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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
Pretty solid story! Definitely leaning more towards the weird-fiction side of things, but I absolutely loved it. Cosmic beings, animals that represent them for no seeming reason, no real answers for anything, for no seeming reason. An ending that closes fairly well if you allow the weird-fiction part of the fiction to act weird.
I understand why some people feel like it's entirely too long; I actually enjoyed that, because everyone was dying of sleep deprivation and it gets to a certain point where the reader, also, feels exhausted. I know that is a make-or-break for some people, but I really enjoyed that aspect. The readers were absolutely not unaffected by what was going on in the story.
Not 5 full stars because I don't think I would read it again. There were no parts where I was in shock and awe by the writing or the story, nothing I would think back on at a later time. It's not exactly sitting in my brain, getting in the way of everything else. So it's at a 4. Its definitely hefty to get through, but nonetheless, it's a solid one!
I understand why some people feel like it's entirely too long; I actually enjoyed that, because everyone was dying of sleep deprivation and it gets to a certain point where the reader, also, feels exhausted. I know that is a make-or-break for some people, but I really enjoyed that aspect. The readers were absolutely not unaffected by what was going on in the story.
Not 5 full stars because I don't think I would read it again. There were no parts where I was in shock and awe by the writing or the story, nothing I would think back on at a later time. It's not exactly sitting in my brain, getting in the way of everything else. So it's at a 4. Its definitely hefty to get through, but nonetheless, it's a solid one!
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Title: The Edge of Sleep
Authors: Jake Emanuel, Willie Block, Jason Gurley
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 9781250284938
Pub Date: June 20, 2023
Audiobook Narrator: Franz Drameh
Rating: 5/5 ⭐
When the mood strikes, I surf my library’s online catalog on the Libby app and grab a horror book at random based on its one-sentence logline. That’s what I was doing when I spotted the audiobook for The Edge of Sleep (St. Martin’s Press, 2023). When I selected this book, I hadn’t heard of it or its triumvirate of authors and went in totally cold. I highly recommend you give this method a shot. Book number 85 on the year was no sleeper (see what I did there?)!
Dave and Matteo skip out on their night shift for a party when things start going drastically wrong very quickly. TLDR: people die when they go to sleep. There’s a whole backstory connecting Dave’s night terrors and the cause of the humanity-ending trajectory of the book that I won’t spoil for you (it’s good!), and Dave and Matteo—along with Linda, a boss-lady nurse with cajones of steel—set out to save themselves and anyone they team up with along the way. P.S.: No character is safe.
I’d liken this story to Blindness (1995), only more chill (that book had zero chill) and mixed with the sense of adventure, appearance of elder gods, and humorous tones of Lovecraft Country.
Only once in a while do I come across a book, be it in audio format or on paper, that drags me through from start to finish, compelling me not to put it down. I’m a busy guy. I teach full time while running a small publishing business and managing three dogs, all while doing the dad and husband thing… so to say that a book is unputdownable is usually wordplay. This time, I use the phrase literally. I was hitting this thing hard, en route to school, in the grocery store, making breakfast, on the dog walks… all of it. I loved the characters, believed their struggles, and appreciated the scope and focus of the authors’ story structure in The Edge of Sleep. I highly recommend you pick up a copy—from your library or local independent bookstore—if you have the means.
Authors: Jake Emanuel, Willie Block, Jason Gurley
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 9781250284938
Pub Date: June 20, 2023
Audiobook Narrator: Franz Drameh
Rating: 5/5 ⭐
When the mood strikes, I surf my library’s online catalog on the Libby app and grab a horror book at random based on its one-sentence logline. That’s what I was doing when I spotted the audiobook for The Edge of Sleep (St. Martin’s Press, 2023). When I selected this book, I hadn’t heard of it or its triumvirate of authors and went in totally cold. I highly recommend you give this method a shot. Book number 85 on the year was no sleeper (see what I did there?)!
Dave and Matteo skip out on their night shift for a party when things start going drastically wrong very quickly. TLDR: people die when they go to sleep. There’s a whole backstory connecting Dave’s night terrors and the cause of the humanity-ending trajectory of the book that I won’t spoil for you (it’s good!), and Dave and Matteo—along with Linda, a boss-lady nurse with cajones of steel—set out to save themselves and anyone they team up with along the way. P.S.: No character is safe.
I’d liken this story to Blindness (1995), only more chill (that book had zero chill) and mixed with the sense of adventure, appearance of elder gods, and humorous tones of Lovecraft Country.
Only once in a while do I come across a book, be it in audio format or on paper, that drags me through from start to finish, compelling me not to put it down. I’m a busy guy. I teach full time while running a small publishing business and managing three dogs, all while doing the dad and husband thing… so to say that a book is unputdownable is usually wordplay. This time, I use the phrase literally. I was hitting this thing hard, en route to school, in the grocery store, making breakfast, on the dog walks… all of it. I loved the characters, believed their struggles, and appreciated the scope and focus of the authors’ story structure in The Edge of Sleep. I highly recommend you pick up a copy—from your library or local independent bookstore—if you have the means.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
D. N. F I couldn't get past the absolutely annoying characters and the way they talked at the beginning to even imagine going further in this book. Such a shame because the story line itself sounded interesting. I may go back to it later on if I see that a lot of people thought it was good, but for now.... A big nope.
Eh. I could tell that both the setting and writing style weren't for me. I also found the characters really grating and annoying, especially Matteo. Hated how they kept making this joke over and over again that Matteo keeps getting names wrong, like Spinx instead of Sphinx. Or Barber instead of Barbar the Elephant. All within the first 20 pages! Knew it was going to be torture if I kept reading and I realized I have enough self respect to DNF.
Wasn't for me! But I'm sure the Markiplier fandom ate this up. I also have no context for the show/podcast it's based on. Maybe the filmed or recorded versions are better.
Wasn't for me! But I'm sure the Markiplier fandom ate this up. I also have no context for the show/podcast it's based on. Maybe the filmed or recorded versions are better.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book! The characters were well written and their actions seemed pretty realistic for what they were going through.
I found it rather odd that each chapter continued the story of another character somewhere else in the world, because it didn’t really add anything to the journey of the main characters as I assumed they would all meet at some point, but that never happened. After the first half of the book, it felt redundant to keep adding in the experiences of new characters falling asleep, because the story has already established that people who fall asleep will not wake up.
One critique I have is that the book never really gave an explanation for why this whole “pandemic” is happening. There was a short explanation about the elephant at the end, but it just seemed so unrealistic and I would’ve appreciated a more solid reasoning as to what is happening.
Overall, I enjoyed this read and the book left off on a cliffhanger so fingers crossed that there’s a sequel in the future!
I found it rather odd that each chapter continued the story of another character somewhere else in the world, because it didn’t really add anything to the journey of the main characters as I assumed they would all meet at some point, but that never happened. After the first half of the book, it felt redundant to keep adding in the experiences of new characters falling asleep, because the story has already established that people who fall asleep will not wake up.
One critique I have is that the book never really gave an explanation for why this whole “pandemic” is happening. There was a short explanation about the elephant at the end, but it just seemed so unrealistic and I would’ve appreciated a more solid reasoning as to what is happening.
Overall, I enjoyed this read and the book left off on a cliffhanger so fingers crossed that there’s a sequel in the future!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated