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megmcardle's review against another edition
5.0
Our world, a little forward in time, with a plague sweeping the planet that causes people to stop sleeping and then die. A cop is undercover trying to track the black market for the one drug that gives the sleepless some measure of peace, but uncovers a murder, a conspiracy and a contract killer. The action is gripping, although the shifting perspectives (told partly by the cop, partly by the contract killer) is confusing at times. As the sleepless aren't sleeping any more, Huston has envisioned that they spend their days and nights immersed in a video game. This game, and the underworld of the drug dealers, and the general descriptions of a world falling apart in the face of an epidemic are all fascinating, but what really got to me is the relationship of the cop and his wife, one of the slowing dying sleepless. Fantastic.
jmcphers's review against another edition
3.0
This book isn't quite what I expected: I was imagining an introspective, world-gone-awry story with shades of the apocalypse and medicine, a quiet watch-the-world-burn sort of story. I'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic fiction and the premise--a disease that robs people of their sleep and, eventually, their life--was fascinating, conjuring up images of whole cities just staying up all night because they cannot sleep.
What I got was, unquestionably, pulp fiction. This book was written in January of 2010 and contains so many references to modern technology, down to specific model names ("I connected via Bluetooth to the Canon Pixma printer in my glove box! Pow!") that I cannot imagine it making much sense five years from now. It's an action-packed thriller, full of spies, martial arts, cops, and private security contractors.
The characters in the book are larger-than-life caricatures: the wealthy, elegant survivalist-assassin who listens to opera and eats cavier while contemplating his next kill, the independent feminist who says naughty words a lot and falls in love with someone who seems incredibly wrong for her, the incredibly likable cop who is trying really, really hard to do the right thing.
In the end I liked the story; it was free of the ambiguity and complexity that surround authors who are trying to write Literature with Meaning. It's just a story, and a well-told and tightly-researched story at that. I liked it, but not enough for a re-read--and isn't that what pulp fiction is supposed to be?
What I got was, unquestionably, pulp fiction. This book was written in January of 2010 and contains so many references to modern technology, down to specific model names ("I connected via Bluetooth to the Canon Pixma printer in my glove box! Pow!") that I cannot imagine it making much sense five years from now. It's an action-packed thriller, full of spies, martial arts, cops, and private security contractors.
The characters in the book are larger-than-life caricatures: the wealthy, elegant survivalist-assassin who listens to opera and eats cavier while contemplating his next kill, the independent feminist who says naughty words a lot and falls in love with someone who seems incredibly wrong for her, the incredibly likable cop who is trying really, really hard to do the right thing.
In the end I liked the story; it was free of the ambiguity and complexity that surround authors who are trying to write Literature with Meaning. It's just a story, and a well-told and tightly-researched story at that. I liked it, but not enough for a re-read--and isn't that what pulp fiction is supposed to be?
pattieod's review against another edition
4.0
The story of a world torn apart by a Mad-Cow like disease that leaves its victims unable to sleep and inevitably kills them.
Oddly enough, a really, really poor choice of reading for those who might actually be battling insomnia in real life.
A good read, but I probably would have enjoyed it more had I ever played/participated in an RPG - the Sims, Second Life, d&d, World of Warcraft or whatever, since so much of the action centers on people who do and the characters they create.
Oddly enough, a really, really poor choice of reading for those who might actually be battling insomnia in real life.
A good read, but I probably would have enjoyed it more had I ever played/participated in an RPG - the Sims, Second Life, d&d, World of Warcraft or whatever, since so much of the action centers on people who do and the characters they create.
ghilimei's review against another edition
4.0
M-am surprins din nou singură pentru că nu mă așteptam să-mi placă neapărat cartea asta, dar m-am apucat de ea pentru că eram disperată, nu mai citisem de prea multă vreme, eram de-a dreptul în sevraj, iar ea era cel mai la îndemână, cu un titlu care m-a atras întotdeauna - Insomnia. E ciudat cât de mult mă atrage subiectul ăsta ținând cont cât de mult îmi place să dorm.
Am răsfoit-o, am văzut cam despre ce e vorba, m-am gândit că poate o să găsesc vreo viziune nouă asupra somnului/insomniei (după cum spuneam, mă pasionează subiectul și cărțile care-l tratează), așa că m-am apucat s-o citesc fără vreun alt background check despre autor sau alte detalii.
M-a prins din primul capitol. Fără cine știe ce introducere sau set-up, a intrat direct în acțiune, ceea ce mi-a plăcut, iar contextul și personajele au fost dezvăluite pe parcurs. Nici nu afli cum arată exact personajul principal până pe la jumătate sau chiar aproape de final, dar pe mine nu m-a deranjat deloc.
Povestea are trei voci narative, care alternează - două sunt ale personajelor ale căror destine se vor întrepătrunde (nu e spoiler - era de așteptat), iar al treilea e naratorul omniscient, care mai face câte-o paranteză. Problema e că nu prea sunt diferențiate aceste voci, iar asta devine confuzant la început. Mi s-a întâmplat de mai multe ori să citesc un capitol întreg fără să-mi dau seama că era narat de altcineva decât cine credeam eu.
Finalul mi s-a părut un pic ilogic, parcă a căutat anume să provoace dramă. Explicația întregului mister în jurul căruia se învârte acțiunea mi s-a părut ușor nesatisfăcătoare, cam prea previzibilă, dar altfel destul de realistă, ceea ce mi-a mai atenuat din nemulțumire.
Nu pot să spun că e o carte extraordinară, dacă ar fi ecranizată probabil ar ieși un film de categoria B, dar mie mi-a plăcut pentru că mi-a oferit exact ce aveam nevoie în momentul în care am citit-o. O recomand cui are chef de o lectură ușoară, în pas alert. Mi se pare foarte bună pentru citit în tren, avion, aeroport sau alte situații similare cu ceva mai mult timp la dispoziție.
Am răsfoit-o, am văzut cam despre ce e vorba, m-am gândit că poate o să găsesc vreo viziune nouă asupra somnului/insomniei (după cum spuneam, mă pasionează subiectul și cărțile care-l tratează), așa că m-am apucat s-o citesc fără vreun alt background check despre autor sau alte detalii.
M-a prins din primul capitol. Fără cine știe ce introducere sau set-up, a intrat direct în acțiune, ceea ce mi-a plăcut, iar contextul și personajele au fost dezvăluite pe parcurs. Nici nu afli cum arată exact personajul principal până pe la jumătate sau chiar aproape de final, dar pe mine nu m-a deranjat deloc.
Povestea are trei voci narative, care alternează - două sunt ale personajelor ale căror destine se vor întrepătrunde (nu e spoiler - era de așteptat), iar al treilea e naratorul omniscient, care mai face câte-o paranteză. Problema e că nu prea sunt diferențiate aceste voci, iar asta devine confuzant la început. Mi s-a întâmplat de mai multe ori să citesc un capitol întreg fără să-mi dau seama că era narat de altcineva decât cine credeam eu.
Finalul mi s-a părut un pic ilogic, parcă a căutat anume să provoace dramă. Explicația întregului mister în jurul căruia se învârte acțiunea mi s-a părut ușor nesatisfăcătoare, cam prea previzibilă, dar altfel destul de realistă, ceea ce mi-a mai atenuat din nemulțumire.
Nu pot să spun că e o carte extraordinară, dacă ar fi ecranizată probabil ar ieși un film de categoria B, dar mie mi-a plăcut pentru că mi-a oferit exact ce aveam nevoie în momentul în care am citit-o. O recomand cui are chef de o lectură ușoară, în pas alert. Mi se pare foarte bună pentru citit în tren, avion, aeroport sau alte situații similare cu ceva mai mult timp la dispoziție.
sandeestarlite's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. I would have given 5 stars but the beginning it's a little difficult to distinguish which of the 3 voices is talking.
My worst nightmare: insomnia. In this book the end-of-the-world breaking point is a disease that leaves its victims sleepless. Eventually you die. [shudder]
Is this a man-made disaster or an organically evolving disease? There appears to be a cure and our main character Park has been given the task of finding out who is illegally selling it.
My worst nightmare: insomnia. In this book the end-of-the-world breaking point is a disease that leaves its victims sleepless. Eventually you die. [shudder]
Is this a man-made disaster or an organically evolving disease? There appears to be a cure and our main character Park has been given the task of finding out who is illegally selling it.
thaydra's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting concept- a virus prevents people from being able to sleep, which causes eventual painful death. A drug is on the market (Dreamer) that can help someone sleep, but does not prevent the death
It is written from the view of two different people- the narrator, who is an assassin, and then the main character Park. Park is a cop whose wife has contracted the disease. He goes deep undercover to try and find the root of the Dreamer black market.
While it kept me interested enough to finish it, I was highly confused throughout much of the book, and sadly the ending did not seem to clear much up for me. Perhaps I just didn't "get it", but I don't understand the whole reasoning for much of what was done in the book.
It is written from the view of two different people- the narrator, who is an assassin, and then the main character Park. Park is a cop whose wife has contracted the disease. He goes deep undercover to try and find the root of the Dreamer black market.
While it kept me interested enough to finish it, I was highly confused throughout much of the book, and sadly the ending did not seem to clear much up for me. Perhaps I just didn't "get it", but I don't understand the whole reasoning for much of what was done in the book.
timgibbons's review against another edition
5.0
The hidden secret about Huston's books is the core of humor he displays in them, something that adds a layer of humanity to otherwise dystopic topics like the travails of mass-murdering baseball players and the struggles of hunted vampire private eyes.
Sleepless isn't funny, though -- but might be all the stronger for that lack.
Set in what might be best described as a pre-apocalyptic world ("pre" in the sense that, sure, everything hasn't gone to hell yet, but just wait a week or two), the book presents both a new take on zombie fiction, a well developed mystery (albeit with a few loose threads) and a captivating exploration of humanity and how one retains it.
As with Huston's latest work (Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death, which was one of my best reads of 2009), Sleepless presents a more complicated read than the Joe Pitts casebooks -- something that I take as the author's growth as a writer. Most of the characters are not exactly nice people, and yet are presented in such a fullness of personality that both their flaws and motivations are explicable. Sleepless' view of the world and how -- on both a global and more personal scale -- it will all come to ruin is all-too-easily imaginable.
At this point, I'd pretty much read anything Huston wrote, anyway, but Sleepless has me anticipating his next book even more.
Sleepless isn't funny, though -- but might be all the stronger for that lack.
Set in what might be best described as a pre-apocalyptic world ("pre" in the sense that, sure, everything hasn't gone to hell yet, but just wait a week or two), the book presents both a new take on zombie fiction, a well developed mystery (albeit with a few loose threads) and a captivating exploration of humanity and how one retains it.
As with Huston's latest work (Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death, which was one of my best reads of 2009), Sleepless presents a more complicated read than the Joe Pitts casebooks -- something that I take as the author's growth as a writer. Most of the characters are not exactly nice people, and yet are presented in such a fullness of personality that both their flaws and motivations are explicable. Sleepless' view of the world and how -- on both a global and more personal scale -- it will all come to ruin is all-too-easily imaginable.
At this point, I'd pretty much read anything Huston wrote, anyway, but Sleepless has me anticipating his next book even more.
fionaaaaaa's review against another edition
1.0
I didn't finish this one. I got up to page 80 and found it hard work. I thought it would be a great story in some ways similar to real life in a crazy sort of way, covid pandemic, fuel shortages, food shortages, dog eat dog attitude. But I just wasn't enjoying it. I think there was 2 main characters which I assume would connect together at some point, but I found the story too disjointed and frankly life is too short to read a book your not enjoying.
nmcspadd's review against another edition
4.0
Man oh man, this is not at all the book I was expecting when I started it. I was expecting an easy read, a crime novel, a fluffy book that kept me turning the pages.
This is a heavy, bleak, deep, dark book. I got into it very slowly, but once I got into it, I couldn't stop. The reader has to work to put the pieces together, to understand the story, to care about the characters. But by the end, by the time life's hardest decisions are made and tragedy has struck, I found that I had come to care greatly about the aging hitman, about the undercover police officer, his dying feminist wife, and their baby. This is a stark vision of the world and of humanity, at times hitting far closer to home than I'd like.
I hope that the world doesn't end up like this. I know for certain that this book will stay with me for a long time.
This is a heavy, bleak, deep, dark book. I got into it very slowly, but once I got into it, I couldn't stop. The reader has to work to put the pieces together, to understand the story, to care about the characters. But by the end, by the time life's hardest decisions are made and tragedy has struck, I found that I had come to care greatly about the aging hitman, about the undercover police officer, his dying feminist wife, and their baby. This is a stark vision of the world and of humanity, at times hitting far closer to home than I'd like.
I hope that the world doesn't end up like this. I know for certain that this book will stay with me for a long time.