From the Bookshelf of The Roundtable…

Beggars in Spain (Sleepless, #1)

Nancy Kress

Start date: May 1, 2019

Finish date: May 31, 2019

Discussion: 2019 Sci-Fi Mini Tournament

Discussion leader: Christopher

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2019 Sci-Fi Mini Tournament

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By Christopher · 18 posts · 41 views

last updated Mar 25, 2019 07:28PM

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last updated Aug 02, 2019 09:03PM

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What Members Thought

May 13, 2019 Christopher marked it as abandoned

Shelves: 20th-century, american, fiction, science-fiction

This book had a great setup—what if there's a CRISPR-type gene modification that would allow people to be born without the need for sleep?—but that's about all it has. Apparently not having to sleep also (view spoiler) The prose is dull, the story is uninspired, the science is unconvincing, and the characters are unengaging, so I just read the first of four parts (basically, the original novella) and I'm going to leave it at that.

I don't officially rate books ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 29, 2011 Petra rated it really liked it

I only meant to start this book but I couldn't put it down and finished it in 2 days. Maybe it's because I've got the time right now but this book truly sucked me into its story.
Change. Acceptance. Equality. The author does a wonderful job of showing how these characteristics of our society and of individuals changes with outlook, knowledge and over generations.
Through genetic engineering in the womb, people are "sleepless", they are more intelligent and, with the extra hours in their day from ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

May 05, 2015 Nadine in California marked it as couldn-t-get-through-it

I applied the "50 page" rule to this one - if you're not drawn in by page 50, move on. The premise sounds great, but the writing and the characters never came alive for me. I've read that this book was originally a novella - maybe I'd have liked it better in concentrated form. ...more

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Nov 30, 2021 Pat rated it it was ok

Shelves: science-fiction

This book contained some interesting ideas, but the story line was a disappointment. Also, there was way too much preaching of political philosophies.

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