Library Journal - Audio
06/01/2022
In his adult fiction debut, DeYoung (The Exo Project) takes aim at both the dangers and absurdities of the modern technological landscape. Embittered by his failure to launch an exalted literary career, Jacob lands a temp job at the sprawling campus of megacorporation Delphi Enterprises. When a yellow mist descends on an outdoor rally for permanent staff, the resulting rage frenzy leaves thousands dead and 350 temps sealed inside the building to await their fate—or determine a new path forward. Just as they're finding equilibrium, new details emerge to throw the cause of the disaster in question. Paul Heitsch narrates with the perfect slightly whiny tone for Jacob's periodically mopey attitude without resorting to caricature. He also creates an expansive vocal landscape for the novel's other point-of-view characters, including disillusioned classics major Lauren, frustrated business student Dominic, and emotionally wounded yoga instructor Swati. While built in the grand tradition of the straightforward zombie apocalypse, the story has plenty of twists, a good dose of humor, and plenty of sharp observations about how technology infiltrates our daily lives. VERDICT Perfect for fans of Grady Hendrix and Max Brooks. Recommended for most audio collections.—Natalie Marshall
JUNE 2022 - AudioFile
This apocalyptic audiobook requires a narrator who can reflect the hesitancy and false bravado of a corporate newcomer. Narrator Paul Heitsch skillfully captures the shock of a group of temps whose world is turned upside down when a toxic gas cloud settles on an outdoor gathering, killing all of Delphi Corp.'s regular employees, and billions of others worldwide. Those few hundred who were inside the sealed building at the time of the attack establish a new world order with the limited resources remaining. This arrangement works fine until a saboteur ruins their tenuous situation. Heitsch ably voices characters who go through confusion, followed by hope and contentment, and, finally, despair. He takes the conflicted characters on a journey that is fraught with obstacles before they come out on the other side. D.E.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
11/15/2021
DeYoung’s diverting apocalyptic adult debut (after the YA novel The Exo Project) delivers a smart critique of modern life. Mail room temp Jacob Elliot gets lost on his first day at Delphi Enterprises. He has no idea what the company does, and overhears cryptic conversations from higher-ups (“We’ve got a scope-creep issue on the variable data extraction project and I need to force a decision,” one says). There’s a big meeting with Delphi’s founder, but temps aren’t allowed. During the meeting, a strange yellow gas suffuses the room and turns people into “rage monsters,” who all kill each other or themselves. The only survivors are Delphi’s 350 temps, all of whom are trapped inside the sealed building. Among them are Swati Sidana, who lumps Jacob in with her ex-boyfriend from college as "angry white boys" but gives Jacob points for “seem gentler, less sure of himself"; and Morgan, a young woman who beta-tested video games for Delphi and offers clues as to what the company is up to. But by the time the group finds answers in the company’s computers, it might be too late to save themselves. DeYoung cleverly deconstructs academia, video game culture, and capitalism from the perspectives of the temps. The author has a lot to say, and has crafted a fine vehicle for doing so. (Mar.)Correction: An earlier version of this review misidentified the name of one character and the race of another character, and has been updated for clarity.
From the Publisher
A Tor Nightfire Most Exciting Horror Book of 2022
“This boiling-pot of a novel is a vivid experiment in millennial disillusionment . . . Simultaneously a dark dystopic and a hilarious tale of bureaucratic absurdity, The Temps is bizarre—and unexpectedly fun.” —Booklist (starred review)
“A smart critique of modern life.” —Publishers Weekly
“The Temps is a dystopian page-turner, but also a statement on our digital world, corporate culture, and the politics of capitalism.” —Laurie Hertzel, Star Tribune“The Temps is an allegorical yarn about the modern workplace, with a dash of The Walking Dead and Don DeLillo's White Noise tossed in. It fits well on the ever-growing shelf of novels that similarly critique corporate conformity, like Ling Ma's Severance and Dave Eggers' The Circle.” —Mark Athitakis, Star Tribune
“Equal parts satire, mystery, and apocalyptic thriller, The Temps lulls readers with breezy prose and absurdist humor before yanking the rug out with a series of shocking twists. Vividly sketched characters and a kaleidoscopic third-person narrative add depth and warmth, resulting in an enthralling story that tempers cynicism with hope.” —Mystery Scene
“DeYoung has taken a familiar end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it theme and made it something uniquely his own. Readers won't soon forget it.” —New York Journal of Books
“Andrew DeYoung's The Temps is a comic adventure for our uncertain times, a mashup of Then We Came to the End and World War Z. The result is a surprisingly funny and heartfelt satire of modern employment that should please fans of literary and speculative fiction alike.” —Adam O’Fallon Price, author of The Hotel Neversink
“The Temps is a unique take on both the corporate conspiracy plot and the zombie-apocalypse thriller. It's fast-paced, darkly funny, and full of unexpected turns. It also holds incisive and illuminating social commentary, providing windows of insight amidst the heart-pounding action.” —Elvia Wilk, author of Oval
“The Temps is equal parts dark satire, probing character study, and fast-paced thriller. DeYoung’s mesmerizing writing is by turns wry, muscular, and probing. This is an apocalyptic page-turner that asks profound questions about human nature, about who we are and who we have the potential to become. DeYoung’s vision is both vibrant and prophetic; I couldn’t put this novel down.” —Kaethe Schwehn, author of The Rending and the Nest
“Andrew DeYoung is a sage storyteller with the incredibly rare gift of being able to write with both poignancy and wit. The Temps is both terrifying and hilarious–it absolutely deserves a high-paying full-time job with excellent benefits.” —John Jodzio, Author of Knockout and If You Lived Here You'd Already Be Home
“Part Great American Office Novel and part apocalyptic thriller, The Temps taps into the search for meaning post-college and combines it with the sharp urgency of the best dystopian fiction. With wry observations about corporate life and careful attention to the delicate intricacies of human relationships, DeYoung reminds us that the only thing worse than a meaningless temp job is a meaningless temp job during the end of the world.” —Bryan Bliss, National Book Award Longlisted author of We’ll Fly Away
“What TheTemps profoundly illustrates is that the most gripping science fiction doesn't emerge from the unknown, but from what we know all too well and choose to look away from. That we choose to look away at our own peril is what makes TheTemps impossible to put down.” —Ben Tanzer, author of Orphans, UPSTATE, and Lost in Space
JUNE 2022 - AudioFile
This apocalyptic audiobook requires a narrator who can reflect the hesitancy and false bravado of a corporate newcomer. Narrator Paul Heitsch skillfully captures the shock of a group of temps whose world is turned upside down when a toxic gas cloud settles on an outdoor gathering, killing all of Delphi Corp.'s regular employees, and billions of others worldwide. Those few hundred who were inside the sealed building at the time of the attack establish a new world order with the limited resources remaining. This arrangement works fine until a saboteur ruins their tenuous situation. Heitsch ably voices characters who go through confusion, followed by hope and contentment, and, finally, despair. He takes the conflicted characters on a journey that is fraught with obstacles before they come out on the other side. D.E.M. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
