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Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World
WARNING! If encountered by any unauthorized personnel or otherwise in Dark Enterprises's company elevators, take extra precaution and do not engage or enter into any deals with them. Any such behavior could result in world destruction.
Colin, a lowly employee at Dark Enterprises, a Hell-like corporation solving the world’s most difficult problems in the most questionable ways, is ready to start exerting his own power…at the top of the corporate ladder.
The only problem is he’s pretty sure he’s getting fired (a.k.a killed because no one gets an exit interview at DE). Tough, since his BFF has just set him up with a great guy…maybe a little too great…and he weirdly likes corporate life.
When Colin meets a shadowy figure promising his heart’s desire if he agrees to a small favour, he can't resist the urge to fast-track his goals. He asks for the thing anyone would in this situation—a promotion.
But that small favor unleashes an ancient evil. People in New York are disappearing. The world might be ending and Management is starting to notice. The ladder to the top is never easy and now it’s up to Colin to save the world…or at least get a bonus for doing so.
Colin, a lowly employee at Dark Enterprises, a Hell-like corporation solving the world’s most difficult problems in the most questionable ways, is ready to start exerting his own power…at the top of the corporate ladder.
The only problem is he’s pretty sure he’s getting fired (a.k.a killed because no one gets an exit interview at DE). Tough, since his BFF has just set him up with a great guy…maybe a little too great…and he weirdly likes corporate life.
When Colin meets a shadowy figure promising his heart’s desire if he agrees to a small favour, he can't resist the urge to fast-track his goals. He asks for the thing anyone would in this situation—a promotion.
But that small favor unleashes an ancient evil. People in New York are disappearing. The world might be ending and Management is starting to notice. The ladder to the top is never easy and now it’s up to Colin to save the world…or at least get a bonus for doing so.
377 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2025
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April 18, 2025
"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.
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.
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October 9, 2025A Tom Holt-esque corporate horror comedy. Colin is a lowly assistant at a Company of Ultimate Evil where office backstabbing and human resources are phrases that should be taken very literally. Colin is a whiny and resentful loser who is quite happy to torture people and murder colleagues and consign souls to eternal torture, and who releases a world-ending abomination in exchange for a promotion.
So far so fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the evil corporation and Colin's combination of weedy haplessness, total lack of responsibility, and sociopathic murdering (for work! we all need a pay cheque! is it my fault what management do???).
I did start to struggle with the introduction of Eric, the love interest. Eric is a very bland character, correctly self-described as boring, and there's a completely baffling scene where he explains all the wonderful depths and feelings he sees in Colin that are completely invisible to the reader, since he's a staggeringly self-centred man of zero good qualities. I really started to pull away from the story because I felt I was being asked to invest sincerely in a romance involving someone who is not only responsible for a million deaths, but also a crap person.
This resolved At this point I finally grasped that the entire thing is a massive piss-take of, among other things, romance novels that seem unaware they're depicting ghastly people / terrible relationships, therapy speak, and the overwhelming selfishness we all exhibit in pursuing personal satisfaction and success. I expect I would have reached that conclusion a lot earlier if I didn't read so much romance because I was absolutely going along with all the romance beats and assuming I was meant to take it at face value, but in fairness to myself, the author plays it completely straight (as it were), including Colin (a literal mass murderer) being genuinely hurt and affronted that Eric started the relationship under false pretences, and Eric going into full grovel role.
Let me say, this is not the author ridiculing romance novels per se (nobody could have written this without reading a lot of them and it's obviously deeply fond), but rather ridiculing those that appear to be oblivious to the staggering dreadfulness of their viewpoint character. I could list several recent tradpub books that read exactly like this, so: spot on, sir.
Good satirical fun with some lovely imaginative horror touches, especially the haunts. Could have been tighter in the middle, but a very entertaining read overall.
So far so fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the evil corporation and Colin's combination of weedy haplessness, total lack of responsibility, and sociopathic murdering (for work! we all need a pay cheque! is it my fault what management do???).
I did start to struggle with the introduction of Eric, the love interest. Eric is a very bland character, correctly self-described as boring, and there's a completely baffling scene where he explains all the wonderful depths and feelings he sees in Colin that are completely invisible to the reader, since he's a staggeringly self-centred man of zero good qualities. I really started to pull away from the story because I felt I was being asked to invest sincerely in a romance involving someone who is not only responsible for a million deaths, but also a crap person.
This resolved At this point I finally grasped that the entire thing is a massive piss-take of, among other things, romance novels that seem unaware they're depicting ghastly people / terrible relationships, therapy speak, and the overwhelming selfishness we all exhibit in pursuing personal satisfaction and success. I expect I would have reached that conclusion a lot earlier if I didn't read so much romance because I was absolutely going along with all the romance beats and assuming I was meant to take it at face value, but in fairness to myself, the author plays it completely straight (as it were), including Colin (a literal mass murderer) being genuinely hurt and affronted that Eric started the relationship under false pretences, and Eric going into full grovel role.
Let me say, this is not the author ridiculing romance novels per se (nobody could have written this without reading a lot of them and it's obviously deeply fond), but rather ridiculing those that appear to be oblivious to the staggering dreadfulness of their viewpoint character. I could list several recent tradpub books that read exactly like this, so: spot on, sir.
Good satirical fun with some lovely imaginative horror touches, especially the haunts. Could have been tighter in the middle, but a very entertaining read overall.
September 14, 2025
Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World
by Mark Waddell
Oh my Gosh! This is so hilarious all the way through! Non-stop crazy! I giggled and laughed out loud so many times! This is a must-read!
This poor guy is tired of dating and tired of getting bullied. Job issues and dating issues, what could be worse?
Suddenly he gets a great job and a great-looking guy is paying attention to him. Wow! Things are looking up. Until he finds out who he works for. That quitting isn't a healthy option. He needs to find a way out. He needs a secret weapon. Oh boy, does he find one! Now the world is doomed. Now he has to stop it!
If Lucy, from I Love Lucy, were a spy, and the world depended on her...
This might have been the way things would go down!
I have got to say, I haven't laughed at a book so much in a very long time. I am giggling while I am writing this just thinking of some scenes. I am very thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this hilarious book.
by Mark Waddell
Oh my Gosh! This is so hilarious all the way through! Non-stop crazy! I giggled and laughed out loud so many times! This is a must-read!
This poor guy is tired of dating and tired of getting bullied. Job issues and dating issues, what could be worse?
Suddenly he gets a great job and a great-looking guy is paying attention to him. Wow! Things are looking up. Until he finds out who he works for. That quitting isn't a healthy option. He needs to find a way out. He needs a secret weapon. Oh boy, does he find one! Now the world is doomed. Now he has to stop it!
If Lucy, from I Love Lucy, were a spy, and the world depended on her...
This might have been the way things would go down!
I have got to say, I haven't laughed at a book so much in a very long time. I am giggling while I am writing this just thinking of some scenes. I am very thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this hilarious book.
January 3, 2026
Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World is a sharp, funny reminder that, for some, office life already feels one step away from supernatural horror. Mark Waddell turns corporate culture into literal hell, complete with deadly HR policies and a promotion ladder that leads straight to disaster. Colin is not heroic or particularly likable. He is frustrated, ambitious, and sick of being treated like a joke, which makes his rise through the company both hilarious and a little unsettling. When power finally shows up, he grabs it, and everything spirals from there.
The real joke is how familiar it all feels. The monster threatening the city is bad, sure, but the corporate machine that encourages Colin to ignore it might be worse. Deadlines still matter. Office politics still matter. The end of the world just becomes another inconvenience on the calendar. This book sneaks up on you that way. You laugh first, then realize how often real life rewards the same kind of behavior. It is dark, weird, and painfully on point. If you have ever thought your job might survive the apocalypse even if you do not, this book is speaking directly to you.
Recommended. It was a fun read.
The real joke is how familiar it all feels. The monster threatening the city is bad, sure, but the corporate machine that encourages Colin to ignore it might be worse. Deadlines still matter. Office politics still matter. The end of the world just becomes another inconvenience on the calendar. This book sneaks up on you that way. You laugh first, then realize how often real life rewards the same kind of behavior. It is dark, weird, and painfully on point. If you have ever thought your job might survive the apocalypse even if you do not, this book is speaking directly to you.
Recommended. It was a fun read.
January 5, 2026
__________________________
“Yield not thy neck to Fortune, but let thy dauntless mind still ride in triumph over all mischance. — Shakespeare
My nephew, who is a police captain in a large Chicago suburb, once confided to me that nearly 40% of police officers go into law enforcement because they were bullied when they were younger and want to gain authority in a world that once felt threatening. Some become exceptionally compassionate officers. Others may struggle with unresolved anger or hypervigilance that helps them feel in control and makes them feel powerful.
Colin Gets a Promotion is a dark comic/fantasy novel about a young man who was bullied as a youth, was bullied in his low-level, low-pay job, and gets an offer out of the blue to work for a company called Dark Enterprises. The folks at DE think Colin, with a little training, will be a perfect fit for their company’s ethos. Dark Enterprises is an evil place that caters to the needs of demons, witches, soul-hungry Lovecraftian creatures from the Dungeon Dimensions, billionaires, and worst of all (Yuck!) politicians. For instance, if you have a used foul, malodorous soul that you would be willing to trade for 11,780 votes in the current election, Dark Enterprises can help you. If there’s a group of people that you hate, Dark Enterprises can come to your country of choice, pack them up, and ship them off to Dark Enterprises’ exclusive torture prison in lovely El Salvador at a wholesale rate. [Would you like flays with that?] So, yes, Dark Enterprises is just like every other large multinational corporation you have ever heard of. I ought to know, I worked for one of the largest companies in the world for a couple of years.
This book seems to be informed by several other works. For instance, at the beginning of the book, there is a strong How to Succeed in Business vibe. The Broadway theater production of How to Succeed Without Really Trying is about a young man in a dead-end job who runs across a book called—duh—How to Succeed in Business that explains how to start at the bottom of the company and move to the top using various less than ethical methods. In the play the protagonist took less than 2 weeks to reach the top.
The How to Succeed strategy doesn’t work for Colin, however, because his Sunil, Colin's archrival at Dark Enterprises intentionally inserts errors into Colin’s reports that are being sent to his boss. (Maybe Sunil read the book How to Succeed) . His goal was to get Colin terminated—and at Dark Enterprises getting terminated means getting dragged outside and shot—if you are lucky. If you have committed some serious infraction, you will be thrown into a pit filled with flesh-eating worms and devoured alive. Maybe several times.
Fear of being shot or becoming worm grub causes Colin to shift to a Faustian solution. Like Marlowe’s Dr. Faust, Colin enters into deal with a demon. If Colin does something for the demon, the demon will see to it Colin gets any job he desires. Colin figures the deal couldn’t be worse than being eaten alive. He is wrong.
Colin Gets a Promotion also reminds me of the recent novel Assistant to the Villian. In that book, a young woman takes a job as assistant to The Evil Overlord. The villain has a reputation for killing, torturing, and beheading innocent people, he lives in Massacre Mansion, and he is the good guy.
Here is a link to my review of Assistant to the Villian. Read it or become worm food. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
🌟🌟🌟 Stars. Yes, I did enjoy the book, but I feel really bad about it. I mean, is it OK to root for a villain who admits to electrocuting people, torturing them, and bringing about the doom of the world? I mean, Colin is not a congressman, right. So, he can’t be all that bad.
“Yield not thy neck to Fortune, but let thy dauntless mind still ride in triumph over all mischance. — Shakespeare
My nephew, who is a police captain in a large Chicago suburb, once confided to me that nearly 40% of police officers go into law enforcement because they were bullied when they were younger and want to gain authority in a world that once felt threatening. Some become exceptionally compassionate officers. Others may struggle with unresolved anger or hypervigilance that helps them feel in control and makes them feel powerful.
Colin Gets a Promotion is a dark comic/fantasy novel about a young man who was bullied as a youth, was bullied in his low-level, low-pay job, and gets an offer out of the blue to work for a company called Dark Enterprises. The folks at DE think Colin, with a little training, will be a perfect fit for their company’s ethos. Dark Enterprises is an evil place that caters to the needs of demons, witches, soul-hungry Lovecraftian creatures from the Dungeon Dimensions, billionaires, and worst of all (Yuck!) politicians. For instance, if you have a used foul, malodorous soul that you would be willing to trade for 11,780 votes in the current election, Dark Enterprises can help you. If there’s a group of people that you hate, Dark Enterprises can come to your country of choice, pack them up, and ship them off to Dark Enterprises’ exclusive torture prison in lovely El Salvador at a wholesale rate. [Would you like flays with that?] So, yes, Dark Enterprises is just like every other large multinational corporation you have ever heard of. I ought to know, I worked for one of the largest companies in the world for a couple of years.
A long silence fell as Ms. Crenshaw studied me. “What do you want more than anything, Colin?” she finally asked. I didn’t hesitate this time. “Power.” Her eyes were cool and watchful. “Why?” “Because people with power aren’t bullied or ignored or overlooked. Because I want to do more than sit in a cubicle and enter data. I want to put a mark on the world so deep that no one will ever forget me.” I swallowed convulsively as I thought of [my bully] Sunil. “And because there are people who need to pay.”—Colin Gets Promoted
This book seems to be informed by several other works. For instance, at the beginning of the book, there is a strong How to Succeed in Business vibe. The Broadway theater production of How to Succeed Without Really Trying is about a young man in a dead-end job who runs across a book called—duh—How to Succeed in Business that explains how to start at the bottom of the company and move to the top using various less than ethical methods. In the play the protagonist took less than 2 weeks to reach the top.
Ms. Price had told me, shortly before I electrocuted someone for the first time, that that’s why I’d been a model employee from day one. I worked hard, I didn’t take unnecessary breaks, and I wasn’t burdened by pointless moral qualms. I supposed some people would consider me a bad person, but like a Gen Z influencer on TikTok, all I’d ever wanted from this job was immeasurable power, staggering wealth, and maybe the chance to rule the world someday. Was that really so wrong? —Colin Gets Promoted
The How to Succeed strategy doesn’t work for Colin, however, because his Sunil, Colin's archrival at Dark Enterprises intentionally inserts errors into Colin’s reports that are being sent to his boss. (Maybe Sunil read the book How to Succeed) . His goal was to get Colin terminated—and at Dark Enterprises getting terminated means getting dragged outside and shot—if you are lucky. If you have committed some serious infraction, you will be thrown into a pit filled with flesh-eating worms and devoured alive. Maybe several times.
Fear of being shot or becoming worm grub causes Colin to shift to a Faustian solution. Like Marlowe’s Dr. Faust, Colin enters into deal with a demon. If Colin does something for the demon, the demon will see to it Colin gets any job he desires. Colin figures the deal couldn’t be worse than being eaten alive. He is wrong.
Colin Gets a Promotion also reminds me of the recent novel Assistant to the Villian. In that book, a young woman takes a job as assistant to The Evil Overlord. The villain has a reputation for killing, torturing, and beheading innocent people, he lives in Massacre Mansion, and he is the good guy.
Here is a link to my review of Assistant to the Villian. Read it or become worm food. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
🌟🌟🌟 Stars. Yes, I did enjoy the book, but I feel really bad about it. I mean, is it OK to root for a villain who admits to electrocuting people, torturing them, and bringing about the doom of the world? I mean, Colin is not a congressman, right. So, he can’t be all that bad.
October 7, 2025
4 be careful what you wish for stars
What would you do to get power? Would you unleash a being who wants to destroy the world? Maybe as long as your enemies also perish?
I enjoyed this one and meeting Colin as he toils away at Dark Enterprises. If you are a fan of magic, dark powers, and alternate realities, I think you would enjoy it too!
Colin sees a way to get ahead and jumps at the chance to strike a bargain. He gets his promotion, but then masses of people start disappearing from New York. What has he started?
Colin has finally met someone he likes, but now he has to try to save the world! I liked how he teamed up with an archivist, his nerdy math roommate, and his new love interest.
As Colin tries to determine whether he wants to join Middle Management after all, he develops as a character. I loved how ambitious he was, and I wondered what I would do in his shoes. This one did have some gruesome moments, but I enjoyed escaping to Colin’s world for a while!
My thanks to Berkley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this one. This one is available now for Halloween reading!
What would you do to get power? Would you unleash a being who wants to destroy the world? Maybe as long as your enemies also perish?
I enjoyed this one and meeting Colin as he toils away at Dark Enterprises. If you are a fan of magic, dark powers, and alternate realities, I think you would enjoy it too!
Colin sees a way to get ahead and jumps at the chance to strike a bargain. He gets his promotion, but then masses of people start disappearing from New York. What has he started?
Colin has finally met someone he likes, but now he has to try to save the world! I liked how he teamed up with an archivist, his nerdy math roommate, and his new love interest.
As Colin tries to determine whether he wants to join Middle Management after all, he develops as a character. I loved how ambitious he was, and I wondered what I would do in his shoes. This one did have some gruesome moments, but I enjoyed escaping to Colin’s world for a while!
My thanks to Berkley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this one. This one is available now for Halloween reading!
November 3, 2025
Thank you to Ace and PRH Audio for the gifted ARC/ALC to review.
The premise of Colin Gets Promoted And Dooms The World is fabulous! We’ve got an evil corporation, and I mean EVIL! And we have an ambitious young man who works in Human Resources. When an employee at Dark Enterprises is terminated, he/she is actually terminated! In a take on the idea of selling your soul to the devil, Colin meets a shadowy figure promising him his heart’s deepest desire. He wants to be promoted, to have power, to be able to seek revenge on all the employees who have denigrated and bullied him. The results are, per the title, a bit worse than Colin could ever imagine.
So that’s the set-up and I loved it. It’s such a parody on corporate life. A plus for me was all the New York City references. I loved Colin’s best friend and roommate Amira, a mathematical whiz in grad school. And I loved Lex, the library assistant at Dark Enterprises. She was probably the best part of the book for me. Colin himself didn’t really have any redeeming qualities, even at the very end of the book. I wasn’t so taken with Eric, the love interest for Colin, either. I didn’t feel the chemistry at all. In addition, I felt that the book just went on a bit too long, which is mainly why my rating isn’t quite as high as it might have been.
I quite enjoyed another book by Mark Waddell, which was more of a standard cozy mystery. This one was a huge departure for the author and while he succeeded to a certain extent, it didn’t quite hit the mark he was probably going for.
I mainly listened to the audiobook version, which was narrated beautifully by Pete Cross.
Again, thank you to Ace and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book and to PRH Audio for the opportunity to listen to a review copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.
The premise of Colin Gets Promoted And Dooms The World is fabulous! We’ve got an evil corporation, and I mean EVIL! And we have an ambitious young man who works in Human Resources. When an employee at Dark Enterprises is terminated, he/she is actually terminated! In a take on the idea of selling your soul to the devil, Colin meets a shadowy figure promising him his heart’s deepest desire. He wants to be promoted, to have power, to be able to seek revenge on all the employees who have denigrated and bullied him. The results are, per the title, a bit worse than Colin could ever imagine.
So that’s the set-up and I loved it. It’s such a parody on corporate life. A plus for me was all the New York City references. I loved Colin’s best friend and roommate Amira, a mathematical whiz in grad school. And I loved Lex, the library assistant at Dark Enterprises. She was probably the best part of the book for me. Colin himself didn’t really have any redeeming qualities, even at the very end of the book. I wasn’t so taken with Eric, the love interest for Colin, either. I didn’t feel the chemistry at all. In addition, I felt that the book just went on a bit too long, which is mainly why my rating isn’t quite as high as it might have been.
I quite enjoyed another book by Mark Waddell, which was more of a standard cozy mystery. This one was a huge departure for the author and while he succeeded to a certain extent, it didn’t quite hit the mark he was probably going for.
I mainly listened to the audiobook version, which was narrated beautifully by Pete Cross.
Again, thank you to Ace and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book and to PRH Audio for the opportunity to listen to a review copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.
September 24, 2025
I would like to thank NetGalley and Viking for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
What
A
funny, business-model diabolical, compelling, and wildly entertaining read this was! I think I saw this satirical, otherworldly take on office politics called "corporate horror" somewhere and honestly, that tracks.
Colin was peak NY Office ambitious! Underestimated (possibly the cardigan-bow tie ensemble), sexually harassed, bullied and then sabotaged at work for refusing his co-worker's advances, he made a deal with a shadow in a suit to get him to the top floor…and ended up unleashing an abomination that made a mess of Manhattan.
Sure his interesting (read:consequences? That's tomorrow-Colin's problem) decision-making skills made a few things worse, but when Colin landed EA for the CEO of Dark Enterprises, Waddell pretty much took the brakes off this thing and Colin's drive to succeed swept me away in waves of monster mayhem, retribution and unadulterated fu glee.
The energy was delightful…but also macabre. Jaunty gore? Whatever it is it's a whole mood and I'm here for all of it.
I was charmed (and also, career motivated), the pace was quick but on point, the high-stakes tension was gripping, and all in all I was supremely invested in what was going to happen to Colin! The characterizations were all brilliant and engaging, and I loved everyone to bits. Even the tailored doom!
The esoteric minutiae was the kind of detail-oriented worldbuilding I could get lost in for days, and Dark Enterprises was the kind of netherworld hub that fed my imagination the whole way through and left me wanting more!
Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World was astonishing amounts of fun and the perfect level of ghoulishness (for me) for 🍂🎃Spooky Season!👻🍂 I'm a fan of E V E R Y T H I N G this was, and I'm very excited for whatever else Waddell releases in the future because this was fabulous!
What
A
funny, business-model diabolical, compelling, and wildly entertaining read this was! I think I saw this satirical, otherworldly take on office politics called "corporate horror" somewhere and honestly, that tracks.
Colin was peak NY Office ambitious! Underestimated (possibly the cardigan-bow tie ensemble), sexually harassed, bullied and then sabotaged at work for refusing his co-worker's advances, he made a deal with a shadow in a suit to get him to the top floor…and ended up unleashing an abomination that made a mess of Manhattan.
Sure his interesting (read:consequences? That's tomorrow-Colin's problem) decision-making skills made a few things worse, but when Colin landed EA for the CEO of Dark Enterprises, Waddell pretty much took the brakes off this thing and Colin's drive to succeed swept me away in waves of monster mayhem, retribution and unadulterated fu glee.
The energy was delightful…but also macabre. Jaunty gore? Whatever it is it's a whole mood and I'm here for all of it.
I was charmed (and also, career motivated), the pace was quick but on point, the high-stakes tension was gripping, and all in all I was supremely invested in what was going to happen to Colin! The characterizations were all brilliant and engaging, and I loved everyone to bits. Even the tailored doom!
The esoteric minutiae was the kind of detail-oriented worldbuilding I could get lost in for days, and Dark Enterprises was the kind of netherworld hub that fed my imagination the whole way through and left me wanting more!
Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World was astonishing amounts of fun and the perfect level of ghoulishness (for me) for 🍂🎃Spooky Season!👻🍂 I'm a fan of E V E R Y T H I N G this was, and I'm very excited for whatever else Waddell releases in the future because this was fabulous!
December 16, 2025
3.5 stars, rounded up for GR
Colin is just an average guy, working at a cubicle, hoping to get promoted and finally recognized for all his efforts working day in and day out in the HR department. Unluckily for Colin, management at his current company are pretty evil. You see, Colin doesn't just work for a consulting firm full of tech bros, he's employed by Dark Enterprises which ahem "deals" with the world's problems through methods like torture and kidnappings. You'd think Colin would know that working for Dark Enterprises doesn't automatically make him safe from their grips, but when he learns that he's about to be terminated (yes, like forever terminated) because a supervisor has it out for him, he makes a deal with a demon and accidentally hastens the apocalypse to right about... (checks watch) now.
Darkly funny but at moments frustrating, I think that this book might have landed a bit better if it wasn't published in the year 2025. There's something about reading about a vastly evil corporation harming innocent people to keep the powerful ones in charge that doesn't quite hit the same. I think it's easy to read this book and take it literally - to see another man in a workplace who is constantly surprised by the consequences of his terrible actions, who expects upward mobility despite his lack of hard work or effort, who knows everything will just work out in the end due to the brilliance of the people around him, but I read it as a satire of late-stage capitalism. I don't think Waddell was trying to make Colin a like-able problematic bro; I think he was using Colin as a caricature for much that is wrong with the world today.
I did have some fun reading this, I won't lie. It's violent, though not too terribly gory (blood and torture are mentioned casually and with frequency, though, so head's up if that's not your thing), and I do enjoy an unlikeable character if it's done well. Waddell committed to the bit here, and surrounded him up with his foils: kind, funny, thoughtful side characters who drove the story forward with more heart. We meet Colin's brilliant mathematician roommate, Amira, and researcher at Dark Enterprises, Lex, both of whom bring nice layers to the story. There's great queer representation with characters across the gender and sexuality spectrum throughout. Waddell gave these characters some nice attention, and Amira's arc felt very "real" despite still having a slight supernatural element to it.
Overall, I wish there was a bit more depth and time spent to deepen the character development and explore the world, but if you enjoy gallows humor meets urban fantasy meets mundane office drama, this might be a good fit for you!
Colin is just an average guy, working at a cubicle, hoping to get promoted and finally recognized for all his efforts working day in and day out in the HR department. Unluckily for Colin, management at his current company are pretty evil. You see, Colin doesn't just work for a consulting firm full of tech bros, he's employed by Dark Enterprises which ahem "deals" with the world's problems through methods like torture and kidnappings. You'd think Colin would know that working for Dark Enterprises doesn't automatically make him safe from their grips, but when he learns that he's about to be terminated (yes, like forever terminated) because a supervisor has it out for him, he makes a deal with a demon and accidentally hastens the apocalypse to right about... (checks watch) now.
Darkly funny but at moments frustrating, I think that this book might have landed a bit better if it wasn't published in the year 2025. There's something about reading about a vastly evil corporation harming innocent people to keep the powerful ones in charge that doesn't quite hit the same. I think it's easy to read this book and take it literally - to see another man in a workplace who is constantly surprised by the consequences of his terrible actions, who expects upward mobility despite his lack of hard work or effort, who knows everything will just work out in the end due to the brilliance of the people around him, but I read it as a satire of late-stage capitalism. I don't think Waddell was trying to make Colin a like-able problematic bro; I think he was using Colin as a caricature for much that is wrong with the world today.
I did have some fun reading this, I won't lie. It's violent, though not too terribly gory (blood and torture are mentioned casually and with frequency, though, so head's up if that's not your thing), and I do enjoy an unlikeable character if it's done well. Waddell committed to the bit here, and surrounded him up with his foils: kind, funny, thoughtful side characters who drove the story forward with more heart. We meet Colin's brilliant mathematician roommate, Amira, and researcher at Dark Enterprises, Lex, both of whom bring nice layers to the story. There's great queer representation with characters across the gender and sexuality spectrum throughout. Waddell gave these characters some nice attention, and Amira's arc felt very "real" despite still having a slight supernatural element to it.
Overall, I wish there was a bit more depth and time spent to deepen the character development and explore the world, but if you enjoy gallows humor meets urban fantasy meets mundane office drama, this might be a good fit for you!
December 20, 2025
Full review to come.
October 17, 2025
This one surprised me, but maybe it shouldn’t? It is exactly what the title promises. A man gets a promotion and dooms the world. Well, mostly. Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World is a corporate satire mixed with horror and romance.
Colin is a nobody at Dark Enterprises, a company so evil it employs literal monsters, makes blood sacrifices part of their company culture, and where contract termination usually involves an actual execution. Colin is underperforming and fears his contract may be terminated soon. And so he makes a deal with a shadowy creature and gets promoted instead.
I liked how the author turned corporate cliches into horror and peppered the book with dry, self-aware humor that’s actually funny. Waddell writes with a restraint that makes the absurdity even funnier. There are no punchlines shouted for effect; the horror comes from how normal it all feels. Staff meetings continue while the city crumbles. We get corporate slogans twisted into demonic hierarchies, office memos written like commandments. There’s real craft behind the silliness, and an awareness of how horror and comedy can coexist without canceling each other out.
Now, Colin himself is not a good person. He’s weak, whiny, selfish, and only sporadically realizes he’s a cog in an infernal machine. That’s why the romance subplot feels absurd - Colin’s crush, Eric, sees “the good in him,” though the reader can’t. But fear not, it doesn’t go where you expect it to go - it’s a satire of the feel-good redemption arc, played absolutely straight.
There are a few slow patches, but the mix of horror, absurdity, and corporate satire kept me reading. The humor is sly, and the worldbuilding is bizarrely coherent for something that features office demons and motivational posters from Hell.
On the surface, Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World is a darkly comic urban horror-fantasy, filled with clever asides and grotesque details. But it’s also surprisingly insightful about the ways people rationalize their choices. It’s weird, funny, and well-written.
Colin is a nobody at Dark Enterprises, a company so evil it employs literal monsters, makes blood sacrifices part of their company culture, and where contract termination usually involves an actual execution. Colin is underperforming and fears his contract may be terminated soon. And so he makes a deal with a shadowy creature and gets promoted instead.
I liked how the author turned corporate cliches into horror and peppered the book with dry, self-aware humor that’s actually funny. Waddell writes with a restraint that makes the absurdity even funnier. There are no punchlines shouted for effect; the horror comes from how normal it all feels. Staff meetings continue while the city crumbles. We get corporate slogans twisted into demonic hierarchies, office memos written like commandments. There’s real craft behind the silliness, and an awareness of how horror and comedy can coexist without canceling each other out.
Now, Colin himself is not a good person. He’s weak, whiny, selfish, and only sporadically realizes he’s a cog in an infernal machine. That’s why the romance subplot feels absurd - Colin’s crush, Eric, sees “the good in him,” though the reader can’t. But fear not, it doesn’t go where you expect it to go - it’s a satire of the feel-good redemption arc, played absolutely straight.
There are a few slow patches, but the mix of horror, absurdity, and corporate satire kept me reading. The humor is sly, and the worldbuilding is bizarrely coherent for something that features office demons and motivational posters from Hell.
On the surface, Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World is a darkly comic urban horror-fantasy, filled with clever asides and grotesque details. But it’s also surprisingly insightful about the ways people rationalize their choices. It’s weird, funny, and well-written.
December 28, 2025
And you thought YOUR job was hell…
Kinda hard to describe Colin’s job at Dark Enterprises. They have this lame corporate slogan about paradigms and synergy and crap, but they really just harness evil to help politicians and businessmen achieve their goals. Summoning demons, flaying interns alive…standard stuff. He’s mired in HR and thanks to a jealous, harassing douche of a supervisor, he’s on the list for “termination.” And I mean, the hard way: it’s a phone call to the Firing Squad.
But in a chance meeting with a spooky wraith doubling as a “consultant,” he escapes the guillotine and gets promoted to lower management, with a chance to go even higher. He just has to do one little icky sorta evil thing…
Yep, pretty sure you’ve never heard a premise like this one. (OK, maybe Emily Jane and her sea monsters and telepathic cats.) But thank goodness for truth in advertising, because all you need to know is Colin’s rise comes with humanity’s doom. Not much for fantasy or horror am I, but throw in a few smiles and jokes and likeable buddies, and you got me. It’s a plot that’s hard to summarize (without spoilers) but easy to understand and follow.
Waddell does a marvelous job baking in his world-building and backstory right into Colin’s unsavory deal. We learn about his job on the sweaty commute, in his claustrophobic Hamilton Heights apartment, in conversations with his roommate, Amira. We’re brought in about 2 years into his (er, almost literally) soul-sucking job at a big turning point: he might get the ax (again, almost literally, because there are several hundred ways for DE to fire someone). He’s looking over his shoulder and peering through windows for potential dangers right from the first few pages. No rest here, and it never lets up.
Lots of fantasy stories have lots of rules, but here they all clicked. In fact, with the office setting, they made a bit of ridiculous sense. Yes, monsters rule the stairways and spells melt desks, but that all seems part of the job. Moreover, the evildoings are all conducted within the structure of a business. The terrifying wildness is just DE’s form of normal, and it’s easy for us to fall in that line.
But character development is where this book shines. Colin is supremely likeable, appearing very much like a Campbellian, Hero’s Journey protagonist. He’s small, mousy, wears a bowtie and cardigan. He’s been kicked around by the “beautiful people” his whole life. But when asked if he’d torture someone to get ahead…he says yes! And better still…I still liked him! What a magic trick: a kind, gentle underdog who’ll chop some heads to get ahead. Who loves his friends and doesn’t mind watching a rival get flattened by a dragon or something. Not an easy thing for a writer to do, but Waddell nails it.
Same for the ancillary characters: they had depth and backstories, but we didn’t need pages of exposition to learn it. We just hang out with Colin and he shares what he sees, all with that very unique perspective. There’s even a cutesy romance that fits in perfectly.
I was worried there’d be an ending with a bunch of goblin crap I’d never understand, but it was mainly action and intrigue. There was a good super villain and interesting under-villains, all believable. The scheme was swift and simple, great for a quick read.
One last thing: do I see a sequel here? It’s not a spoiler to say I was left wondering what Colin’s next adventure would be. I see him as a very compelling antihero, an unexpected star in an interesting cast of characters. Maybe Colin Takes a Vacay and Hell Freezes Over?
What a great send-up of the corporate world, with the backdrop of eternal damnation! One of the most creative things I’ve read in a while!
Kinda hard to describe Colin’s job at Dark Enterprises. They have this lame corporate slogan about paradigms and synergy and crap, but they really just harness evil to help politicians and businessmen achieve their goals. Summoning demons, flaying interns alive…standard stuff. He’s mired in HR and thanks to a jealous, harassing douche of a supervisor, he’s on the list for “termination.” And I mean, the hard way: it’s a phone call to the Firing Squad.
But in a chance meeting with a spooky wraith doubling as a “consultant,” he escapes the guillotine and gets promoted to lower management, with a chance to go even higher. He just has to do one little icky sorta evil thing…
Yep, pretty sure you’ve never heard a premise like this one. (OK, maybe Emily Jane and her sea monsters and telepathic cats.) But thank goodness for truth in advertising, because all you need to know is Colin’s rise comes with humanity’s doom. Not much for fantasy or horror am I, but throw in a few smiles and jokes and likeable buddies, and you got me. It’s a plot that’s hard to summarize (without spoilers) but easy to understand and follow.
Waddell does a marvelous job baking in his world-building and backstory right into Colin’s unsavory deal. We learn about his job on the sweaty commute, in his claustrophobic Hamilton Heights apartment, in conversations with his roommate, Amira. We’re brought in about 2 years into his (er, almost literally) soul-sucking job at a big turning point: he might get the ax (again, almost literally, because there are several hundred ways for DE to fire someone). He’s looking over his shoulder and peering through windows for potential dangers right from the first few pages. No rest here, and it never lets up.
Lots of fantasy stories have lots of rules, but here they all clicked. In fact, with the office setting, they made a bit of ridiculous sense. Yes, monsters rule the stairways and spells melt desks, but that all seems part of the job. Moreover, the evildoings are all conducted within the structure of a business. The terrifying wildness is just DE’s form of normal, and it’s easy for us to fall in that line.
But character development is where this book shines. Colin is supremely likeable, appearing very much like a Campbellian, Hero’s Journey protagonist. He’s small, mousy, wears a bowtie and cardigan. He’s been kicked around by the “beautiful people” his whole life. But when asked if he’d torture someone to get ahead…he says yes! And better still…I still liked him! What a magic trick: a kind, gentle underdog who’ll chop some heads to get ahead. Who loves his friends and doesn’t mind watching a rival get flattened by a dragon or something. Not an easy thing for a writer to do, but Waddell nails it.
Same for the ancillary characters: they had depth and backstories, but we didn’t need pages of exposition to learn it. We just hang out with Colin and he shares what he sees, all with that very unique perspective. There’s even a cutesy romance that fits in perfectly.
I was worried there’d be an ending with a bunch of goblin crap I’d never understand, but it was mainly action and intrigue. There was a good super villain and interesting under-villains, all believable. The scheme was swift and simple, great for a quick read.
One last thing: do I see a sequel here? It’s not a spoiler to say I was left wondering what Colin’s next adventure would be. I see him as a very compelling antihero, an unexpected star in an interesting cast of characters. Maybe Colin Takes a Vacay and Hell Freezes Over?
What a great send-up of the corporate world, with the backdrop of eternal damnation! One of the most creative things I’ve read in a while!
Read
October 7, 2025One of those books in which the premise, and the side characters, outshine the central protagonist.
Briefly, Colin is a nebbish who I think the narrative voice liked to much to give him actual growth, so the romance felt unearned. But Amira was great, and the inventiveness of the backdrop and action kept me going!
Briefly, Colin is a nebbish who I think the narrative voice liked to much to give him actual growth, so the romance felt unearned. But Amira was great, and the inventiveness of the backdrop and action kept me going!
November 22, 2025
Whoever designed the cover did a wonderful job. It grabbed my attention, along with the title, and put me in the mood for a dark comedy. However, the contents of the book didn't deliver for me.
Here are my main gripes:
The main character is insufferable.
He is - for lack of a better term - a loser. No skills, no charisma, no bravery, no maturity, no moral compass. He makes the worst possible choices over and over again, and never learns from it. Pretty much every character speaks and acts like a teenager.
I first assumed this was deliberate. Maybe we're meant to laugh at this absurd cast of characters, since this is a parody of sorts. But if that's truly the author's intent, then it lacks a real bite.
In fact, as the story progresses, it becomes increasingly sentimental and cheesy.
We're apparently meant to root for the loser. He gets a love interest, a new friend, a found family, a hero arc... We're told Colin's funny (he's not), a badass (he's not), and a good person (he's not) deserving of his wildest ambitions (torturing his fellow humans but it's okay because he's not doing it directly). This is all delivered via the sappiest dialogue you could imagine.
I'm an avid Hallmark enjoyer, and even I was rolling my eyes.
It's like the author couldn't pick between first and second degree, so he went with both. It seems like lots of readers enjoyed the book, but to me, these elements are incompatible.
Here's another example.
Colin works for an evil corporation. He works in "human resources" where actual people are flayed alive and tortured in all kinds of manner. He has no qualms about his role in it. That point is made numerous times throughout the novel. It's even said the screams are peaceful white noise to him.
Yet, this is the same person who complains about capitalism, sexual harassment and - I'm quoting, here - "toxic masculinity". Which is it? Is he woke or is he evil?
There's no consistent characterization. Give me either a loser to laugh at, a hero to root for, or even a compelling villain. But I need him to make sense.
There's also the issue of repetitions. For example, Colin's voice. I understand trying to convey Colin's vulnerability, but the man's always speechless.
"I tried to speak but my throat was as dry as sand"
"... my voice sounding strained to my own ears"
"... mouth open, trying to scream with lungs paralyzed by fear"
"my voice sounded thin and weak"
"... I said around a tongue that felt too big for my mouth"
"... I started to ask before my voice wavered"
"I shook my head mutely, unable to speak"
I feel like Colin's lack of confidence ought to be expressed in a variety of ways.
Finally, I know the whole premise of the story is evil corp, but even then, I'd expect a bit more magic and a little less corp. There's only so much that can be entertaining about coffee runs and excel spreadsheets.
Here are my main gripes:
The main character is insufferable.
He is - for lack of a better term - a loser. No skills, no charisma, no bravery, no maturity, no moral compass. He makes the worst possible choices over and over again, and never learns from it. Pretty much every character speaks and acts like a teenager.
I first assumed this was deliberate. Maybe we're meant to laugh at this absurd cast of characters, since this is a parody of sorts. But if that's truly the author's intent, then it lacks a real bite.
In fact, as the story progresses, it becomes increasingly sentimental and cheesy.
We're apparently meant to root for the loser. He gets a love interest, a new friend, a found family, a hero arc... We're told Colin's funny (he's not), a badass (he's not), and a good person (he's not) deserving of his wildest ambitions (torturing his fellow humans but it's okay because he's not doing it directly). This is all delivered via the sappiest dialogue you could imagine.
I'm an avid Hallmark enjoyer, and even I was rolling my eyes.
It's like the author couldn't pick between first and second degree, so he went with both. It seems like lots of readers enjoyed the book, but to me, these elements are incompatible.
Here's another example.
Colin works for an evil corporation. He works in "human resources" where actual people are flayed alive and tortured in all kinds of manner. He has no qualms about his role in it. That point is made numerous times throughout the novel. It's even said the screams are peaceful white noise to him.
Yet, this is the same person who complains about capitalism, sexual harassment and - I'm quoting, here - "toxic masculinity". Which is it? Is he woke or is he evil?
There's no consistent characterization. Give me either a loser to laugh at, a hero to root for, or even a compelling villain. But I need him to make sense.
There's also the issue of repetitions. For example, Colin's voice. I understand trying to convey Colin's vulnerability, but the man's always speechless.
"I tried to speak but my throat was as dry as sand"
"... my voice sounding strained to my own ears"
"... mouth open, trying to scream with lungs paralyzed by fear"
"my voice sounded thin and weak"
"... I said around a tongue that felt too big for my mouth"
"... I started to ask before my voice wavered"
"I shook my head mutely, unable to speak"
I feel like Colin's lack of confidence ought to be expressed in a variety of ways.
Finally, I know the whole premise of the story is evil corp, but even then, I'd expect a bit more magic and a little less corp. There's only so much that can be entertaining about coffee runs and excel spreadsheets.
dnf-for-now
November 12, 2025dnf @ 54%
The premise of this was super promising buttttt all of the characters fell pretty flat and by 50% I was still bored with the plot and didn’t care much for Colin at all (hence the dnf). The writing also really bothered me. 80% of it is just explanation and glossing over events plus Colin’s inner monologue. With a story like this, I just feel like having compelling characters and dialogue is SO important and this was really lacking there.
The premise of this was super promising buttttt all of the characters fell pretty flat and by 50% I was still bored with the plot and didn’t care much for Colin at all (hence the dnf). The writing also really bothered me. 80% of it is just explanation and glossing over events plus Colin’s inner monologue. With a story like this, I just feel like having compelling characters and dialogue is SO important and this was really lacking there.
September 4, 2025
It’s the end of the world! And the fate of everything lies in the hands of a slightly insecure, occasionally self depreciating, cardigan-wearing corporate assistant. What could go wrong?
If you like dark humor, this one might be for you.
Colin is undervalued and mistreated employee of Dark Enterprises.
His coworkers are sabatgoing him, and he’s facing termination by the head of HR.
Things seem to look up once Colin makes a deal with a mysteious being- who offers him whatever he wants in life.
Now, he’s climbing the cooproate latter and living his best life. But, his wish came with a price, and it’s time to pay up.
It turns out that the cost is much greater than he expected.
This was both darker and funnier than I’d expected it to be.
There is also a very obvious connection to some real-world issues in this.
Sure, there are no monsters running about and devouring people in real life. But, there is corporate greed, crazy work expectations and undervalued workers.
I can see the point the author is trying to make here (I think), and I thought this made it a lot more fun to read.
I thought the characters here were pretty great. They were developed pretty well and were quite likable.
I do think the side characters could have used just a little more personality, but I didn’t find that to be a huge deal.
Bonus: We also get a little MM romance between Colin and another character, Eric. While it isn’t the primary focus here, I wanted to shout it out for the romance lovers!
I think my only critique is that it felt kind of long. Around the 80% mark i thought it started to drag out a little bit, making it tad more difficult to read.
It did pick up again at the end though.
I also have to say I adored the self discovery in this!
Colin’s new found confidence, self-worth and ability to stand up for himself?! That was a treat. Power to him.
Really fun story overall!
Good writing, interesting plot and well-developed characters!
This checked a lot of boxes for me.
Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing Group | Ace and author Mark Waddell for providing me with the eARC of “Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World” in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: October 07, 2025
If you like dark humor, this one might be for you.
Colin is undervalued and mistreated employee of Dark Enterprises.
His coworkers are sabatgoing him, and he’s facing termination by the head of HR.
Things seem to look up once Colin makes a deal with a mysteious being- who offers him whatever he wants in life.
Now, he’s climbing the cooproate latter and living his best life. But, his wish came with a price, and it’s time to pay up.
It turns out that the cost is much greater than he expected.
This was both darker and funnier than I’d expected it to be.
There is also a very obvious connection to some real-world issues in this.
Sure, there are no monsters running about and devouring people in real life. But, there is corporate greed, crazy work expectations and undervalued workers.
I can see the point the author is trying to make here (I think), and I thought this made it a lot more fun to read.
I thought the characters here were pretty great. They were developed pretty well and were quite likable.
I do think the side characters could have used just a little more personality, but I didn’t find that to be a huge deal.
Bonus: We also get a little MM romance between Colin and another character, Eric. While it isn’t the primary focus here, I wanted to shout it out for the romance lovers!
I think my only critique is that it felt kind of long. Around the 80% mark i thought it started to drag out a little bit, making it tad more difficult to read.
It did pick up again at the end though.
I also have to say I adored the self discovery in this!
Colin’s new found confidence, self-worth and ability to stand up for himself?! That was a treat. Power to him.
Really fun story overall!
Good writing, interesting plot and well-developed characters!
This checked a lot of boxes for me.
Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing Group | Ace and author Mark Waddell for providing me with the eARC of “Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World” in exchange for my honest review!
Publication date: October 07, 2025
October 29, 2025
How freakin fun was this?! It reminded me of Sign Here, which I also enjoyed and hoped to find more of, so I was so excited when I received this one. It's funny, and witty, and a bit ridiculous in the best way. Sprinkling in some queer energy and I was addicted! I loved how unapologetic Colin was but then still had some character growth. Made for a very fun, very unique audiobook, I enjoyed it so much!!
Thanks to Berkley for the gifted copy!
Thanks to Berkley for the gifted copy!
![Profile Image for laurel [the suspected bibliophile].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1645808644i%2F7494844._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
November 26, 2025
"Do you remember that thing we talked about?" I asked eventually.
"You mean your plan to impress your boss?"
"Yeah."
"But it's really about punishing the people who've bullied you?"
"Right."
"But it's *really* about your pathological need for power, which is actually a desire for control over a frightening and chaotic universe?"
"Uh..."
"Sure, I remember."
Colin works for Dark Enterprises, a totally legit and fully corporate evil global conglomeration that does things to keep the world running just as it is. Life is not so good—his boss is going to have him retired (read: killed) in a week unless he can figure a way out. When a deal comes along that seems too good to be true, Colin latches on to it...and oopsie poopsie, dooms the world.
"That sounds very innovative," I finally said. "I'm excited to synergize my talents with your core competencies and move a needle on constructing a new paradigm.
A lot of this book worked really well for me, while a lot didn't.
I really liked the satirical tone and sense of surreality (not sure if that's 100% the right word but I'm uncaffeinated and cranky). The ridiculous juxtaposition of corporate bureaucracy mixed with hellish endeavors? It was kinda the Bad Place in The Good Place (but less awful, weirdly) and worked really well.
The ramping horror worked well. Colin's flippant and scrambling and sociopathic nature worked. Colin's new friends/allies were kinda delightful, especially Lex, although Lex was a bit of a caricature of nonbinary punk stereotypes...but Lex does constantly call Colin out on his shit, so that's something.
This was also surprisingly more diverse than I was expecting it to be. Colin is gay. There are several nonbinary, gay, bi and BIPOC people in the book. Which felt weird that a lot of the people in charge of DE were melanated, but also fully buying into and perpetuating the system of capitalistic white supremacy that fucks over literally everyone on the planet (there's a loose rationale for this but it doesn't fly).
But my biggest problem with the book is Colin himself. Chiefly, Colin's seemingly limitless potential—and the potential management sees in him despite literally everything Colin does to the contrary. Something something something that's the point, but I do get tired when a character is (purposefully) a bumbling asshole (he is smart but also really blase about the deaths of millions of people and the collapse of NYC...again, I know it's the point) and made out to be something he's not, and then ends the book wrapped in righteousness he didn't really earn (again, that's the point). Anywho, I think what I'm trying to say is that I wanted a bit more nuance and *wink wink nudge nudge* from the author, which *is* hard to to in a limited first person POV, where all we have is Colin's not-very-objective perspective.
The romance didn't really work for me at all, either.
It seems like I'm dumping on this book. I swear I'm not. It's not the most original book on the planet, but it was enjoyable. It was fun.
The high points were definitely learning more and more about Dark Enterprises itself. As an evil corporation, I enjoyed it immensely.
Just don't think too hard on it, I guess?
"You mean your plan to impress your boss?"
"Yeah."
"But it's really about punishing the people who've bullied you?"
"Right."
"But it's *really* about your pathological need for power, which is actually a desire for control over a frightening and chaotic universe?"
"Uh..."
"Sure, I remember."
Colin works for Dark Enterprises, a totally legit and fully corporate evil global conglomeration that does things to keep the world running just as it is. Life is not so good—his boss is going to have him retired (read: killed) in a week unless he can figure a way out. When a deal comes along that seems too good to be true, Colin latches on to it...and oopsie poopsie, dooms the world.
"That sounds very innovative," I finally said. "I'm excited to synergize my talents with your core competencies and move a needle on constructing a new paradigm.
A lot of this book worked really well for me, while a lot didn't.
I really liked the satirical tone and sense of surreality (not sure if that's 100% the right word but I'm uncaffeinated and cranky). The ridiculous juxtaposition of corporate bureaucracy mixed with hellish endeavors? It was kinda the Bad Place in The Good Place (but less awful, weirdly) and worked really well.
The ramping horror worked well. Colin's flippant and scrambling and sociopathic nature worked. Colin's new friends/allies were kinda delightful, especially Lex, although Lex was a bit of a caricature of nonbinary punk stereotypes...but Lex does constantly call Colin out on his shit, so that's something.
This was also surprisingly more diverse than I was expecting it to be. Colin is gay. There are several nonbinary, gay, bi and BIPOC people in the book. Which felt weird that a lot of the people in charge of DE were melanated, but also fully buying into and perpetuating the system of capitalistic white supremacy that fucks over literally everyone on the planet (there's a loose rationale for this but it doesn't fly).
But my biggest problem with the book is Colin himself. Chiefly, Colin's seemingly limitless potential—and the potential management sees in him despite literally everything Colin does to the contrary. Something something something that's the point, but I do get tired when a character is (purposefully) a bumbling asshole (he is smart but also really blase about the deaths of millions of people and the collapse of NYC...again, I know it's the point) and made out to be something he's not, and then ends the book wrapped in righteousness he didn't really earn (again, that's the point). Anywho, I think what I'm trying to say is that I wanted a bit more nuance and *wink wink nudge nudge* from the author, which *is* hard to to in a limited first person POV, where all we have is Colin's not-very-objective perspective.
The romance didn't really work for me at all, either.
It seems like I'm dumping on this book. I swear I'm not. It's not the most original book on the planet, but it was enjoyable. It was fun.
The high points were definitely learning more and more about Dark Enterprises itself. As an evil corporation, I enjoyed it immensely.
Just don't think too hard on it, I guess?
August 21, 2025
5⭐
Imagine if "The Devil Wears Prada" had actual devils...
Colin is looking down the barrel of a (literal) termination from his job at Dark Enterprises. When an opportunity is presented to him to avoid his dire fate - as well as getting a hefty promotion - he unknowingly puts the entire world in peril. Now, he has to figure out if getting ahead in life is really all it's worth.
What initially attracted me to this work was the concept. I love this idea of an overly-satirical take on evil corporations and those who work there. The notion that there is a genuinely evil corporate structure was just a fantastic notion and I loved the entire premise of this work! If I had a way to describe this, it was like if you combined "The Devil Wears Prada" with "Lucifer," a dash of "Charmed" and a smattering of "Severance."
After I started, I fell in deep with this book. The characters were fun and engaging; plots were thoughtful and twisty; and the development of the whole story had me binge-reading the last few chapters just to see how it ends. Though there were some lulls with story or plot, I think the overall effect was fan-freaking-tastic!
All of that aside, what makes this book a 5-star read is that this book is not one singular thing, but a multitude. What starts as a funny, satirical, young-adult-coming-of-age turns into a love story, then turns into a horror, thriller, to an action/adventure. "Multi-faceted" is a great word to describe this book and I was so happy to get the opportunity to read this work.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and the Berkeley Publishing Group for an ARC of this work!
Imagine if "The Devil Wears Prada" had actual devils...
Colin is looking down the barrel of a (literal) termination from his job at Dark Enterprises. When an opportunity is presented to him to avoid his dire fate - as well as getting a hefty promotion - he unknowingly puts the entire world in peril. Now, he has to figure out if getting ahead in life is really all it's worth.
What initially attracted me to this work was the concept. I love this idea of an overly-satirical take on evil corporations and those who work there. The notion that there is a genuinely evil corporate structure was just a fantastic notion and I loved the entire premise of this work! If I had a way to describe this, it was like if you combined "The Devil Wears Prada" with "Lucifer," a dash of "Charmed" and a smattering of "Severance."
After I started, I fell in deep with this book. The characters were fun and engaging; plots were thoughtful and twisty; and the development of the whole story had me binge-reading the last few chapters just to see how it ends. Though there were some lulls with story or plot, I think the overall effect was fan-freaking-tastic!
All of that aside, what makes this book a 5-star read is that this book is not one singular thing, but a multitude. What starts as a funny, satirical, young-adult-coming-of-age turns into a love story, then turns into a horror, thriller, to an action/adventure. "Multi-faceted" is a great word to describe this book and I was so happy to get the opportunity to read this work.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and the Berkeley Publishing Group for an ARC of this work!
October 13, 2025
I requested the eARC for Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World purely on the basis of its title, and Mark Waddell did not disappoint. This is a book that delivers exactly what I expected—which is to say, I knew going in that this book would not be groundbreaking in any way, and that’s fine. It was exactly the kind of absurdist fantasy I was hoping for.
Colin is a low-level employee of Dark Enterprises, which does exactly what it sounds like. Under threat of termination (literally), Colin receives an offer he can’t refuse from an entity who claims it can help him. Soon he finds himself firmly on track towards middle management—but Dark Enterprises is cutthroat, and Colin might not be cut out for this track. Oh, and that entity? Now going to eat all of humanity. Oops, I guess?
Obvious comps are Christopher Moore, but honestly this book reminds me too of Matthew Hughes’s The Damned Busters , especially the end of the trilogy. Colin gives me big Chesney Arnstruther energy. He’s a remarkably unlikable protagonist, snivelling and emotionally immature. Oh, you were bullied as a kid so now you want absolute power and dominion to make the world pay? Put up or shut up, kid. Colin’s congenital inability to follow through on his grandiose designs would make him insufferable if it weren’t for the fact that the other characters are excellent foils.
Indeed, my most serious criticism here is simply that Colin isn’t really the hero we need. Whenever he prevails in the story, it’s either luck or the actions of someone else. While I certainly don’t demand that my protagonists be classically heroic—flawed and “ordinary” protagonists are amazing—I do want them to be interesting. And Colin isn’t that.
Similarly, as I mentioned at the start of the review, this book does not offer any kind of twist or surprise. From start to finish, I found the plot, the jokes, the world entirely predictable. Now, in this case, I don’t see this as a negative! There is room for books like this aplenty—why else would cozy beach reads exist? This is basically beach-read fantasy; it even has a romantic HEA that gets telegraphed from about a hundred kilometres away!
So at the risk of damning with faint praise, that’s where I will leave this review: if you want some clever absurdist fantasy that compares corporate jobs to working in a soul-sucking industry, then Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World is right for you. Waddell is a competent comedic storyteller, and he nails every element of this genre. Just don’t expect it to deliver anything more than that.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews.
Colin is a low-level employee of Dark Enterprises, which does exactly what it sounds like. Under threat of termination (literally), Colin receives an offer he can’t refuse from an entity who claims it can help him. Soon he finds himself firmly on track towards middle management—but Dark Enterprises is cutthroat, and Colin might not be cut out for this track. Oh, and that entity? Now going to eat all of humanity. Oops, I guess?
Obvious comps are Christopher Moore, but honestly this book reminds me too of Matthew Hughes’s The Damned Busters , especially the end of the trilogy. Colin gives me big Chesney Arnstruther energy. He’s a remarkably unlikable protagonist, snivelling and emotionally immature. Oh, you were bullied as a kid so now you want absolute power and dominion to make the world pay? Put up or shut up, kid. Colin’s congenital inability to follow through on his grandiose designs would make him insufferable if it weren’t for the fact that the other characters are excellent foils.
Indeed, my most serious criticism here is simply that Colin isn’t really the hero we need. Whenever he prevails in the story, it’s either luck or the actions of someone else. While I certainly don’t demand that my protagonists be classically heroic—flawed and “ordinary” protagonists are amazing—I do want them to be interesting. And Colin isn’t that.
Similarly, as I mentioned at the start of the review, this book does not offer any kind of twist or surprise. From start to finish, I found the plot, the jokes, the world entirely predictable. Now, in this case, I don’t see this as a negative! There is room for books like this aplenty—why else would cozy beach reads exist? This is basically beach-read fantasy; it even has a romantic HEA that gets telegraphed from about a hundred kilometres away!
So at the risk of damning with faint praise, that’s where I will leave this review: if you want some clever absurdist fantasy that compares corporate jobs to working in a soul-sucking industry, then Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World is right for you. Waddell is a competent comedic storyteller, and he nails every element of this genre. Just don’t expect it to deliver anything more than that.
Originally posted on Kara.Reviews.
June 7, 2025
i had SO much fun reading this one. without a doubt, this is definitely unique compared to anything else i’ve read this year – it follows colin, a low-level employee at a company called dark enterprises, which takes the phrase “work is hell” to new heights. his ambition takes him to places i wouldn’t go with a gun, but that’s why he’s the one getting a promotion when i’d probably be one of the people disappearing from the streets of new york on day one! nevertheless, i found myself rooting for him to live out his evil dreams every step of the way.
if you’re a fan of welcome to night vale or the good place, i’d definitely recommend this book – there’s the same kind of lighthearted, humorous banality surrounding things like world-devouring monsters and artifacts from alternate realities. the supporting characters are great, too, especially my beloved lex! they’re everything to me. i loved trying to guess what kind of zaniness would happen next, and while i loved the ending, i wouldn’t mind another book somewhere down the line to see what shenanigans colin & co get up to next.
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
if you’re a fan of welcome to night vale or the good place, i’d definitely recommend this book – there’s the same kind of lighthearted, humorous banality surrounding things like world-devouring monsters and artifacts from alternate realities. the supporting characters are great, too, especially my beloved lex! they’re everything to me. i loved trying to guess what kind of zaniness would happen next, and while i loved the ending, i wouldn’t mind another book somewhere down the line to see what shenanigans colin & co get up to next.
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 3, 2026
i have a lot of thoughts about this. i’m not sure what i was expecting, but it sure as hell (literally) wasn’t a satire about the absurdity of capitalism.
this has an incredibly niche audience, i think. queer absurdism lovers who live for the criticism of capitalism. i think most readers are not in that bracket. fortunately, i am!!!
i had a good time with this. it’s a slowburn plot wise, and takes a while to build. the world building is so interesting, if a little info-dumpy. that kind of comes with the territory of trying to capture an incredibly complex word in a standalone 300+ page novel.
𖤐 the apocalypse
𖤐 dark magic & rituals
𖤐 management sucks
𖤐 romance SUBplot
this has an incredibly niche audience, i think. queer absurdism lovers who live for the criticism of capitalism. i think most readers are not in that bracket. fortunately, i am!!!
i had a good time with this. it’s a slowburn plot wise, and takes a while to build. the world building is so interesting, if a little info-dumpy. that kind of comes with the territory of trying to capture an incredibly complex word in a standalone 300+ page novel.
𖤐 the apocalypse
𖤐 dark magic & rituals
𖤐 management sucks
𖤐 romance SUBplot
January 5, 2026
When I picked up this book, I knew it was going to deliver exactly what it promised—that is, nothing groundbreaking but still a a fun time. You could argue that there should have been an actual satirical capitalist critique in here, but so much of this book feels glossed over that I can’t tell if Waddell meant it that way at all or simply a comedic bit.
Colin falls flat as a MC, but the side characters make up a little for his lack of… personality. Unpopular opinion, but I was fine with him staying a somewhat evil corporate asshole through the end because it felt realistic (think about your local weapons manufacturer employee and how they sort of have a low to high level of disregard of ethics and morality for a job). The magic system felt a bit clunky at times in favor of diving into more of an office evil-sitcom vibe.
Even if at times cliché and with corny dialogue, it’s a fun fast read! If you read the synopsis and feel interested, I say go for it, because the best thing about this book is the plot. If it sounds like you’d need to give it a few chapters to get hooked in, it might be better to pass on this one.
Colin falls flat as a MC, but the side characters make up a little for his lack of… personality. Unpopular opinion, but I was fine with him staying a somewhat evil corporate asshole through the end because it felt realistic (think about your local weapons manufacturer employee and how they sort of have a low to high level of disregard of ethics and morality for a job). The magic system felt a bit clunky at times in favor of diving into more of an office evil-sitcom vibe.
Even if at times cliché and with corny dialogue, it’s a fun fast read! If you read the synopsis and feel interested, I say go for it, because the best thing about this book is the plot. If it sounds like you’d need to give it a few chapters to get hooked in, it might be better to pass on this one.
July 7, 2025
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
---
this book was soso fun to read! if you're a fan of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, then Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World is for you! it's hilarious (literally had me chuckling from the beginning), the characterizations are great, and Mark Waddell somehow manages to have you rooting for Colin despite his many questionable decisions.
Colin works at Dark Enterprises, a company with an office in Manhattan that specializes in helping people solve problems and achieve their wildest dreams through relatively, unsavory means: "Once they promise to pay our price, we employ the darkest of magicks on their behalf or outsource the work to one of our contractors, entities summoned from across the known realms of existence. Everyone's happy, at least until the bill comes due."
not only is this book hilarious, but it has a clear stance on capitalism/coporate life (but not in an annoying way don't worry) and features a good bit of queer rep! The relationships are believable, the characters are nuanced, the antagonists are entertaining, and everything is so funny, so outlandish, and still somehow so real.
if you need any other reason to read this book, know that it includes thought-provoking lines like "Here’s the thing that nobody tells you, though: status and power are limited resources. The system is designed not just to elevate the few but also to ensure that most never get close to the top." as well as hilarous lines like "I’m just a boy, standing in front of another boy, asking him to take this arcane dagger and give it to his boss so they can use it to kill an Abomination." and neither of them feel out of place.
if this was turned into a series (and i really really hope it will be), just know that i'll devour each and every book. i was so sad when this was over and i want moreee!
thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, for an advance copy of this in exchange for my honest review.
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
---
this book was soso fun to read! if you're a fan of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, then Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World is for you! it's hilarious (literally had me chuckling from the beginning), the characterizations are great, and Mark Waddell somehow manages to have you rooting for Colin despite his many questionable decisions.
Colin works at Dark Enterprises, a company with an office in Manhattan that specializes in helping people solve problems and achieve their wildest dreams through relatively, unsavory means: "Once they promise to pay our price, we employ the darkest of magicks on their behalf or outsource the work to one of our contractors, entities summoned from across the known realms of existence. Everyone's happy, at least until the bill comes due."
not only is this book hilarious, but it has a clear stance on capitalism/coporate life (but not in an annoying way don't worry) and features a good bit of queer rep! The relationships are believable, the characters are nuanced, the antagonists are entertaining, and everything is so funny, so outlandish, and still somehow so real.
if you need any other reason to read this book, know that it includes thought-provoking lines like "Here’s the thing that nobody tells you, though: status and power are limited resources. The system is designed not just to elevate the few but also to ensure that most never get close to the top." as well as hilarous lines like "I’m just a boy, standing in front of another boy, asking him to take this arcane dagger and give it to his boss so they can use it to kill an Abomination." and neither of them feel out of place.
if this was turned into a series (and i really really hope it will be), just know that i'll devour each and every book. i was so sad when this was over and i want moreee!
thank you, NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group, for an advance copy of this in exchange for my honest review.
January 3, 2026
Reminds me of a dark version of TJ Klune in the best way
January 2, 2026
Genuinely enjoyed this book. It kept me interested the whole time as the world seemed really unique and I really liked the characters, although I enjoyed the supporting characters more than the MC. The descriptions were well done without being overdone so I could picture everything in my mind but wasn’t bored or skipping ahead to the next scene.
December 30, 2025
Excellent book!! Just chanced into this on the library shelf and loved it! Highly recommend
November 3, 2025
I’m just here to tell you one thing: read this book. You won't be sorry.
(𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝘼𝘾𝙀/𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠! 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.)
(𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙤 𝘼𝘾𝙀/𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠! 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚.)
October 23, 2025
Very enjoyable read. Full to the brim with dark humour and it’s a good satire on corporate culture.
Colin is a barely noted employee within the large office complex of “Dark Enterprises” in New York. The company specialises in providing sinister, usually magically sourced, ‘solutions’ to anyone willing to pay. It attracts politicians, business and beings from other realms though this dubious side of the company is hidden from the attentions of our world. These solutions offered can be terminal for the targets. Colin is a ‘company man’, though only a minor bureaucrat manipulating spreadsheets, until he accidentally finds a way to progress up the greasy (bloody?) management ladder. Unfortunately it dooms the world, as the book title accurately indicates.
Colin is a complex lead character. I liked how he seemed rather wimpy and hesitant in his life, both inside and outside the company, but also has deep within him a determination to be as dark and ruthless as required to get power and progress within the company. Hence why he identifies with this company, which is evil at its core.
The only aspect I didn’t get on with is his romantic life. Partly because of the mutual attraction with the guy he falls for on a blind date; this guy is so much superior to him in every way - so why his attraction to Colin? Colin isn’t nice deep down and also seems weak on the surface. And that’s the other aspect I didn’t enjoy - the stranger (Eric) says he sees Colin as that vulnerable person who he feels the need to protect and care for, while Colin sees the stranger as his macho knight in shining armour. I find it hard to understand such unbalanced relationships. But that might be me as they appear to exist!
I’m probably making the flawed dynamics of the relationship a bigger deal than it is as the author does try to resolve its foundations later in the story but I did find it at odds for a while with the excellent construction of the rest of the plot.
Overall, I loved the story. Dark Enterprises is an excellent mirror for a lot of modern corporate activity. Maybe more the American ‘hire and fire’ philosophy that can exist in some companies and is rarer in my country and experience. Though in this story the consequences of not succeeding in the office are more severe than simply being fired.
The story concluded in a manner quite consistent with the rest of the story.
Torn between 4* and 5* but despite the romantic aspect I mention I did find the story absorbing and definitely unusual. So 5*.
Colin is a barely noted employee within the large office complex of “Dark Enterprises” in New York. The company specialises in providing sinister, usually magically sourced, ‘solutions’ to anyone willing to pay. It attracts politicians, business and beings from other realms though this dubious side of the company is hidden from the attentions of our world. These solutions offered can be terminal for the targets. Colin is a ‘company man’, though only a minor bureaucrat manipulating spreadsheets, until he accidentally finds a way to progress up the greasy (bloody?) management ladder. Unfortunately it dooms the world, as the book title accurately indicates.
Colin is a complex lead character. I liked how he seemed rather wimpy and hesitant in his life, both inside and outside the company, but also has deep within him a determination to be as dark and ruthless as required to get power and progress within the company. Hence why he identifies with this company, which is evil at its core.
The only aspect I didn’t get on with is his romantic life. Partly because of the mutual attraction with the guy he falls for on a blind date; this guy is so much superior to him in every way - so why his attraction to Colin? Colin isn’t nice deep down and also seems weak on the surface. And that’s the other aspect I didn’t enjoy - the stranger (Eric) says he sees Colin as that vulnerable person who he feels the need to protect and care for, while Colin sees the stranger as his macho knight in shining armour. I find it hard to understand such unbalanced relationships. But that might be me as they appear to exist!
I’m probably making the flawed dynamics of the relationship a bigger deal than it is as the author does try to resolve its foundations later in the story but I did find it at odds for a while with the excellent construction of the rest of the plot.
Overall, I loved the story. Dark Enterprises is an excellent mirror for a lot of modern corporate activity. Maybe more the American ‘hire and fire’ philosophy that can exist in some companies and is rarer in my country and experience. Though in this story the consequences of not succeeding in the office are more severe than simply being fired.
The story concluded in a manner quite consistent with the rest of the story.
Torn between 4* and 5* but despite the romantic aspect I mention I did find the story absorbing and definitely unusual. So 5*.
November 17, 2025
This book was SO much fun! A lil campy, a lil corporate, and full of EVIL.
Colin is facing the reality that he is about to be terminated from his HR job at Dark Enterprises. Fortunately (or unfortunately as we will soon find out) Colin is presented with an opportunity to avoid this fate after meeting an unlikely creature who is able to grant him anything he wants in return for a for a favor. Colin never thought the favor would wreak havoc upon the world.
I loved this book! I bought in from the moment I started it with a great cast of diverse characters, constant laughs, and a quirky, action packed fantasy/horror plot with LGBTQ representation. With dark humor throughout and more bloody scenes than I ever expected (which I should have, Colin literally works in Hell), this was a perfect little read!!
The audiobook was fantastic. Pete Cross delivered this unbelievably well and gave each character so much personality!
Colin is facing the reality that he is about to be terminated from his HR job at Dark Enterprises. Fortunately (or unfortunately as we will soon find out) Colin is presented with an opportunity to avoid this fate after meeting an unlikely creature who is able to grant him anything he wants in return for a for a favor. Colin never thought the favor would wreak havoc upon the world.
I loved this book! I bought in from the moment I started it with a great cast of diverse characters, constant laughs, and a quirky, action packed fantasy/horror plot with LGBTQ representation. With dark humor throughout and more bloody scenes than I ever expected (which I should have, Colin literally works in Hell), this was a perfect little read!!
The audiobook was fantastic. Pete Cross delivered this unbelievably well and gave each character so much personality!
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