This homage to Frankenstein set in Antarctica made all my ice-cold dreams come true. Imaginative, empathetic, epic, and intimate, this novel grabbed me from the jump and never let me go. What would all we nasty, tribal, selfish, messy humans do if humanity hung in the balance and our only hope was to work it out in Antarctica?!

Given that the action in this book takes place in the summer of 2023, this is either the perfect time or a terrifying time to read this novel. To me, it was perfect.

This book is featured in the February 3 episode of our podcast The Library of Lost Time. Listen here: http://strongsenseofplace.com/lolts/lolt-2023-02-03/

An alien invasion takes over Planet Earth and banishes the human race to the Antarctic where they struggle for survival. This book takes patience as the author slowly develops the plot. Ultimately I found it worth reading and hope the author follows up with a sequel.

I received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley. Many thanks to them. My review is voluntary and opinions expressed are my own.

Very different-very different- from Smith's earlier works, this is more than anything else a cautionary tale as well as a story of survival. The arrival of alien ships above earth changes everything for everyone as the aliens insist that the only survivors of their invasion will be those physically on Antarctica, those setting off a race south. Liza and Atto, who have just met in Lisbon where she is on vacation with her family, join the exodus, a journey fraught with horrors and dangers and then they build a life there. This includes raising "their" daughter Echo, a child who was genetically engineered to be suited for the cold environment. At the same time, a young Israeli soldier, a man who has never admitted to love, has been working with and tending to Eitan, another genetically engineered creature which has been imprisoned in an ice cave along with other experimental results. This moves between perspectives, including Echo's and runs headlong into a confrontation. There's a long lead in to the invasion and then a jump ahead 20 years when the colonies on the ice have been established and then the end feels very different in tone and pace. No spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Smith will make you think about genetic engineering for sure but also about how we relate to others.

I enjoyed this book, but it left me wanting. The whole premise of the book is that alien ships in the sky force civilization to go to Antarctica. Not near Antarctica, ON Antarctica. Okay, I'm into it, but how in the heck are they going to learn to survive in such a cold climate? I'm excited to read the next chapter to find out how.

The next chapter is 20 years later. Wait, what???

The book moves through several POVs which was interesting - but a little hard to keep track of the timeline with each. But like I said in the beginning, I was still interested in continuing to read this one. I thought there was some amazing moments and some important parallels to current times, but in the end, I felt like this book was fine. Oh, did I mention that the aliens are never mentioned again? Ugh, that annoyed me. The story was really about genetic modifications and the ramifications of same. So that part was indeed interesting.

Pick up or pass? You decide - if you love science fiction then maybe you'll love this one. If you don't, I suggest pass - there are tons of other more successful science fiction reads.

Tom Rob Smith is one of the first authors whose entire catalogue I devoured as soon as I could get my hands on it. So when I heard that he was releasing a new book? I couldn’t have been happier.

The first quarter of this book gave me nightmares. I downloaded Google Maps and trawled around Antarctica for hours, spent minutes staring into space, imagining how I would react (panic), and if I would survive the cold (as I wear knit socks, sweats, thick sweater, curled under the blankets with the heat on 70). No. I definitely wouldn’t. But I was panicked.

Then… why am I surprised, because this is my fault, it got too sci-fi for me. I got very bored. It lost the thrill, the fear, the anxiety and the throat clenching panic.

With that said, it was good. I think there will be another.

But do you think YOU could survive an alien invasion on Antarctica?

Book: Cold People
Author: Tom Rob Smith

One of the most unusual books in some time that left me somewhat cold. I gave the book the following SCORE:
Setting: Alternating between present day and twenty years later (2043) after unidentified aliens control Earth from the skies, giving the ultimatum that all humans not physically on the continent of Antarctica within an unreasonably short period of time will be vaporized.
Characters: A varied cast of people from present day who survive the trek to Antarctica’s melting pot of a new, synthesized civilization. Additionally, a new breed of characters is engineered by geneticists specifically to survive the nearly uninhabitable conditions.
Overview of plot: The aliens simply banished the human race to Antarctica and were never mentioned again so the basic plot is the complex, innovative, albeit somewhat unrealistic way the surviving population uses science, intelligence and compromise to create a new civilization, then attempts to design an improved version of humans to withstand the oppressive climate and maintain the human race.
Recommendation: 3 stars and a mixed recommendation. If readers are looking for outer space sci-fi with star ships, this is not it. Those interested in bio-engineering and the related pros and cons may find this fascinating.
Extras: The first two-thirds of the book took some time to get going and it was difficult becoming invested in any of the original human characters. It would have been interesting to learn more about the twenty intervening years, how this mixed population of people, some selected by their governments, others clever enough to make it on their own, built a civilization that was basically peaceful and goal-oriented rather than the panic, chaos, and greed expected from such a situation.
In summary, not for everyone, but a trip in a different direction. Thanx to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview edition in exchange for an honest review..

Not sure how to describe how i feel about this story. i was very excited to read a new Tom Rob Smith novel because i loved the Child 44 trilogy. This apocalyptic tale is much different. A take no prisoners alien invasion causes a mass migration to Antarctica. Possibly the most inhospitable place for the human race to live. The book addresses questions of ethics, morality and humanity well. What i had a problem with is although i could not put it down, I also read with a sense of dread. You just knew bad things were going to happen. An ambiguous ending leaves room for another story and I would read it. So i am very on the fence with my rating and hoping for more of this story . Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the early read

In this novel, an alien invasion forces humans to migrate south to the most inhospitable landscape on earth, Antarctica. The day-to-day survival in these new frigid colonies is tenuous at best and the future of all humanity is questionable. Genetic advancements are desperately needed, a hastened evolution is the only way for the next generation to flourish on such a cold and barren landscape. Are these survivors up to the mounting challenges of human nature, science, and climate?

I really enjoyed this novel's unique and creative premise. If you are a fan of science fiction, this book is definitely made for you. Different aspects of this story brought up so many questions for me and I believe it would make a great group read for discussion.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Cold People for my unbiased evaluation.  4 stars

My thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for the advanced copy of this book.

I thought the premise was good. An alien species arrives and delivers a message that all people must reach Antarctica within 30 days or, presumably, die. The story follows the survivors to Antarctica, and the new society’s attempt to genetically engineer a superior being - “the cold people” - to be able to thrive and survive in the hostile climate.

I had some major problems with this book. I felt that the alien invasion was nothing more than a plot device to get people into Antarctica as it was rarely mentioned again after it triggered the mass exodus. Also, the book jumped rapidly through the storyline to its own detriment. At one point, our main survivor group makes an agreement for passage on a ship sailing to Antarctica, by trading their ingenuity for passage. They are successful, but rather than experiencing this crossing with them, learning how they survive, getting to see them not only as individuals but as a group, we jump ahead to when they have arrived at their destination. We also don’t get to experience the early years in Antarctica. Soon after their arrival, the book jumps forward 20 years. In my opinion, the author could have just begun the book at about the 40% mark since all we get before that is background that could easily be covered in far fewer pages, and the author’s true interest seems to be the cold people storyline, which doesn’t begin until almost 50%. Even the climactic scene gets cut short. There is a standoff between the refugees and the cold people in which the cold people issue an ultimate. Rather than sticking with the story and letting us see how that played out, we are jumped forward two months. Due to this constant jumping forward and backwards 20 years, and changing viewpoints, we never get to know any of the characters. They all remain flat and uninteresting.

One thing that was very distracting to me for much of the book was trying to figure out how this new society, which was fairly primitive, existing on native sea life, plants, and materials scavenged from airplanes and boats, was somehow creating sophisticated genetically mutated people. Granted, there was the prior existence of McMurdo Station (an existing science research station) but McMurdo was not conducting genetic experiments. Around the 70% mark it was finally explained that a top geneticist had brought equipment and knowledge with her, but it would have been helpful to have been told that earlier.

I think this book was ambitious, the author’s knowledge and interest in Antarctica apparent, but in his eagerness to do so much, he sacrificed the smaller plot points, and character development, and ended up with a choppy book that did not commandeer my interest.

I spent most of this book thinking, WAIT......what about--? The book is chaotic, wild, and requires an almost impossible suspension of disbelief. Luckily, I have an imagination that can accommodate most anything, and once I stopped asking questions, I really enjoyed this book. I love a good end of the world story, and this one really pulled me in despite the strange story structure, and the lack of more than a few pertinent details. An exciting story and an effective examination of hubris, both human and otherwise. The story is a good read, plain and simple. I look forward to recommending this to fans of dystopian fiction looking for something just a bit different.

Can humans adapt enough to survive Antarctica? Can scientific experimentation aid in that pursuit….and if it can, are there any limits to what can be tried?

In this engrossing new novel by Tom Rob Smith, the future of the human species rests upon the answers to those questions. When the story begins we meet Liza, an American med school student who is on a European vacation with her parents and sister, and Atto, a young Portuguese man working as a tour guide in Lisbon. Neither is particularly happy with their current life paths, but each feels drawn to the other. A sunset sail should be very romantic, but though Lisa is curious enough to accept Atto’s offer she isn’t convinced that it makes sense to act on their attraction. When they return to port, however, the world has changed. An overpowering fleet of extraterrestrial vehicles has taken complete control of the planet. The beings issue an ultimatum….any humans who wish to survive must move to Antarctica, and they have only thirty days to get there. Any humans who are not there on that thirtieth day will be killed.

Who decides who is allowed to make the trek? What supplies will be needed and can be brought there? Few individuals have the means at their disposal to make the journey; governments quickly commandeer whatever planes, ships, submarines and other vehicles for their own use. It is a mad scramble, and difficult choices need to be made quickly. The reader can not help but wonder….what choices would they make? Could they leave behind parents, children, or partners if they alone had the chance to survive? If they made it to Antarctica, would they possess the strength and abilities to make a new life?

The story alternates between this period of exodus and a point twenty years in the future. Some have indeed survived, and have created communities on the Antarctic peninsula. But it is a precarious existence at best, and slowly the population is dwindling. Scientists are working to genetically modify the human genome to create a new kind of human who can readily exist and thrive in this extreme environment. Ethical boundaries that had once seemed so clear and necessary have been reconsidered, and new beings have been created. The time has come to introduce some of these new creatures into the human population…but not all are sure that cooperation and co-existence are assured.

Cold People immediately captured my attention, and I found I could not put it down. It is a well-constructed story with fully developed characters struggling to exist in a supremely inhospitable environment. Many questions are raised, and there are no pat answers to them. The needs and desires of the individual are pitted against the priorities of the group at large. Can science go too far, if the only alternative is extinction? When does a human stop actually being human? I challenge all who enjoy a superbly crafted story and want to engage their intellect to read this remarkable novel and find their own answers to these and other questions. Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy.

Wow, chaotic, but it satisfied my dystopian heart and I’m glad I read it. I can’t help but think that it had so much more potential but what do I know?

Read if you’re into: alien invasions, totally unbelievable dystopian, genetic experiments/mutation, setting of Antarctica!!!

I was super into all of those themes but perhaps it was too many themes in one book.

I really like Tom’s writing style. Easy and enjoyable to read. This story felt like it should be spread out across multiple books. I really wanted to know more about the aliens and the set up of Hope Town and the different cities but it felt like a lot of details were left out making it feel a bit rushed and unbelievable. I kept getting pulled out of the story by unbelievable elements of the story. For instance, the remnants of humanity are able to conjure up modified humans in just a few years? The best of whom is 16 years old now meaning that 4 years into exile, the greatest minds in the world were able to create basically a super being? It was hard to believe. But would be believable if more time had past. Or more time was spent describing how these things were possible. Maybe a fun read for someone who doesn’t mind big stretches of the imagination.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Amazing! Epic! Original and Memorable!
Tom Rob Smith has created a whole new world, in just a short book, he will take you an unforgettable odyssey.
Following a global apocalypse, humanity is forced to take shelter and in the inhospitable Antarctic. Split between three camps are the majority of the survivors while the previous presidents and high ups live in a scientific area working around the clock to create solutions to survival. One lone geneticist thinks she has the solutions.... What happens next is unbelievably gripping and sure to lead to more books. If you like world building, odysseys and obstacles, or just want to read a book before it is sure to become a great movie, Cold People is for you! #Scribner

A well-written story and a chilling concept, being banned to Antarctica by an outside force. How can humans survive and what will we do to ensure our survival? Cold People is a sci-fi apocalyptic drama with dynamic characters and masterful storytelling. While the ending is solid, this book could easily be book one in a series. I will definitely be on the lookout for book two.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and Scribner in exchange for an honest review. Expected Pub Date: Feb 7, 2023