The Sleepless

By: Victor Manibo

Narrated by: Joel de la Fuente

A mysterious pandemic causes a quarter of the world’s population to permanently lose the ability to sleep—without any apparent health implications. The outbreak creates a new class of people who are both feared and ostracized, and most of whom optimize their extra hours to earn more money.

Jamie Vega, a New York journalist at C+P Media, is one of the Sleepless. When his irascible boss dies in an apparent suicidal overdose, Jamie doesn’t buy this too-convenient explanation—especially given its suspicious timing in the middle of a corporate takeover—and begins to investigate.

Things go awry quickly when Jamie discovers that he was the last person who saw Simon alive. Retracing his steps, he realizes he doesn’t remember that night. Not only do the police suspect him, Jamie can’t account for the lost time, and the memory loss may have something to do with the fact that he did not come by hyperinsomnia naturally: Through a risky and illegal process, Jamie had biohacked himself to become Sleepless.

As Jamie delves deeper into Simon’s final days, he is forced to confront past traumas and the consequences of his decision to biohack himself. Along the way he uncovers a terrifying truth about what it means to be Sleepless that will imperil him—and all of humanity.

©2022 Victor Manibo (P)2022 Recorded Books

Dystopian values nailed.

A wonderful dystopian whodunnit. Victor’s characters are flawed and real and deeply relatable, even with their sci-fi twists. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and can’t wait to see more from this stunning mind.

Good, but not that original

It was a good book with an interesting concept but most of the story seemed a little unoriginal

Riveted!

Loved the character and pacing of this, and love the whodunnit/ science fi genre. Great listen!

Social Commentary thinly veiled as Science Fiction

The idea of a sleepless society and its implications is intriguing. The narrator does a wonderful job. However the plot and messages of the book are so riddled with dissertation and commentary related to the Covid pandemic and social equality that it’s hard to stay engaged in the storyline. Would not recommend.

Beautifully written novel that kept me guessing

I have a love hate relationship with mystery thrillers. If it's not a book about a smart cop, it's a deplorable main character that always makes stupid decisions, or is super predictable and horribly written. Thankfully, The Sleepless was none of these things.

I found Jamie's character to be relatable and smart. I understood his motives and decisions from beginning to end, and was along with him for the entire ride. The story had me guessing down to the big reveal, and even then I didn't know what to expect.

Additionally, the world that the author builds has so much depth and realism into the social, economic, and climate impact that would happen if the Earth's population became sleepless. It makes you think about life and your priorities.

Lastly as a Filipino American, I'm used to the only love our culture gets in American literature is a disposable cleaning lady, nanny, or nurse. To read a book with a Filipino man as the main character, encounter his family, and most importantly, see how family drives a lot the decisions Jamie makes, gave me a sense of pride that only comes with representation.

I genuinely enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone looking to get lost in a futuristic neo-noir mystery.

Sophomoric, trite

Very week book. Uses trite detective / SF tropes, overall value very low both as scifi and as a whodunnit.