the Dominion Lake story but eventually catches up.

The all-female team at White Alice has replaced a team that either went mad or starved to death when its home base stopped resupplying the scientists. This was apparently an attempt to see how well scientists survive without food and fuel in the frozen wilderness. The result was predictable, leaving the reader to wonder why the experiment was carried out. That’s yet another question the story neglects to answer.

To assure that the experiment is not replicated, some of the new scientists visit Dominion Lake in a search for supplies. One of them comes back pregnant. They decide to make their own little colony at White Alice, collectively raising a baby who grows up to be a proficient raider as they steal oil and supplies from other towns. Sustaining the colony will require an influx of new blood — that is, new breeding stock. The men who might be suitable for the task meet varying fates.

Had the characters been given more depth, had the story addressed unanswered questions, Camp Zero might have been a strong entry in the growing subgenre of climate change science fiction. Sterling imagined interesting scenarios but did too little with them. While the story confronts the conflict between idealism and survival, its revelatory moment instructs us that “it’s a shit world, but it’s the only world we have.” As inspiration goes, that lesson is wanting. The novel did enough to hold my interest but not enough to realize its potential.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

This was quite the ride! I love a good multi-POV story. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed all of their stories. The pacing was a little slow but it was enjoyable to watch the story unfold. My biggest disappointment was the way the story ended. I have a tough time with ambiguos or open ended books with no expectation of any additional books or series. This book doesn’t fit the profile of a series book. The abrupt ending made the book feel rushed and that’s always disheartening. Other than that, I really enjoyed it! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Overall, I would give this book 3.5 stars.