The Temps

by Andrew DeYoung

*Named a Best SFF Book of 2022 by Book Riot* They're underemployed. Underpaid. And trying to survive the end of the world while trapped inside an office complex. Who knew temp work could be this dangerous? Jacob Elliot doesn’t want a temporary job in the mailroom at Delphi Enterprises, but after two post-college years of unpaid internships and living in his parents’ basement, he needs the work. Then, on his first day, the unthinkable toxic gas descends on a meeting in Delphi’s outdoor amphitheater, killing all the regular employees and leaving Jacob stranded inside the vast office complex. Wandering through Delphi headquarters, Jacob finds other Lauren, the disillusioned classics major who’s now writing online personality quizzes; Swati, the fitness instructor trying to escape a toxic relationship; and Dominic, the business school student who will do almost anything to get ahead. Stranded in the wreckage of the company that employed them, the temps band together to create a miniature world that’s part spring break, part office culture—until a shocking discovery disrupts the survivors’ self-made paradise and drives them to uncover the truth about the mysterious corporation that employed them and the apocalypse that brought their world to an end. A surprising, profound tribute to the absurdities and paranoia of modern life, The Temps is an epic exploration of survival and human connection in the digital age.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Horror, Audiobook, Thriller, Book Club

264 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 2022

Reviews

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of several hundred educated, but underemployed, temps are the only survivors in the Delphi office complex when an unexplained mist reduces all of the permanent employees to masses of uncontrollable rage. They either immediately destroy each other in a bloody frenzy, commit suicide or survive to stalk any others they encounter. Since the mist is still lingering outside, and is in fact all over the world, the temps have to stay inside Delphi where they create their own corporate culture.

The temps are possibly not the best choice to inherit the earth. It might be better to have people with more useful skills. The explanation for how the mist spread is pretty sketchy and a description of its impact on the planet is nonexistent. This book is a very insular jab at corporate group think. I wanted more “Lord of the Flies” or “The Road”, but instead I got temps in yoga pants. This book was ok, but if an event kills billions of people, I want a darker story. 3.5 stars

I received free copies of the ebook and audio book from the publisher.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not what I expected. I was really intrigued by the premise and listened to the audiobook. The narrator was great. I found the main part of the story about the employees trapped in their workplace somewhat boring and dragged in parts. I was more interested in the gas and the craziness that it caused.

Jacob Elliot is on his first day of work as a mail room temp at Delphi Enterprises when a toxic gas kills all the employees who were unlucky having a meeting outside. Now trapped inside, Jacob runs into a number of survivors among them Lauren, Swati, and Dominic. Each have vastly different clashing personalities and status within the company.

The group attempts to make the best of their situation as they discover the secrets kept by their employer and they uncover the truth about what is happening.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Brandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I havent seen too much about The Temps since it came out earlier this year but the premise piqued my interest — A group of underemployed and underpaid temp workers witness the destruction of their company, and the world, when a toxic mist encompasses the atmosphere. They are spared from this destructive event since they were inside the office building and not invited to the company meeting. Stuck inside for their own protection, the group of 350 temp workers try to learn more about the elusive company that employed them, Delphi Enterprises, while also trying to remain patient in this unknown holding pattern. They must grapple with their pasts and how they got to Delphi, power dynamics among the group, and the unshakable need for answers to their lingering questions.

I appreciate that the story dove right in — Almost immediately, readers are transported to an apocalyptic world of uncertainty. I really wanted more from the ending but I can understand where DeYoung was coming from. If The Temps was made into a limited series or a movie, I’d be interested in watching it.

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap that was a great read!

The Office meets I Am Legend (the Will Smith version) meets The Circle. It's a parody of office and global politics; a post-apocalyptic horror story; and a cautionary tale of the unprecedented control that Big Tech billionaires have over humankind.

This will no doubt be one of my favorite reads of 2022.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
This is a topical literary satire that addresses the challenges of underemployed twenty somethings trying to find careers within corporate culture. 

Technically this could be classified as science fiction due to the post apocalyptic angle, but really that is only used as a plot point to drive the story forward. 

Instead, this story plays around with the cliches of office life, highlighting the unfulfilled roles that temporary employees play in the corporate machine. 

As a piece of fiction, I generally enjoyed this one. I sometimes struggle with "funny" books but the satire in this one wasn't over the top. Instead the narrative felt smart and timely. I think that young people in similar work situations will get the most out of this one. I would certainly recommend this one to anyone who is currently working as a temp.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Half baked dystopian novel with an ending that seemed like the author wanted to be done writing the book. Minor characters were elevated to major plot elements while major characters were cast aside by the book’s finale. Somewhat baffled trying to figure out what the point of all this was and the underlying theme.

[Jeff Kamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to talk about this one with our Books & Bars book club and the author himself!

[Quill&Queer · Rating 1 out of 5]

An office building set apolcalyptic novel written as if the author was a boomer trying to appeal to the Gen Z market. The characters were boring, there felt like very little stakes, the middle section was a literal slog to get through as they just sat around their office cubicles and the ending felt like the author's deadline was in an hour.

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this book stole a little bit of my soul. Just fucking painful. I could barely finish. I basically just skimmed the back half. I couldn’t take it anymore.

[Denver Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Temps has an apocalypse for every taste. It opens with a mass human catastrophe that's witnessed by Jacob, a temp on his first day at Delphi, an omnivorous megacorp headed by the elusive genius, Tristan Brandt. An open-air all-staff meeting is interrupted by a yellow mist that leaves every attendee crazed and homicidal. The mist soon goes global. But 350 Delphi temps, sealed in the headquarters building, are spared the madness. Stranded in the wreckage of the company that employed them, the temps band together to create a miniature world that’s part spring break, part office culture―until a shocking discovery disrupts the survivors’ self-made paradise and drives them to find the truth about the apocalypse that brought their world to an end. For fans of Kira Buxton's Hollow Kingdom.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild ride, this one. Still processing the ending...

OK, have had a few days to think about all this. The beginning of the book is off like a shot. Jacob shows up to his first day at Delphi, given his red temp badge, starts to be shown around and then is left to his own devices when his trainer leaves for a big "all-staff-except-lowly-temps" meeting. At which point the unthinkable happens - some sort of yellow gas shows up and turns the permanent employees into something not quite human. They kill a bunch of each other, some kill themselves, all of it very, VERY violent. Jacob is shocked, to say the least.

The rest of the first half of the book is Jacob meeting some other survivors. The reader gets to learn the backstories of Swati, Lauren, and Dominic. They learn they're not the only survivors; there are, of course, more temps. Nice "intermission" chapter that basically says yes, some time passes, different people react to the possible Apocalypse in different ways, etc. I totally appreciated the author not going into all the minute detail as I wasn't terribly interested in it. Maybe I should have been, but I was looking for conflict - and yep, here it came in the form of a saboteur (or saboteurs). Suddenly the easy life the survivors had becomes much more dire.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I LOVED the fact that the temps were the survivors, seeing a nice play on the old Star Trek "red shirt" trope. I thought the idea of sabotage was brilliant, as it could have been one of the survivors who has suddenly snapped...or it could have been a survivor no one knew about. Then there's the whole idea of Brandt, the leader of Delphi, his almost god-like persona, the many mentions of how the survivors have created a quasi-religion around him and the company. Again, very insightful commentary by the author.

However, I got to the end of the book and felt disappointed. I mean, really? That's it? REALLY???? Ugh. Just...ugh. I understand Lauren and Swati still being hopeful, but I don't share their (jaded) optimism.

[Via · Rating 3 out of 5]

What begins as an average first day on the job for Jacob quickly spirals into confusion and chaos when a toxic gas kills all the regular employees at Delphi Enterprises, mysteriously leaving only the temp workers stranded inside the office building.

Part apocalyptic and part GenZ satire, I found the premise of the story intriguing and the characters unique. One of the things I appreciated was the focus not just on the action and suspenseful parts of the pending apocalypse, but on the exploration of human thought in the face of such bleak times. I liked that there were separate chapters that focused on each main characters’ background; it was a great way to establish unique roles without them falling into predictable character tropes.

There was plenty of introspection, as each character dealt with the fallout of key events throughout the novel. These often challenged their worldly perceptions, beliefs, and expectations, which in turn made for an entertaining read. The satire was also a refreshing addition to the dystopian genre of this story. The pacing and writing style was easy to follow and the satiric parts enhanced the storytelling, in my opinion.

I’m not sure if I love the ending, but I also don’t think there was another direction the story could have taken. It was bittersweet in that it hinted at some hope for change, but ultimately delivered shades of fatalism and gloom for the characters’ futures. Overall I enjoyed this novel and I think many readers will find its premise interesting and its characters relatable.

Thank you to the author and Turner Publishing for sending an arc of The Temps in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Lindsay Nixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

Wholly M! That was so good! Couldn’t put it down! Will definitely be one of my favorite books this year. The ending was a total surprise! The two female characters were awesome. The social commentary is superb, top notch, fantastic! A novel for our time. (If not terrifying to think about…)

Highly recommend for fans of The Assistants, The Circle, Power, and The Maze Runner series.

I want to emphasize that this is not sci-fi or a “zombies” book, rather a global event that kills everyone is needed to create a backdrop for the story to exist. It is dystopian only in the sense that 95% of the population is wiped out from a deadly gas.

SUMMARY: Jacob is starting his first day as a temp for a big tech company. Everyone in the company is going to a meeting but he isn’t allowed as a temp. As they are outside in the meeting, a yellow dust cloud happens which proves to be lethal. Jacob sees everyone die. Soon he finds two other survivors who all wonder if they are what’s left of mankind. Eventually they find 300 other people who were temps at the company and soon they come together, counting rations, etc. The hope to live at HQ until the deadly fog lifts.

Six weeks later things get real when someone sets a fire to the food and turns off the electricity. The two main characters try to find out what happened and eventually learn how it all happened.

Note: as a classics major, I really ate up all the thoughtful details in this book re mythology

Thank you netgalley for the early audio book copy. Terrific narrator too!

[Ipek (ipekreading) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first read the blurb for The Temps by Andrew Deyoung, I was immediately sure it would be an entertaining read. I was incredibly excited to receive the ARC audiobook copy from Dreamscape Media through NetGalley. I have to say I wasn't disappointed at all by what I found in this book! I'm familiar with big tech offices and Deyoung not only nailed how one feels in one on a normal day, he also painted a great picture of how it might feel in a post-apocalyptic situation. But more, it was interesting to see how he captured the human side of things. Overall I really enjoyed this book even though the ending frustrated me a little.
The narration was great for the audiobook as well. The only problem i had with the audiobook was the separate characters named Brent and Brandt. While who was being mentioned could be understood from context usually, they sounded similar enough at certain points.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Temps is built upon a cool premise that manages to cover over most of its problems. The first half of the book was the strongest for me. Getting to know the characters and seeing how they act in such a wild situation was interesting and enjoyable. There were parts of the characters that felt like the bled into one another, but it did not stop me from wanting to read more about them. Once the focus switches in the second half of the book, the flaws start to really show. The ending is abrupt, and the explanation is both unsatisfying and muddled. It almost feels like an unfinished thought. However, the way the book speaks to both human nature and civilization feels pretty accurate. Despite its missteps, I mostly had a good time and kept wanting to read. It is not the best book I have read, but not everything needs to be perfect.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart, dark (and sometimes darkly funny), gripping. A total page turner!

[Rubberboots · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and light read. A bunch of temp workers find themselves surviving a world-wide chemical attack orchestrated by the head of a mega enterprise. The story spans only about 7 weeks from Day zero and even then there is a weird 'interlude' about halfway through to give you a sense of what the temps do while they're holed up. The story is light on drama, character development and logic. The conclusion felt rushed as if the author had someplace to be. Overall an OK book by a promising author.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a blast. Shocking within the first 20 pages, it is then a perfect blend of adventure, mystery, and satire. The lives of the characters ring true to the readers' best and worst selves hoping for a future fulfilled; the relationships are complicated, and society may or may not come out better for the characters' (and our own) struggle.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Andrew DeYoung has attempted to write a novel of ideas, and failed. That's why I don't hate this book.

Okay, stay with me for just a little bit. Have you ever read a book where the author is so determined to Make A Point that the characters act like archetypes and speak in jargon? "The Temps" skirts that danger with its "The Stand" meets "The Office" scenario in which a group of contract workers - the titular Temps - survives a global extinction event most likely caused by the company where they work, which is, of course, headed by a charismatic mysterious CEO. Schematic enough for you? Mr. DeYoung doesn't help himself when he justifies his characters' actions by alluding to their age and sociological status ("like many privileged young men who had never faced real danger, Jacob speculated on how he would act in this situation" . . .), which renders them little more than automatons.

Or does it?

There are passages in "The Temps" where the characters become three-dimensional, when the gimmick becomes a narrative. Mr. DeYoung's setting, a corporate campus, is so believably banal that the characters almost transform from animatronic figures to zombies - humans, but brain-dead ones. I don't know if Mr. DeYoung wants to write literary or genre fiction, but this is a modest attempt at the former and a promising attempt at the latter.

Still, Mr. DeYoung has succeeded in writing a novel of generational awareness, which is why I don't like it very much.

"The Temps" is about millennials. I have nothing against millennials. In fact, I don't have an opinion of them at all, it's unfair and overbroad to make value judgments about an age cohort. But Mr. DeYoung seems a little too eager to be The Voice Of Millennial Angst, and while he's a better writer than Douglas Coupland, who presumed to speak for me, that's a low bar to clear. The self-importance gets a little tiresome.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob Elliott picked a bad day to begin working as a temporary mailroom clerk at Delphi Enterprises. First, he went to the wrong entrance of the massive campus. After being directed to the correct location, he arrived late. All the permanent employees were leaving to hear the company’s CEO speak in the adjacent amphitheater. When Jacob’s curiosity finds him peering into the window of the amphitheater, he sees a yellow mist descend within. When the mist clears, the attendees are furiously killing each other and themselves. He stumbles back to the mailroom, where he and another temp named Lauren watch the news. It appears a chemical weapon has been launched against many major American cities. How will The Temps survive? Are all their loved ones dead? Is everyone else already gone?

I adore disaster and apocalyptic tales. If you do too, you will enjoy this great book that is perfect for Walking Dead fans. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars for The Temps!

Thanks to Keylight Books for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Amy Biggart · Rating 3 out of 5]

some thoughts to come for sure

[Tony Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pathos, humor, love, and terror mix in this page-turner GenZ apocalyptic thriller. Great writing brings the characters alive, characters who can never quite come to terms with how the American dream has failed them. Instead, they work to make a new society in the desecrated skeleton of the old. A corporate headquarters becomes their postmodern cathedral, yoga is their Eucharist. They alternate between apathy and hope. In the end, they get what they deserve, both good and bad.

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun, surprising, and exciting! I already want there to be a sequel.

[Linda Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine having a college degree that doesn't seem to qualify you for an actual job in the real world. Imagine living in your parents' basements and working a series of dead end clerical positions. Imagine taking a position as a temp in the mail room of a huge powerful corporation where no one really understands just what it is that this company does. Now imagine that on your first day at work, the apocalypse happens. The 10,000 full-time employees are outside in the courtyard waiting to hear a speech from their mysterious but powerful incredibly wealthy leader. So they all die when the poisonous cloud descends. The only survivors are the 350 temps still in the hermetically sealed office building. They were not invited to this gathering. This is the position that Jacob Elliot finds himself in. It takes awhile for the reality of the situation to sink in. He explores the immense reaches of the Delphi Enterprises building searching for other people. As the temps find each other and try to build a society within the confinement of this space, you might feel Lord of the Flies vibes. But these healthy young adults don't descend to that level. Before the television stations all go off the air, they realize that most of the population has died and no one is coming to rescue them. But the temps have all that they need to survive for many months. The cafeteria and the food court and the numerous private refrigerators are all well stocked. Most of the dead employees kept changes of clothes in their offices or lockers. There are showers and electricity is provided by powerful generators. Many of the survivors are quite content to pair off and party with the plentiful supply of alcohol on the premises. But Jacob Elliot wants answers. What is the Delphi corporation? Are they responsible for the apocalypse? Why did this happen? These are dangerous questions. Some readers have marked this book as humorous but I have a problem with that characterization. The horror of the situation cannot be undone with a few funny moments. The Temps is an excellent book that will keep you thinking long after you finish reading it.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was alright. The premise was interesting with an execution that left something to be desired. There were some plot holes early on that are mostly filled in by the end. I found it interesting that the female characters had more depth than the men, despite the author's gender. That said, the men were stereotypical caricatures often called out for mansplaining. It seemed to me that the author wrote extensively about corporate culture despite seeming to have little first-hand experience with it. This was also obvious from how the the limited appearance of the military was handled. Much was made of people speaking in business jargon unintelligible to the main characters. I suppose there are some companies like that and I should consider myself fortunate not to work at one, but it simply didn't ring true. DeYoung did do a good job of writing atmospherically. I had a sense throughout of being there with the characters through his descriptions and dialogue. The ending was kind of disappointing...it felt like the book more stopped than ended.

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

'meh'. Interesting in parts and it starts off strong but I just didn't feel it A perfectly fine book that could see others enjoying but I just didn't.who knows maybe if I had read this at a different time and place this would have hit me like a load of bricks but alas this was not to be.

Just okay.

[Kailey Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love an apocalypse story! I’ve never read an end-of-the-world story based in an workplace setting. It was funny & interesting & made me contemplate the American obsession with working.

[Sara Zarr]

Do you like Lost, The Leftovers, Shaun of the Dead? Do you like good books with a balance of character, plot, and action that clock in at under 250 pages? Have you ever worked in a cubicle? Are you a little critical of tech disrupters and capitalism? This book is for you!!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

the belkoe experiment but make it global terrorism

[Rochelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The summary made me want to read this book. There was so much potential, but it was very disappointing This is tech billionaire mining all over data trying to save us from ourselves and got away with murdering billions of people to create a new world. It's Thanos and the Avengers, I Am Legend, and Walking Dead minus the zombies. It dragged on for too long and I zoned out a lot while listening.