Bleakly haunting and atmospheric, this story of a near future plagued by energy shortage and environmental disaster tries to see salvation through the grim choices of women fighting to reclaim the earth from the men who have ravaged it. Its haunting depiction of a North America burning and melting is unsettlingly honest, and the grim determination of its characters breathes tension into every moment.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

Some books jump from “read” to “reviewed,” as I quickly note what I liked and didn’t, briefly summarizing and moving on. Other books sit with me as I try to describe what I experienced. CAMP ZERO is the latter. I finished it six days ago (tearing through the ending with a focused intensity, I remember standing in the kitchen, pretending to carry on a conversation, while still reading the book). The story was compelling, the characters interesting, and the ending was not a tidy bow.

The story follows three POVs, primarily Rose, a sex worker sent as a spy to Camp Zero – an American building project in Canada. We also spend time with an unnamed group of women scientists and soldiers learning to survive at an abandoned outpost known as White Alice. Finally, we follow Grant, a monied academic who wants to grow a college at Camp Zero. For the longest time, I had NO IDEA WHERE we were headed, which I loved. Then Sterling started parsing out little puzzle pieces, and I began to see the big picture.

CAMP ZERO was a fascinating look at what people can accomplish when they’re willing to bond together. It’s especially feminist-focused as most men are cast in adversarial roles, and the women support each other. As with most dystopian fiction lately, this one focuses on the devastating impact of climate change.

@ReadWithJenna picked this as their April Bookclub book, and I’m interested to see what they say about it. Speculative Fiction isn’t a “typical” pick for her, but she loved the strong female roles and relationships.

If you are intrigued by a feminist, near-future, climate change/dystopian fiction story set in the frigid north, this is a good one! I enjoyed it and look forward to the author’s future books.

Thanks, NetGalley and Atria Books, for the Digital Review Copy.

Where to begin with Camp Zero, which was absolutely one of my most anticipated books of the year, and a real Shannon Book™ in general? I mean, it had all the hallmarks of something I'd love: near-future dystopia, set in a remote locale with wonderfully messy characters, and a bizarrely wonderful secondary plot. And I liked it, I did! I just didn't love it? I was... I daresay a tad bit underwhelmed at times? But again, this is not to say it isn't good; it is just to say maybe I had different expectations.

What I Loved:

►The different characters' stories intersected beautifully. I love when you're reading a book and things just... click. And I love that the author wove this story together in such a great way.

►Speaking of weaving, talk about twists! This book had some great ones, some really messed up stuff that kept me wanting to keep reading.

►I found what we knew of the world to be very fascinating. I do wish there had been a bit more worldbuilding, but what we do know I really enjoyed. Unsurprisingly, climate change has basically decimated the world, and so people have to find new ways to survive. That is my jam! Plus, I love that this book takes the characters to a cold, desolate locale. Definitely fits the vibe of the book.

►The whole White Alice subplot was just so wonderfully weird! Seriously, I was so curious about what was going on there! It was messy and bizarre, and I probably would have read a whole entire book about those shenanigans.

►I liked the backstory of Rose and her mom a lot. I think those moments were lovely, especially knowing that her mom is a big motivation for why Rose ended up coming to this place to begin with.

What I Struggled With:

►The pacing just felt off to me. Like, there were times that I was really interested in the story, and then other parts that just felt like a slog. I think, especially in the middle, that there were some extraneous bits that if pared down, may have made the pacing better and more readable.

►The whole tone just felt super bleak to me. And I love bleak! I am like, the queen of bleak! But this didn't have enough warmer moments to offset that, basically. I love a dark book, but I also like to feel like the characters have something left to hope for, you know?

►I think I'd have liked a few more answers? Like- the ending is an ending proper, don't get me wrong, but I think there were just questions I had as a reader that were never fully answered, is my point.

Bottom Line: Pretty solid near future cautionary tale that ties the various characters' stories together nicely.

Didn't work for me for a few reasons. I am in no way against main characters in books being sex workers, but I certainly expect this information to be included in the book description/content warnings. I felt caught off guard and had to check I was reading the book I thought I was. Between that and the mc immediately judging another character a whore on sight within the first chapter, it was not a tone of book that I enjoy.

This book also suffered from some over description- for example, I just don't need a list of every single item in a character's suitcase. There are other ways to inform the reader about the lives of the characters.

Overall, interesting sci-fi/futuristic concept, poorly executed.

Camp Zero is a climate fiction/dystopian novel set in the not so distant future. Global warming has ravaged the world and most of the Southern United States is uninhabitable due to extreme temperatures. Humans are implanted with "The Flick" at birth and their mind is an endless stream of newsfeed that begins to hinder their true memories - not too far off from the world we live in today.

Camp Zero follows three different points of view. Rose is a sex worker from the Floating City off the coast of Boston. She takes a job at Camp Zero in the hopes of getting close to Meyer, the lead architect. In exchange for information she will receive citizenship and a home for herself and her mother. Grant is also a new arrival at Camp Zero. He hails from one of the oldest and wealthiest families in America, but he wants to carve his own path as a professor. The third POV comes from the women of White Alice, a collective of scientists residing in a Cold War era base camp.

This book was a bit slow to start, but once I started reading I was hooked. It's the kind of dystopian novel that is highly plausible and that made it even more gripping to me. I loved following all three storylines of Camp Zero, but the White Alice chapters were by far my favorites. I probably would have given this five stars if we spent more time with the White Alice storyline. Overall I did really enjoy Camp Zero and thought it was a strong debut. I would recommend it to fans of other climate fiction/dystopian novels like Station Eleven or Oryx and Crake.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for an advance copy. I will definitely check out more from this author in the future!

I am at a loss for words. This is a statement on the world and what's to come. I'm thinking and will be for awhile on this story and all its complexities. I highly recommend this novel, which must be read by all soon so we may change the world before we destroy it.

This was a standout debut perfect for fans of dystopian/climate change novels like the MaddAddam series, Station Eleven or American war. I really loved that the book followed different characters (not just a single protagonist) so we got a good sense of the various ways people were surviving in this post-flood world.

An April Read with Jenna pick, this is definitely going to be a favorite for book clubs and was great on audio narrated by a cast. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and Librofm for an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for sending me an advance copy of this book in return for my honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on 4/4/23.

This book is set in a dystopian future where climate change has wreaked havoc on the world. Storms, flooding, and dangerously hot temperatures have made much of the United States uninhabitable. Camp Zero is an American settlement in northern Canada purportedly there to build a new city and refuge for Americans. The story is told through three main characters: Rose, a sex worker with an ulterior motive; Grant, a teacher trying to escape his past and his powerful father; White Alice, an all-female collective of American scientists sent to a climate research station on a mysterious mission.

I was lost and searching for a plot for the first half of this book. I liked the writing and the characters, but the lack of direction was starting to get under my skin. Thankfully, the plot finally began to emerge. The more I read, the more captivated I became, so much so that I would really like a sequel.

The premise of this one was super intriguing. I always love reading dystopian books and bonus points for those that the world ended in climate change or a virus, but this one fell flat for me. I enjoyed getting the story from 3 different perspectives. I also found myself enjoying one character over the others. It was nice to see how they were intertwined and how they came together. I also loved the setting of this book, but I found myself longing for more description. I just felt that the overall execution of this one fell flat.

I didn’t love this one but I didn’t hate it and would recommend it if you are looking for a climate change dystopian novel.

Thank you to Atria Books, @atriabooks, and Netgalley, @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up to 4. Camp Zero is a near future climate change dystopian tale set in 2049. It was slow moving at first and took me longer than normal to become invested, but once I did, I finished the 2nd half in an afternoon.

The story is told by three POVs. Rose is assigned to Camp Zero in the colder climate of Canada as a “companion” (yes, that kind), Grant is the son of one of the oldest and wealthiest families trying to escape his father, and the last POV is a group of women scientists who are collectively “we”. The women are stationed on a base in the very cold northern climate.

The Americans are looking to build a future in the north at Camp Zero as the south has become too harsh and hot with the affects of climate change.

The story weaves back and forth between the POVs and also jumps back and forth into backstories. My favorite chapters were of the women. It did take a while for the storylines to finally converge.

I was left underwhelmed by the ending, probably because the book just… ends. I’m not a huge fan of those types of endings. Unless there’s a possible book 2?

I’m a huge fan of dystopian stories, so I did enjoy this one overall.

*Thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for the advance eGalley.*

Delighted to include this title in the April edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction, for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I DNF this book. I am only putting a rating because this makes me, and I do not want to have a bad feedback ratio on my profile, so I am going to review what I did read. This book was not for me. I did not really care what was happening and I felt that this was different than what I was expecting.

I'm still not sure exactly how I feel about this book. I liked it and was compelled to finish the book, however, I really didn't connect with any of the characters and was confused for the first half of the book.

There is no time line and 3 different POVs - meaning the reader can't tell if the POVs are all speaking at the same time in history or 3 different times. It takes quite a while for the stories to merge, which was what kept me confused during the first part of the book.

The story opens years after there has been a major climate disaster leaving much of the US destroyed or too hot to be habitable. People are flocking to Canada and the cold climate. I wish there was a little more about the climate disaster aspect. There wasn't much backstory and it was difficult to envision. It felt like the world-building was lacking, but the writing was beautiful. There is a definite overarching theme of the quiet power of women vs. the greedy, destructive power of men.

"Women were entrusted with memory. They carried the stories of the last generation to their own children. Women mourned and grieved what was lost, only to see the same mistakes and tragedies repeated in the next generation. Women were witnesses."

I rate this one a solid 3. I recommend to readers who enjoy dystopian stories centering around climate change. I liked this original story - and there were some cool concepts - but thought it lacked cohesion. Still recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC to read and review.

This bleak yet mesmerizing eco-fiction moves at a languid pace but with flashes of intensity that keep you reading.

This book is likely slower than most people would expect. The electrifying things about it are more in the concepts and brief moments of action than the plot, which is quite slow-moving. Truthfully, I kind of loved it. The style draws you in, and it’s a very realism-based story with the main plot being decidedly believable. And then we have the women at the base, which is part survival part Mad Max Fury Road in the snow (minus the car chases).

The novel is told from three points of view: Rose, Grant, and an unnamed first-person set in the White Alice camp. The latter reminded me a bit of Annihilation, as it’s populated entirely by women who are only known by their occupations (e.g. the geographer, the engineer, etc). All three are equally compelling and provide exposition on the world at large. Disaster brought by climate change is also a major focus of the novel and is depicted in a realistic yet horrific way.

I liked the characters. Rose is calm and collected, having perfected that persona as armor. Never once does she stray from her overall mission: to get her mother to a safe place. Everyone in this novel acts like an adult - there are no overly dramatic declarations of love or hysteria on behalf of anyone. Grant is likeable as well, a man struggling under the weight of privilege in that he's aware of it and feels guilt and pressure from it. And the unnamed narrator of White Alice gives a compelling and concise history of the women’s commune.

The story itself is layered, where people from all three plotlines overlap in ways that you figure out just before the reveal - in that regard, it was very satisfying. The story is packed with not subtle jabs at wealth culture, greed, systemic misogyny, and inequality which I was totally on board with.

I will say, though, that the ending is a bit rushed. Everything else in the novel moves languidly, but the last ten percent jammed in a lot and wrapped things up in a way that felt like a birthday gift hastily shoved in a paper bag. You know, it was there, but it wasn’t done up in the best way.

One of the most interesting things about the novel is the inclusion of a tech called the Flick, which is a device embedded in you at birth that allows you to be connected to the internet at all times. It’s clearly a jab at our hyperconnectivity today and how it’s argued to be eroding our ability to communicate with others offline.

One thing I very much enjoyed was the normalized depiction of sex work in the book. When sex work is voluntary, it's simply a job - Rose fully chooses this job, and the most realistic thing about it is how she’s getting tired of it. And not the sex part either, but having to put up with the tedium of her clients’ conversations and having to pander to their emotional needs. You rarely see this in novels, and I found it refreshing and humanizing.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this novel and recommend it!

Camp Zero had so much promise. The write up is exciting and intriguing. The book itself is slow . It’s told by three different characters but they did not have a distinct voice . They story did not feel as though it was moving and I ended up quitting at 26% in to the book. I had to push myself to read that much of the book.

I’ve said it many times before … I like books that take characters who seem unrelated and then weave their stories together, and Michelle Min Sterling does this well in CAMP ZERO. The book gave me Station Eleven vibes, but where Station Eleven is uplifting, CAMP ZERO is darker and more edgy.

There are three storylines woven through CAMP ZERO, which is set in the near future in the icy north. Rising temperatures have changed the world dramatically, and survivors are adapting to a new way of living. There’s Rose, an escort who is living at Camp Zero with ulterior motives. There’s Grant, a college professor who wants nothing more than to forget his wealthy family. And there’s a mysterious group of women at a Cold War-era research station who are shut off from the outside world.

There are some great “ah ha!” moments here, and the story is intricately written. I really enjoyed the glimpses of an eerie post-apocalyptic world. I was fascinated (and terrified) by the thought of “the flick,” a device implanted in most people at birth, so they have a feed of everything they need right in their heads.

The only issue I had with CAMP ZERO is that I was always invested in one character’s story more than the others, although each character did have their time to shine.

A sincere thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an eARC of CAMP ZERO in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ebook/Dystopian Mystery:. I'm giving the first half of the book one star and the second half of the book four stars.
The first half of the book is confusing and it took me two months to slog threw it. Once a body finally hits the ground and why, the plot finally makes sense and the story becomes a page turner. There is a lot of backstory and people with aliases that still makes it confusing.

Michelle Min Sterling creates a fascinating and plausible dystopian world taking place in the near future. This story really kept me on my toes! It steadily painted a vivid picture of the fragile world that the characters live in. The characters themselves were relatable and extremely engaging. I found myself excited every time the POV switched because I wanted to know what everyone else was thinking and doing.

Although I found the plot twist underwhelming, I genuinely enjoyed the ride of getting there. In the end, however, I found myself wanting even more. I want to know more about the floating cities and more from the folks at White Alice. Overall, this novel was a journey I was happy to have gone on. And if there’s a sequel? Count me in!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Well that was certainly a story. I'm not 100% sure I know what I just read, but I can tell you I enjoyed very little of it. The writing style worked for me (especially the White Alice sections), but the pacing was not good, the characters felt bizzare and flat, including Grant's perspective at all felt....off? I had to force myself to read this a few times (the last 30% or so picks up I suppose) because I just wasn't really interested in what was coming. I like the premise, I like the White Alice parts, and the story had good roots, but the execution felt empty somehow. Like we watched a story that ended where it started and nothing in the middle mattered much. Also that ending - was that sequel teasing? Or just deliberately open ended? It doesn't matter really, I don't like either option.

**Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC**

It’s 2049, due to climate change, the seasons are now extremes. The United States suffers with massive environmental catastrophes and people are flocking to the cold north. Camp Zero is soon to be a refuge for Americans to escape the heat of the south, the idealistic architect only needs to keep spurring the project on.

There are 3 narratives we follow in this story, and all 3 of those narratives. All 3 switch back and forth between present day and relieving flashbacks and are all well-differentiated. Korean American, Rose, is sent to Camp Zero to spy on the architect in exchange for a new life. She is seemingly docile, determined, and longs for a place to call home. Grant hopes the north is far enough to outrun his past and his family name. He takes a position as an English teacher at the camp, only for it to be not what he expected. Our last narrator is White Alice, which is a collective point of view using ‘we’ throughout the story. These is a group women sent north to a climate site.

Honestly, I didn’t particularly like any of our narrators. I pictured Rose to be monotone. Grant seemed idealistic and pampered. The collective ‘we’ viewpoint was the most interesting, but I tend to dislike stories told in first-person plural, it often distracts me from the story.

Plot wise – I found the story to drag. We spend quite a bit of time on flashbacks, which while I appreciated getting to know our characters more, I didn’t find them to add much to moving the story forward. It took me half the book to become somewhat engaged, though I will say when we got to the action, it was completely engaging. But the pacing was too slow for me, and the flashbacks really bogged down the story. There is a ton of commentary on climate change, environmental awareness, and sexism which I actually really enjoyed these parts of the story. But they couldn’t overcome the pacing of the story.

The ending was messy for me and left with quite a few unknowns. While we know that climate change is the reason for the environmental events, we never quite learn why we’re in a dystopian environment. It’s alluded to but the answers are never clear. If you’ve been following my reviews for a while, you’ll know I love definitive endings, and am not a huge fan of open endings.

While I thought the writing was wonderful, the story just didn’t deliver for me. I found it to drag and I was left with too many unanswered questions. As a plot-based reader, I needed more action and my expectations of having a ‘page-turner’ skewed my opinion. This book is very much in the vein of Station Eleven, Goodmorning, Midnight, and The Drift. If you’re looking for a more character driven dystopian than this one is for you.

Camp Zero comes out April 4, 2023. Huge thank you to Atria Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.