Nod

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Nod works brilliantly on several levels; as a nerve-shredding horror, a timely cautionary tale, and a study of a man’s life being stripped away. --Sci-Fi Now Initially, I thought I had found what I was looking for in the previous two books within this volume. I was desiring to read a thrilling and horrifying tale depicting the eventual breakdown of mind and body, community and society. The first half of this book does a brilliant job in recreating these events, within a limited time-frame that added tension to the piece. I felt the danger that lurked within each individual come increasingly to the surface as sleep continued to evade them. Violent, frightening, textured, and dystopian are words that aptly describe the short-lived world that Barnes has created. Barnes’ writing is beautiful, but sometimes a little too good; the descriptions, both compelling and creepy, occasionally subtract from the story he’s trying to tell: Violent, frightening, textured, and dystopian are words that aptly describe the short-lived world that Barnes has created. Barnes' writing is beautiful" - Quest For Sleep Debut author Barnes has written a completely original twist on the subject of insomnia. His apocalyptic thriller will appeal to fans of ChristopherGalt’s Biblicaland other dystopian and sf thrillers as well as readers with an interest in mythology" - Library Journal

That’s the premise of Adrian Barnes’ debut novel Nod: A world in which suddenly nobody sleeps anymore. Or almost nobody: One out of about every 10,000 people still sleep. Having made his literary point, the prose becomes more conventional as he gets on with the story. Hardly anybody in Vancouver can sleep. (Yes, Vancouver. Why not?). Our writer and children seem to be the only ones. Why? Who knows? I'm reminded of Day of the Triffids, where someone wakes up and everybody else is blind. There's a parallel with My name is Legion too. Triffids, Legion and Nod: three fine books and each one thin - conclude what you will. Nod is a novel that only comes around every five to ten years. It takes that long for a writer to create a piece of fiction that actually has something to say and is unique. Nod is that book. It tells the tale of Paul who finds himself an unlikely prophet after his manuscript on the etymology of words becomes a surrogate bible to a city who cannot sleep. Violent, frightening, textured, and dystopian are words that aptly describe the short-lived world that Barnes has created. Barnes’ writing is beautiful” -Quest For Sleep It may be November but I’m glad I finally chanced upon a good Halloween novel after a month of so-so spooky books. I thought this was really rather good, and I was sad to realise that the author, Adrian Barnes had died not long after publication.After psychosis sets in for those who cannot sleep, and Nod falls into the wrong hands, Paul’s world begins to spiral out of control in a way he never could have imagined. The second half of this novel seemed to switch in direction and take the reader on a more abstract and fantastical journey. I continued to appreciate the gorgeously lyrical writing style, as well as the overall ingenuity, but I longed for a return to the somewhat simpler initial stages of the novel.

Vancouver is the place for Paul to try and think his way out of the problems he faces after the event has occurred. When the announcement went out about the event, people didn't think it was real, they denied it would ever happen and got on with their lives, yet one by one, they fell to it like it was a disease, inescapable, and deadly. Paul is not the most sociable person; he likes his own company as being an author makes it easier for him to keep out of harm's way. He does have agirlfriend, Tanya, who he has shared a long time with. As an author, it is easy to imagine how he could have spared any time with her considering also his constant observation of the human race and not being a real part of it.Here's a complete list of 'geek' things the protagonist does. He makes an offhand reference to Star Wars (which literally couldn't be more wrong and is surprisingly insulting to Leia, the only prominent woman in the original trilogy). He makes a reference to the fantastic four that, thanks to the endless cycle of reboots, is very much common knowledge. But the thing that gets his girlfriend to call him a geek? he knows who medusa is. and that she had snakes for hair. that's about it. Other than an oddly out-of-place reference to Harry Potter that honestly feels beyond contrived and a few dropped names later on, that's it. That's your lot.