Thank you Netgalley for the ARC and Libro.fm for the ALC. I ended up mainly listening to the audiobook, which more than one narrator which I appreciate. It is set in a near future dystopia so reminded me of Station Eleven and a bit of Our Missing Hearts. It got a little heavy-handed on the "men suck" side of things for me, but it was pretty quickly paced and had a few sets of characters to keep things interesting. Copied from my goodreads review

3.5 stars!

The premise of this book was super interesting and felt so realistic. Americans flooding to Canada when the world heats too much! I enjoyed the characters a lot I would have liked more white Alice chapters! My only problem is that it felt flat, there weren't many ups or downs.

Thank you netgalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

What an incredible story. Rose gets a job at a place called Camp Zero she’s happy to go and bring her mother. Here there’s clean cool air. Due to climate changes the atmosphere has changed. Unfortunately there’s secrets and dangers. Will the survivors be able to find out the truth in time.

Camp Zero is one of those books that has inevitably gotten compared to Emily St. John Mandel’s now classic novel Station Eleven. And the jaded reader could sigh at this because there has been a lion’s share of books that have been influenced directly by Station Eleven: The Wolves of Winter is one of them. Thankfully, Camp Zero is its own novel, and the only reason that some people would be making the comparison is due to both books sharing similar titles and the fact that each is set in a dystopian near future where the world has either been ravaged by a virus (Station Eleven) or climate change (Camp Zero). Readers can be relieved by the fact that no cars are being drawn by horses in Camp Zero as they are in Station Eleven and its various knockoffs. It is a strong effort that’s inevitably about what would happen if American interests took hold of Canada’s natural resources — a fear that goes back as far as, at least in my memory, the Free Trade talks of the 1980s. (It probably goes much farther back than that.) This is a bewitching tale — one that works best if you know as little about it as possible going into it, but it’s also a work that is best read if you don’t think about the plot twists too much. This is an enjoyably fascinating book, one that you can slurp a Coke and get your fingers sticky with buttered popcorn to.

If you do feel that you need to know the plot of Camp Zero before giving it a go, it is essentially focused on the viewpoints of two alternating characters: Rose and Grant. Rose is an American citizen who hails from a floating city outside of Boston in the year 2049. She is sent to work in a brothel an abandoned oil town in northern Alberta, where her main mission is to keep tabs on an architect who is building a new community in the ravaged northlands. At the end of her mission, her Korean mother will be rescued from poverty and both women will become citizens of the floating city. Oil has been all but excavated in this Canadian setting, and the land is now seemingly barren, but Americans are working on building on the land and rehabilitating it — or are they? The mystery begins to cloud the settlement. Meanwhile, Grant is a young man who has been hired to educate the “Diggers” on the construction project, but he’s really on the run from his family. Something in his past is burdening him, but the longer he stays in the camp of construction workers, the more he begins to realize too that all is not what it seems. In between the chapters featuring these two characters, we learn of a radar station in Canada’s north called White Alice that is staffed by all women, and their mission is mysterious but linked to what’s happening in the rest of the narrative.

As you can see, this is an adrenaline-fuelled ride of crosses and double-crosses, and readers will be kept on the edge of their seats. I hesitate to say anything about the themes of this book because, in doing so, I would be giving away large segments of the plot — this is a book where plot elements are tightly wound together, and praising it for being a book about the depletion of resources could tip one’s hands to saying too much. However, this is a book about other things, too. It’s a book about the bonds between mothers and daughters, even when they are separated by great distances. This is a book about what it means to belong to a nationality, especially when you’re something of a dual citizen. This is also a read about familial expectations, and what happens when one abandons those expectations to go out and live a life entirely free from the constraints of being born into privilege. For a book that could be categorized as a beach read, a lot is going on between the covers and this is a deep and moving meditation on a lot of different things. Therefore, one reader will probably discover something to enjoy about this read that diverges from another reader.

However, this is really a book about Canada-U.S. relations. It may not be far-fetched that what this book prophesizes will become true: that Canada will be overrun by American interests, and simply become a site where Americans simply exploit Canada’s land for their own ends. In a sense, Camp Zero is a wake-up call — a plea to Canadians to pay attention to what is going on around them because the country could soon be overrun by those who live to the south of us. This is a fascinating element of the book because Canada has — as any student of Canadian history will know — also had something of a love-hate relationship with the United States, so it’s interesting to see a certain dynamic at work in Canadian fiction. This might be the most American book ever written that takes place largely on Canadian soil. Thus, Camp Zero has all the makings of a thoughtful blockbuster — a book that’s bound to be popular and creep onto a bestseller list of some kind, I think. So, yes, some may want to compare this book to Station Eleven. However, you will be pleased to know that Camp Zero takes the template laid down by that book and elevates it to another level. All in all, Camp Zero is a wonderful read that will have you biting your fingernails with the twists and suspense of its final half and will also have you thinking as well. True, some of the twists do seem a little “out there,” but, overall, this is a wildly entertaining book and one that readers wondering what the future may bring to Canada will want to devour.

Overall a good story. The different POVs can make it difficult to connect with the characters at times.

Set in a dystopian future where the climate has ravaged the earth, the common people are dying in heat waves and hurricanes while the rich survive in floating cities, a diverse group of people find themselves in the Canadian North, living in the mysterious Camp Zero. The Diggers, a group of men hired to build a new campus, a new way of life. The Blooms, a group of women hired to service the investors and perhaps distract the men, and Grant, a professor hired to educate these men.
Further up North, we find White Alice, a group of women conducting climate related research... Is everyone hiding secrets ? Can anyone really be trusted ?

I do love a good dystopian read and this was my first one set in Canada which I loved. It was super interesting to imagine a not so far away future where the oil is banned, the people are suffering after years and years of warning regarding the environment and how the rich survive it all.

I loved reading about White Alice and the flashbacks from Rose, our main Bloom. However, I have so many questions and the ending has left me somewhat unsatisfied.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. All opinions are my own.


Camp Zero is a dystopia novel with a message and strong characters. Thanks to the wonderful description of the camp I was able to place them in the empty mining town in Kitsault,B.

The book was slow, but the story was good. At times I felt the author had two book ideas and stuck them together.

All and all aa good story that shows how important help agaainst global warming is.

This book is short, but I still felt the first half of the book quite slow. I wish we learned more about the character’s back stories earlier on. The White Alice story felt like it could’ve been its own book. Rose’s story was most interesting, while Grant’s felt a little pointless until we learned more. The book didn’t have much action, you learn so much and then every happens very fast at the end. I wish I knew more and was more invested in the character’s earlier in the story. I liked the premise, because the setting is so bleak, I find it hard to read 150 pages of the monotony and emptiness of the north. This book tackles so much, and it was very interesting to read about. Especially the women of White Alice, who stayed committed to their mission long after it made sense to do so. I wish I heard a bit more about when the women knew they were abandoned- it felt like they made their decision and never looked back or felt fear at any point. The Blooms were interesting, but there were too many of them, and generally too many characters to really care about at all. A very unique book with a lot of moral dilemmas and choices to be made.

Would make a great book club pick.

Camp Zero is set in the future, but the environment affected by climate change, internet convenience built into humans, significant separation between haves and have nots, with classic human behaviour reaching for memories of love and family make this work a sincerely plausible reality. I bristled with the return of male dominance and strength of capitalism, but not surprised whatsoever. Weaving collaborative female intelligence, patience, and will to survive while individually or collectively doing whatever necessary to protect family grounds me with hope for our species. Such a great read that deserves 5 stars. I look forward to more of Sterling's work. Thank you to the publisher for bringing Sterling's novel to be read by the masses.

3.5 stars
I appreciate dystopian novels for the reflection they initiate.
Viewing ourselves as a society anything dramatically different than we currently are seems unthinkable, though we have seen forms of it in recent years.
Yet this is a scenario posed in Camp Zero by author Michelle Min Sterling. Thank you to Tandem Collective and Penguin Random Canada for my AD-PR Product for review!
The year is 2049, and global warming has left much of North America uninhabitable due to extreme climate change. People have Flick devices implanted under the skin to allow constant media access.
The story is told in alternating chapters from those who have been sent to the far North to combat the world's changes through various means.
I'm a bit on the fence with Camp Zero. I was quickly drawn into the world created, which I find so essential in dystopian fiction. The reader needs to accept the world and scenarios the characters are in.
I think it was more my reaction to the characters. I could relate to many, but was ambivalent to some as well. Thus it felt like an uneven read for me, as alternating chapters changed how I felt with each section.
The prose was beautiful at times, spare at others. The ending was left somewhat open, and felt like possibly paving the way for a sequel.
While perhaps not perfect, Camp Zero is definitely worth the read - recommended!
Released on April 4!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the author for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Newly released on April 4, 2023!
Debut author Michelle Min Sterling has already made serious waves with her novel, “Camp Zero” (when the novel appeared on the Today Show with super reader and host, Jenna Bush) and no doubt there will be more accolades to come. “Zero” is a clever and thought- provoking dystopian story that is not only utterly suspenseful and intriguing but terrifying realistic and absolutely plausible.
In the year 2049, most of the United States are struggling with insufferable heatwaves, and diesel fuel has been banned, leaving the fossil fuel industry in ruins. At birth, children are implanted with an electronic “Flick” which allows them not only to be able to remain online constantly, but also to have their memories altered and their personalities tracked. A few settlers have moved North to a remote encampment in Canada, where they hope to start the human race over again, making far fewer mistakes this time around. But of course, things that are too good to be true usually are- and as the new recruits adjust to the Northern climes, they soon realize that their utopia is not at all what they had been told.
“Camp Zero” is narrated by several of its characters, all from many different walks of life. Rose is the daughter of a Korean immigrant, who is offered the chance to work as an escort in the North, in exchange for her mother’s safety. Grant is the son of an American billionaire, who thinks an escape to the North will sever all ties with his family once and for all. The elusive “White Alice”, a group of women scientists sent to work on the Northern developments, narrate their story from the group perspective, without identifying themselves by name. In fact, most of the characters are labeled by what they do, or where they’re from (such as the escorts, known collectively as “The Blooms”, who are identified by flower names, such as Rose. Or “the Barber”, “the cartographer”, “the biologist” and so on), making them immediately part of the “group” instead of the singular “one”. I can’t say that I’ve read any other novels that identify characters this way, and it works perfectly for the members of “Camp Zero”.
I love how Min Sterling tied all of the plot lines together at the end in a completely unexpected way and, of course, I always give extra props to authors who feature the Great White North (Canada) as one of its settings.
The plot of this novel is not that far from believable, and, like most dystopian novels, it will leave the reader with heavy thoughts. In a society plagued by a rapidly changing climate, “Camp Zero” sets the stage for one of the many plausible options that await humanity. That being said, Min Sterling wasn’t preachy and not once did she get up on her soapbox. “Camp Zero” was humbling, powerful and deeply emotional, and it will mark Min Sterling’s entry into the literary world in a big way.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for a free copy in exchange for review.

Camp Zero is a climate-based dystopian novel following a girl who goes by Rose as she works to secure a safe future for her mother and herself by spying on people. It follows numerous perspectives that all entwin by the end of the novel.

Very well-written, gripping and at times absolutely terrifying. It raises questions about whether utopia can actually exist, family ties and how far people will go to protect those they love. It honestly hits very close to home with recent climate change info that's been released by the UN and definitely makes one contemplate their future.

Definitely a recommend by me! I read it in three days because I could not put it down!

Clearly intended to be a commentary on climate change, Camp Zero veers wildly into militant feminism, touches briefly on Indigenous land claim issues and dances around global politics. Poorly linked to the central plot and often poorly fleshed out, these deviations left me confused and distracted. I still don't understand why a drastic change in the global climate caused brothels to become commonplace throughout North America or why "the South" (poorly defined but seemingly south of the 49th parallel) is experiencing massive wildfires and flooding but the Canadian north somehow remains unaffected. Or how the United States government could set up a "climate monitoring station" on Canadian soil with no involvement by the Canadian government. Or, or, or. So many questions with so few logical answers. Geographically, this book makes little sense as well, again veering wildly from a fictional floating utopia near Boston to "Dominion Lake", an abandoned Canadian oil town stuck permanently in winter but yet still within a day's drive of the US border. Add to that hazy timelines (check out the scene where the Blossoms go "shopping" in the abandoned Millenium mall and see if you can figure out when it was abandoned) and weak character development (Grant in particular was baffling to me as his whole purpose seemed to be to show that not all men are evil, exploitative bastards but he mainly comes off as a privileged kid throwing a tantrum by running away) and you have a recipe for a book that falls short of the mark. I wanted to like it but Camp Zero just had too many holes for me.

Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling was a dystopian that played with my thoughts and emotions the whole journey, and it will remain quite the memorable ride!

I think I'll start here: I live and reside in Southern Alberta and can understand the impact of the oil and gas industry. I've lived through the big boom of 2008, and that bubble bursting; I've lived through the cries and the politics of the environmental impact. I could not have read Camp Zero without this filter being in place, which I think gave me a unique take on the climatic representation shown.

Now, lets go onto the roller coaster of emotions I had while reading this book.

I quickly realized that this novel is very much a typical dystopian, and as much as I want to love them, they always seem to be a struggle to get through. The writing is both beautiful and irritating as it doesn't flow; the sentence structure seeming choppy and segmented. There's world building and back story to the environment that is being laid out, and it's a challenge to fully comprehend. Then all of a sudden at the half-way mark, I finally felt like I got into the premise of the book, and parts started clicking into place; but it also felt like it was a little too late at this point. (For comparison the other dystopians I've read are The Grace Girls and Our Missing Hearts... and I had similar experiences with both of those books as well.)

It's been a while since I've felt depressed as I read, but this novel really pulled that emotion out of me. I know both sides to the oil and gas coin... and I felt depressed that the parts of Alberta that I take for granted were no longer present in this novel (“Do you know this region used to be called ‘Wild Rose Country’?”). Then all of a sudden it was like a light bulb went off, and although this book was still sad and depressing, making me think about how and what we do to this earth, I realized that this book is more than about just that. It's about finding a solution, coming to an agreement that works, that we can all strive for. I suddenly became addicted, and it was all I wanted to read. I thought about it constantly and couldn't get enough.

I went from feeling like an outsider of the dystopian genre, to “getting” it; understanding the hype and love from its fans. I don't think there's a "making sense" of the genre which my brain was trying to do - I think you just ride it, and see where it spits you out.

Then the book winded down and ended, and although I'm not sure I fully understand the conclusion, I'm also not 100% sure that I would have a better overall opinion if I did understand it fully. The only thing I know for certain is how muddled the ending felt.

Overall, it was very cut and dry that men are only required for the continual population of society, when and only when determined by the women.

As I said, it was quite the ride.

Anyways, this year I've set myself a bit of a goal to really step outside my comfort zone with the books I choose to read, and although this one was indeed a push out of my norm, I still feel it was a valuable experience.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy to read and review.

Camp Zero is a dystopian slow burn thriller following three separate stories. In a oil-banned world amidst climate change, lower and middle class folks still suffer - politics and money still rule.

The mystery behind the project didn't compel me as much as Rose's backstory, which I think could've been a novel on its own. Grant felt underutilized as a character to dive into the camp leaders motivations. The White Alice chapters were the standouts and reinforced themes of the strength of women, resiliency, and morality. The prose is beautiful and I will try future books from Michelle Min Sterling.

Camp Zero is an American project in Canada, though I was very confused about where it actually was. There was mention of the North West Territories and Alberta... and I live in Alberta, so just pick a location please because they are not the same. I appreciated the brief mention of Indigenous peoples and theme of colonization but there wasn't enough for that this story wanted to be.

The scope for Camp Zero just felt too large and wasn't able to maintain the tension of a thriller. I felt that I'd forgotten it was supposed to be a thriller until the final chapters, which I really did enjoy. While this novel offers a plausible and uncomfortable possible future, overall I was left wanting.

CW: animal death, murder, SA, misogyny, violence, pregnancy, colonization, classism, gore, death of parent, racism

2.75 rounded up.

I found myself unable to put this book down! While it wasn't perfect (more below), I was compelled the whole way through! I mistakenly started this book thinking it was climate-fiction, and while the state of the environment is certainly a precursor to the narrative - this book is really about how gender and class will impact those of us in an evolving disaster.

We jump between 3 main stories - that of Grant, a privileged, white man attempting to distance himself from his family; Rose, a prostitute trying to earn money to protect her Korean-immigrant mother and their future, and a group of women called White Alice - scientists embarking on a climate mission.

At times the ebbs of this book felt random - there were a lot of storylines, woven together to illustrate the difference in experience between wealth & privilege on a climate-challenged Earth, and so many interesting components - murder, political atrocities, futuristic cities, natural disasters, sinister characters, nationhood. I do think some of these components didn't get much of a 'pay-off', and again was challenged by the broad scope.

Overwhelming. Camp Zero is everything our world is becoming and what we hope it won’t be,

Rose is a sex worker on a secret mission. Grant is a teacher with strong family connections. At a mining camp at the edge of the world, we see the politics, greed and humanity in all the characters Min Sterling creates. Their desires and hopes are intertwined with the realities of the state of the world around them.

This book is captivating.

This is a tough one to review, I was absolutely captivated by this book and didn’t want to put it down. It felt very Handsmaid’s Tale/Sea of Tranquility. But at times it felt very surface level and I know it could have gone deeper into some of these social issues.

The year is 2049 and the world (specifically United States) is experiencing a global warming crisis. There are constant floods, hurricanes, and extreme heat making the south a largely unliveable space. Humans at this point are also implanted with a “flick” to provide them with a constant media feed to tap into. The world is a bleak dystopia and we follow three stories of survival and desperation.

I thought the characters were all well thought out, stakes were interesting enough to keep me invested and the pace was very quick. I especially loved the White Alice chapters and the dynamics of a female society.

The main problem I had with it was the very divisive view of men vs women. It was very clear from the beginning that men were either a tool to be used by women or a threat to women. I also wish there was a bit more discussion on land taken from aboriginal people. It’s such a big topic currently in Canada and I think that plot point deserved a bit more than a simple nod. These issues were not as nuanced as I wanted and instead seemed like a clear binary of good versus bad.

I thought the ending was ok, and I felt there was a lot of room for more story to be told. There was so much not told about each story that I feel like each story could have been its own book. Specifically I was interested a lot in the politics of the Loop and Floating City/repercussions of the Flick.

Cap Zero, told from multiple perspectives, explores the realities of a group of climate change survivors in a near-future northern settlement.

Good read for those who enjoy utopia based science fiction novels

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada, Knopf Canada in exchange for my honest review

I really liked the concept of this book, and also the way the three storylines came together. I didn't expect it to work out the way it did at all.

Even while being sick for a few days and not being able to read it, I was thinking about it and wondering what would happen next.. but overall it just felt a bit empty in parts? I went into it thinking it was a standalone book, so I was expecting a full, complete story. But the ending (and certain parts throughout) make me think that maybe it's intended to be the first in a series, or at least have a sequel.

If there is a sequel, I'll definitely read it. I feel like this book built up to so much that could happen, and I'd like to know how that all plays out.