This was a swing and a miss for me.
I don’t appreciate that one whole timeline is 30 years ago so everyone in the other POVs is not happening in real time. Sure it moved the story but it’s not my favourite. I also didn’t like the rants about being anti-men. Perhaps that was to drive the point of the commune home but it was excessive IMO. Lastly, the simple writing of finishing, childbirth, raising a child… were just not believable to a point where I wondered if the author had done research on these before inserting them into the story.

This is a Sci-fi dystopian novel that I just could not get into. I am sure it will have great appeal for many but for me, it just missed the mark.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I sadly ended up not finishing this book, I just could not get into the writing style, the characters or the plot. The concept was great, I just feel like it was not executed well enough to keep me reading.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, Knopf Canada and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not sure how I feel about this one. Had a hard time getting through to the end of this story. It felt like several stories being told at the same time and it wasn't till I got to the end that the storylines intersected.
The last 25% of the story was by far the best part of the book. This is when we find out the connection between the characters and how they got to where they are. Why is it that in a lot of survival type stories, women are regaled to being second class citizens, dependent and/or controlled by men to survive. Here we see both a highly aggressive group of women hell bent on survival, no matter what, as well as a group that are created as playthings for the camp's men. Climate change is suppose to be the reason for the story but feels more like a backdrop then an actual part of the story.

Not a book I'm likely to recommend to friends or family.

I was really intrigued at the premise of this book going into it, but still ended up surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It read so easily and just kept pulling me along. The characters were all intriguing and often relatable. I really enjoyed the storytelling format, switching between people and time periods. The chapters and reveal at the end of White Alice particularly stood out to me and were easily my favourite part of the book. Would defiantly recommend this book and am excited to see what this author does next!

“Why do men take so easily whatever they want? Because nothing will ever be enough, she realizes. The more a man possess, the more he thinks he deserves.” 🌑

This dystopian thriller is set in Northern Canada (Alberta to be exact). The goal of the region is to start a college that will thrive up north, where it isn’t to hot or have environmental problems that will wipe out the region. You read this story through the eyes of an escort for the crew, a newly hired [young] professor, and a crew member from “White Alice” - a camp who has been living up north long before the camp started. There are so many secrets within each person at the camp. But the main point is survival. You will constantly be trying to figure out who is running the camp and why they are there completing their work.

I really enjoyed the first 80% of the book and couldn’t put it down when I was reading it. But in my opinion, there were too many characters introduced without learning why they were there, or what they contributed to the story. I feel like I need more books (yes more than one) to see where it’s going and continue to add depth to the plot lines that seemed to be forgotten. Overall I do give this one 3/5.

In her debut novel Michelle Min Sterling show's the length people will go to in order to survive:

Climate change around the world has made many parts of the United states uninhabitable but many believe that salvation lies farther into the Canadian north, where an American is building a new community of many secrets. Rose just wants a better life for herself and her mother and is willing to do what it takes to make that happen. When she is offered a job, as a Bloom, to spy on the leader of the builder of the Camp in exchange for her and her mother to be taken care of and given citizenship to the floating city, she knows she will take it. Grant is determined to flee his family and go somewhere where they will never be able to find him. When a job at a new remote community college offers him a job he knows this is his out. What he finds is that the collage is no even close to being completed and he is there to teach the Canadian workers instead. Is this life in the North that holds the future to human survival? Only time will tell, but even new towns have secrets.

I wasn’t 100% sure going into this book, I was on the fence based on the premise whether I would enjoy it or not, as I found it a bit vague. For a debut novel I think that Sterling really captured something here. I enjoyed her perspective of where the world is going and while a lot of it is doom and gloom there are those points of hope, especially around White Alice and their ability to survive. This book had points where it was character driven and plot driven, and I found this aspect changed throughout the book. I did not mind this as it kept the story moving forward but I think it did slow the overall pace of the book.

Some may critique the in-your-face aspects about this book about climate change, but i think it is just a point we all need to get behind. Yes, the planet is changing but at what rate, scientist differ in this aspect, but I think we can all say that the planet and climate is changing. I have also read reviews that this is a climate feminism book that men suck and created all the climate problem, all I can say to those is get over yourself. There is a male main character in the book who is trying to escape but also do better (sorry small rant over).

I was able to figure out how Sterling was going to bring the three storylines together, but I still enjoyed the ride to get there. There were some aspects at the end where Sterling didn’t take the easy way out and it did becomes a question of who is going to survive, which I appreciated. Sterling also left the book a little open ended, and I would be interested in seeing if Sterling chose to continue the story even in a novella aspect.

Everything really does come down to sex but in more than one way. Sex for pleasure, sex for control, sex for power, sex to create life, but you cannot read this book and not realize that this is a main theme of it as well. Now while it may be a main theme Sterling does not go into any detail, so if you are looking for something spicy, this is not here.

As wildfire are burning all across Canada right now, I think that shows that Sterling is pretty on point on her description of what could come and those needing to flee farther and farther north to escape the changes in weather to try and find some semblance of habitable environment.

Just like Draft dodgers for the Vietnam War, more and more American want to move farther North into Canada where the land is more habitable and still has seasons other than Hot and Hotter. So, they start to buy up what land they can. I think this is a very real prospect not only for habitable land but water as well. Canada has the most freshwater lakes in the world. I will say if the US became desperate enough to need the resources/land of Canada they would probably just Take It. It would be more than the White Alice Mission they would just walk across the border and claim Canada, as really what is Canada going to do, they don’t have any military to stop them.

Dominion Lake is a real place but it in British Columbia not in Alberta so I was confused when it was referred to as "Wild Rose County" which is something that is very Albertian.

I enjoyed this book and the perspectives that Sterling presented. Even though the book was slow at times I wanted to see what would happen and how Sterling would bring it all together. I would read another book by Sterling whether she decides to continue this story or craft something new.

Enjoy!!!

The writing kept me engaged and curious throughout the novel. The novel is written in 2 timelines which merge. Colonialism is reference in the book. If you enjoy dystopian reads, this is a great read to pick up.

As a work of Cli-fi I did enjoy this book overall. I thought the world building (or destroying) was solid and believable. I enjoyed the two worlds of White Alice and the Camp, and really wanted to see how they came together. I did find the ending sort of frenetic and rushed. That may have been the intent, but it left me feeling somewhat dissatisfied. I would recommend this title to fans of dystopian and Cli-fi fiction.

Camp Zero follows multiple storylines and characters in a world facing the climate crisis in a not-so-distant future. Using multiple perspectives, Sterling weaves different perspectives through this novel, jumping between timelines but keeping the interconnectedness of the story.

As a lover of dystopian and apocalyptic stories, I was very excited to read this. Especially as a story set so close in the future and so eerily similar to what we could be facing as a civilization, I thought there could be some really interesting conversations in this book. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The power dynamics at play between gender and race could have been explored much more given the content, but little attention was paid to this, despite having a queer storyline, a storyline about sex workers, as well as the climate crisis. The story just seemed to lack a critical eye and felt like it was happening in the 1900s, not 2049. Overall, I felt disconnected to the characters and felt that the story didn't really go anywhere.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not sure what to make of this but thought it struggled a bit to bring together a disparate set of characters struggling in a harsh world. It has a good premise but doesn't quite keep it together.

This was a DNF for me. I don't want to read about sex workers. I didn't make it past the first chapter because the writing style didn't engage me.

Camp Zero is an interesting take on the typical dystopian novel. Following three different points of view, the story slowly unfolds in a time when the Earth is heating up and moving North is the most viable option if you can't afford to live in the floating city. The novel flows at a good pace, leaving me wondering how the three stories will intertwine.
The only downside I found, was that the ending reads as though this is the start of a series despite it being a stand alone novel. It left me wanting closure.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Camp Zero depicts life on Earth as climate change advances - a dystopian novel that doesn't feel too dystopian-y given the current state of the environment. This novel is set in "post-climate change" Northern Canada, where North America has been destroyed due to storms...wildfires... scorching temperatures (doesn't...sound too unrealistic these days). People are implanted with a device at birth to connect them online continually. Tourists go on tours to the north to escape the heat, and the rich live in newly created floating cities. It was a fascinating read and a unique story. It did lag a bit in the middle, but overall good story.

Camp Zero
by Michelle Min Sterling 🇨🇦

Camp Zero offers a depiction of what life on Earth will be like as climate change advances. And considering that a large portion of my province of Alberta has been on fire for the past few weeks with evacuation warnings continually playing over the radio, I have not been able to forget about this book.

Set in post-climate change Northern Canada, the story portrays a world where the mainland of North America has been destroyed due to storms, wildfires, and intolerable temperatures. People are implanted with a Flick device at birth to continually connect them online. Tourists go on "cold tours" to the north to escape the heat, and the rich live in newly created "floating cities."

The story revolves around three sub-plots and features Rose who accepts a job as an escort and spy in the northern community of Camp Zero to help her Korean-immigrant mother displaced due to climate change; a group of highly-trained female scientists conduct surveillance at a Cold War-era research station; and a young man tries to escape the ties of his wealthy family.

There are lots of twists and turns. It wasn't a total page-turner for me - I found it a bit slow in the middle - but I really enjoyed the story of the women of White Alice.

My favourite part was the various themes presented: how our dependence on technology can destroy our lives/memories, the effects of climate change, how we destroy our homes/planet and value economics over nature and the privilege the rich enjoy while everyone else suffers.

It's a dystopian novel that doesn't really feel dystopian to me because the world that is created could actually happen to us. IS already happening in a way.

If you want to delve into the world of eco-thrillers (some of my favourite reads), I recommend you check this one out.

I really liked it. 4 ⭐️ for me.

Thank you to @penguinrandomhouseca for the #gorgeous gifted copy.

Thank you to NetGally, Penguin Random House Canada and Knopf Canada for this ARC.

I didn't think I was into Sci-fi or dystopian novels, but I could not stop reading this one. I absolutely adored the story. I found the book to be fast paced and I loved how it all tied in at the end. I will be giving this book 4 stars and have already been recommending to friends and family!

Wow I will be thinking about this book for a long time after finishing it. I stayed up late to finish it up and all night long the story was running through my head (which made for some weird dreams). This new genre of climate change dystopian books is one that is fairly new to me. I found it to be terrifying knowing that the decisions that we make today could potentially mean some sort of society that is present in Camp Zero could happen. Terrifying and sad were the emotions that I felt at the end of this one.

As the world’s climate changes, animal species are expanding their range as they seek hospitable habitats so it only seems natural that humans will do the same thing as regions of our planet become unlivable. As a Canadian living near a southern neighbour that faces a future of water shortages and increasing temperatures, I imagine Americans will start migrating northward and the border that divides our countries will eventually become meaningless. In her debut novel, Camp Zero, author Michele Min Sterling gives us a glimpse of what that future could look like.

Set in the year 2049, the story focuses on the intertwined stories of a group of climate change survivors in a northern Canadian settlement, and is as much a novel about the societal effects of climate change as it is about class divisions in society.

The book follows three principal story lines that slowly paint a portrait of what this future world is like and reveal that human motivations of love and greed will never change. It opens with an introduction of Rose, an escort who has been to hired to work at the northern settlement of Camp Zero in exchange for a home for her Korean mother and herself in the Floating City, a utopian haven where the elite can escape and ignore the effects of climate change off the shores of Boston.

The second story line follows another character from Boston, but he is one of those elite, Grant Grimley, son of a rich family that has exploited the planet for generations. He’s come to Camp Zero thinking he is helping set up a new university, but his real motivation is that he wants to distance himself from his family and his past in a bid to become his own man.

The third principal story line follows the travails of the all-female crew of White Alice, a nearby Distant Early Warning station from the Cold War that has been turned into a climate research station. These chapters are written in the first person, unlike the other two story lines, which are in the third person so it’s a bit confusing at first, but not for long. Oddly, only one character from the crew is ever identified by name, Sal, the security specialist. The rest are merely referred to as the engineer, the botanist, the biologist and the meteorologist.

Camp Zero is full of little touches that build on each other to paint a perfectly imagined future. There are references to an oil ban where the world has begun transitioning away from fossil fuels and the man who is building the camp, Meyer, is also the inventor of ‘the Flick,’ a device that everyone has implanted behind their ear at birth to allow them to be perpetually online and connected. He’s an idealist who is somewhat disillusioned about his invention, but is perhaps seeking redemption as he builds this new community.

Rose is a ‘Bloom,’ one of several escorts who are here to entertain the management of Camp Zero, but she is singled out by Meyer to be his companion. Through their interactions we learn more about Meyer and Rose’s own past and motivations and her well-concealed disgust of the situation. We also learn more about Grant and his growing realization that Camp Zero is not what he was expecting. Over time, more characters are revealed and there are romantic entanglements and conflicts that bring the story lines together as the book comes to its conclusion.

While I enjoyed this book immensely and found it completely believable, my only complaint is how the story ended. I obviously won’t spoil it, but found that the ending was perhaps a bit too sudden and maybe even anti-climactic, but that doesn’t change my opinion that Camp Zero is a book worth seeking out and one worth reading.

In the near future, the earth has changed due to climate and everyone wants to move north to Canada. A few separate situations are going on here including a research station left to its own devices in Canada and a not so far away drilling project that has made camp including a troupe of escorts.

I really enjoyed this book and the way it ends leaves the possibility of a sequel. I enjoyed the characters at both the station and the camp and really enjoyed the plot. The book is a slow burn which may bother some readers but I'm ok with that as I'm all about characters and this book delivers. I was put off by the man-hating and that's mainly why my rating is a four instead of a five. I look forward to the author's next book.

3.5 stars

A near future (2049) dystopian novel in which the high temperatures, drought and rising sea levels of climate change have made living in much of world untenable (though this novel is concerned mainly with the US). The super-rich have retreated to artificial communities in impermeable bubbles, staffed by the poor, where the upper echelons continue to enjoy anything they crave, while most people struggle to survive outside. A group of rich investors has plans to build a community, to attract more of the monied elite, in Canada’s north, with its cooler temperatures, and the staging site is Camp Zero. It’s there that the disparate group of characters come together: the sex workers flown in to service the better-off denizens of the camp, the idealistic teacher recruited by (empty) promises of a college on-site, the labourers and their foreman, the female military researchers cum survivalists who’ve been staffing nearby Cold War era stations for decades but have long since been cut loose by home base, and so on and so on. Oh, and I musn’t neglect to mention the utterly predictable thread of the devious billionaire who has set all this in motion but whose real, hidden intentions are entirely evil. (Well, of course they are. Fiction seems always unkind to billionaires, whose true motives are generally secret and nasty in the extreme.)

Not terrible, but more concerned with plot than character development, and much of it seemed a bit too pat and predictable.