I did not enjoy this book and it took me almost a year to try and finish it but i just couldnt. Sorry.

The story is set in the North America of the near future. The world has collapsed under the brunt of global warming and as a result a new wave of elites have appeared. Their lives are different from those who struggle at the lower rungs, and are at the mercy of nature.

We have three different voices narrating, and it takes a while before they merge and we know that might come next. One is of a double agent of sorts, and it’s through her that we get a picture of the bigger players of the game. The other is of a naive man. He was born into wealth and privilege but situations and his own weaknesses caused him to make decisions that ultimately bother him tremendously.

Finally, we have the third voice. White Alice works as a group. We do not know individual names but their roles are distinct. Their story seems separate to the ongoing events, but we finally know where they play a part.

It is a well developed world for the most part. The scenarios are believable and the characters are well done. I had a problem with the ending. I can’t go into details because that would be spoiler territory, but I felt like no one got what they wanted and that left me quite dissatisfied.

I would read another book by the author, but I would not necessarily recommend this particular one since it takes a while to get to a place I didn’t enjoy. My rating reflects my initial appreciation of the world building.

In the gripping narrative of Camp Zero Sterling takes us on a journey to a not-so-distant future where the world grapples with the devastating effects of climate change. The novel, set in the far reaches of Northern Canada, introduces us to a settlement that promises a glimmer of hope in a world running out of resources. But as the characters soon discover, Camp Zero harbors secrets that could unravel the very fabric of their newfound society.

Through the eyes of Rose, a Korean immigrant fighting for her mother's safety, and Grant, a professor seeking redemption from his family's dark past, we explore themes of gender, class, and migration. Their stories converge at Camp Zero, where the promise of a fresh start is tainted by the undercurrents of power and control.

What sets 'Camp Zero' apart is its ability to weave a tale that is both transportive and eerily prescient. The idea of a society on the brink of collapse serves as a stark reminder of our current fragility. The novel doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of survival, yet it's imbued with a sense of solidarity and the strength of the human spirit.

'Camp Zero' is not just a story about survival; it's a commentary on the choices we make and the world we build as a result. It challenges us to consider who we trust and what it means to fall in love in times of turmoil. With its thrilling pace and thought-provoking themes, 'Camp Zero' is a novel that resonates with our times and leaves us pondering the path ahead.

This is a dystopian novel set in the future when oil is banned and the rich are creating havens for secure living, and I love a dystopian novel, except this didn’t quite hit the spot for me.

The novel focuses around 3 main characters - Rose, a prostitute and spy with Camp Zero, watching the architect on a new project; Grant, a college professor who has accepted a job in Camp Zero, trying to escape the legacy of his wealthy family; and a group of women soldiers working in a climate research station.

Firstly, I didn’t understand how all 3 storylines worked together, they met and you finally get some understanding, but I didn’t feel that there was a neat weaving of storylines. Secondly, there was no conclusion to the book - even a cliffhanger is a conclusion (of sorts), but I felt that the story just petered out. Whilst colonialism was clearly the theme of the book, I don’t think this was explored enough - indigenous people and lands are mentioned, but are not included within the story.

A lot of the book for uses on back stories, but there was no real reason for this considering the conclusion of the novel. These back stories get in the way of any development of the characters and the present day story.

I only finished this book because it was through Netgalley.

My review:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Set in an dystopian future, where global warming has had it's effect, this is told from multiple points of view.

There are the rich, who have things at their finger tips, and those who don't.

With the setting of the after effects of global warning, it's an interesting look at how society would react, and I found it fascinating the idea of the rich having a floating island, so they can watch the ocean, versus the rest who are dealing with very high temperatures and all of the change that comes with that.

There is a lot of mystery in this book and I found that the reveals worked as they went along, and it pulls you deeper into the story.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to John Murray Press.

The setting of Camp Zero in a near-future Canada where oil is banned, women's bodies are exploited, and the cold is unrelenting provides a rich backdrop for exploring the intersections of gender, class, and migration. The recognition of consequences for Indigenous peoples added depth to the narrative.
The portrayal of societal disarray and desperation is acknowledged and the conclusion aligns with the book's overarching themes, emphasising societal challenges and the characters' struggles.

Overall this novel offers a layered exploration of societal issues within a climate-disrupted world and is a thought-provoking dystopian read which delves into the complexities of power, climate, and society in a near-future setting.

This book is set in the America of the future where climate change has turned most of the continent into a searingly hot place to live. Those that can afford it live in a floating city off the coast whereas everyone else suffers. A group of women are carrying out climate research in the north and a new camp is being built in Canada with the aim of being a new settlement for the future. Their lives will all interlink in ways they didn't imagine.

reading this I am beginning to feel like dystopian fiction is just too tough to read right now when I want escapism and enjoyable characters - everyone here seems sour. the adventure is good - jumping time lines not my favorite strategy either to be honest - I think I am just the wrong reader for this - albeit I can see that the author knows how to create characters, and strong narrative line - I think it's just me!

This is a fascinating novel. I do really like dystopia fiction so was excited to read this one.

This is a good subject to cover for dystopia fiction and I'm glad they did.

The setting, and setup, for this are excellent. Really intriguing. The characters are pretty much all unlikeable though: really selfish. But if you can get past that, the plot races along!

I was really excited to read this book because the premise is right up my street, I love a bit of dystopia.

I found the book enjoyable, it slightly hard to follow, but I think that may be because the characters are somehow not memorable. It’s hard to describe, I wasn’t really that interested in their story but the over arching storyline was of more interest and that kept me reading.

Not sure where to start with this one - I really had to push myself to finish. The main message seemed to be that men are monsters and women rule - but then I thought the women themselves did some horrific things (while trying to justify it).

There were elements I enjoyed, especially the sections based around White Alice and their family. I did like Grant, but was surprised by something in his past which tainted my view - I don't know if that was done to fit into the "men are the worst" mantra?

There were so many stories and they didn't really converge until around 75% in - even then it wasn't a great reveal. It was just so bitty and I didn't connect to any of the characters - of which there were far too many.

Overall, I felt this didn't work for me - the pace, the plot, or the characters. I won't be continuing with the series (it seems to be leading to multiple books).

A dystopian thriller centred around climate change, where communities live on floating islands trying to build their future. Gripping tense and all too realistic in places.

This book wasn’t for me. I stuck with it, and I did enjoy the twist at the end but otherwise I found it difficult to follow. Saying that, I’m not very good with stories that jump timelines, so I can see others liking it.

My response to threats is to close my eyes and freeze (I discovered this when I walked across a path and into a swarm of oncoming runners. Did I move out of the way? No. I just squeezed my eyes shut and stood there hoping to make it out alive. So would I survive in the world that Michelle Min Stirling has created in Camp Zero?

Absolutely not.


What I loved:
The characters and their backstories
The dystopian world that Stirling created
The plot twists(!!)

What I didn't love:
Nothing. It took a few chapters for me to get to grips with what was going on but once I got it, I was in.

I can imagine this being an excellent movie. Visually pleasing as we're talking about a floating city, flooding, snow covered land and frozen lakes and we've got a pretty good plot too

Formulaic post-apocalyptic/climate fiction novel - feel like I’ve read this a dozen times already. Some interesting mediations on race, identity, and how well you can really escape your past, but not bringing anything new to the table.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

The premise of this novel is very strong and follows in the footsteps of novels such as The Handmaid's Tale to examine the intersection of gender and race with climate change. I was intrigued by the first half of the novel, and Min Sterling does a really good job of teasing information to be shared later and then timings the reveals well. However, I thought the final chapters lacked some of the nuance of the rest of the novel.

Camp Zero is a strange one. I actually really enjoyed it, but I can't deny it's confusing as hell. There are multiple narrative threads, perspectives and timelines, but the book never stands still long enough to explain what the hell is going on. It's apparent early on that this is a post-apocalyptic style nightmare, but in a very believable fashion. Climate change has wrecked the world, there are oil and food shortages and humanity is doomed. Camp Zero is a small camp in North Canada and most of our characters reside within it or not far from it.

Split between three perspectives, some of them were definitely more interesting than others. You have a group of female scientists at White Alice who are researching climate change in this remote location, you have Grant, a young college teacher at the nearby Camp Zero and you have Rose, a Bloom within the camp, aka a sex worker. Personally, I found the research perspective to be the most engaging and feel that at least one of the other perspectives could have been dropped to give it more page time. The Grant and Rose perspective often overlap, covering the same timeframe and with many of the same characters, although Grant's perspective in particular often swings into flashbacks that weren't really needed.

There are hints that all is not as it seems, however because it is so difficult to place the White Alice narrative into the time that often seemed like a floating narrative. Things did come together by the end, but more clarity would have been helpful. The motivations behind the camp and the hidden agenda is teased out slowly, which isn't an issue, but it does mean that there are a lot of words to say not a lot. When you add in the long flashbacks, it can get a tad tedious. It's not even that long a book, it just felt longer than it actually was. I also felt that the world building could be better. The concept that the world has been destroyed by climate change is depicted well, but we see so very little of it. Even the area of Canada where you spend most of the novel is glossed over.

There are some heavy themes covered here, most notably the devastating final impact of climate change and how lives will be ruined because of it. I felt this was delivered in a sensible and careful manner, although those who are rampant deniers can feel free to disagree with me. More troubling however are the gender themes. The author makes no attempt to be subtle here; men be bad, women be good and there are only a couple of outlying exceptions. The root of humanities problems lie with men. Which... is simplistic and untrue.

So all in all, a mixed bag. I enjoyed it, no question, but there are lots of elements that could have been improved. I think it needed far more world building and that one of the Camp Zero perspectives could have been cut - probably Grant's as you could get much of his current perspective from the Bloom's and there was no real need for the flashbacks to take up so much page space. The unexplained time shifts were confusing and I can't help but feel the book should have grounded the White Alice narrative specifically in time better. But I was interested and engaged. So 3.5/5 stars really.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

This was a terrifying story because it could so easily be true. people still destroying the environment to get the minerals they require. The worsening weather patterns generating violence would be expected in countries where the use of guns is common practice. There were some really good cxharacters and a non stop storyline. Some unexpected events leading up to the conclusion. Stimulating read.

Camp Zero was an well written sort of Dystopian novel set in the near future where the worlds temperature has gotten too much. I did enjoy it but I just feel it missed the mark on quite a lot of things for me. There were a lot of cool things introduced that didn't really go anywhere in the story which was a shame. I feel like this could have been really good if told in a different way and if the ending was more the middle of the book. It ended abruptly making me want more but if this is a standalone its not in a good way!

I do think this was a well written book, its more like literary fiction that sci-fi but its still easy to read and understand. I did think the pacing was quite slow which lead to me being a bit bored in places. Then at the end everything was revealed all at once out of pretty much nowhere, making it all feel unneccessarily rushed. In terms of plot it was fairly basic and I feel not a huge amount really happened, it was a more character and setting driven story. Saying this I don't feel like I really connected with any of the characters and there wasn't any that I really liked.

The worldbuilding was the best part of the story, we get to see a glimpse of a potential future where climate change is continuing to cause major issues. The north was very atmospheric and very differnet to the south, I would have liked to see more of the world and more of the Floating City that was built to get away from the elements. There is a lot of things that I felt don't get enough mention in the story, we have the flick which is essentially a chip that people get in their heads that act as basically a computer. I would like to have seen more of this tech and its consequences.

Overall an enjoyable read but it could have been so much better if it was more in depth and longer.