NOD

This book asks the question: what happens if (nearly) all of the world's population lost the ability to sleep, or, for that matter, doesn't appear to even be tired? It explores this nightmare through the first person narrator's journal as he tries to survive in a world where society, day by day, breaks down. It's exactly what you'd expect, as the population, their brains rubbed raw with mental exhaustion and dispair, act out their individual coping mechanisms (hint: it ain't pretty). The only issues I have is that it ends without any explanation of why "sleepers" share certain characteristics, and how some "awakened" managed to cope a lot better than others...for a while. Granted, the narrator is writing the experiences in his journal, but any thoughts or discoveries on this particular matter would have been refreshing, and some conclusion on the state of the world would be a delicious topic of discussion in book clubs😁. Either way it was a GREAT and interesting book with an original idea, and a LOT of fun to read. I know authors watch Amazon reviews so I am going to take this review to say: Mr. Barnes, I can't wait to read what you (pardon the pun) dream up next!

This book is a trip and a half! The concept of the book is sufficient enough to keep your interest and coupled with great word smithing by this author a fast and enjoyable ride is created. Definitely not a feel good book, in fact maybe the exact opposite of that. While giving a pretty fatalistic and depressing take on the minutiae of the human experience, the writing is done so well that it is enjoyable even in its darkness. Also there are several paragraphs in different places throughout the book that i would call extraordinary. Made me wonder if the author was perhaps under the influence ( in a most positive way) of some insight enhancing herbs. Loved the book and look forward to more from this author

Here's a story to keep you up all night. If insomnia is an old companion, you'll recognize its worn visage. If you've never spent time in its company, here's an intimate journey into that realm writ large and painful. I read it by fits and starts. The author does not offer us a *comfortable* acquaintance with his characters, and sometimes I had to put it down for a few days. The last 1\3, though... I stayed up late to follow it through to its conclusion. This book! I hated the story and loved the author for writing it.

This novel, while not without a few flaws, delivers what most novels do not: a well written play on words and a story that keeps you guessing. There are very few answers in this book, but that's part of the charm. The reader meanders through a wordy story told by an etymologist (a treat that I've never encountered in a book before). I think that it's the kind of novel that you either get or you just don't.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fascinating to contemplate what would happen to society if we all of a sudden lacked the ability to fall asleep. This was really well written and thought out.For those seeking an idea of what happens, the book is written as a daily journal written by the main character. One day, the whole world simply cannot fall asleep. Well, there are a tiny portion of the populace that can, the main character being one of them. He writes day by day on how society breaks down and collapses into complete chaos. This book deals with questions of what could happen if we were unable to fall asleep, and how critical sleep is to our functionality. What happens after one day, two days, seven days, etc???Anyway, I really enjoyed it, and highly recommend it. Perhaps it'll get optioned for a movie (if it hasn't already.) A

Although the beginning is a bit murky and slow the book heads off onto its way of sleepless insanity quickly enough to keep you enthralled. The last half of the book I couldn't put down and read it straight through. There are so many end of the world stories out there right now but this one works on a much more personal level. Written in the first person perspective and dealing only with what a single character has to overcome it rings more effectively than most. I highly recommend giving this book a shot.

Definitely a new spin on post-apocalyptica! I was thoroughly pleased with the writing style. Mr. Barnes was greatly descriptive and would show you a scene in your mind instead of just saying it (to take an excerpt from A.J. Flowers' book... to not just say someone is an assassin, describe her sleek figure fingering her sharp blade). This is exactly what Mr. Barnes did with his writing. Now, if you're one of those people that only likes the default story style of: Beginning - Problem - Climax - Resolution, then Nod isn't for you. Keep in mind that Nod is a recollection, in essence, a diary... and sometimes the authors of diaries don't always know the why's of everything going on around them, nor do they always finish their stories.

I really liked the concept, but I just couldn't get behind the execution. It seems like the author was having a contest with himself over creating the most clever turn of a depressing phrase.