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The Midnight Project
When enigmatic billionaire Burton Sykes walks into Re-Gene-eration, a bespoke reproduction assistance clinic run by Raina and Cedric, two disgraced genetic engineers struggling to get by, they know they have a very unusual client. When Sykes asks them to genetically engineer a way for humanity to survive the coming ecological apocalypse, Raina is tempted. Bees are dying, crops are failing, and she knows her research is partly to blame. Could she help in some way? Though troubled, Cedric agrees to take part when it becomes clear their benefactor will do this with or without them. How else can he be sure their work won’t fall into the wrong hands? But can they really trust Mr. Sykes?
In this near-future science fiction thriller, Christy Climenhage has created a frighteningly real world on the verge of collapse. As disaster strikes, the two friends need to decide whether to cling to their old life or to let go and embrace a new path for humanity.
In this near-future science fiction thriller, Christy Climenhage has created a frighteningly real world on the verge of collapse. As disaster strikes, the two friends need to decide whether to cling to their old life or to let go and embrace a new path for humanity.
294 pages, Paperback
Published May 20, 2025
7 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 11, 2025
I was so immersed in this book, I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself now that it’s done!
The bees are dying and humanity is plunging towards extinction. Two struggling genetic engineers get an offer they can’t refuse—engineer humans that can live at the bottom of the ocean, giving humanity new hope. Plus, no expense spared.
Raina and Cedric are willing to get a little with laws and ethics for their own survival, for science and for humanity.
In a way, Raina and Cedric fail to create “humans that can live at the bottom of the sea.” But they succeed at creating something different — a new, intelligent species — the Ceph, who quickly develop their own language, social structure, complexities, hopes and dreams.
In the meantime, the project’s wealthy, idiosyncratic benefactor may not be playing the saviour game he claims he is…
I was rooting for Raina, her relatable decisions and her determination; enjoyed the introspective interludes from Cedric and his platonic, but very deep bond with Raina; and loved Coralie’s POV offering a unique, outside perspective on humans. And I loved the relationship between all of them, with a unique found family vibes.
Perfect for those who love intelligent near-future speculative stories with questions about ethics, power, hope.
These ideas are so relevant now and I know I will be thinking about this book for years to come.
“I am bound by love, but I am not bound by any of their laws.” Coralie
Thank you for the ARC.
The bees are dying and humanity is plunging towards extinction. Two struggling genetic engineers get an offer they can’t refuse—engineer humans that can live at the bottom of the ocean, giving humanity new hope. Plus, no expense spared.
Raina and Cedric are willing to get a little with laws and ethics for their own survival, for science and for humanity.
In a way, Raina and Cedric fail to create “humans that can live at the bottom of the sea.” But they succeed at creating something different — a new, intelligent species — the Ceph, who quickly develop their own language, social structure, complexities, hopes and dreams.
In the meantime, the project’s wealthy, idiosyncratic benefactor may not be playing the saviour game he claims he is…
I was rooting for Raina, her relatable decisions and her determination; enjoyed the introspective interludes from Cedric and his platonic, but very deep bond with Raina; and loved Coralie’s POV offering a unique, outside perspective on humans. And I loved the relationship between all of them, with a unique found family vibes.
Perfect for those who love intelligent near-future speculative stories with questions about ethics, power, hope.
These ideas are so relevant now and I know I will be thinking about this book for years to come.
“I am bound by love, but I am not bound by any of their laws.” Coralie
Thank you for the ARC.
May 9, 2025
"We were coming to the end of the road. We had paved the road."
Stunning, terrifying, hopeful. And one of the coolest, wackiest found families I've ever read about. Thoughts of this grim, stark, but horrifyingly realistic near-future kept me up for days after I finished the book, and that's in large part due to the sheer amount of detail and care put into this world and these characters. I was tangled in the sticky web of Raina's decisions, crushed under the weight of Cedric's despair, and bubbling with Coralie's questions and ambition.
(I also really want a Coralie plushie, but that is beside the point. The point is that everyone should read this book. It is BRILLIANT.)
Huge thanks to River Street Writing and Wolsak & Wynn for the ARC!
Stunning, terrifying, hopeful. And one of the coolest, wackiest found families I've ever read about. Thoughts of this grim, stark, but horrifyingly realistic near-future kept me up for days after I finished the book, and that's in large part due to the sheer amount of detail and care put into this world and these characters. I was tangled in the sticky web of Raina's decisions, crushed under the weight of Cedric's despair, and bubbling with Coralie's questions and ambition.
(I also really want a Coralie plushie, but that is beside the point. The point is that everyone should read this book. It is BRILLIANT.)
Huge thanks to River Street Writing and Wolsak & Wynn for the ARC!
April 23, 2025
I have a hangover after reading this book. Climenhage's near future setting is timely and oh so believable--bee death, billionaires, and super storms, oh my! I found myself rooting for Raina on a personal level because I could so easily empathize with her drastic decisions motivated by an impending sense of doom. No spoilers here, but be prepared to fall in love with and fear for other characters as well. I'll be recommending this book to anyone with a pulse and a single concern for the future!
July 30, 2025
The world is falling apart and it's up to Raina and Cedric not to save it but to create a new species capable of weathering out what's coming. They create the Ceph, a mix of several marine animals but mostly cephalopods, and given them human intelligence. At times enjoyable and at times a bit frustrating.
Will have a bit more on my substack newsletter this week.
Thanks to River Street for the ARC.
Will have a bit more on my substack newsletter this week.
Thanks to River Street for the ARC.
July 24, 2025
Very much the type of genre that hooks me from the start. Been on a meh attitude towards reading for the last month…this pulled me out of it completely! Addicted to reading again!
April 10, 2025
Christy Climenhage’s scifi thriller The Midnight Project hooked me from page one. I haven’t stopped thinking of Raina and Cedric, their experiments, and their crumbling world.
With layers of worldbuilding and exciting action, I couldn’t put this book down.
I will absolutely read it again! Bring on the fan art!!
Thank you for the ARC
With layers of worldbuilding and exciting action, I couldn’t put this book down.
I will absolutely read it again! Bring on the fan art!!
Thank you for the ARC
November 1, 2025
Original, thought-provoking cli-fi sci-fi. Living during the apocalypse times doesn't mean you give up on important work (?!?). Creepy science experiments added just the right amount of horror to this layered narrative.
July 31, 2025
This book takes place in the future, where the bee population is facing hardships and the world is on the brink of collapse. Approached by an eccentric billionaire, Raina and Cedric are tasked with genetically engineering a new type of human that can survive the ocean depths, the only place now safe due to a ravaged world.
Wow! This novel was cleverly crafted raising important ethical and legal questions around genetic manipulation and engineering. At what point do created intelligent life cease being property? At what point are creators no longer liable for the actions of a new created species if they are smart and show agency? These are some of the topics grappled with and I found it so intriguing.
The characters were lovable and I was drawn into the world, yearning for more by the end which is always a good sign!
If you enjoy science fiction and dystopian literature, I would highly recommend giving this book a go! By a Canadian author which is always a bonus in my books
4.5⭐️
Thank you to River Street Writing and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
Wow! This novel was cleverly crafted raising important ethical and legal questions around genetic manipulation and engineering. At what point do created intelligent life cease being property? At what point are creators no longer liable for the actions of a new created species if they are smart and show agency? These are some of the topics grappled with and I found it so intriguing.
The characters were lovable and I was drawn into the world, yearning for more by the end which is always a good sign!
If you enjoy science fiction and dystopian literature, I would highly recommend giving this book a go! By a Canadian author which is always a bonus in my books
4.5⭐️
Thank you to River Street Writing and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
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July 3, 2025I'm declining to rate this because I'm BARELY a chapter in and already the words "acrid" and "scoured" have been used where they don't belong and I can't fucking deal with it.
If you don't know what a word means, don't just put it in a place you think it sounds cool.
"Acrid" is not an atmospheric "undertone" it's an "irritatingly strong or unpleasant taste or smell."
To "scour" is not necessarily to scrub. If you're questioning how someone found out about your existence because your "former employer had scoured all evidence" of you, you're saying your former employer cleaned or polished, not wiped or scrubbed, particularly when the person who found you obviously did so by "scouring" other sources to find you.
Your editor failed you, sorry. A thesaurus is not a reasonable replacement.
So yeah, DNF. DN START technically, but whatever.
If you don't know what a word means, don't just put it in a place you think it sounds cool.
"Acrid" is not an atmospheric "undertone" it's an "irritatingly strong or unpleasant taste or smell."
To "scour" is not necessarily to scrub. If you're questioning how someone found out about your existence because your "former employer had scoured all evidence" of you, you're saying your former employer cleaned or polished, not wiped or scrubbed, particularly when the person who found you obviously did so by "scouring" other sources to find you.
Your editor failed you, sorry. A thesaurus is not a reasonable replacement.
So yeah, DNF. DN START technically, but whatever.
December 13, 2025
Is this horror, is it a thriller? Very bleak and it certainly keep me at the edge of my seat all the way to the last page!
December 29, 2025
Audiobook. Great narration. This one was sneaky good. Surprised that it was a debut novel and happy to hear from a Canadian.
May 9, 2025
The Midnight Project paints a vivid (and scary) picture of the pre-apocalyptic world and left me thinking long after I’d finished the last page. This book is about two disgraced genetic engineers and their pursuit to save humanity while the world is crumbling around them, but it also tells the story of the world we live in and what our future could look like. It’s a story about science and choices, and how the consequences no one predicted could so easily doom us.
But despite the gloomy setting, The Midnight Project is also a story about hope and responsibility and the most unique found family I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.
My special mention goes to the video diary chapters. I absolutely loved those, and the quiet man in front of the camera grew to become my favorite.
But despite the gloomy setting, The Midnight Project is also a story about hope and responsibility and the most unique found family I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.
My special mention goes to the video diary chapters. I absolutely loved those, and the quiet man in front of the camera grew to become my favorite.
May 16, 2025
Thank you to @river_street_writes + Christy Climenhage for the gifted copy.
I'm a huge fan of sci-fi, and so this story didn't disappoint me at all. We have a dying civilization, and we've got two disgraced genetic engineers that are left in a pickle to save humanity. You're in a situation where things could get sticky fast, such as ethics. Raina and Cedric are to create humans that can survive underwater. Instead, they create something different. They create an entirely different species. Truly, this was very interesting to read. I enjoyed every part of it. I do like that whole apocalyptic nature of this book. What does one do or have to do in order to survive something like this? Do you set your ethical code aside in order to survive? It's a book I definitely would read again!
I'm a huge fan of sci-fi, and so this story didn't disappoint me at all. We have a dying civilization, and we've got two disgraced genetic engineers that are left in a pickle to save humanity. You're in a situation where things could get sticky fast, such as ethics. Raina and Cedric are to create humans that can survive underwater. Instead, they create something different. They create an entirely different species. Truly, this was very interesting to read. I enjoyed every part of it. I do like that whole apocalyptic nature of this book. What does one do or have to do in order to survive something like this? Do you set your ethical code aside in order to survive? It's a book I definitely would read again!
May 20, 2025
I was absolutely hooked by this book. The near future world was terrifying in its proximity to our own world, but that only served to raise the stakes and keep me flipping pages. This book is both a beautiful examination of platonic and familial love, what it means to be human, and how hope, purpose, and meaning continue, even at the end of the world. The ending had me feeling both warm and achy and the characters will live on in my mind for a long time to come.
April 7, 2025
This is our bold gesture. This is our last gasp at expressing our own humanity, screaming into the void. We cannot fix the world. But in this tiny corner of it, perhaps we can control our own destiny, at least for a while.
The Midnight Project is a story about hope, about survival at the precipice. It is also a story about genetic engineers, corrupt billionaires, and octopus people.
The writing is crisp and concise but vivid, and there are some sections so poignant that I wanted to copy them down and put them on my wall. Raina and Cedric are distinct and complex characters, embodying two ends of the spectrum on how humanity copes with its own end. They are both, at the end of it, striving for control when there is none to be had. The dying world Climenhage paints is devastatingly real and the slow collapse in the background - the feeling of slowly rising seas, so to speak, where you can ignore it, where the water is boiling so slowly you think the actual collapse is not going to happen in your lifetime until it does ‐ is so perfectly done. It reminds me how easy it is to ignore the world falling apart around you until its your door falling in.
Thank you to Wolsak and Wynn for sending me an ARC.
The Midnight Project is a story about hope, about survival at the precipice. It is also a story about genetic engineers, corrupt billionaires, and octopus people.
The writing is crisp and concise but vivid, and there are some sections so poignant that I wanted to copy them down and put them on my wall. Raina and Cedric are distinct and complex characters, embodying two ends of the spectrum on how humanity copes with its own end. They are both, at the end of it, striving for control when there is none to be had. The dying world Climenhage paints is devastatingly real and the slow collapse in the background - the feeling of slowly rising seas, so to speak, where you can ignore it, where the water is boiling so slowly you think the actual collapse is not going to happen in your lifetime until it does ‐ is so perfectly done. It reminds me how easy it is to ignore the world falling apart around you until its your door falling in.
Thank you to Wolsak and Wynn for sending me an ARC.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2026
Really engaging, exciting and thought-provoking. Looking forward to a sequel.
July 2, 2025
I was so surprised by my reaction to the ending. I chocked up…shed a tear. I really felt the author’s heart and soul on this lament for our planet and our love of easy fixes. Her character development was so nuanced and I felt real sadness and joy at different times in the book as I cared about them. One of those “stay up until I finish it” types of books!
Wow.
Wow.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews