I like this kind of thing, but I've seen it down so much better. Colin's only personality traits seems to be self-doubt and ambition. We're told that the higher ups at the corporation saw something in him, but what? The love connection just didn't work for me - I found Colin too annoying to understand why he'd convince an agent of good that he was so special.

I'd recommend "The Regional Office is Under Attack" or "The Rook" instead.

"But how does he manage to make the exact wrong choice in every situation? Like, how is that even possible?”

Oh my gosh, this book is absolutely delightful. Colin's a mess (see above) and probably a bit of a psychopath, but he's the most entertaining psychopath I've read about in very long time … or perhaps ever. Colin works for Dark Enterprises in a dead-end, low-level job but longs for real power, primarily for enemy-smiting purposes. And what do you do when you need power? Well, you make a deal with a dark entity of questionable origin, of course. Unfortunately, making deals with dark entities rarely comes without its challenges, and in Colin's case he just happens to doom the world. No biggie.

Dark Enterprises is a scary, scary place, you guys. Like, there's a people-eating monster living in the stairwell and that's one of the least frightening things about it. Having your employment terminated involves a visit from a “remediation team” known as the Firing Squad (which does exactly what you're thinking it does), and even high-performing employees meet their demise at an alarming rate. I certainly wouldn't want to work there, but it was a blast to read about. The world-building is absolutely top-notch, and I was constantly amazed (and more than a little horrified) by all of the fantastic details that the author managed to fit into this book regarding the company's, um … business dealings. There's sorcery and torture and magical relics and portals to alternate dimensions and many, many frightening otherworldly beings and it's all just simply brilliant.

And Colin? Well, he's got … issues, but he's entertaining. He dooms the world and really only cares how it'll affect him and, like, three other people. I mean, if I set the apocalypse into motion, I'd probably feel a little guilty. Colin, though? Nope. Colin wants a promotion to middle management and he plans to work this whole “dark entity destroying the world” thing to his advantage. And, by the way, the entity that Colin unleashes is terrifying and almost pushes this book into horror territory at points. I don't know why, but the way the author chose to format the creature's dialogue makes it so much more scary than it would have been otherwise.

Do expect the romance to be very, very insta-love. It totally fits in with the weirdness that is this book, but Colin and Eric have one of the most bizarre first date conversations I've ever heard. “Amira told me you have all the muscles” … um, okay, Colin. Very smooth.

But, yeah, this book is wonderful. It's full of dark humor and morally gray characters and, okay, lots of death and destruction, but it's amusing death and destruction. Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World honestly might just be my new favorite urban fantasy read. 4.8 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ace for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is October 7, 2025.

I absolutely loved this book. The writing was hilarious, and had me giggling to myself the whole time. The characters were great, believable decision-making, good development, and easy to root for. The plot had just the right amount of complexity for this kind of book, with a perfectly satisfying ending.
5/5, perfect for fans of The Witchstone.

The world-building here is creative, with the hellish corporation and the world-ending consequences mixing together in unexpected, often hilarious ways. It’s a wild ride, balancing humor and high action perfectly, and I couldn’t put it down. If you love a mix of absurdity and chaos with a healthy dose of corporate satire, this book will not disappoint.

Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World was AWESOME! The company itself reminded me a lot of the SCP Foundation, which I love, so I was already super into the book when I started and it just kept getting better. Love the gay romance, love the friendship, love the secret demon company, love it all. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who's into SCPs, and/or Sci-fi horrors.

Thank you Mark Waddell, Berkley, and NetGalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed this significantly more than I expected to! I found it refreshing—it’s pretty rare to read about a character doing bad things that isn’t preachy, and I had a good time. I didn’t love the central romance—I could have done without it, particularly because the friendships were so strong and well-written—but I had a good enough time that it feels like a minor quibble. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Never read this author before but this was, somehow, a lot of fun while being fairly nasty. Our main character Colin Harris, though quite a nebbish, is also not a very nice guy - except when he sometimes is nice. He's not an exceptionally evil guy, except when he is. His character growth is, I rather feel, the point of the whole thing.

On the whole Mr. Waddell's book is funny even if the villain(s) save the day. Recommended for the oddity, the corporate soul-sucking banalities laid bare in all the crazy ways the author could think of, and everyone coming together in the end to get shit done.