Beggars In Spain [Import] [Paperback]

Nancy Kress (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Roc Books (1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451185544
• ISBN-13: 978-0451185549
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,007,743 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-Written Characters in a Powerful Story, February 11, 2002

By 

A. Wolverton (Crofton, MD United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beggars in Spain (Beggars Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

Before I read 'Beggars in Spain,' I read the short story that the novel is expanded from. To be honest, I thought turning such a powerful story into a novel would lessen its impact. I was wrong.

The novel version of 'Beggars in Spain' begins with a simple premise: What if science could genetically alter humans so that they needed no sleep? Think of the advances and discoveries mankind could make, think of all the achievements that would be possible if we never had to sleep for 6, 7, or 8 hours a day.
The theory becomes a reality for Leisha Camden and many other "sleepless." It doesn't take long before the sleepless are shunned by the rest of society and forced to develop their own community. But the persection doesn't stop there...

'Beggars in Spain' has so many things going for it that so many science fiction novels lack. First (and most important in my mind), Kress gives us believable characters that are interesting. You actually believe that these people could be real and would be fascinated to meet them. Leisha is a character I will remember for a long, long time. Next, Kress does something that I wish more science fiction writers would (or could) do: She explains how the science in her story works in a way that a non-scientist can understand it! (Imagine that!) Let me say for the record that I have an extremely weak science background, but thanks to the author's talent, I felt that I understood the basis for all the science that was included in the story. In short, I wasn't intimidated at all.

The characters and the understandable science are important, but I was really knocked out by the multitude of questions that are raised by 'Beggars in Spain.' The book admirably addresses such questions as genetic engineering (How far should science go?), aging, class distinction, euthanasia, community rights,... Kress poses some very difficult questions without backing down from them one bit. I appreciate the honesty and courage that I'm sure it took to write this book. It is tremendous. This is not a novel just for science fiction fans. For anyone who appreciates good writing and an intelligent story that will stick with you long after you turn the last page, 'Beggars in Spain' will not disappoint.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing, March 27, 2000

By 

Daniel H. Bigelow (Cathlamet, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beggars in Spain (Beggars Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

I like the way this book faces squarely a very real possibility -- that thanks to genetic technology, the next time we get paranoid over a kind of person, it could be a kind of person that really is better than we are. Kress avoids easy answers, yet writes a satisfying novel that's only occasionally preachy (and, which is very rare, becomes LESS preachy rather than more as it approaches the end!).

I think the way I read Beggars in Spain is best -- I read to the end of what was clearly the part of the book that was the novella that won the Hugo and Nebula, then put the book down for a week and read another one, then picked Beggars back up. The novella is the best part, and if the book had ended there, it would have been a better story. However, picking up after a while and reading the rest as though it were an inferior sequel, I was able to appreciate the novella and still enjoy the rest of the book for what it offered without judging it too harshly.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Readable and Engaging, January 26, 2003

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beggars in Spain (Beggars Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)

Reading the reviews it seems as though this is a book full of references and echos. The Ayn Rand echos are noted, as are the Ender Wiggins. I will add one more. I was struck that this was a more mature version of Anne McCaffrey's To Ride Pegasus.

I thought it was clever how the hatred for the super-talented sleepless is first seen in the fact that their competition is seen as unfair. I like very much the way that Kress developed the question of whether people who can contribute to such a high degree are obliged to help the "beggars", the sleepers who can never be as productive to the society. I even like the way that she turns the question of being a beggar on its head later with the super-sleepless (although I can imagine that people who were following along with the political thread were a little disappointed at the easy way in which art becomes the redemptive factor.)

Smart, very readable, and makes me want to read the next book in the series.