Percivious: Insomnia

“The Cooks’ impressive SF medical thriller, the first of a trilogy, overflows with intriguing ideas. The main plot focuses on a new wonder sleep drug, Noctural, which runs into a snag. Despite successful preliminary trials, Noctural fails to work for a test subject with chronic insomnia and other people suffering from sleep deprivation. Figuring out why falls to a researcher for the Big Pharma company behind the medication. Other story lines are less conventional. One involves Human Pinnacle Theory, which posits that humans have reached the pinnacle of their evolution, and thus are at risk for extinction because of an inability to adapt to Earth’s changing environment. Another centers on a secret U.S. government dossier revealing that “ancient humanoid cousins” existed along with the dinosaurs and were the dominant life form at the time. Before leaving the planet, they created a DNA time capsule that led to the evolution of homo sapiens. The Cooks, a married couple, alternate between the plot threads easily. Michael Crichton fans will look forward to the sequel.” -- Publishers Weekly

“The Cooks, a husband-and-wife team, begin a trilogy with this hybrid of corporate-charged medical thriller and SF alien tale [...] While the material is related in Dan Brown–esque minichapters, the emphasis is less on exciting chases (though there is a humdinger, set in Paris) and more on deep dives into character motivations and relationships, complete with a shoutout to The Great Gatsby. Results echo both Zenna Henderson’s The People collections and John Farris’ Fury series as well as numerous other upscale SF entries in which superman-hood does not necessarily mean capes and Kryptonite or flashy special effects [...] Invested readers will be kept up at night waiting for more.

An intelligent SF tale with a high-stakes big pharma backdrop and skillful character development.” -- Kirkus Reviews

“In medical doctor A. J. Cook and J. J. Cook’s science fiction thriller Percivious Insomnia, mindbending scientific theories and complicated media and government relationships could lead to the destruction of the species [...] The book covers scientific theories and journalism practices using familiar language and necessary exposition, making it both accessible and relevant. [The] cinematic style breaks the book’s complex information into chronological, concise portions and results in a quick pace. [An] exciting science fiction thriller.” -- Foreword Reviews

“Read about a different pandemic with Percivious: Insomnia. In the first book in the trilogy, nobody can sleep and insomnia is sweeping the world. The drug that had done so well in test trials, stopped working. There is a race for a real cure, and lines are crossed. This novel hooks you from the beginning and you won’t be able to close your eyes until it is finished.” -- Geeks of Doom