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woody1881's review against another edition
3.0
This is not the Charlie Huston I was expecting. It was a good book, though completely different than any other Charlie Huston book I have ever read. I had a little trouble getting into the book. It may be easier for others to follow the changes in perspective than I experienced. I can't think of anything that I didn't like about the book, though I did not feel like I knew Park as well as I would have liked. I know that Jasper was meant to be a mystery, but I thought Park should have been better illuminated to the reader.
I would recommend Sleepless to apocalypse fans. It isn't my favorite Charlie Huston story, but I admire his ability to write in so many different styles.
I would recommend Sleepless to apocalypse fans. It isn't my favorite Charlie Huston story, but I admire his ability to write in so many different styles.
wsk56's review against another edition
4.0
L.A., the near future, and the world has been infected with a prion similar to mad cow disease, called the Sleepless Prion (SLP). Parker Haas, a police officer, and his wife Rose have recently had a baby and Rose was subsequently diagnosed with the disease. They are not sure if the baby, who doesn't sleep well if at all, has contracted SLP. Parker is given a new assignment with the LAPD that will put him squarely in the center of the shady world of the corporation that has formulated a treatment for SLP. This work of speculative fiction is well written and a fascinating look at a world gone amok.
rocketiza's review against another edition
4.0
A work of speculative fiction on par with William Gibson.
kharmacat's review against another edition
4.0
Had to push through the first 50 pages or so to really figure out what was going on but I'm glad I did. The first person/third person switching around gets a bit confusing and if you're not familiar with the world of online gaming (for example if you don't know what "gold farming" is), you will have a very difficult time with this book. But I loved the ending.
oregon_small_fry's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't been this sucked into a book in a long time. It reminds me of "The Gardener"- a political thriller of sort about the future, government scandal/ involvement, with a love story propelling it.
Some of the passages are very technical driven, with lots of talk of gun types and other military mumbo jumbo.
BUT, I know it is complete fiction, but I can very much see it happening.
Some of the passages are very technical driven, with lots of talk of gun types and other military mumbo jumbo.
BUT, I know it is complete fiction, but I can very much see it happening.
koshpeli's review against another edition
3.0
I stumbled on Charlie Huston's Hank Thomas series because they were offered free on Stanza. They were a little too dark for my taste but I ended up reading all of them. And that's how I felt about Sleepless which I also stumbled on. It grabbed my eye in the library as I was looking for Khaled Hossani and I thought it'd be interesting to see what Charlie Huston has gotten up to.
It's a depressing book. Not dark, but heavy. There's no one to root for except the baby although both narrators are likable enough and I did care what happened to Park. I have to admit I sort of wished Jasper would die horribly. It was a little much that he was a super killer, rich and powerful, cultured, and slept with everyone he wanted to. Even his tales of failure were perfect. On the other end of the spectrum Park, who is trying to do right, never seems to get a break. And for most of the book you are led to believe this is the story of how Jaspar will kill Park with a piece of string and a puppy, while Park is inside a Grumman tank loading his AK-47 after exploding a nuclear bomb. So the book is deeply depressing and it moves slowly, covering all the aspects of a dying and corrupt world: terrorists, shortages, corrupt police, drug addiction, video game addiction, dead and dying babies, decadent billionaire sons, amateur militias, everything but Mad Max.
I like how the world was realistic and not duly post-apocalyptic but decaying. You never know if this is the end of the world as we know it or the darkest dawn. Even at the end you do not know what will happen to civilization.
In the end it was an absorbing airplane read that probably won't stick with me but I will definitely dabble into sone of his other books.
It's a depressing book. Not dark, but heavy. There's no one to root for except the baby although both narrators are likable enough and I did care what happened to Park. I have to admit I sort of wished Jasper would die horribly. It was a little much that he was a super killer, rich and powerful, cultured, and slept with everyone he wanted to. Even his tales of failure were perfect. On the other end of the spectrum Park, who is trying to do right, never seems to get a break. And for most of the book you are led to believe this is the story of how Jaspar will kill Park with a piece of string and a puppy, while Park is inside a Grumman tank loading his AK-47 after exploding a nuclear bomb. So the book is deeply depressing and it moves slowly, covering all the aspects of a dying and corrupt world: terrorists, shortages, corrupt police, drug addiction, video game addiction, dead and dying babies, decadent billionaire sons, amateur militias, everything but Mad Max.
I like how the world was realistic and not duly post-apocalyptic but decaying. You never know if this is the end of the world as we know it or the darkest dawn. Even at the end you do not know what will happen to civilization.
In the end it was an absorbing airplane read that probably won't stick with me but I will definitely dabble into sone of his other books.
kwbridge's review against another edition
4.0
I just started this but am not sure if I am going to keep reading it - I have no idea what is going on.
Update: I'm glad I gave the book a chance. I ended up loving it.
Update: I'm glad I gave the book a chance. I ended up loving it.
elleunchained's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting storyline, but could be lengthy at times.
allbooksandbread's review against another edition
2.0
Another Goodreads win. I am looking forward to reading it when I get it!
I would say this was a 2 star book. The book just jumped right into the story and it took awhile to figure out why the world in the book is the way it is. I also had a hard time with the switching off between narrators I had a hard time at first telling that there were two and then figuring out who was talking.
In the end the story was interesting, but if I hadn't won it and felt I really needed to finish it I would have probably given in to my frustration at the beginning and never finished reading it. I think the concept had a lot of potential and it really is something I would have really enjoyed if it was set up better and better executed.
I would say this was a 2 star book. The book just jumped right into the story and it took awhile to figure out why the world in the book is the way it is. I also had a hard time with the switching off between narrators I had a hard time at first telling that there were two and then figuring out who was talking.
In the end the story was interesting, but if I hadn't won it and felt I really needed to finish it I would have probably given in to my frustration at the beginning and never finished reading it. I think the concept had a lot of potential and it really is something I would have really enjoyed if it was set up better and better executed.
mferrante83's review
4.0
Since having discovered Charlie Huston some time ago he has quickly rocketed up into my circle of favorite authors. Blackstone Audio’s production of Huston’s Joe Pitt series read with style and panache by Scott Brick are some of the best audiobooks I’ve ever listened to and The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death was a unique, gritty, sometimes hilarious, and constantly entertaining crime novel. While I certainly did not have as much fun with Sleepless as I did with Huston’s other work it is definitely his most thought provoking work.
An insomnia inducing disease is sweeping across the nation; SLP a disease that erodes the mind driving victims insane and eventually to death. Society has not coped well with the disease and the Los Angeles that is the main setting for the novel is one quickly crumbling into chaos and disarray. Officer Parker Haas is working undercover in the drug trade, rampant now that the titular sleepless seek an escape from their suffering, trying to track down illegal trafficking of the consumer drug DR33M3R; the only known effect method for sleepless to actually sleep. Thrown into the mix is the aging mercenary/assassin Jasper who is hired to retrieve an item in Haas’ possession by any means necessary.
Haas is an interesting character. He is a paladin, but a paladin in a society that sees his ideals of justice and law as increasingly laughable verging on outright impossible. Indeed there are multiple times where Jasper, when first running across Haas’ path, automatically assumes that even if Haas is a cop he is a cop on the take. As society crumbles around him Haas holds onto the notion that there is a solid future out there for his daughter his idealized vision of society both armoring his mind and dulling his senses to what is really going on. Haas’ ideals and belief in law and society is contrasted by the civilized, if somewhat cold and violent, Jasper. It is fairly clear through Haas’ internal monologue that his strongly established moral compass serves as counterpoint to a potentially violent nature. Jasper’s amoral view of the world and complete acceptance of his violent nature mask a growing desire for something more. Both characters are well-developed and while the lion’s share of the narrative falls on Haas’ shoulders both Haas and Jasper frequently play foil for one another.
Sleepless bears a lot of resemblance to zombie novels it would be far too easy to write the novel off at first glance on that basis alone. The more one reads Sleepless the more that early impression fades. In truth the sleepless play less of role in the story then you might think. The sleepless are in many ways like a rather large rocked dropped in a rather small pond; they don’t serve any direct threat but the ripples they have on the social landscape of the world and the emotional landscape of the characters are impossible to ignore. In fact it is this trans-formative element of SLP that drives the conflicts of the novel.
It should be noted that in audio form Sleepless is a bit difficult to grasp at first. The novel employs diary entries to start many chapters and the narrative is split between both Haas and Jasper. As a result it took me a solid couple of hours to realize what has going on. The audio version is aptly handled by Ray Porter and Mark Bramhall though I think the complexity of the narrative is likely better served in print. Regardless, the audio production is top notch and if you’re willing to sit down and really pay attention to what is going then it is certainly worth a shot.
While Sleepless is a meaty novel the black humor that marked much of Huston’s earlier work did not feel as prevalent here. There are certainly some flashes of humor, particularly through Jasper, the does not often crack a smile and when it does it is often a very sad smile. This certainly adds to the emotional impact of the novel and the oppressive atmosphere of both the world and the mental concerns of our protagonist lends an element of tension to the narrative. However, that same oppressive quality occasionally grows cumbersome, not overbearing, but enough to cause a distinct and palpable wish for relief. As a result, Sleepless is not quite a casual read. It’s prose is as approachable and clever as any of Huston’s earlier work but Huston’s precise control of tone here works against ever letting the reader feel comfortable. This isn’t a bad thing, and Huston’s ability to maintain a taught emotional state over Sleepless’ 360 plus pages is something I think readers ought to be aware of before going in. I honestly can’t wait to see what else Huston has in store for readers. His body of work shows an impressive breadth of ability that will keep readers guessing and I for one can’t wait to see what avenue Huston chooses to explore next.
An insomnia inducing disease is sweeping across the nation; SLP a disease that erodes the mind driving victims insane and eventually to death. Society has not coped well with the disease and the Los Angeles that is the main setting for the novel is one quickly crumbling into chaos and disarray. Officer Parker Haas is working undercover in the drug trade, rampant now that the titular sleepless seek an escape from their suffering, trying to track down illegal trafficking of the consumer drug DR33M3R; the only known effect method for sleepless to actually sleep. Thrown into the mix is the aging mercenary/assassin Jasper who is hired to retrieve an item in Haas’ possession by any means necessary.
Haas is an interesting character. He is a paladin, but a paladin in a society that sees his ideals of justice and law as increasingly laughable verging on outright impossible. Indeed there are multiple times where Jasper, when first running across Haas’ path, automatically assumes that even if Haas is a cop he is a cop on the take. As society crumbles around him Haas holds onto the notion that there is a solid future out there for his daughter his idealized vision of society both armoring his mind and dulling his senses to what is really going on. Haas’ ideals and belief in law and society is contrasted by the civilized, if somewhat cold and violent, Jasper. It is fairly clear through Haas’ internal monologue that his strongly established moral compass serves as counterpoint to a potentially violent nature. Jasper’s amoral view of the world and complete acceptance of his violent nature mask a growing desire for something more. Both characters are well-developed and while the lion’s share of the narrative falls on Haas’ shoulders both Haas and Jasper frequently play foil for one another.
Sleepless bears a lot of resemblance to zombie novels it would be far too easy to write the novel off at first glance on that basis alone. The more one reads Sleepless the more that early impression fades. In truth the sleepless play less of role in the story then you might think. The sleepless are in many ways like a rather large rocked dropped in a rather small pond; they don’t serve any direct threat but the ripples they have on the social landscape of the world and the emotional landscape of the characters are impossible to ignore. In fact it is this trans-formative element of SLP that drives the conflicts of the novel.
It should be noted that in audio form Sleepless is a bit difficult to grasp at first. The novel employs diary entries to start many chapters and the narrative is split between both Haas and Jasper. As a result it took me a solid couple of hours to realize what has going on. The audio version is aptly handled by Ray Porter and Mark Bramhall though I think the complexity of the narrative is likely better served in print. Regardless, the audio production is top notch and if you’re willing to sit down and really pay attention to what is going then it is certainly worth a shot.
While Sleepless is a meaty novel the black humor that marked much of Huston’s earlier work did not feel as prevalent here. There are certainly some flashes of humor, particularly through Jasper, the does not often crack a smile and when it does it is often a very sad smile. This certainly adds to the emotional impact of the novel and the oppressive atmosphere of both the world and the mental concerns of our protagonist lends an element of tension to the narrative. However, that same oppressive quality occasionally grows cumbersome, not overbearing, but enough to cause a distinct and palpable wish for relief. As a result, Sleepless is not quite a casual read. It’s prose is as approachable and clever as any of Huston’s earlier work but Huston’s precise control of tone here works against ever letting the reader feel comfortable. This isn’t a bad thing, and Huston’s ability to maintain a taught emotional state over Sleepless’ 360 plus pages is something I think readers ought to be aware of before going in. I honestly can’t wait to see what else Huston has in store for readers. His body of work shows an impressive breadth of ability that will keep readers guessing and I for one can’t wait to see what avenue Huston chooses to explore next.