The Midnight Project
Christy Climenhage
May 20, 2025
294 PAGES | ISBN 978-1-998408-18-4
When enigmatic billionaire Burton Sykes walks into Re-Gene-eration, a bespoke reproduction assistance clinic run by Raina and Cedric, two disgraced genetic engineers struggling to get by, they know they have a very unusual client. When Sykes asks them to genetically engineer a way for humanity to survive the coming ecological apocalypse, Raina is tempted. Bees are dying, crops are failing, and she knows her research is partly to blame. Could she help in some way? Though troubled, Cedric agrees to take part when it becomes clear their benefactor will do this with or without them. How else can he be sure their work won’t fall into the wrong hands? But can they really trust Mr. Sykes?
In this near-future science fiction thriller, Christy Climenhage has created a frighteningly real world on the verge of collapse. As disaster strikes, the two friends need to decide whether to cling to their old life or to let go and embrace a new path for humanity.
Advance Praise
"Darkly prescient, but never giving into despair, Climenhage’s debut science fiction thriller, The Midnight Project, is an absolute triumph. In a near future where every breath is taken in a pre-apocalypse of terrifying credibility, the author draws us into the journey of two isolated scientists who, charged with designing a new kind of human, discover the best of humanity in themselves and their creations. An incredible story and a must-read for us all." – Julie E. Czerneda, author of To Each This World
"Set against the backdrop of a ruined future, hope and horror intertwine perfectly in Climenhage’s stunning debut. I couldn’t put this book down, and readers concerned about the climate crisis and the uncertain future of humanity, and fans of realistic science fiction won’t be able to look away." – Jessica Lewis, author of Bad Witch Burning
Reviews
A&A Reviews The Midnight Project (Wendy S. Delmater, Abyss & Apex, 12/03/2025)
"Marvelous worldbuilding, good science, great characters, and the Ceph are amazing. You’ll want to read this one."
Interviews
Six Questions interview #224 : Christy Climenhage (Chaudiere Books, 08/06/2025)
"Over the last few years, I’ve discovered the local speculative fiction community and found other writers who are not only wildly talented but very welcoming and kind."
Debut novelist Christy Climenhage wants you to delight in being a beginner (Kate Hanley, Finding the Through Line, 29/05/2025)
Because really, no one has this writing thing all figured out.
Why I Wrote this Book Issue #46 (The Miramichi Reader, 25/05/2025)
"Why did I write this book? Short answer: Because it was time."
The Big Idea: Christy Climenhage (Athena Scalzi, Whatever: FIX YOUR HEARTS OR DIE, 22/05/2025)
To Christy Climenhage, it’s also important to acknowledge the ways in which we all keep on keepin’ on in the trying times. Follow along in the Big Idea for her debut novel, The Midnight Project, and see how the world is ending, and yet still going.
Book Column: The Midnight Project (Nav Nanwa, Ontario Morning, 21/05/2025)
Christy Climenhage's latest novel is about a power-hungry billionaire messing with the fate of the world and has already resonated with critics who call it “an absolute triumph” and “prescient.” Climenhage is uncomfortable with that label.
12 or 20 (second series) questions with Christy Climenhage (rob mclennan, rob mclennan's blog, 17/05/2025)
"The wondrous thing about writers is there are so many roles they can take on, and their works can play, out in the world. Writers can entertain, inform, provoke, bolster or assuage. They can educate; they can inspire."
Christy Climenhage: Reading habits, writing process, the appeal of Canadian speculative fiction (Sheelagh Caygill, On Creative Writing, 16/05/2025)
"At its core, my writing centers on relationships and community-building. I’m fascinated by how people and society react when faced with existential threats like ecological collapse."
Articles
Tell Me – Christy Climenhage (Christy Climenhage, JenniferBrozek.com, 06/05/2025)
"Today, Christy Climenhage tells me why, while we might be able to do a thing, that does not mean we should do the thing. More importantly, how 'the consequences of certain technologies can long outlast the people who invent them.'”
New Books: May 20, 2025 (Locus, 20/05/2025)
The Midnight Project is included in this great roundup of forthcoming books.
New and forthcoming environmental books (May 2025) (John Yunker, EcoLit Books, 06/05/2025)
The Midnight Project is included in this great roundup of eco-lit.
Off/Kilter: 2025 Spring Preview (All Lit Up, 07/03/2025)
Wonderful to see The Midnight Project on this off-kilter list!
Most Anticipated: Our 2025 Spring Fiction Preview (49th Shelf, 01/02/2025)
We're delighted to see Christy Climenhage's The Midnight Project on this fabulous list of Most Anticipated Spring Fiction from the 49th Shelf!
Excerpt
Click here to read an excerpt of The Midnight Project.
About the Author
Christy Climenhage was born in southern Ontario, Canada, and currently lives in a forest north of Ottawa. In between, she has lived on four continents. She holds a PhD from Cambridge University in Political and Social Sciences, and Masters’ degrees from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University (International Political Economy) and the College of Europe (European Politics and Administration). She loves writing science fiction that pushes the boundaries of our current society, politics and technology. When she is not writing, you can find her walking her dogs, hiking or cross-country skiing.