Book Review: Beggars and Choosers by Nancy Kress

Beggars and Choosers (Sleepless, #2) by Nancy Kress
Narrator: Stefan Rudnicki, Cassandra Campbell, Mirron Willis, Kirsten Potter
Series: Sleepless #2
Published by Blackstone Audio on September 15, 1994
Genres: Science-Fiction
Pages: 377
Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
Format: Audiobook
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In future America, millions of ordinary, jobless people are supported by the efforts of superior, genetically modified humans. Meanwhile, the near-superhuman Sleepless have their own plans for humanity. Will the world be saved? And for whom?

After an excellent first book, Beggars and Choosers was a disappointment. We’re in a changed world, about 13 years after the ending of the previous book. The population is greatly divided between Livers and Donkeys, and then there’s Huevos Verdes and the tiny SuperSleepless population. From the Sleepless group, only Leisha made it into the book, and she is even more passive here than in the previous one.

The story is told in first person, with three different POV, which is one of the issues I had with this book. The three characters that tell this story are an agent of the GSEA, Drew Arlen, and a Liver called Billy. I wasn’t able to connect to any of the characters, and the plot was generally disjointed, partly due to the three POV. The narration style was very detached, similar to book one, to the point that what should have been key events felt very anticlimactic. There was a moment when I realized I didn’t care what happened to any of the characters, and this is usually not a good sign.

While I was able to keep going, towards the end of the book, I struggled to finish it. It seemed to drag, and at that point, I didn’t care at all what happened to anybody or the country. I think there’s a lot of focus on what the United States as a country should be, and as a European who doesn’t believe much in borders or flags, but in people and human rights, I couldn’t care less about this part.

I applaud Kress for providing the Livers with their own speech style, but the constant use of reflexive intensifiers quickly became tiresome, and towards the end, I just felt like screaming, especially as one of the main narrators was a Liver.

I listened to the audio version, and while the different voice actors helped differentiate the three narrators, I didn’t think that Drew’s actor was a good match.

There’s a book three, and while I had high hopes for this series, I’m not sure I will continue with it. Not for now, at least. I need a break, which isn’t good, as my memory is quite fragile.

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