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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
I have always enjoyed the short stories I have read by Nancy Kress. This is my first full length novel, and it didn't disappoint.
I can certainly get a sense of the earlier novella version (which I have not read). There was a point less than halfway in, that it seemed the book and all its plots/themes were coming to a natural conclusion. Then a wrench gets thrown in, and it all veers in another direction. My best guess is that the original novella ends around that point.
This was also my first experience reading a full novel on a kindle. It was definitely useful on a train with a baby, but not my favorite mode of reading.
I'll probably read the sequels.
I can certainly get a sense of the earlier novella version (which I have not read). There was a point less than halfway in, that it seemed the book and all its plots/themes were coming to a natural conclusion. Then a wrench gets thrown in, and it all veers in another direction. My best guess is that the original novella ends around that point.
This was also my first experience reading a full novel on a kindle. It was definitely useful on a train with a baby, but not my favorite mode of reading.
I'll probably read the sequels.
[Retrouvez mon avis complet sur mon blog, ici]
Dans ce court roman d'anticipation, nous allons suivre la fille non dormeuse, Leisha. Nous allons voir les conséquences de sa particularité sur son éducation, ses études, son évolution au sein de la société. Société qui peu a peu va rejeter les non-dormeurs, ces nouveaux humains.
Car il y a beaucoup de thèmes abordés dans ce texte ! Eugénisme, modification génétique des fœtus, changements de la société apportés par des avancées scientifiques et technologiques, accessibilité de ces avancées pour toute la population, peur de l'autre, jalousie de la réussite, les deux dernières qui se transformant en haine... dont la conséquence est la création d'un communautarisme qui va exacerber la différence et la haine.
L'une reste, l'autre pas reste cependant un texte très agréable à lire et intelligent. Je me suis retrouvée happée, l'histoire de Leisha, personnage auquel je me suis attachée très facilement, vous amènera nombre de réflexions et un brin d'optimisme. Un des messages de l'autrice pourrait être "C'est ce que font les gens de leurs particularités qui fait la société".
Dans ce court roman d'anticipation, nous allons suivre la fille non dormeuse, Leisha. Nous allons voir les conséquences de sa particularité sur son éducation, ses études, son évolution au sein de la société. Société qui peu a peu va rejeter les non-dormeurs, ces nouveaux humains.
Car il y a beaucoup de thèmes abordés dans ce texte ! Eugénisme, modification génétique des fœtus, changements de la société apportés par des avancées scientifiques et technologiques, accessibilité de ces avancées pour toute la population, peur de l'autre, jalousie de la réussite, les deux dernières qui se transformant en haine... dont la conséquence est la création d'un communautarisme qui va exacerber la différence et la haine.
L'une reste, l'autre pas reste cependant un texte très agréable à lire et intelligent. Je me suis retrouvée happée, l'histoire de Leisha, personnage auquel je me suis attachée très facilement, vous amènera nombre de réflexions et un brin d'optimisme. Un des messages de l'autrice pourrait être "C'est ce que font les gens de leurs particularités qui fait la société".
Read this book!
1 part SciFi + 2 parts philosophy = me racing to the computer to order books two and three in the Sleepless series.
1 part SciFi + 2 parts philosophy = me racing to the computer to order books two and three in the Sleepless series.
I originally came across this title on an online list of the top 200 science fiction novels of all time. As with most lists of that sort, most of the novels[return]that made it were so litterary as to be unreadable. While this particular title wasn't, in my opinion, one of the best of all time, it was worthwhile.[return]The characters are believable and well done, and they grow and change throughout the book. This is classic science fiction in that it takes one what-if[return](what if some people no longer had to sleep?) and runs with it, fleshing out all of the many implications of that change. In a time when most science fiction[return]tries to build a complete world, the consintration on this one what-if is refreshing. The changes that it causes, and the resulting plot, are well thought[return]out. This is not a space opera. But it is quality sf.
Terrible title -- refers to a saying one of the characters in the book kept repeating. The characters were lousy and the plot was shaky. However, the book was still readable.
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book takes a simple idea - what if scientists were able to turn a genetic key in vitro that could make a person not require sleep? - and works through how that discovery might play out over the subsequent hundred-odd years.
Not only is this is a great read, it's a hard look at ourselves - how we draw the line between ingroup and outgroup, and the lengths to which we will go to protect the ingroup when it is threatened.
Reminded me of Mind of My Mind by Octavia Butler in terms of the questions it asks - but Kress's book arrives at slightly different conclusions.
I will definitely be reading the sequels.
Not only is this is a great read, it's a hard look at ourselves - how we draw the line between ingroup and outgroup, and the lengths to which we will go to protect the ingroup when it is threatened.
Reminded me of Mind of My Mind by Octavia Butler in terms of the questions it asks - but Kress's book arrives at slightly different conclusions.
I will definitely be reading the sequels.
Really great book. I loved the concepts, and all of what occurs as a result is intriguing, logical, and fascinating. I'm very much looking forward to more in this series.
On its surface this book is a thoughtful examination of possible social and political implications of human genetic manipulation. But I was surprised when the book also addressed deeper questions about family, ambition, romance, and inequality with depth and subtlety. All that while examining the lives and choices of some very compelling and complex characters.
There's a feeling of realism in this book that is rare in Sci-Fi, even near-future stuff. The characters' way of matter-of-factly presenting dramatically amazing technological developments made them seem very attainable, and the way that there was pushback and downsides to every development struck me as more realistic than the typical Sci-Fi attitude of simple acceptance and integration of change.
I kept expecting the story of this book to begin building towards a conclusion and instead new characters and plot lines would rise to prominence as the old ones were resolved. I wasn't ever on the edge of my seat, since the book is focused more on characters than a fast-paced plot, but I was nonetheless continually surprised by the events of the story. The evenness of rising and falling action did make any sections drag if they were focused on characters I disliked, but overall I enjoyed the pace.
I'd recommend this book to anybody interested in a solid non-apocalyptic near-future story.
There's a feeling of realism in this book that is rare in Sci-Fi, even near-future stuff. The characters' way of matter-of-factly presenting dramatically amazing technological developments made them seem very attainable, and the way that there was pushback and downsides to every development struck me as more realistic than the typical Sci-Fi attitude of simple acceptance and integration of change.
I kept expecting the story of this book to begin building towards a conclusion and instead new characters and plot lines would rise to prominence as the old ones were resolved. I wasn't ever on the edge of my seat, since the book is focused more on characters than a fast-paced plot, but I was nonetheless continually surprised by the events of the story. The evenness of rising and falling action did make any sections drag if they were focused on characters I disliked, but overall I enjoyed the pace.
I'd recommend this book to anybody interested in a solid non-apocalyptic near-future story.
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes