SOJALS rating:

Very good (4/5)

I first read this in March 1996 and most recently on the 14th May 2002

Leisha Camden, Jennifer Sharifi, Richard Keller and a few dozen others are the latest products of embryonic genetic enhancement. They're brighter, more beautiful and more healthy than normal children, plus they have one major advantage - they don't sleep. These new Sleepless are slated for greatness, if the rest of normal humanity allows them to achieve that, or indeed allows them to live that long. Their superiority is so marked that the "Sleepers" are almost automatically jealous of them, suspicious of their motives. Persecution follows and the Sleepless struggle to ensure their survival in a hostile world.

This is a gripping tale about prejudice, persecution and persecution complex. It's an exciting read with interesting characters and great technology.

This was another Asia books lifesaver that saw me through tough times in Bangkok. It was a great book at the time and has I think, aged well. I've read it three times or so and its impact is beginning to fade (as you can tell from this review), partly because I know what happens in the sequels, and they're just not as good. However, this book excites with the possibilities it suggests, and poses tough questions about the nature of social intercourse and community.

No aliens though.