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Sleeper(s) Paperback – 30 Jun. 2013

3.2 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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The sleepy English locality of Middletown is about to get even sleepier, as a strange malady starts to affect the population. It spreads quickly, causing the authorities to quarantine this small city, and seek out the only person who might be able to help: Doctor Andrew Strauss. However, Strauss has a secret, one that has linked him to this place all his life, one that has linked him to a particular person there, though he doesn’t yet know who. But he’s not the only one hiding things – and as he ventures into Middletown to collect samples with an army escort, a mixture of UK and US troops, cracks soon begin to appear in the operation. Especially when his team come up against the most terrifying threat humankind has ever known… From the imagination of the award-winning and bestselling author of Who’s Been…? and RED (optioned for film and turned into an award-winning feature script), this chilling reworking of another well-loved fairy tale reads like a heady mix of The Andromeda Strain, Inception, Outbreak and Quatermass, and is a tale that’s bound to delight genre fans the world over.

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About the Author

Paul Kane is an award-winning writer and editor based in Derbyshire, UK. His short story collections include Alone (In the Dark), Touching the Flame, FunnyBones, Peripheral Visions, Shadow Writer, The Adventures of Dalton Quayle, The Butterfly Man and Other Stories, The Spaces Between and the forthcoming Ghosts. His novellas include Signs of Life, The Lazarus Condition, RED and Pain Cages. He is the author of such novels as Of Darkness and Light, The Gemini Factor and the bestselling Arrowhead trilogy (Arrowhead, Broken Arrow and Arrowland), a post-apocalyptic reworking of the Robin Hood mythology. His latest novels are Lunar (which is set to be turned into a feature film) and the short Y.A. novel The Rainbow Man (as P.B. Kane). He has also written for comics, most notably for the Dead Roots zombie anthology alongside writers such as James Moran (Torchwood) and Jason Arnopp (Dr Who, Friday The 13th). Paul is co-editor of the anthology Hellbound Hearts (Simon & Schuster) – stories based around the Clive Barker mythology that spawned Hellraiser – The Mammoth Book of Body Horror (Constable & Robinson/Running Press), featuring the likes of Stephen King and James Herbert, A Carnivàle of Horror (PS) featuring Ray Bradbury and Joe Hill, and Beyond Rue Morgue from Titan, stories based around Poe’s detective, Dupin. His non-fiction books are The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy and Voices in the Dark, and his genre journalism has appeared in the likes of SFX, Dreamwatch and DeathRay. He has been a Guest at Alt.Fiction five times, a Guest at the first SFX Weekender, at Thought Bubble in 2011, Derbyshire Literary Festival, Edge-Lit and Off the Shelf in 2012, plus Monster Mash and Event Horizon in 2013, as well as being a panellist at FantasyCon and the World Fantasy Convention. His work has been optioned for film and TV, and his zombie story ‘Dead Time’ was turned into an episode of the Lionsgate/NBC TV series Fear Itself, adapted by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) and directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (SAW II-IV). He also scripted The Opportunity, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, Wind Chimes (directed by Brad ‘7th Dimension’ Watson and sold to TV) and The Weeping Woman – filmed by award-winning director Mark Steensland and starring Tony-nominated actor Stephen Geoffreys (Fright Night). You can find out more at his website www.shadow-writer.co.uk which has featured Guest Writers such as Dean Koontz, Robert Kirkman, Charlaine Harris and Guillermo del Toro.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crystal Lake Publications (30 Jun. 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 184 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0992170710
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0992170714
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.85 x 1.07 x 19.84 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    3.2 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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3.2 out of 5 stars
20 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 May 2022
    Middletown is nothing special, just a little town in the UK where not thing much happens. You even consider it a sleepy town, and you would not be wrong. Middletown is even a little sleepier than it used to be. Students have always fallen asleep in class, but now lecturers have begun to do so as well. Then a young woman falls asleep while walking down stairs, breaking her neck when she hits the bottom, and the people of Middletown realises something very, very wrong is going on.

    Sleeper(s) is my first book from this author, and doing a quick search on him it is a real wonder that I had never crossed paths with his work before. He has quite a catalogue, with some titles I would be very interested in reading in the future, and after listening to the audiobook of Sleeper(s), performed by Christian Francis, I think I’m very likely to seek them out.

    Sleeper(s) is not great art. It’s a competent classic piece of cheesy horror entertainment that plays a great many of the familiar themes. It reads a great deal like early James Herbert, with an emphasis on action and speed of delivery. There’s atmosphere, and character development, but the author is frugal in such areas, knowing that a little goes a long way. We don’t need the township described in minute detail, nor do we need a complex character analysis with every character. All we need is a few people we can believe in, a town, and an evil to defeat.

    With Sleeper(s) Paul Kane manages to write a tale that’s original while somewhat familiar. There’s a deft creation of story where the author seems to know how little he actually needs to do in order to get the reader involved. Then the story is fleshed out with some great character interactions, some of them genuinely amusing, and a few moments of horror that may not be hugely original but are used to great effect.

    I have read better written stories, I have read far better books, but I have rarely read a book that I have consumed so easily and enjoyed quite to much. It's a horror fast food meal that you’ll enjoy a great deal, but it may not be something from which to create a well rounded diet.

    If you even have the slightest interest in this title, then I urge you to give it a go. I am very pleased I’ve finally discovered Paul Kane, and I hope I enjoy the titles I'll certainly read from him in the future. One warning however; if you have an allergy to movie references, be careful, this book may leave you permanently damaged.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2015
    Awesome book by Paul Kane I give it a 5 star rating :D
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 August 2015
    There is a comparison to the great John Wyndham on the front of the book and I have to say that there is a lot to like here with this short novel. There is some great atmosphere created and it has a real English country small town horror vibe to it, and I really like that. Marks also for the lead character being named Andrew Strauss. I love my cricket. Good read. 4 stars
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 July 2013
    It started with Mr Eley and his controlling wife visiting Dr Wray. Mr Eley was more tired than usual and prone to dropping off. At first the doctor dismisses it as the result of overwork, but as she examines her patient she notices signs of anaemia and clamminess of his skin. And he is not the only one. Slightly concerned she takes a blood sample for analysis. By the time the anomaly in the patient's blood has been found it is too late.
    The Central Hospital is already overcrowded with what they are calling severe cases of Narcolepsy. Authorities outside Middletown are alerted to the fact that the sleeping sickness is airborne. The town is soon quarantined with no mobile signals or internet.
    Soon we meet Andrew Strauss, a genius doctor in the world of virology but also an insomniac boozer. In a hotel, away at a conference, as a keynote speaker, he is hiding from a one night stand with his assistant, when she turns up at his room door with the army. He is needed to investigate Middletown.
    Kane starts with the shocks just a few pages in, as the bodies start to collapse under the power of this strange disease. The novella is thoroughly researched with an air of authenticity to it, particularly where the biology and science is concerned. Strauss is also a rather interesting character; he is damaged and flawed, putting his six year friendship and relationship with assistant Bridget in danger through his irresponsible actions and his obsession with a woman he dreams about every night. A woman who can't possibly be real. Or can she?
    It is clear Kane has been influenced by the work of John Wyndham and he is happy to admit this, as Kane indulges his inner fanboy with lots of classic SF references.
    There is a bonus short story at the end, Masques, which I suspect is a Poe adaptation from his forthcoming book Rue Morgue.
    A good solid piece of SF/Horror, Kane proves why he has such a good reputation within the genre. Worth your pennies!
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Adrian Shotbolt
    4.0 out of 5 stars Old school horror.
    Reviewed in Australia on 24 August 2015
    There is a comparison to the great John Wyndham on the front of the book and I have to say that there is a lot to like here with this short novel. There is some great atmosphere created and it has a real English country small town horror vibe to it, and I really like that. Marks also for the lead character being named Andrew Strauss. I love my cricket. Good read. 4 stars.
  • Nix
    3.0 out of 5 stars Good story, may have been better as a series ...
    Reviewed in the United States on 15 June 2016
    Good story, may have been better as a series that explains a bit more. Or just a bit more insight into the "sleeping sickness" instead of all the hints, may have given the story an extra 'bite'