THE EFFORT

“Page-turner of the year! In the grand tradition of Stephen King’s THE STAND, Pat Frank’s ALAS, BABYLON, and J.T. McIntosh’s ONE IN THREE HUNDRED. Call it a techno-thriller, call it apocalyptic fiction—I call it great writing. This is an important and provocative novel, one that should be read by all who care about the future of the planet and humanity’s role in its preservation. Claire Holroyde is an exciting new voice in modern fiction, and we’re lucky to have this stirring and fully imagined book.”

“The novel has a grand scope, but the characters earn our sympathy through complex and detailed backstories, even the minor characters. These details justify their motivations, adding to the plausibility...The Effort paints a bleak picture of humanity’s final days, but ultimately offers a message of hope; our survival relies on exploiting the most fundamentally human trait—connecting and trusting one another.”

“It’s true that the latest star-studded opus from Adam McKay doesn’t have the loopy perfection of Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Dr. Strangelove’ nor the bleak, escalating wit of Armando Iannucci’s ‘Avenue 5.’ It’s not even the best asteroid-as-climate-change metaphor of the year (that would be Claire Holroyde’s novel ‘THE EFFORT’) But as we face multiple, interlocking, preventable apocalypses of human foolishness and cruelty, there’s something to be said for art that is prepared to just scream at you in open, helpless panic.”

“[Claire Holroyde’s] prose is measured and clear, and the plot arcs nicely from the scientific issues to more personal stakes. An adept contribution to the realm of apocalypse fiction.”

“As much as the narrative lays out the dire consequences of a comet hurtling toward Earth—and the reality of the situation gets quite dire—Holroyde simultaneously offers a pathway toward survival, codependence and redemption. Take notes.”

“THE EFFORT artfully mirrors an allegorical warning on the state of our planet’s climate with a more imminent threat of complete and total annihilation of the human species. It speeds up the doomsday clock—that’s ticking relentlessly on every page—but with a lingering and aching glimpse at everything that’s about to be lost. Heart-pounding and heart wrenching all at once, it’s ultimately, somehow, a story of immense hope. Just a stunning debut.”