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Beggars in Spain
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Beggars in Spain
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Beggars in Spain
Audiobook16 hours

Beggars in Spain

Written by Nancy Kress

Narrated by Cassandra Campell

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

In a world where the slightest edge can mean the difference between success and failure, Leisha Camden is beautiful, extraordinarily intelligent, and one of a growing number of human beings who have been genetically modified to never require sleep.Once considered interesting anomalies, now Leisha and the other "Sleepless" are outcasts, victims of blind hatred, political repression, and shocking mob violence meant to drive them from human society and, ultimately, from Earth itself.But Leisha Camden has chosen to remain behind in a world that envies and fears her "gift,” a world marked for destruction in a deadly conspiracy of freedom and revenge.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 23, 2009
ISBN9781433269875
Author

Nancy Kress

DAVID BRIN has written or contributed to a dozen works of fiction and science fiction, has a Ph.D in astrophysics, and has been a professor and a NASA consultant.NANCY KRESS is the author of fourteen books of fantasy and science fiction, including both novels and short-story collections.

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Rating: 3.9018037054108214 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I know this is premature, seeing as how i'm only 40 pages into the book, but 5 stars. Though, I already knew this book would be great by the time i finished the first chapter (22 pages ago).
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This was a pretty interesting idea, but it was too long and there were too many characters involved. It may have been better left in it's original form as a novella (which I have not read although I believe it may have been the first section of the book and the other sections were added.)I thought the writing was good, tech/science stuff was cool and believable and my favorite part was probably the Superbrights and the irony of their plight.So if you're looking to mark this classic off your checklist and you're a slow reader like me, I would probably suggest reading the novella instead and moving on to other classics.(less)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    *This review has spoilers.*In the near future, Leisha is one of the first generation of children genetically engineered not to need sleep, and finds herself hated and feared because of the advantages that gives her.I first read this novel long ago, and I just reread the novella it was based on to refresh my memory, so this review will focus on the novella, which is the opening section of the longer novel. I have seen this book listed on many libertarian book lists, but it is my opinion that it considers but ultimately refutes libertarian ideals, at least those ideals that we often associate with Ayn Rand.Like most of the Sleepers, Leisha subscribes to a philosophy popularized by Kenzo Yagai, who also invented the cheap energy source that is transforming the world. In that philosophy, a person's greatest dignity comes from being able to do what they do well, freely and without coercion, and to trade that skill with others. This is symbolized by the contract. If a person is not allowed to achieve or must operate under coercion, then that robs them of their spiritual dignity.However, there is the problem of the so-called beggars in Spain, who have nothing to give and want what you have--and may be willing to do violence to get it. They cannot live on their own merits, and they aren't willing to abide by the rules of civilizations. What does the world owe them? The libertarians, or Yagaiists, would argue, the world owes them nothing. Leisha feels there is something wrong with this, but it takes her a while to realize what.The Sleepless are superior in nearly every way to the Sleepers, and that is why they come to be hated and feared. They cannot engage with the rest of the world in equal trade because they are not born equal. They come to the conclusion that their only recourse is to withdraw from society into an isolated refuge called Sanctuary. Again, Leisha does not think this is the right move.Finally, as she and her twin sister Alice (who is not a Sleepless) rescue a sleepless child from an abusive home--and Alice basically saves everybody, much to Leisha's surprise--she realizes the truth. This is where the refutation happens. Trade is not linear. It is more like a web. A "beggar in Spain" is not fated to permanently be a beggar; they may have something of value to give that only becomes apparent later, like Alice. Human society is an ecology, so you give what you can when you can, not knowing whether you will receive something in return now or later, or even if the person you benefit will go on to benefit someone else. However, by giving when it is needed, and not expecting something in return immediately, the whole ecology benefits--including the so-called elite.This is where we get stuck when we consider libertarianism in the political arena today. There is often the attitude of "what's in it for me?" The benefit may not be immediately apparent, but there is a benefit to us all. We are not individuals free-floating out there, tethered to no one, reliant only on ourselves. We are part of an ecology, and all of us are necessary parts of that ecology. Even the beggars.First read in 1990s; reread novella in 2014.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I know this is premature, seeing as how i'm only 40 pages into the book, but 5 stars. Though, I already knew this book would be great by the time i finished the first chapter (22 pages ago).
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I've had this on my Kindle for far too long & decided to finally read it. I'm so glad that I have! The story follows Leisha & others genetically modified before birth not to require sleep. They don't age in the usual way either & with all the time they save sleeping, they are able to achieve much more than their sleeping counterparts. The novel spans many years & gives a broad look at how their lives proceed & the effects of the society they create. Ideas explored are what the strong owe to the weak & why & how much control does one need to exercise over others. What is truly evident is that regardless of intelligence, paranoia, zealotry & extreme tribalism can captivate humans to the point of criminality & cruelty. Most specifically this is displayed in Hawke & Jennifer. They're two sides to the same coin.

    I admit that I was most interested in Leisha's relationship with her non-modified twin, Alice. It was Leisha's most constant & interesting relationship for most of the story even when they were estranged. Second to that, I found Drew an interesting sort & wanted more detail on the followup to his accident as it's not even mentioned that his attacker had any consequence for his action. Many of the other characters aren't given depth either & simply help moving along the plot but I did want to know more about them & how they felt & were motivated in the world in which they lived. Still, I found it an engaging story & couldn't put it down for long (when I didn't have my Kindle to hand, I continued reading it on my phone).

    The ending was solid but felt a little heavy handed. I will likely read the rest of the trilogy but as of the time of this review, they aren't available on Kindle. Perhaps they will be soon or I'll find them at the library.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In the not-so-distant future, it becomes possible to genetically engineer children. This is the story of one such child built to the specifications of her wealthy industrialist father, Leisha Camden, who is beautiful, blonde, intelligent, and who does not need to sleep. The story follows Leisha's growing up in an America that gradually grows to hate and resent Leisha and her peers. Leisha is one of the most three-dimensional characters I have ever read, and I agonized with her over the moral decisions she was forced to make. Calls into question everyone's rights as citizens and human beings. Was there ever a good decision made by committee? Is any man good enough to govern another without their consent? Like Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, but without the mind-numbing twenty-page speeches. Every time I read this novel, I get something different from it. A perennial favorite, I cannot recommend it enough if you like a good moral dilemma.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Huh. The first third was a good story (novelette?). The rest is getting too political for me. I can't imagine, at this point, more books later. We'll see.

    Ok, I'm done. Too many boring characters, too many words. The ideas, the concepts, are interesting, but they could have been explored more concisely, which would have been more effective. I kept finding excuses to put the book down.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The premise of this sci-fi novel is that, in 2008, a scientific breakthrough allows for genetic engineering that creates people with no need to sleep. Together with other genetic advantages available to the rich, soon this creates a small but growing group of privileged and brilliant young people - the Sleepless. However, jealous and resentful, "ordinary people" rather than appreciating the super-talented Sleepless, are soon viciously prejudiced against them.
    I found the first half of this book to be interesting and refreshing, because, although I didn't find the supposed benefits that Kress pairs with sleeplessness to be medically convincing, it was nice to see (for once) a scientific advance that has the ability to change humanity shown in a positive light, rather than as a Scary Mutation of Terror that makes us Inhuman.
    However, the second half of the book spoiled all that, when it posits that a large percentage of the Sleepless, sick of the bigotry aimed at them, secede into a gated compound, and proceed to do more genetic research and create Inhuman Mutations and commit Terrible Acts. By taking the idea further, I felt that the novel, conversely, got more ordinary.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    On its surface this book is a thoughtful examination of possible social and political implications of human genetic manipulation. But I was surprised when the book also addressed deeper questions about family, ambition, romance, and inequality with depth and subtlety. All that while examining the lives and choices of some very compelling and complex characters.

    There's a feeling of realism in this book that is rare in Sci-Fi, even near-future stuff. The characters' way of matter-of-factly presenting dramatically amazing technological developments made them seem very attainable, and the way that there was pushback and downsides to every development struck me as more realistic than the typical Sci-Fi attitude of simple acceptance and integration of change.

    I kept expecting the story of this book to begin building towards a conclusion and instead new characters and plot lines would rise to prominence as the old ones were resolved. I wasn't ever on the edge of my seat, since the book is focused more on characters than a fast-paced plot, but I was nonetheless continually surprised by the events of the story. The evenness of rising and falling action did make any sections drag if they were focused on characters I disliked, but overall I enjoyed the pace.

    I'd recommend this book to anybody interested in a solid non-apocalyptic near-future story.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I first read Book I of Nancy Kress’s Beggars in Spain in Spring 2006, for a science-fiction literature course. The plot focuses on Leisha Camden, who was born in what was then the future of 2008, and is then the twenty-first human to have a genetic modification for sleeplessness, which is believed to increase her productivity. There are other benefits as well, including a higher IQ and better outlook on life. Later events reveal that the Sleepless do not physically age and may even be immortal. Leisha later meets other Sleepless, like Richard Keller and Tony Indivino. They face prejudice from “Sleepers” (the term for non-genetically-modified people) and are forbidden from running 24-hour convenience stores or competing in the Olympics. Rising prejudices force the Sleepless to retreat to Sanctuary, where Leisha reflects on social status and privilege.On March 15, 2006, Kress visited Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY. I described her work as “a captivating story about what it means to be human set in a plausible vision of the future.” That description holds true all these years later. While the dates in the novel have since passed as a result of Kress first publishing it in 1993, the fears of genetic modification and what it means to be human continue to dominate our public discourse with each new advancement. Kress’s original novella, which makes up Book I of this novel, won both the Hugo and Nebula Award while the full novel was nominated for both. Fans of science-fiction and its role in examining our fears and concerns are encouraged to seek out this novel.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    2.5 stars. A good study of the 'what if' scenario if sleeplessness becomes a trait for a number of people in the future with the help of genetic modification. Think of X-Men with the common "superpower" of sleeplessness with more commentary on social and personal implications but with least of the excitement possible.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I didn't realize until after I had started reading it, that this was published first as a novella and later as a full-length novel. It was completely by accident that I'd gotten hold of the novella rather than the novel - might as well have been the other way around.

    But now that I have read it, I'm glad I read the novella. It was a brilliant story - engaging and thought-provoking - but I don't think it would have worked nearly as well as a full-length novel. The pacing would have been off, it wouldn't have been as tight nor - I think - as poignant.

    As it was, I couldn't get the story out of my head and found it extremely well written and provocative (in a good way). I'm sorry Alice and Leisha never became close, but was glad to see that the ending opened for the possibility of that in the future.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This definitely belongs very solidly within the literature of ideas. Its essentially an extended exploration of the questions; what, if anything, do the fortunate owe to the less so? And why? Do the rich owe anything to the poor, the wise to the foolish, the healthy to the sick, the young to the old, the intelligent to the stupid? What sort of societies do you get from different answers to that question?

    This being science fiction after all, the tale wanders in search of its answers through the politics and personal lives of some characters in a future America where multinationals hold patents on cheap energy, and where a whole toolbox of genetic modification techniques are pretty freely available to any citizen who wants a designer child. There are several decades of an extended flirtation with a political philosophy that looks a lot like Randian Objectivism, a bout of extreme bread and circuses populism, a group of Supergeniuses, an orbiting space habitat and other such fun and games.

    While the story didn't always go the places I hoped for, I found it a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying read. I liked a few of the characters and really hated a few too. I cheered for the good guys and hissed the bad guys and had fun with some puzzles and clever notions. I liked the prose too, it engaged with some complex ideas without either becoming unintelligible or indulging in ridiculously simplistic metaphors.

    I'm not sure it would be as much fun for someone who doesn't enjoy playing with ideas as much as I do though. I'm not sure, but I get a nagging feeling that people who respond more emotionally to their fiction might be a little annoyed by this one. Or I could be wrong. Check it out and see what you think.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    My reactions to reading this novel in 1993. Spoilers follow.One of the best sf novels I’ve ever read. This is an example of a sf novel dealing with large ethical questions in a style that reminded me a great deal of James Gunn’s 1950s sociological novels like The Joy Makers and The Immortals. First an ethical question is examined from one angle, usually at novella length (and I did greatly admire the opening part of this novel in its solo publication as the novella “Beggars in Spain”). Then the question is examined from another angle by presenting some new – usually technological or scientific – factor. This novel has three things going for it.The first is the ethical question it debates. How do individuals, socieities, and political systems cope with the essential inequality of man. The second is its realistic extrapolations of genetic engineering. The third is its preoccupation with American society -- no part of this part takes place outside of America – except for the illegal surgery on Drew in Mexico. Even Sanctuary is legally under U.S. jurisdiction. Kress has given a great deal of thought to her questions and the result is a fine novel.Kress starts out in the first part with the creation of the Sleepless. Even just working with the advantage of not needing sleep is bad enough. Yet most of these Sleepless have been modified for high intelligence, and they all turn out to be very long lived. They are clearly superior to us Norms. Kress does a nice job with brief touches denoting Sleeper reactions like Moms who can’t handle constantly crying babies who never sleep or Sleepless skaters being banned from the Olympics because they can practice so much more. And they’ll be able to use their advantages a long time. People don’t deny their superiority and naturally resent it with various legal and personal consequences. Most of the Sleepless subscribe to the libertarian (I suspect the specific influence of Ayn Randian given an interview I read with Kress.) philosophy of Kenzo Yagai, inventor of plentiful energy via cold fusion. He sees the basis of society as voluntary contract between two parties with third parties sometimes benefitting. The problem is – and it’s a real one – is that to Sleepless eyes the normal “Beggars” have nothing to give them nothing to trade but demand the fruits of their labor gained in the pusuit of personal excellence. Leisha Camden, protagonist and hero of this novel, resolves this problem (and I find this vision more convincing upon a second reading) by seeing society not based on linear trade but an ecology where people sometimes offer help without any real hope of direct gain and indirectly see benefits from the action of strangers. The Sleepless withdraw into the world, and the We-Sleep economic/political movement sweeps the Normal Sleeper world. Calvin Hawke, its leader, realizes the fundamental inequality of man, that not all can compete evenly in the pursuit of excellence (e.g. economic wealth, scientific achievement), so Sleepers are encouraged to boycott Sleepless and buy shoddier Sleeper goods. It all sounds plausible, a variation on the economic nationalism that puts up tariffs. Kress than further alters things with more genetic alterations in the space Sanctuary colonoy – “Supers” are born with profoundly altered intelligences. On Earth, the exact opposite philosophy to Yagaism (Curiously, Yagai came to America because it was the last refuge of free enterprise.) reigns: a welfare state run by Normal “donkeys” with a mass of “Livers” bribed with increasing Dole benefits controlling things through their votes, and it’s all funded by the licensed patents of Yagai’s cheap fusion products that were willed to America. Eventually, this too collapses (and we never really discover how America will fare – I suspect its covered in later novels of the trilogy) when the license runs out, and America no longer has exclusive rights to “Y-energy” products. Throughout this, the Sleepless leader Jennifer Sharifi, gets more fanatical. She has adopted the view that community comes first and starts to suppress dissent and secretly hatches a plot – enforced by biological weapons – to secede from the U.S. (Hence the Abraham Lincoln epigraphs that open each section). Sharifi not only accepts the philosophy that the strong and productive owe nothing to those with nothing to trade, the so-called Beggars in Spain of the title. They eventualy refer to most of the Normals as Beggars, and the rebel Super children ironically adopt the name. Sharifi maintains that the weak and non-productive have no moral claim on the moral productivity of the strong (private charity, freely given, is another matter). The logical and political consequences of not agreeing leads to the welfare state of this book, a state that eventually levies incredibly heavy taxes on the Sleepless. However, Sharifi takes to killing handicapped, injured individuals (after all, they can not contribute anymore to the community and would feel very guilty about not be able to do so.), forcibly aborting babies that spontaneously revert to Normal form. The Superbabies – aided by the new art form of Sleeper Drew (an art which initiates a form of useful lucid dreaming in the Supers) – revolt, Sharifi’s plot falls through and her whole council is to be tried for treason, and a rapproachment may be underway between Sleeper and Sleepless as mediated by the Supers. However, this is uncertain as is America’s fate. Throughout this plot are a lot of good things. I liked the poignant relationship between Sleepless. Leisha Camden and twin sister and Normal Alice Leisha. One is destined to achieve, beloved by her father, live a long life. Alice will have none of these things, but the sisters will develop a deep love for each other as Alice painfully realizes that hating Leisha for superiority will not change things. It’s a lesson we all have to painfully learn. As Kress has said in an interview, there is always someone who has more innate advantages in life than us be it looks, intelligence, energy, or money. She also rightly admits that this novel really does not come to a satisfactory answer to its deep, eternal philosophical questions. Its strength is answering the questions. Leisha Camden (the eternal exile from both the Sleepless and Sleeper worlds because neither accepts her and she will reject neither) comes to a couple of conclusions at novel’s end. First, that the problems of the Sleepless in America society stem from trying to have a society where individuals can pursue individual excellence and still be considered equal. Inevitably, some become geniuses, some “resentful beggars”, some will benefit themselves and community, some will loot. Equality vanishes. This gloomy prognosis for American society seems credible, yet you could argue that the law never pretended everyone was equal, only that they would be treated equally. On the other hand, in a world with talented Sleepless, how can the Normals compete with such odds against them? A Hawke-like movement of shoddiness. And, of course, beggars begin to think its their right to the productive’s labor. (The sf element is just a way of showing up an already existing political/social question.) Leisha thinks the answer is not to assume that Beggars always stay Beggars, geniuses do not always remain productive. It’s true enough, and illustrates this with Beggar Arlen Drew developing a new artform (However, its after a coercive surgery by a Sleepless), and Sleepless Richard Keller becomes an aimless drifter. Yet, Kress seems to imply that Leisha’s insight is an answer to the quandry, an argument to Sharifi’s philosophy. How do you know which Beggar will become productive? And, just as importantly, which ones won’t? You can’t, so should you be forced to support every one? Yet Sharifi also abandons the idea of obligation for past favors and loyalty itself. Do you get rid of an injured parent just because they’re no longer productive or do you seek to care for them as an acknowledgment for their gifts to you when you weren’t productive? And is it an obligation to do this or charity? Second, Kress shows this book has also been about American values. Leisha loves America and its ideals but criticizes Americans for respecting luck, fortune, rugged individualism, faith in God, beauty, spunk, pluck, grit, git, but never intelligence. I have some minor complaints. While I realize sf’s strength is in distorting reality to make a point about man, technology, and society, I found some of the applications of Y-energy, specifically the many energy fields and force barriers, annoying and jarringly implausible and, I don’t think, really essential to the larger plot. They jarred because of the versimilitude of the genetic science. I also thought the SuperThought of strings made them seem alien, yet that thought process was not convincingly as useful as portrayed. Kress does have great skill in smoothly blending in explication in to story and a good way with character. As is typical with Kress (and the story was emotionally moving, especially the plight of all those Normals faced with the galling presence of the Sleepless), the story stumbled a bit at the end with not totally convincing answers to the story’s large problems. But, given the problems addressed, I’m not sure anything better was possible. Still, a very fine novel.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Last book of 2012 for me, a good end to the year. Beggars in Spain is the sort of sf novel that posits a basic idea and extrapolate from that the foundation to look at the ramifications and implications of this idea from all possible angles. The "high concept" idea is very simple, in the near genetic engineering create a new race of people who do not sleep. While the basic idea is simple the numerous implications and ramifications of this development are far reaching and very complex. The main point is that not spending any time on sleeping gives a person a massive amount of extra time to do more, to accomplish more with their lives. In the context of this novel the "Sleepless" people even enjoy far longer lives, good looks and higher intelligence. The emergence of this new elite race creates all kinds of tension, envy, mistrust, hate and fear between the "Sleepers" (that would be us) and the Sleepless, to the point where most of the sleepers soon migrate to an orbital, an artificial world orbiting Earth in space.

    I personally suffer from occasional bouts of insomnia and this book gives me hope, though possibly a false one as it is fiction after all, speculative fiction at that. Early on in the book the author posits the idea that sleep is not actually necessary as it is a genetic leftover from the stone age when people need to find somewhere safe to sleep and hide from predators. The reparations to the body during sleep can be done just as effectively during waking hours with the help of some gene modifications. I don't know how scientifically viable this is but it is very interesting to imagine how different our lives would be without sleep.

    The main characters are well developed, both protagonists and antagonists, some are quite unpredictable which is always a virtue in a novel. The "bad guys" are not evil as such, their motivation is entirely understandable, and the "good guys" are believably flawed and complex. The prose style is very accessible, my only complaint is the frequent mentions of some of the female characters' long legs. A couple of times would have sufficed I think! The themes of racial prejudice, envy, intolerance and even hypocrisy are very well presented and mirror the human foibles we come across all too often. The pacing is generally leisurely but I did not find any part dull, and the book as a whole is highly readable.

    An excellent book to end the year with, and well deserves all the accolades it has garnered (the original novella from which this book is expanded upon won the Hugo Award and Nebula Award).

    Best wishes for 2013!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    More reviews at: Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress is a classic sci-fi story about a world were humans can be gene-modified to no longer require sleep, making a new class of highly productive people, who become completely ostracized from a jealous non-modified majority; very compelling writing, story and characters, a wonderful read for everyoneI spotted this recommendation from Fantasy Cafe during the women in SFF month and am sooo glad I decided to give it a try. Nancy Kress is a new favorite author of mine, I just picked up the second book in the Sleepless trilogy and am going to need to start reading as soon as I finish this review ;-).Title: Beggars in SpainAuthors: Nancy KressPages: 400 (paperback)Genre-ish: Classic Sci-FiRating: ★★★★★ - Awesome story, writing, everything!!Setting: Near-ish future where gene-modifying fetuses has progressed to removing the need to sleep, increasing intelligence and disposition in addition to physical features. It is still very expensive however, creating a new class of humans both more productive and more despised.Premise: Leisha and Alice are accidental twins, Leisha having been modified and implanted at the same time that their mother became naturally pregnant. Leisha’s life continues to be dedicated to the intersection between gene-modified Sleepless and non-modified Sleepers and their numerous conflicts.Strengths:Amazing writing, simply amazing, compelling, a completely page-turner!Humbly-strong female lead character who we follow from earliest childhood and is refreshingly level-headedJumps to other character’s perspectives a bit, which helps gives a lot of breadth to the storySuch an interesting premise for any one with interest in genetics!!Weaknesses:The action drags a bit here and there as the more classic sci-fi tend to do for the sake of story developmentAs classic sci-fi also tends to do, Beggars in Spain asks some tough moral questions that don’t really have any perfect answers, which can be frustrating if you aren’t in the mood for thinking too much.While there isn’t really any super clear villains, one of the more misguided characters REALLY annoyed me….Summary:I have gotten the impression that Nancy Kress is a very well-known and renowned author that I just completely missed! Sometimes I feel like I live under a rock, because if this book says anything, Kress deserves all the acclaim. This is a must read for anyone who likes sci-fi at all, or has even though about trying out some sci-fi, or has any interest in genetics. Even if the premise isn’t super compelling to you, the writing is completely awesome and you’ll probably like it anyway!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Beggars in Spain was both a Hugo and Nebula nominee for best novel--and I was very impressed with it. In the near future genetic engineering and designer babies have become routine. One of the most radical modifications ends the need for sleep. With one-third of life no longer lost in sleep, the sleepless seem to have an unbeatable special advantage--and then it's discovered it's also the key to virtual immortality--the sleepless don't age. But in Kress' book, even though genetic engineering is inexpensive and accessible, instead of people wanting this modification, the sleepless are shunned. I agree with the reviewer that doesn't seem that plausible, but I admit I didn't really think about that while reading, and it's rather beside the point. The question that book adds is, if there is a group of extraordinary advantages others don't share, what would happen to that bifurcated humanity? Aside from the question as to why a majority wouldn't embrace such an advantage, I found the basic reactions Kress posits in this book all too plausible. Add a strong style and an ability to create memorable characters you care about, I found this a completely winning story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The premise: ganked from BN.com: In a world where the slightest edge can mean the difference between success and failure, Leisha Camden is beautiful, extraordinarily intelligent ... and one of an ever-growing number of human beings who have been genetically modified to never require sleep.Once considered interesting anomalies, now Leisha and the other "Sleepless" are outcasts -- victims of blind hatred, political repression, and shocking mob violence meant to drive them from human society ... and, ultimately, from Earth itself.But Leisha Camden has chosen to remain behind in a world that envies and fears her "gift" -- a world marked for destruction in a devastating conspiracy of freedom ... and revenge.My Rating: It's a GambleI hate to give it a rating like this, but I think the book's one of those that you'll either like or not, you know? I think I would've loved it had I read it a few years ago, but now, and due to the particular timing, it grated on my nerves, despite the fact that I was utterly in love with the premise. If Kress wasn't preaching, then she spent far too much time philosophizing back and forth over issues I think she was more concerned figuring out for herself, and not wholly and necessarily for the story to work, because said philosophizing ended up bogging down much of the book for me, and I never did warm to to any of the characters all that much, except for maybe Alice, who didn't have a terribly huge role in the book anyway, so that probably doesn't count. I wish the characters had had something more to do than trying to prove their own personal political/philosophical points of view all the time, because some of the issues about what it really means to be human were there and fascinating, but I felt they were smothered by philosophy and politics. Again, I wish I'd liked this more, but frankly, I was just happy when the book was finally over.Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. Sorry, but it's a book club pick, and book club picks mean spoilers. The full review, with spoilers, may be found in my blog, which is linked to below. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome!REVIEW: Nancy Kress' BEGGARS IN SPAINHappy Reading!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Leisha Camden is one of the Sleepless. She's genetically modified with no need for sleep, and along with that comes abnormally high intelligence. She and her fellow Sleepless are set to rule the world, but the world rebels against them. Hatred, fear, and envy of the Sleepless drives them into their own private enclave. Leisha is one of the few who refuses to join them or turn against the "beggars" of the world, even as the very fate of the planet hangs in the balance...I started this book and was immediately hooked. The concept of the Sleepless and their accomplishments and the reactions in the world around them felt very true to me, and I loved the legal drama that ensued. Leisha made a compelling heroine because she's in the unusual predicament of being a Sleepless with a Sleeper twin. Then, after the halfway point of the book, that early suspense waned significantly. Leisha almost entirely withdrew from the book and other narrators took over. The book was still interesting, albeit heavy handed and preachy at times, but the passion wasn't the same. It felt like it split into a second book, and I just didn't care as much about the second book. I'm glad I read it, but the major disconnect within the book makes it unlikely I'll want to read it again or continue with the series.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Love the idea of this book - went on a little too long for my taste and didn't complete agree with it either, but it made you think - how different would life be if you didn't need sleep? Would you rather be a sleeper or twice is productive with your life? And the title, while catchy, isn't really accurate. Living in Spain for part of the year, I think Beggars in China may have been a better title, although it doesn't sound as nice and I really don't know if there are a lot of beggars in China either :)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An amazing read full of action emotion and a dark look at the way people interact.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Cruel Randian fable about the travails of the genetic select. If you entertain delusions of being a golden flower in a sea of mushrooms, this book will speak to you. If you are not, however, a self absorbed fifteen-year-old libertarian, you may want to skip this one.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved this book, great start to the series. Very engaging pursuing of sociological topics, a believable portrayal of a possible future for the Earth and humans.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Genetic alterations give some humans the ability to never need sleep. This leads to the division of society into two groups - Sleepers and Sleepless, with the usual -isms arising.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The first novel begins in the near future where parents are genetically modifying their children in vitro. Nothing new there-beauty, brains, strength, purple eyes-familiar stuff there. How about sleeplessness? Never in your entire life to EVER need to sleep. 24 hours a day, 7 days week you are able to work or learn or improve yourself. Leisha Camden-whose father is a multi-millionaire wants a child like that. He and his wife go in for in vitro and get more than they bargained for. They get twins, one genetically altered and sleepless and one home grown. Leisha and Alice. Sleeplessness has unexpected side effects-most of the early trials were done with lower or middle class parents who did not account for an infant that never naps or a child in the midst of the terrible twos that never sleeps-ever. Also, sleeplessness has side effects which increase intelligence-drastically-and prevent aging. The country goes through a sleepless boom, everyone wants perfect intelligent kids that live forever. Then there is the inevitable backlash as the first generation of sleepers hits adulthood and become famous and rich through their heightened intelligence and ability to work around the clock. The world becomes divided between the sleepers and the sleepless. The second half of the book takes place about 50 years later. Most of the sleepless have joined Sanctuary-a protected enclosed community where Sleepless can live amongst themselves in safety and isolation. In the meantime, the US has become a welfare state. Where the poor live on handouts from the government- 80% of the population called "livers" and the other 20% called donkeys-run the country and support them.Sanctuary eventually moves to form a colony on a space station where genetic engineers begin a new population-the supersleepless. Supers are not attractive and they shake and stutter because their minds are moving at about 100 times the speed of everyone else, they have bigger brains, larger heads and can outsmart their parents.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I enjoyed nearly every inch of Beggars in Spain.Although I'll readily admit that the conceit here is simple and at times simplistic, and that Kress doesn't stretch her premise as far as it could be stretched, I don't find any of these things problematic. That's because Kress did not write a novel about what would happen if some people didn't have to sleep. This is not a book which takes a premise and twists it and turns it to examine it from all angles, uncovering what could and might and would happen with a fervent glee. Those books can be wonderful (I'm rereading World War Z, which is a fantastic example of this sort of work), but that's not what this book is. What Beggars in Spain is is an examination of human reaction to change, to difference, to unequality. It's an examination of what we owe our fellow human beings and why. It's an exploration of haves and have nots, of can and can nots, of humanity and inhumanity. Kress's secondary characters sometimes slip into stereotypes and playing a prescribed role, but her main characters explore and question and, eventually, painfully, change in ways that are fascinating to watch. This book could have been more solid - Kress could have nailed the premise harder, made it an easier sale, fleshed out a secondary character here or there to escape their forumula - but all in all, I find I didn't care. Because what the book was about, she did very well. I'm willing to take that leap to get to that place with her.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another book that ranks high on the transhumanism tag page. Together with Margaret Atwood's "Oryx & Crake" it tops the listing, but be aware that there is very little science in both of them. I liked Beggars in Spain better than Oryx & Crake, because it dives more deeply in the social consequences of a certain genetic manipulation that allows for people to not need sleep - granting them a plethora of transhuman abilities.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This novel just didn't do it for me. I can't point to anything specific, I just couldn't get going with the book. Perhaps I'll try the novella some time; it won the Hugo and Nebula, while the novel was passed over for both, so perhaps I'll find it more my taste. On the other hand, someone told me that the first part of the book is the novella, so perhaps not. Oh well, everyone's taste can't be the same.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fantastic book. Set in a near future when genetic modifications of fetuses are widespread and a profitable business, the book explores what would happen if we could modify children to not need sleep anymore. Of course, prejudice rears its ugly head fairly quickly when people realize how much more someone can do without the need to sleep. The main character has a twin sister who was unexpectedly conceived, and who does not receive any modifications. She loves her sister, but her father, who chose to make his daughter Sleepless, does not. He considers the unmodified child inferior. I can't even begin to narrow down my thoughts on this wonderful book, but it was hard to put down. The characters were well-drawn, and I found myself sympathetic to most of them, even when I completely disagreed with their points of view. The political and social environment of the book was well-thought out, and intriguing. The story was just fascinating. Also, I think it is very hard to convincingly write about characters that are smarter and wiser than most people, or that are advanced beyond the current state of the human race (I am thinking about the Supers that the Sleepless breed later in the book here), but Kress managed it. I did feel that the Supers really were superior, even while reading about their learning processes and insecurities.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    There are books that entertain. There are books that stimulate thoughts and ideas. There are books that challenge perceptions and make demands on their readers.There are a few books that do all of the above and more, books such as "Beggars In Spain" by Nancy Kress. But why review a book that was published in 1994? Perhaps because I just now read it. Perhaps more to the point, the book opens in the near future, which is now upon us -- the opening of the book is set in 2008.When it was first published as a novella in 1991, it was about a future earth, shaped by advances in genetic science. At that time, real parents were already purchasing genetic modifications for their real children: modest increases in height, intelligence, and other traits seen as desirable. What genetic modifications have been discovered and marketed in the sixteen years since then?Nancy creates memorable, unique and believable characters in "Beggers in Spain". It is great science fiction and also a thoughtful scenario of "what if". What if genetic mods created a group of people so different they would seem alien? What if genetic improvements were available only to the children of the wealthy?I bought "Beggers in Spain" because it was so highly recommended, but when it arrived I wasn't sure I would like reading it, and it sat on the shelf for a few weeks. It is one of my favorite books now, and I'm glad I didn't miss it. I think it is classic Science Fiction, and the only caveat I would give would be - "Read it while it is still - fiction!"(My original review was first published at Forward Motion and on my blog, Pandababy.)