A complex sci-fi/mystery blend - the second chapter reminded me so much of Wanda Morris and ALL HER LITTLE SECRETS, but in the future. Jamie Vega works as a journalist for C&P Media. He is Sleepless--a few years ago, many people became unable to sleep as a result of an unexplained virus. Jamie has used the extra time to learn new hobbies and, of course, keep up on his grueling work. When Jamie reports to work one morning to find his boss, Simon, dead, his first instinct is to solve the apparent murder. But the cops think Simon killed himself, and a complicated investigation follows. Meanwhile, Jamie is looking to possibly break another story while dealing with some shady people. To say more would be a spoiler, but the book becomes wide in scope with devastating consequences if Jamie doesn't break the case. The world-building is fantastic, and I was most interested by the futuristic parts and the virus explanations. I will be interested to see what Manibo writes next!

Books like THE SLEEPLESS remind me of why I love mysteries with unique settings—whether they be SciFi, historical, or just far-flung from my midwestern American life. Add in the hook of sleeplessness brought on by a pandemic (or possibly illicit drugs...) and I was sold on this book before I even picked it up.

THE SLEEPLESS would appeal to fans of Blake Crouch’s speculative premise-driven novels because Manibo knows how to grab hold of a cool idea and absolutely run with it, delivering on the “fun and games” the reader is looking for. It felt like Manibo anticipated a lot of the questions readers might pose (“Could a sleepless person still pass out?” “What happens to their metabolism?”) and answered them subtly throughout the story.

The mystery in THE SLEEPLESS was also quite compelling, although it felt a tad convoluted to me at times—lots of political/media business machinations that I found myself less invested in than the “howdunit” elements and the psychological trauma (and complex relationships) of the main character.

Overall, this was a memorable read and I’m definitely hoping to read more by the author in the future.

It’s safe to say that in the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic people understand all too well how disruptive these kinds of events can be.

No longer solely an artefact of post-World War One history, pandemics are very now, very real and something that we all fully understand can upend the status quo, change perspectives and alter worldviews in ways that few other things can.

It’s thus all but inevitable that pandemic-centric novels are going to be in the ascendancy, capitalising on the new appreciation we all have for the fragility of the concept of normalcy, but it is doubtful few will wield as potent a hand as The Sleepless by Victor Manibo, a skillfully-executed, utterly immersive story of one man’s quest to clear his name, reclaim his soul and hopefully save the world in the process.

Think that’s too much to cram into one momentum-fuelled novel? Think again.

With a mastery that hints at a rich future in novel-length storytelling, Manibo manages to be both the architect of a propellant narrative rich in mystery, conspiracy and intrigue and the sculptor of some truly affecting character moments, many of which centre on the protagonist, Jamie Vega, a member of the Sleepless cohort, 25% of the human population who, thanks to a yet-to-be-fully-explained virus, no longer need to sleep.

On the face of it, it’s a boon for those who contract this mysterious condition, freeing them up to do more, work harder, and undertake all kinds of leisure pursuits, all free from the need to devote a third of their time to recharging the batteries.

But with every massive change in the status quo, and make no mistake the presence of about 2 billion people no longer requiring sleep is a seismic shift in everyone’s understanding of what it means to be human, there comes the good and the bad, with the Sleepless the target of vitriol and bigotry with many viewing them as less of an evolutionary step forward and more of a step into a scary unknown.

Jamie is one of the Sleepless but unlike almost every else in this select group, he did not come by it naturally, biohacking himself into Sleeplessness, seduced by the allure of all the time he’ll gain to further burnish his already luminous journalistic career at C+P Media.

It looks like he’s taken the right step until his driven and ambitious boss Simon is found dead one night, and what is initially treated as a suicide becomes something far darker with Jamie fingered as the main culprit for his boss’s demise.

Alas, Jamie can’t remember what he was doing on the night of Simon’s death, his memory holed significantly by what turns out to be a deleterious side effect of biohacking himself into Sleeplessness – an inability to make or retain new memories, a terrifying loss that cuts to the very heart of self-identity and individual humanity.

In Sleepless, Manibo effortlessly combines mystery thriller with existential crisis and ruminations on the state of the world, both as it stands and as it might become, and exploration of the toxically corrosive effects of capitalism run amok.

Throw in characters for whom queerness is a natural and normal part of life – that their lives are queer is simply treated, refreshingly, as nothing remarkable, they just are – and you have a near-future set novel which is personal, political, thrilling and intimate all at once.

It’s a really remarkable piece of work, helped along by the fact that Manibo constructs the action with tautness and solid steps to A to B to C that makes sense while investing each of the characters with a rich, raw humanity which embellishes the action elements, granting them a humanity they might otherwise lack.

This is pedal-to-the-metal storytelling with heart, a visionary piece of future peeking that relies on some unsettling current trends which doesn’t encompass just the awareness of how disruptive pandemics can be, but an innate understanding of how humanity simply doesn’t handle change well and how there will always be forces arrayed to make the most of these disruptions and not in the best interests of all concerned.

By placing an everyman-not-everyman at the centre of the action, someone who is flawed but well-intentioned, talented but prone to making missteps and being a victim of his runaway emotions, Manibo has made Sleepless a novel to which everyone should relate, even if dystopian sci-fi may not necessarily be their first genre port of call.

Sleepless is really, when it comes down to it, a story about humanity.

How it excels and fails, soars and crashes to earth and how in doing so, takes things that could be good and finds way to twist and bend them into ugly self-serving ways.

Sleeplessness could be an endless boon for humanity; true it carries risks as far as environmental load on the planet goes – you’re effectively adding a third a third to the population impact which given current trajectories on climate change, destruction of the natural world is far from okay – and does create some societal inequalities but it also allowed people to do more, create more, be more.

Unfortunately, it also stirs up all kinds of bigotry and mistrust, stirring the ugly beast at humanity’s core up in terrifyingly awful ways; the only bright spot are Jamie and the people he encounters who are trying to do good where others are clearly cultivating the darker angels of our nature.

As novels go, Sleepless is up there with the best – rich in immersive mystery-laden storytelling and arrestingly fully-formed characters, redolent with clever ideas and sage observations about the good and bad aspects of humanity and the society we create as a result, and all too aware that it is up to each of us to do something if we see things heading where they should not be, all of us responsible for where humanity as a whole finds itself, not just now but well into the future.

Interesting futuristic concept that make me consider the impact of sleep on productivity and how it can shape our corporate lives. Found the first half sped by but then it began to drag with the only motivation keeping me reading was to complete the book.

Blog Review: https://drizzleofjoyblog.wordpress.com/2022/04/13/the-sleepless/

I absolutely loved the premise! The author gets extremely detailed in their world-building, really fleshing it out for the reader.

It just wasn't for me. Jamie's storytelling just feels cold, distant, which made it hard for me to form a connection.

Part speculative fiction, part murder mystery, part science fiction - this book did not disappoint.

I enjoyed the main character and found the story took me on a journey I was not expecting. The plot continued to develop and expand in different ways that kept me entertained and interested as a reader. The premise of a pandemic causing sleeplessness is intriguing and definitely influenced the storyline, however, the main character and a murder mystery are the central plot of this book.

With underlying questions such as "is technology good or bad for humanity," "where does capitalism and greed merge" and "what is our time really worth," this novel does make you think. Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it easy to read and unique. I did think the ending was rather lackluster when compared to the rest of the book, with some unanswered questions, but still worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an early review.
THE SLEEPLESS by Victor Manibo is a near-future sci-fi “who-done-it” about a journalist who has contracted a rare disease that leaves him “sleepless”, and ends up trying to solve the mystery of his boss’s death as major players make big moves that could have drastic ripple effects on a frighteningly large scale.
It’s Chuck Palahniuk meets Philip K Dick.
The main character, Jamie Vega, is “Sleepless”, meaning he no longer needs sleep, and therefore becomes exponentially more productive in both his private and professional lives. The question posed here is: Is that a good thing? What does one do when they no longer lose a single minute to sleep? In a capitalist-driven world, a person could work themselves (or, more realistically, be worked by others) to death. Are the extra hours worth the price? If the condition could be reproduced in a lab…should it? Where are the ethical bounds in regard to biohacking one’s self?
There were more than a few lines that made me pause and think, and I love books that do that. There’s a strong commentary about anger and helplessness in this book that struck a cord with me. I highly recommend this one to anyone who likes grounded sci-fi that really digs into the perceptions of what it means to be human.

murder mystery with light cyberpunk and a dash of insomnia.

What would happen if humans became sleepless? Yes, people could work longer and earn more money, learn new skills, spend more time with loved ones. However, the impact on our planet, the increased food consumption.. is it really a good change?

We follow Jamie, who after a traumatic loss, finds his boss dead. The story grips you from the beginning and doesn’t let you go. We learn and investigate along with Jamie to find out the truth about the death and the sleepless secret.

I really enjoyed this one. The characters are well developed and there are plenty twists and turns to keep you guessing.
Overall I give this 4/5 - highly recommend for detective thriller lovers with a cyberpunk twist

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I was hooked right away! The premise of being "Sleepless" made me think of the common problem with immortality in fiction: when you have time to master everything, what else is there? A great thriller with exceptional mood-setting and writing!

Bravo to the author for creating such an interesting, fully-fleshed out near-future world. I have always been captivated by the idea of how great it would be not to need sleep, how much more time I'd have to get stuff done and enjoy leisure time. Not so fast. The book describes unexpected aspects of having a portion of the population be "Sleepless". The murder mystery added an extra element of interest to an already engaging tale.

Thanks to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for proving me with an ARC of this title.

My favorite thing about this book is how it treats the pandemic at its core. As the story opens, the pandemic – Sleeplessness – is ten years along, so there is none of the usual outbreak and spreading to the story arc. We jump right into the action, which centers on the apparent suicide of a higher-up in a media company. Our main character suspects murder and embarks on a fact-finding mission, which brings him into contact with loads of nefarious characters, whose interests lie on one side or another of the pandemic. See, the pandemic is big business. The approximate 1-in-4 members of the population who have been “afflicted” by sleeplessness find the extra time allows them to earn more money and broaden skills, among other effects. On the other hand, the pandemic stretches resources and pits the population against one another. Those members of the population who have not “caught” Sleeplessness, but want to are increasingly looking to the black market for a Sleepless fix.

I’m not usually a fan of thrillers, but I loved this. (Could it be a literary thriller?) The author creates a world in which Sleeplessness feels real and the arguments on both sides of the issue make sense. I was engaged from the beginning of the novel and rushed through the last half to see the outcome. It’s a great debut, made all the better by the fact that the author is a queer POC.

I was given an E-arc by Netgalley and Erewhon books in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Erewhon Publishing for approving me for this E-arc!

“The Sleepless” is a brilliant debut of Science Fiction Noir, that follows a futuristic reality in which a pandemic of Sleeplessness has struck the world- a world motivated by the often dark intentions of capitalistic greed. We’re taken on a journey where Jamie Vega, a journalist at a Media Company, must navigate this reality as well as solve a gripping murder mystery simultaneously.

I went into this being interested in this premise itself, and Victor Manibo did not disappoint! The world building and events he has crafted are so tangible that I believe this is absolutely a reality that could occur, making the story even more intriguing and unsettling. At the beginning I was waiting for things to build up, and towards the middle it really picked up pace and I simply could not put it down, wanting to know the answers just as Jamie does. By the end I really appreciated the world building and information that was given at the beginning of the book, and the encapsulation mixed with just how much fun I had reading this bumped it up to a 4.5-5 star read for me!

This is a great story- one that I already yearn for more of, and a fantastic debut for Victor Manibo- he will definitely be an author I’ll be on the look out for in the future! I’d love to read anything else he writes.

Also, I am so happy to see so much representation in this book, as well as seeing literature from queer POC. Thank you for this read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I first heard about this book when Rob Hart mentioned in his blog that he worked with the author as part of Pitch Wars. The premise sounded fantastic and the result did not disappoint.

Thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel and it made wish I was Sleepless so I could finish it faster. The intertwining of a murder mystery with a "pandemic" of a portion of the population no longer sleeping made for a very compelling story. The polarization of being sleepless and the unanticipated effect it has on society is a fun exploration. I definitely empathized with the main character and was invested in his outcomes.

The book ends well (not an easy task) and certainly leaves some open questions for exploring more of the Sleepless society but also satisfyingly wraps up the major plot points.

Overall an outanding debut novel - highly recommended.

Thank you, Erewhon, for allowing me to read The Sleepless early!

This book is another title that has been on my radar since its announcement and it is another book that makes believe we have one of the greatest year for debuts, especially the queer ones. Such a strong plot that delivers punch after punch of adrenaline. A thrilling mystery and an astounding protagonist. Victor Manibo is on the trajectory of becoming of my favorite authors ever.

Back in the 90s in high school, we used to wear t-shirts that read "Sleep is for the weak." We had bumper stickers that declared "coffee: you can sleep when you're dead!" It's been a running gag for as long as I can remember that sleep is the true collective common enemy vs. productivity and creative output.

I thought about those slogans a lot as I read Victor Manibo's excellent sci-fi thriller debut. How many people did I know who would line up to catch such a sickness? And of course there would be well-organized bigots out there declaring themselves the next iteration of human evolution. Absolutely there would be plenty of desperate, hungry, ambitious, traumatized people out there willing to dip into the waters of black market pills to unlock Sleeplessness for themselves.

The genius behind this book is how absolutely real and reasonable it all feels. And that dreadful realism--a future we can envision so perfectly just by looking around at our current state of affairs--is the perfect setting to place a noir thriller.

Manibo's Sleepless reporter, Jamie Vega, gives us the full experience: broken relationships, a mentor who turns up dead, a suicide that seems far too convenient, further complicated by Jamie's realization that he has significant chunks of time missing from his memory. Add to this a host of supporting characters who ALL come off simultaneously charismatic, sympathetic, and shady as hell, and what you have is a masterful blend of science fiction noir.

The Sleepless centers around Jamie Vega, a New York journalist living post-pandemic that causes nearly a quarter of the world to become hyperinsomniacs. After his boss unexpectedly dies before a big corporate buyout, Jamie becomes wrapped up in finding the truth of what really happened to him.

It’s entertaining, if unsettling, to relate the plot to our reality, and how we’re only ever one step away from a dystopian world in which would could biohack ourselves. The author invites us to reflect on the harm this type of un-checked technology could cause to society, and how it impacts our behaviors and every day life. The characters, whether for or against artificial hyperinsomnia, all had very compelling, in depth reasons for their motives that made this story all the more rich. The commentary on how the sleepless are perceived and treated was also sadly too realistic.

My one critique is that I didn’t feel sucked in immediately, and the beginning was a bit slow. Once Jamie starts digging in to Simon’s death, and the twist of his experience with the pill is revealed, I couldn’t put it down. The way trauma is handled was also really well done, and I enjoyed the peeks into how our future may look with more advanced technology.

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon for the Arc!

A pandemic once again sweeps the world, this one in the 2030s. It eventually infects about one quarter of the worlds population, causing those affected to lose the ability to sleep without affecting their health. The Sleepless, as they become known, are at first quarantined and shunned, but eventually are accepted back into society. As they have no need for sleep, they can work multiple jobs, and a whole niche of the economy becomes devoted to the Sleepless.

Jamie Vega is a Sleepless and reporter for a large news network in NYC. He, another staffer and his boss are working on a story about a corrupt US Senator. As the novel opens, Jamie comes into work early, and finds his boss dead at his desk. While the police think it’s suicide, Jamie thinks otherwise and proceeds to investigate. The story then takes off and is absolutely enthralling.

The author creates one of the best near future fictional worlds I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The automated taxis and waiters, the visors that record the environment are all part of a near future that is extremely convincing. The societal implications of the Sleepless - discrimination, pro Sleepless groups, the strain on the economy - are very detailed and impressive. I was absolutely captivated by the author’s world building.

My thanks to Erewhon Books and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this impressive book.