Quick Synopsis – Colin is a low-level employee at Dark Enterprises, a Hell-like multinational corporation solving the world’s most difficult problems in deeply questionable ways. After years of toiling away in a cubicle, he’s ready to climb the corporate ladder and claim the power he’s never had.

The only problem is, he’s pretty sure he’s about to be terminated. When Colin meets a shadowy figure promising his deepest desire in return for a small, unspecified favor, he can’t resist the urge to fast-track his goals. He asks for the one thing that will improve his life: 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. Getting to the top is never easy, and now it’s up to Colin to save the world.

Song on Repeat for The Book – It’s the End of the World as We Know It – R.E.M.

Publication Date – Oct. 7, 2025

Bookshop Link – Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World by Mark Waddell (I receive a small percent if you order using my link)

Content Notes – There is violence, gore, attempted sexual assault, bullying, and a lot of blood. There is some violence against children and a lot of mass disappearances.

Spicy Rating – 🌶️

Overall Rating – ⭐⭐ out of 5

Review – I wish I liked this book more, it had such a fun premise. I had such a hard time getting behind the main character. Colin is a queer man who has spent his whole life being bullied and looked down on by others. When a shadowy figure basically offers him a wish, Colin takes it. From there things go haywire. You would think a man who has been working for a corporation called Dark Enterprises, that literally utilizes demons, other dimensions, murders employees, and conducts evil deals would know better. But nope. Colin lets his ambition blind him, makes a deal, and then spends the rest of the book trying to fix it.

This book was fun and did have some campy moments, but overall, I really didn’t like the main character. He does nothing to truly better himself or his situation. The side characters were so much more interesting. I would read a whole book about Eric or Amira. Colin just seemed like a character that the plot was happening too. He had so many opportunities to learn or grow, but he was selfish and didn’t really acknowledge the help he has along the way. I also thought the romance subplot between Eric and Colin was a little shoehorned in. It felt way to fast and wooden; we don’t see enough of their interactions on page to warrant a love story. The moment Eric is introduced it’s easy to see where his story is going and I felt like it could have been better fleshed out.

The arcane elements of the book were the most interesting parts. I liked the dimensions, rituals, history, and folklore that was woven into the story. The small amount of time Colin spends researching could have been expanded and I would have been happy. But alas Colin is looking for too much of a quick fix for us as the reader to get to know the world more.

If you like Nighvale I could see this being a book you’d enjoy, it just wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ace publishing for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.