I got this softcover from Barnes and Noble. It's a tale of an apocalypse of sleeplessness, told in the form of interviews, documents and correspondence by a variety of individuals. This is a style used to very good effect by Max Brooks in World War Z (zombies) and War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches, written by a variety of authors (Martian invasion). [The author's name, H. G. Bells, is clearly a pastiche/homage of H. G. Wells.]

Later: I liked the premise of this one, but the execution didn't thrill me. For one thing, there was no information on who each interviewee was; we got a clue as to the location, and in a few cases the narrative included notes on the narrator's job, background, etc., but I'd have appreciated a more clear description of each source whenever the focus shifted.

That aside, I found the majority of the sections a bit thin, story-wise. Instead of building suspense, some of them were repetitive and rather flat. (There were some exceptions, which were thoroughly chilling in their descriptions of a society where everyone - including first responders, politicians, teachers, and doctors - are rapidly losing mental focus and succumbing to mood swings, hallucinations, or outright locked-in-syndrome.

One of the sections that had more promise was the one set in a meditation center; the idea that people with good practice in meditation might be able to tolerate sleeplessness for a longer period was a good one. It seemed to be effective, too, at least over the relatively short period in which the story unfolded - but, alas, terrorists interfered, breaking the concentration of the survivors and forcing everyone to cope with injuries as well as emotional trauma. Sigh.

The other issues I had with the book included the way the very brief event seemed to unfold at different rates depending on the narrator. (We're told up front that sleeplessness can't be survived for more than a few weeks at most, and the entire plague seems to have lasted only a few weeks, but some of the narratives make it sound much longer - though I suppose that could be put down to disorientation as a symptom.)

And then there's the fact that despite some speculation on real-world causes of insomnia (including a chilling syndrome called Familial Fatal Insomnia) we don't find out what caused the plague, or [spoiler!] what made it stop. I have enjoyed stories that did not include clear resolutions, but in this case it was pretty frustrating. Though I did enjoy the way some of the survivors used fantasy role-playing game techniques as a method for keeping them focused on the many tasks needed in mopping up after the disaster, and helping the survivors to move on. Experience points and leveling-up for everyone!

Overall: a good concept, not as well executed as I'd hoped.

I left this book on a bench outside the diner; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2019 Science Fiction release challenge. ***