This is a page-turner with a conscience, its elaborate storyline punctuated with musings on subjects including digital surveillance... sex work... and male entitlement. Camp Zero carries a message of hope through sisterhood ... The premise is everything, the execution an afterthought. Sterling serves up a veritable buffet of topical talking points ... That these subjects are handled with all the intellectual subtlety of a Marvel comic book won’t necessarily deter readers, but the insipid prose might diminish their enjoyment.
Sterling’s future is close enough to the present to be entirely recognizable, underlining this cleverly constructed climate fiction mystery with palpable terror: this world feels like one many readers could see within their lifetimes.
It's a smart setup. The author has imagined an array of futuristic ideas stemming from our present ... But this creativity doesn’t quite pay off. There’s a decades-old oil ban in place, for example, but its geopolitical consequences barely surface ... Some characters lack complexity, and their backstories, once revealed, are underwhelming. However, the book has a soul that generates momentum.
