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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
What if you could genetically engineer babies to turn off the necessity to sleep? What if, with all that extra time, those children turned out to be super intelligent? And what if there were other consequences as well, that really hadn't been anticipated?
That's the premise of Beggars in Spain. While the science may be somewhat wobbly - sleep deprivation is a torture technique, so surely there would be greater consequences on the negative side - the point of the book is the social ramifications. Because of course, it's only a small minority of foetuses who get this modification, thus creating a brand new minority group - one with what looks like enormous advantages over ordinary people, or Sleepers.
The focus is on Leisha, a Sleepless, whose sister Alice is a Sleeper and who often serves as a counterpoint to Leisha. The narrative skips through several stages of Leisha's life, which I really like as a way of exploring developing social expectations, ideas and consequences. Firstly, Leisha is born, grows up, and goes to college. Then she is in her 40s, a lawyer, and American society has changed radically around her - there's a huge reaction against the Sleepless, and the Sleepless themselves are more and more disillusioned by 'normal' society. To the point where many are starting to segregate themselves. Twenty years later and society has once again altered radically, with a hideous class system such that Kress draws deliberate parallels with Rome and the old 'bread and circuses' maxim. Then yet another couple of decades later things are changing for the Sleepless, and there are likely to be consequences for the world... but that, presumably, is for the next book.
Not being American, I think there were subtle (and not so subtle) digs at American society that didn't really make sense to me. There's a lot of discussion about American society not appreciating individual effort and problems with the notion of equality and so on that, while I got what Kress was talking about, didn't have the immediate or historical resonances that I suspect a well-read American might pick up. Nonetheless this is an intriguing novel that combines generally engaging characters and genuine moral difficulties; there's some action, there's some intense political discussion, there's some surprising technological development and totally retrograde societal change. I'm going to be getting the sequel.
That's the premise of Beggars in Spain. While the science may be somewhat wobbly - sleep deprivation is a torture technique, so surely there would be greater consequences on the negative side - the point of the book is the social ramifications. Because of course, it's only a small minority of foetuses who get this modification, thus creating a brand new minority group - one with what looks like enormous advantages over ordinary people, or Sleepers.
The focus is on Leisha, a Sleepless, whose sister Alice is a Sleeper and who often serves as a counterpoint to Leisha. The narrative skips through several stages of Leisha's life, which I really like as a way of exploring developing social expectations, ideas and consequences. Firstly, Leisha is born, grows up, and goes to college. Then she is in her 40s, a lawyer, and American society has changed radically around her - there's a huge reaction against the Sleepless, and the Sleepless themselves are more and more disillusioned by 'normal' society. To the point where many are starting to segregate themselves. Twenty years later and society has once again altered radically, with a hideous class system such that Kress draws deliberate parallels with Rome and the old 'bread and circuses' maxim. Then yet another couple of decades later things are changing for the Sleepless, and there are likely to be consequences for the world... but that, presumably, is for the next book.
Not being American, I think there were subtle (and not so subtle) digs at American society that didn't really make sense to me. There's a lot of discussion about American society not appreciating individual effort and problems with the notion of equality and so on that, while I got what Kress was talking about, didn't have the immediate or historical resonances that I suspect a well-read American might pick up. Nonetheless this is an intriguing novel that combines generally engaging characters and genuine moral difficulties; there's some action, there's some intense political discussion, there's some surprising technological development and totally retrograde societal change. I'm going to be getting the sequel.
Time of death: 75%
I regret that this didn't capture me, and the continued shaming and torture of people with handicaps or abnormalities while simultaneously invoking rape/incest as natural proclivities took me from bored to uncomfortable.
The idea was interesting: what if you didn't have to sleep? How would that change society? I liked the thoughts about how it would impact human tribal instincts (them vs. us), finding people like yourself, the blend of following economics in the macro and empathy in the micro...and then it really went off the rails with blow by blow hyper-sensationalized courtroom dramas, worldwide upheaval, and a seeming belief that with one-third more time on their hands, humans would become super genius monsters.
I couldn't connect the dots, and I'm bored, disturbed, and no longer wish to continue the thought experiment. Time to put this one *whips off sunglasses* to bed.
Content warnings:
I regret that this didn't capture me, and the continued shaming and torture of people with handicaps or abnormalities while simultaneously invoking rape/incest as natural proclivities took me from bored to uncomfortable.
The idea was interesting: what if you didn't have to sleep? How would that change society? I liked the thoughts about how it would impact human tribal instincts (them vs. us), finding people like yourself, the blend of following economics in the macro and empathy in the micro...and then it really went off the rails with blow by blow hyper-sensationalized courtroom dramas, worldwide upheaval, and a seeming belief that with one-third more time on their hands, humans would become super genius monsters.
I couldn't connect the dots, and I'm bored, disturbed, and no longer wish to continue the thought experiment. Time to put this one *whips off sunglasses* to bed.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
physical and emotional abuse including of children. Abuse of people with disabilities, medical experimentation, adultery, addiction, crimes against humanity.
Excellent novel! The main theme of the book is the creation of genetically altered "sleepless" humans and the consequences of that modification on society. A lot of concepts are entwined and explored (e.g. genetic modifications, family, prejudice, individualism vs community, haves vs have nots, democracy, tyranny) giving the reader lots to ponder.
FANTASTIC.
I love when a sci-fi author takes a concept and deep-dives into its geopolitical, economic and social impacts through time. I was absolutely floored by the world-building Nancy Kress offered here. My friend recommended this as a book that would "Change the way I saw the world" and it 100% delivered. The less you know going in, the better; but you will never view sleep the same way.
I love when a sci-fi author takes a concept and deep-dives into its geopolitical, economic and social impacts through time. I was absolutely floored by the world-building Nancy Kress offered here. My friend recommended this as a book that would "Change the way I saw the world" and it 100% delivered. The less you know going in, the better; but you will never view sleep the same way.
Firstly doing my best to keep in mind this was written in 1993, well before the Human Genome Project was completed. For the record, all of the modifications described in this book are either impossible to do under current science, or extremely unethical (CRISPR is known to make off-target modifications, I know there's an updated system but I don't think it's perfect yet). I will note that you would notice a lack of shortening telomeres without needing to conduct an autopsy, though of course it might not be something doctors regularly check for. (I have so many thoughts on "immortality" genes! They're very similar to my thoughts on FTL!)
Anyway.
Anyway.
I do recommend putting any science issues on hold because this entire book is a fascinating exploration of privilege and disparity in experience, one which I don't think would be nearly as successful without the way in which the characters' lives are set up. Kress also examines society's half-assed attempts to correct for what it perceives as privilege, which having been on the receiving end of, yeah you should be mad at them for sucking at properly addressing it. (I am not talking about affirmative action, although that's the lazy approach as well - I'm talking about how "gifted" kids are treated in school, among other things.)
The choices the characters make throughout this book are interesting, as are the short- and long-term consequences, because alliances aren't strictly a matter of genomes - they shift over time and by who one sees as their real "in-group".
To me the best sci-fi uses what ifs to make bold statements regarding the status quo, and I think this absolutely does that.
THAT SAID.... I do think I have to warn y'all that the end has this rather uncomfortable bit involving the exotification of a, I believe, Pacific Islander, and the relationship itself has potential consent issues. Heads up. It did unfortunately dim the good bits when it came up, even if it's a small part.
Anyway.
Anyway.
I do recommend putting any science issues on hold because this entire book is a fascinating exploration of privilege and disparity in experience, one which I don't think would be nearly as successful without the way in which the characters' lives are set up. Kress also examines society's half-assed attempts to correct for what it perceives as privilege, which having been on the receiving end of, yeah you should be mad at them for sucking at properly addressing it. (I am not talking about affirmative action, although that's the lazy approach as well - I'm talking about how "gifted" kids are treated in school, among other things.)
The choices the characters make throughout this book are interesting, as are the short- and long-term consequences, because alliances aren't strictly a matter of genomes - they shift over time and by who one sees as their real "in-group".
To me the best sci-fi uses what ifs to make bold statements regarding the status quo, and I think this absolutely does that.
THAT SAID.... I do think I have to warn y'all that the end has this rather uncomfortable bit involving the exotification of a, I believe, Pacific Islander, and the relationship itself has potential consent issues. Heads up. It did unfortunately dim the good bits when it came up, even if it's a small part.
Beggars in Spain was a digestible and light read. I enjoyed its simplicity. Kress uses genetic engineering and modification to explore what it truly means to be human and how this fictional society engages in prejudice and labels of "superior" and "inferior." As much of speculative fiction does— this novel hits a nerve with its truth. Our society unleashes prejudice on marginalized communities, and may condemn excessive and extreme wealth, religious backgrounds, and identity. All is prescient in this novel, and it’s quite eerie. But it does raise the question: "what else could we possibly be hateful toward?" Genetic modification will be the next step, and I'm sure just like every other "issue" we often exclaim hatred for, having advancements for the wealthy to produce children that eradicate equity will thrust society into a space we've yet to see. Nancy documents this with poise.
Genetic engineering is one of the central themes here, and gene mod was a great way for Kress to acknowledge the future depictions of prejudice. She builds the story from the beginning, when genetic modification is new, fresh, and publicly unavailable— and only available to elite and upper middle-class families. These elitists have the ability to have their children become Sleepless, a child who needs no rest and has a plethora of physical and mental advantages. Imagine such a small group of individuals that have the financial power to shift an entire country. This particularly new group is less than 1% of the population, yet they can turn everything on its ass. Sounds eerily familiar, huh?
There are plenty of philosophical questions that raise themselves throughout the book. There are characters you will love, and others you will hate. You will find some who are incredibly passionate about being ‘normal,’ and others who wish to be nothing less than Sleepless. Jealousy, envy, demise, realization, greed— there is a piece of humanity on every page.
An incredible character who's actually seen as the antagonist is Calvin Hawke. I find him to be fascinating and dedicated. I think his portrayal is reminiscent of many people today, though nobody wants to admit to being a Calvin Hawke. But read into his character a bit deeper when you explore this novel— he has a fantastic role.
I had never been exposed to Kress’ writings, and I’m so glad that my professor assigned this reading. Not only did I have to read deeper than at the level of enjoyment and simple pondering, I really had to dig to understand the many layers of this fictional world. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.
Genetic engineering is one of the central themes here, and gene mod was a great way for Kress to acknowledge the future depictions of prejudice. She builds the story from the beginning, when genetic modification is new, fresh, and publicly unavailable— and only available to elite and upper middle-class families. These elitists have the ability to have their children become Sleepless, a child who needs no rest and has a plethora of physical and mental advantages. Imagine such a small group of individuals that have the financial power to shift an entire country. This particularly new group is less than 1% of the population, yet they can turn everything on its ass. Sounds eerily familiar, huh?
There are plenty of philosophical questions that raise themselves throughout the book. There are characters you will love, and others you will hate. You will find some who are incredibly passionate about being ‘normal,’ and others who wish to be nothing less than Sleepless. Jealousy, envy, demise, realization, greed— there is a piece of humanity on every page.
An incredible character who's actually seen as the antagonist is Calvin Hawke. I find him to be fascinating and dedicated. I think his portrayal is reminiscent of many people today, though nobody wants to admit to being a Calvin Hawke. But read into his character a bit deeper when you explore this novel— he has a fantastic role.
I had never been exposed to Kress’ writings, and I’m so glad that my professor assigned this reading. Not only did I have to read deeper than at the level of enjoyment and simple pondering, I really had to dig to understand the many layers of this fictional world. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.
Ahoy me mateys! I recently reviewed the Yesterday’s Kin trilogy in me 3 Bells segment and very much enjoyed it. The First Mate and I were discussing her writing and he told me about beggars in spain, a Hugo and Nebula winning novella back in 1991. I was very intrigued by the idea of people who didn’t sleep and so I thought I would give it a try. This is actually the novel that expanded on the ideas of the novella.What this book seemed to suggest is that the author has a theme of genetic testing/research being a method for changing the fundamentals of human society. Those themes were lightly present in the other trilogy I read as well.
In this novel, it starts with following Leisha Camden whose father decides to genetic modify his daughter in vitro in order to make her have a longer lifespan, excellent health, and the ability to not need sleep. Unbeknownst to him, his wife also decides to keep an unmodified child as well. While the twin girls share a birthday, their fundamental differences make them lead completely different lives. The juxtaposition of the two is fascinating.
But the author doesn’t stop there. She also explores the questions of how the Sleepless population changes society. Except it doesn’t go the way ye think. Sleepless end up being a marginalized population while also being fundamental to Earth’s functioning on many levels. I would have thought that people would fight to have such advantages for their children. I enjoyed that the author kept me guessing in terms of ramifications of the genetic switches.
The novel does follow subsequent decades of Leisha’s life and reflects most of the commentary through her eyes. That said, the world does branch out with the use of different perspectives as the time progresses. It is broken up into four parts in over eighty years. This is where part of the flaw of the book came for me. I just didn’t like where the story diverged.
The Sleepless are bound in a philosophical war with one sect being a faction that wants to remove itself from regular society and found its own nation-state. I found a lot of this part of the plot to be rather lackluster and boring. The bad girl, Jennifer Sharifi, is too cliche and stereotypical and was frankly annoying. This conflict ends up being the majority of the second half of the book and I just didn’t care.
In fact most of the characterizations of this novel were starkly in the black or white categories. I would have liked more shades of grey and nuances. I absolutely hated the entire “dreaming” subplot with Drew. I didn’t like the plot points around that topic and despised the his character. I did like the Sleepless’ continued foray into genetic testing and especially the introduction of the next phase of humanity. Miri, a Super, and her compatriots were lovely.
I think that overall the ideas were better than the execution. While I did enjoy it, I do not see meself picking up the rest of this trilogy. I think readers interested in these ideas could just pick up the novella and have a potential better reading experience with none of the drawbacks of this novel. Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
In this novel, it starts with following Leisha Camden whose father decides to genetic modify his daughter in vitro in order to make her have a longer lifespan, excellent health, and the ability to not need sleep. Unbeknownst to him, his wife also decides to keep an unmodified child as well. While the twin girls share a birthday, their fundamental differences make them lead completely different lives. The juxtaposition of the two is fascinating.
But the author doesn’t stop there. She also explores the questions of how the Sleepless population changes society. Except it doesn’t go the way ye think. Sleepless end up being a marginalized population while also being fundamental to Earth’s functioning on many levels. I would have thought that people would fight to have such advantages for their children. I enjoyed that the author kept me guessing in terms of ramifications of the genetic switches.
The novel does follow subsequent decades of Leisha’s life and reflects most of the commentary through her eyes. That said, the world does branch out with the use of different perspectives as the time progresses. It is broken up into four parts in over eighty years. This is where part of the flaw of the book came for me. I just didn’t like where the story diverged.
The Sleepless are bound in a philosophical war with one sect being a faction that wants to remove itself from regular society and found its own nation-state. I found a lot of this part of the plot to be rather lackluster and boring. The bad girl, Jennifer Sharifi, is too cliche and stereotypical and was frankly annoying. This conflict ends up being the majority of the second half of the book and I just didn’t care.
In fact most of the characterizations of this novel were starkly in the black or white categories. I would have liked more shades of grey and nuances. I absolutely hated the entire “dreaming” subplot with Drew. I didn’t like the plot points around that topic and despised the his character. I did like the Sleepless’ continued foray into genetic testing and especially the introduction of the next phase of humanity. Miri, a Super, and her compatriots were lovely.
I think that overall the ideas were better than the execution. While I did enjoy it, I do not see meself picking up the rest of this trilogy. I think readers interested in these ideas could just pick up the novella and have a potential better reading experience with none of the drawbacks of this novel. Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordpress.com/
There are no spoilers in this review beyond what you'd find in the first few chapters or the cover blurb.
Rating: 4/5
"Beggars in Spain" is a science fiction novel written in 1993; it was nominated for the top two awards in the field, the Hugo and the Nebula, though it didn't win either. ("Red Mars" by Kim Stanley Robinson won both; it is one of the most detailed hard sf books I've read.) "Beggars in Spain" is one of those sf books that can be summarized by a what-if-- what-if some people didn't have to sleep at all? How would society react? What kinds of advantages would they have? How would it affect the personality of such a person?
The novel opens with a wealthy man wishing to procure advantageous genetic alterations for his to-be-conceived child in 2008. Though it is still rare, he wants his child to be sleepless. The children who have the trait have proven to be much smarter and always cheerful. Another child is conceived accidentally who is not sleepless (as a small nitpick, the science in this bit seemed fishy, but I am not familiar with what was known in 1993). Leisha is the sleepless daughter, Alice is the sleeper daughter.
Leisha is of course beautiful and brilliant. Much of the novel rotates around how she relates to sleeper people. The characters in the book didn't always work for me; Leisha is always cheerful as a sleeper, but this is hard to relate to, and hard to imagine how it would even work. Also there is an injection of almost libertarian politics that I wasn't sure what I thought of. The politics aren't preachy and are presented as Leisha's world-view rather than the author's. I liked the first half of the novel immensely. I didn't dislike the second half, but I found it less exciting and engaging. One consistently strong point of this book was the writing: I sometimes have to labor through harder science fiction books, which must belabor the description of complicated mechanical things. This book just flew for me, while still attacking the central question of science fiction: what would happen to people if? So if you are a fan of hard sf and only hard sf, it probably isn't for you.
"Beggars in Spain" was also one of the most female-dominated sf books I've read. Most of the principal characters are female. The book is feminist without caring about it or focusing on it; these characters could just as easily be male but they simply aren't. It's feminist not in the sense of women's rights, but simply having women as protagonists and examining their relationships. I've read umpteen scifi books with barely a woman on the pages, so this was a welcome change of pace. Nancy Kress is also one of the few premier female names in science fiction, so it also seemed appropriate.
Overall, I found "Beggars in Spain" a very worthy read. It raised a lot of thoughtful questions that even a week after finishing the book, I find myself thinking about. It never came together in a "wow" moment, as a few sf books do for me, but it was pleasant and easy to read, which is not always the rule in sf. This was the first work I've read by Nancy Kress, and based on this book, I want to read more from her.
Rating: 4/5
"Beggars in Spain" is a science fiction novel written in 1993; it was nominated for the top two awards in the field, the Hugo and the Nebula, though it didn't win either. ("Red Mars" by Kim Stanley Robinson won both; it is one of the most detailed hard sf books I've read.) "Beggars in Spain" is one of those sf books that can be summarized by a what-if-- what-if some people didn't have to sleep at all? How would society react? What kinds of advantages would they have? How would it affect the personality of such a person?
The novel opens with a wealthy man wishing to procure advantageous genetic alterations for his to-be-conceived child in 2008. Though it is still rare, he wants his child to be sleepless. The children who have the trait have proven to be much smarter and always cheerful. Another child is conceived accidentally who is not sleepless (as a small nitpick, the science in this bit seemed fishy, but I am not familiar with what was known in 1993). Leisha is the sleepless daughter, Alice is the sleeper daughter.
Leisha is of course beautiful and brilliant. Much of the novel rotates around how she relates to sleeper people. The characters in the book didn't always work for me; Leisha is always cheerful as a sleeper, but this is hard to relate to, and hard to imagine how it would even work. Also there is an injection of almost libertarian politics that I wasn't sure what I thought of. The politics aren't preachy and are presented as Leisha's world-view rather than the author's. I liked the first half of the novel immensely. I didn't dislike the second half, but I found it less exciting and engaging. One consistently strong point of this book was the writing: I sometimes have to labor through harder science fiction books, which must belabor the description of complicated mechanical things. This book just flew for me, while still attacking the central question of science fiction: what would happen to people if? So if you are a fan of hard sf and only hard sf, it probably isn't for you.
"Beggars in Spain" was also one of the most female-dominated sf books I've read. Most of the principal characters are female. The book is feminist without caring about it or focusing on it; these characters could just as easily be male but they simply aren't. It's feminist not in the sense of women's rights, but simply having women as protagonists and examining their relationships. I've read umpteen scifi books with barely a woman on the pages, so this was a welcome change of pace. Nancy Kress is also one of the few premier female names in science fiction, so it also seemed appropriate.
Overall, I found "Beggars in Spain" a very worthy read. It raised a lot of thoughtful questions that even a week after finishing the book, I find myself thinking about. It never came together in a "wow" moment, as a few sf books do for me, but it was pleasant and easy to read, which is not always the rule in sf. This was the first work I've read by Nancy Kress, and based on this book, I want to read more from her.
This was one of the most compelling, intricate, nuanced, heady, layered books I’ve ever read. It felt more like 3 books layered on top of each other. Even with the complex scientific ins and outs, I was mesmerized by the characters and the concepts and the plot.
Loved loved loved the opening novella. Liked the rest of the book.