"At his best, Cole's writing is reminiscent of that of Carol Shields: he can be hilariously funny and profoundly serious at the same time.... It's refreshing to see a writer as talented as Cole choosing the unpredictable here and now over the deceptively safe draw of historical fiction. He not only cares about what's right in front of him. He makes his readers care too. "
—Joel Yanofsky, Montreal Gazette

"Cole is an experienced, award-winning journalist as well as one of the best young novelists in this country, and he's done his homework: He not only captures the physical and social realities of life on a military compound in Afghanistan, he gets inside Kyle's head in such a way that we see that microcosm through highly inquisitive eyes that are blinkered by naiveté, not cynicism."
— T.F. Rigelhof, The Globe and Mail

For all its intensity, The Fearsome Particles is not a bleak or forbidding book; in fact, it is one of the most entertaining novels I’ve read this year.... In its intimate examination of the inner lives of its characters, however, it becomes something greater, opening the door to fundamental and significant human truths. Its power comes from its narrowing of focus, and from Cole’s significant strengths as a writer.
— Robert J. Wiersema, The National Post

Different in tone and texture from Norman Bray, which was light, frothy and funny, The Fearsome Particles sees Cole playing out a darker, more troubling tale. Yet it is one laced with subtle black humour, a sprinkling of pathos and large doses of human failing.... With writing like this, Trevor Cole is quickly gaining a reputation as a major talent, deservedly so.
— Paul Marck, Edmonton Journal

"Cole knows how to assemble a sound plot; the clicks are almost audible as each narrative point fits into place. The care and expertise is appreciated. We always know where each of the family members are, what they want, and the particularly fearsome challenges bearing down on them. This clarity is Cole’s great strength, and he moves the story forward with economy....
— Quill & Quire

"If there's a literary prize for versatility, Trevor Cole should be the runaway winner. Unlike those one-trick ponies in the publishers' sweepstakes, who know that serious always trumps satire, Cole is determined to bend the rules and upend the genres. The Fearsome Particles, his ambitious second novel ... [is] a workplace comedy enveloped by human tragedy, a sympathetic study of post-war trauma played to the laugh track of finely observed farce."
— Book a Day, The Globe and Mail

"Trevor Cole ... delivers a novel with a satisfying smack of delight... [He] adroitly juggles tragedy and comedy and offers fascinating insights into his disparate settings.... It's Cole's concise, sparse, sly cleverness that makes The Fearsome Particles such a gripping read."
— Hamilton Spectator

"Cole takes on some heavy themes: middle-class desperation, the vagaries of real estate, and most importantly, Canada's Afghan mission.... In very precise and skilled prose, Cole gets us very close to these characters, and the story consistently holds our interest. The book's not easy to put down.
— NOW magazine