Colin gets promoted and dooms the world / Mark Waddell.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

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. Like, terminated. That's tough, because his BFF has just set him up with a great guy. In fact, maybe he's a little too great. And asks a lot of questions... When Colin meets a shadowy figure promising his deepest desire in return for a small, unspecified favour, 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 favour 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. It's the ultimate power move, after all.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

When a colleague shatters Colin's belief that hard work, blood magic, and questionable moral standards guarantee success, Colin desperately bargains for a promotion with a faceless entity from beyond. In return, the terrible being needs one small favor, which sends New York hurtling toward apocalypse. Colin must prevent the end of the world, since his new job will mean nothing if the evil corporation collapses. Plus, he'd rather his best friend not be devoured--not to mention the hot man Colin recently met. Wadell's novel carefully balances humor and horror with broken dreams and gray morality. Colin isn't quite a hero; he's been knocked down enough to believe that nice guys finish last. He doesn't particularly want the innocent to suffer, but malicious office gossips and conceited rivals should watch their backs. Most readers won't have experienced as much workplace death, dismemberment, or eldritch horror as Colin, but this underdog revenge fantasy is for anyone who has been bullied, ignored, or taken advantage of. VERDICT This fun but sharp shift from Waddell's previous cozy novel (The Body in the Back Garden) falls somewhere between Hannah Nicole Maehrer's Assistant to the Villain and Charles Stross's The Atrocity Archives.--Matthew Galloway

Kirkus Book Review

When Colin Harris--a self-loathing low-level employee at Dark Enterprises--meets a shadowy figure at work, he strikes a deal to fulfill his heart's desire (a promotion) and accidentally kick-starts the end of the world. Located deep in the heart of New York City, Dark Enterprises is unique when it comes to multinational corporations. To start, there's a people-eating monster living in the stairwell, and human tears and screams are harvested for all kinds of questionable uses. It's hell--literally--but the people who work there love it. After years of toiling away trying to make a name for himself while sustaining emotional abuse from his co-workers, Colin is positive that his head is, quite literally, on the chopping block. When he meets a strange shadowy figure in the halls of Dark Enterprises who promises to fulfill his heart's desire in exchange for a few drops of blood and a simple, unspecified favor, he asks for the one thing he knows will save his skin: a promotion. "The Thing studied me--that was what it looked like, anyhow--while my knees shook.You will have what you desire, it finally said.And once you do, I will return to claim my part of our bargain." As promised by the terrifying, faceless entity, Colin's dreams come true in the blink of an eye (and a drop of blood). He's almost immediately promoted, and while everything seems to go smoothly at first, his life swiftly begins to fall apart when New Yorkers start to go missing en masse. Worse still, Colin's best friend, Amira, is determined to set him up with a guy in her yoga class, and while Eric is undeniably handsome, he asks a lot of questions. The humor throughout this novel is delightfully witty in a way that fans of dry satire will greatly enjoy. Filled with top-notch worldbuilding, entertaining antagonists, and tongue-in-cheek charm that's reminiscent of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, and TJ Klune'sThe House in the Cerulean Sea (2020), this novel is not to be missed for fans of urban fantasy that gently toes the horror line. A charming corporate horror novel with a whole lot of heart. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.