The veneer of civility is thin and threadbare, after just a few days of no sleep for 99,9% of the world's population, all is chaos. Violent, frightening, textured, and dystopian are words that aptly describe the short-lived world that Barnes has created. Paul secretly sinks into slumber every night, chasing the tail of the dragon that is the shared dream of the Sleepers. It was a strange novel to read alongside the other novel I was finishing this week, HOW TO STOP TIME, which also is interested in the greater movements of human through culture.

Nod is horror born of the unflinching and uncompromising detail that dissects what it means to be human. Barnes employs this brilliant idea to explore the nature of perception, redemption, and personal and social catastrophe.There were parts of the narrative which were really engaging, particularly witnessing the demise of the protagonist's relationship with his partner, but I found the general thread of the story confusing and convoluted. The Chronicle of Secrets: This section offers various portents and omens of the coming end times, known to vampires as Gehenna. There is a lot to recommend this book, not least a concept which, on the surface, is fascinating - the deterioration of humanity when the majority of the population cannot sleep. Meaning the ensuing half-a-chapter about how she and the protagonist had first met and what they were like together and blah blah blah was utterly pointless.

I don't usually quote from the books I'm reviewing but in this case it's necessary, "Charles loved big words, loved forcing them into his sentences no matter how much they squealed. It seemed to be hinting at the idea that the real world was blending with the world of the book (despite it not being a fiction piece, instead a non-fiction.Anyone who has gone a sleepless night or two can’t help but feel the pain of Barnes’ characters as they face their punishing departure from this life. A new day dawns in Vancouver, Canada, and it soon becomes apparent that almost no one in the world has slept. He describes one character wearing a suit as an 'autistic attempt to copy mad men', which is a dozen different kinds of messed up and honestly has no place in the 21st century, and believes another character later on can't possibly be a doctor because he's fat, and therefore CLEARLY spent all his time before the end of the world in his mother's basement playing video games. Thanks to Enoch that's no longer how I see this particular brother story but, that is a conversation for another Time.

So in summary this is a really good book, that get's you thinking long after you have put it down, but be warned.I did like the little bits of end of the world stuff that happened, some of the imagery sprinkled through was cool and interesting, and I think the idea of it all was fantastic, but the execution just wasn’t for me unfortunately. The book is planned to be re-printed by Renegade Game Studios in October 2022, [4] both in a standard release and a "deluxe artifact edition," which consists of replica scrolls and a tablet. It's not that often that I find myself writing a completely negative review, but I can honestly say that I can not find anything about this book that I liked.

Nod is best enjoyed in the place that you want to sleep because you will eventually fall asleep—unlike the doomed souls in Adrian Barnes' novel. That's the premise of this brief novel, a look at a world that devolves into madness in just a few weeks as sleep deprivation takes its toll. Set in present day Vancouver, Nod by Adrian Barnes throws us into an apocalyptic world set upon by a global insomniac event. It may be November but I’m glad I finally chanced upon a good Halloween novel after a month of so-so spooky books.His world crumbles around him, and yet, he is able to—nay, must for his own sanity—chronicle the downfall. Strange are the ways of democracy; everyone disagrees with everyone else and such dissent is considered a good thing. While I was expecting a different story, Nod delivers in establishing a truly atmospheric semi-dystopian infused survival horror. For young Boo Taylor it’s a land of lush salt marshes and sun-soaked beaches, rich in history and folklore—yet steeped in superstition and hiding a terrifying secret.