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Dead Sleep #1
Dead Sleep
What would you do if you could see your future?
For smalltown newspaper reporter Jackson Ellis, his answer is: Nothing. After abusing his power as a child, Jackson hadn’t tapped into his ability for over a decade until his ability forced itself back into Jackson’s consciousness. He sees the girl of his dreams – the girl he is supposed to love and marry.
Just one problem – she’s dead.
Or at least, that’s how she appears when he first meets Kristina Walsh in the basement of the local funeral home. Kristina is a young woman with a troubled past of her own. For over a decade, a mysterious shadowy organization simply called The Company has controlled Kristina and now her ruthless former fellow operative Donnie Cloyd will stop at nothing to get her back.
In this debut novel from Will Swardstrom, Jack and Kristina must battle Donnie Cloyd for her freedom and much more in this story of self-discovery, love and what it means to be human.
For smalltown newspaper reporter Jackson Ellis, his answer is: Nothing. After abusing his power as a child, Jackson hadn’t tapped into his ability for over a decade until his ability forced itself back into Jackson’s consciousness. He sees the girl of his dreams – the girl he is supposed to love and marry.
Just one problem – she’s dead.
Or at least, that’s how she appears when he first meets Kristina Walsh in the basement of the local funeral home. Kristina is a young woman with a troubled past of her own. For over a decade, a mysterious shadowy organization simply called The Company has controlled Kristina and now her ruthless former fellow operative Donnie Cloyd will stop at nothing to get her back.
In this debut novel from Will Swardstrom, Jack and Kristina must battle Donnie Cloyd for her freedom and much more in this story of self-discovery, love and what it means to be human.
- GenresAmazonScience Fiction
211 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 30, 2013
5 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 16, 2014
Dead Sleep
Will Swardstrom
I don't like to give away plot secrets when I review a book I love, which makes it really difficult to explain why I love this (sci fi? paranormal? conspiracy? spy?) novel.
I'll have to settle for saying I love the premise. Love dreamed, love lost, love rekindled. Love threatened, love…
See? I'm getting dangerously close to revealing plot.
ok, let me try again.
This is story where you root for the good guy because as a child he was dismissed and…
Damn. That's a plot point.
Ok, here goes:
It's about the bonds of relationships that go beyond dea…
crap.
ok. you're just going to have to trust me. Just read it. you'll enjoy it. Cleverly written, with a spirit that flows from the author through the characters, to you, the reader.
Will Swardstrom
I don't like to give away plot secrets when I review a book I love, which makes it really difficult to explain why I love this (sci fi? paranormal? conspiracy? spy?) novel.
I'll have to settle for saying I love the premise. Love dreamed, love lost, love rekindled. Love threatened, love…
See? I'm getting dangerously close to revealing plot.
ok, let me try again.
This is story where you root for the good guy because as a child he was dismissed and…
Damn. That's a plot point.
Ok, here goes:
It's about the bonds of relationships that go beyond dea…
crap.
ok. you're just going to have to trust me. Just read it. you'll enjoy it. Cleverly written, with a spirit that flows from the author through the characters, to you, the reader.
May 21, 2014
Dead Sleep introduces readers to two characters (Jackson and Kristina) with secret abilities. The first few chapters were a little slow, but the author had considerable groundwork to lay for both the story and its characters.The reason I give this five stars despite the slow beginning is I kept reading. I think I was about a third of the way into the book when it picked up pace and I was completely immersed in the world of Jackson and Kristina.
And Swardstrom has an admirable talent for characterization and timing. I have to love the characters in a book to keep reading, and bad or good, I enjoyed every member of Dead Sleep’s cast. The author also wove plot twists (including conspiracies and such) and paced the story so that the reader is always engaged, which isn’t an easy thing to do. I'm very curious to see what happens with Kristina and Jackson romantically. I see sparks of interesting varieties coming in future books.
For those who aren’t fans of cliffhangers (I’m often one of those readers), Dead Sleep does end with one, but it’s satisfying. You’re not left wondering where the rest of the book is. Instead, you’re eager to check out the next installment of this trilogy. Definitely worth adding to your summer to-read list.
And Swardstrom has an admirable talent for characterization and timing. I have to love the characters in a book to keep reading, and bad or good, I enjoyed every member of Dead Sleep’s cast. The author also wove plot twists (including conspiracies and such) and paced the story so that the reader is always engaged, which isn’t an easy thing to do. I'm very curious to see what happens with Kristina and Jackson romantically. I see sparks of interesting varieties coming in future books.
For those who aren’t fans of cliffhangers (I’m often one of those readers), Dead Sleep does end with one, but it’s satisfying. You’re not left wondering where the rest of the book is. Instead, you’re eager to check out the next installment of this trilogy. Definitely worth adding to your summer to-read list.
February 28, 2014
I enjoyed this book more than I expected I would. Stories about characters with unusual abilities are fairly routine, but this one is certainly different. Here two characters are afflicted - that's the right word - with two very different abilities that have caused them both no small amount of trouble. How they meet and find their lives tangling together is an unusual and lively story.
The beginning of the book was a bit slow, and Jack seemed a bit slow himself, but that didn't last long. The pace picked up quickly and moved along well through the rest of the book. Jack gains some confidence and conviction, mostly the hard way. He's a likable guy dealing with serious issues the best he can. I thought the ending was just right, too. I'll be reading the next book in this series - it's already waiting on my Kindle.
The beginning of the book was a bit slow, and Jack seemed a bit slow himself, but that didn't last long. The pace picked up quickly and moved along well through the rest of the book. Jack gains some confidence and conviction, mostly the hard way. He's a likable guy dealing with serious issues the best he can. I thought the ending was just right, too. I'll be reading the next book in this series - it's already waiting on my Kindle.
January 10, 2014
Intriguing plotline
A well written piece. Characters could have developed a bit more. Set in a scene that hits home with a small town reader. Will read another work of these promising author.
A well written piece. Characters could have developed a bit more. Set in a scene that hits home with a small town reader. Will read another work of these promising author.
October 29, 2013
Though pretty cheesy, it wasn't bad for a Kindle freebie. Fun premise, satisfying ending.
October 23, 2025
Confusing from time to time.
Looking forward to the next book in the series. Wzxd gert fry b bfsda cergfd lftyu keghjd sweet housed kihgft vgfyoe.
Looking forward to the next book in the series. Wzxd gert fry b bfsda cergfd lftyu keghjd sweet housed kihgft vgfyoe.
December 30, 2015
Dead Sleep was not the book I was expecting it to be, yet I’m reviewing it favourably anyway.
I first found this book after the author got my attention by following my blog on Wordpress (indie authors take note, this does work for your book’s visibility) and when I saw its cover it ‘promised’ me an adult book in the sci-fi and horror genres. I say ‘promised’ here in inverted commas because authors and cover designers often talk about what a cover ‘promises,’ but it can be a little objective, as was the case with Will Swardstrom’s debut novel. And my perception turned out to be wrong: it’s a YA novel, but it can also be read comfortably by adults, and fits into its genre without lashings of King or Barker-esque violence and cursing. Therein lies the first compliment - I wasn’t disappointed despite realising from an early stage that this novel wasn’t what I imagined when I saw the cover.
Will Swardstrom has written effectively for the YA audience, and yet I devoured this book in 5 or 6 sittings. It’s a quick read but isn’t simply action. There were times when I felt like I was getting a history lesson aimed at school-age readers, but I was always told an effective story as part of this, rather than just given facts. I’m walking the lines of flattery here: that’s the mark of a good history teacher, and the author is himself a school teacher who has brought his day job into his authorial voice quite effectively. I’m jumping to conclusions I know, but the style of this novel did make me wonder if the author deliberately wrote a book some of his students might enjoy if they happened to find it. There’s a familiar touch of ‘my school life was complicated’ surrounding the main character’s backstory, as well as a school prom being used as the event behind a tension-build around 2/3 of the way through the novel.
Will Swardstrom was also a journalist like the main character, and has created a character who garners a fair amount of reader sympathy without simply being an avatar for the author himself - Jackson Ellis is very much his own person during his novel, even if he does seem a little too conveniently enamoured with the female lead of this story at times. But then, there’s plenty about Kristina that would intrigue most male readers, if not attract them in slightly odd ways.
Books about characters who see the future are hard to write, because visions have been done to the death since they appeared in early religious texts and invaded science fiction later, yet this story doesn’t feel like a copy of anything. There’s a standout moment when Jackson Ellis gets a revelation about his powers that felt refreshing after a lot of narrative where this character seemed highly self-aware. On the antagonist side is Donnie Cloyd, a character who would have fitted in well with the Clive Barker or Chuck Palahniuk ilk of deeply disturbed antagonists has this been written for adults (and yeah, I’ll admit that’s perhaps the one time I felt like the book was stretching for the horror territory I was expecting but then didn’t quite get). Despite being the villain of the piece, there’s a humorous story behind Cloyd’s name and at times his reactions paint him as a quirky lunatic rather than a chessmaster or Anton Chigur (No Country for Old Men) style of unstoppable monster.
Its hard to say where the science fiction comes into play in this novel without spoilers, but I liked the ideas at work here. Dead Sleep was an effective blend of genres that kept me reading until reaching a satisfying climax, even if it did feature one dreadful movie-style line that made me laugh and roll my eyes in equal measure. Perhaps the biggest curveball in this book wasn’t the surprises dished out to Jackson Ellis but in how during the climax the story did begin to shift into the more adult side of the horror genre. Not full on enough to take it out of YA, but with a good helping of wince-material nonetheless.
There are a handful of overly familiar tropes in Dead Sleep, but the skill of the narrative and writing makes them forgivable as they are in most other books like this - in particular the mixture of 1st and 3rd person (often falsely labelled a must-to-avoid in writing workshops, and here’s a book that demonstrates why I think those writers who avoid experimenting with narrative shifts often miss out on some nice variety.) Will Swardstrom has taken a risk on ideas most readers will have seen before and made them his own. Dead Sleep is an admirable novel, and let’s remember it’s a debut. I get the feeling bigger things are still to come from this author.
I first found this book after the author got my attention by following my blog on Wordpress (indie authors take note, this does work for your book’s visibility) and when I saw its cover it ‘promised’ me an adult book in the sci-fi and horror genres. I say ‘promised’ here in inverted commas because authors and cover designers often talk about what a cover ‘promises,’ but it can be a little objective, as was the case with Will Swardstrom’s debut novel. And my perception turned out to be wrong: it’s a YA novel, but it can also be read comfortably by adults, and fits into its genre without lashings of King or Barker-esque violence and cursing. Therein lies the first compliment - I wasn’t disappointed despite realising from an early stage that this novel wasn’t what I imagined when I saw the cover.
Will Swardstrom has written effectively for the YA audience, and yet I devoured this book in 5 or 6 sittings. It’s a quick read but isn’t simply action. There were times when I felt like I was getting a history lesson aimed at school-age readers, but I was always told an effective story as part of this, rather than just given facts. I’m walking the lines of flattery here: that’s the mark of a good history teacher, and the author is himself a school teacher who has brought his day job into his authorial voice quite effectively. I’m jumping to conclusions I know, but the style of this novel did make me wonder if the author deliberately wrote a book some of his students might enjoy if they happened to find it. There’s a familiar touch of ‘my school life was complicated’ surrounding the main character’s backstory, as well as a school prom being used as the event behind a tension-build around 2/3 of the way through the novel.
Will Swardstrom was also a journalist like the main character, and has created a character who garners a fair amount of reader sympathy without simply being an avatar for the author himself - Jackson Ellis is very much his own person during his novel, even if he does seem a little too conveniently enamoured with the female lead of this story at times. But then, there’s plenty about Kristina that would intrigue most male readers, if not attract them in slightly odd ways.
Books about characters who see the future are hard to write, because visions have been done to the death since they appeared in early religious texts and invaded science fiction later, yet this story doesn’t feel like a copy of anything. There’s a standout moment when Jackson Ellis gets a revelation about his powers that felt refreshing after a lot of narrative where this character seemed highly self-aware. On the antagonist side is Donnie Cloyd, a character who would have fitted in well with the Clive Barker or Chuck Palahniuk ilk of deeply disturbed antagonists has this been written for adults (and yeah, I’ll admit that’s perhaps the one time I felt like the book was stretching for the horror territory I was expecting but then didn’t quite get). Despite being the villain of the piece, there’s a humorous story behind Cloyd’s name and at times his reactions paint him as a quirky lunatic rather than a chessmaster or Anton Chigur (No Country for Old Men) style of unstoppable monster.
Its hard to say where the science fiction comes into play in this novel without spoilers, but I liked the ideas at work here. Dead Sleep was an effective blend of genres that kept me reading until reaching a satisfying climax, even if it did feature one dreadful movie-style line that made me laugh and roll my eyes in equal measure. Perhaps the biggest curveball in this book wasn’t the surprises dished out to Jackson Ellis but in how during the climax the story did begin to shift into the more adult side of the horror genre. Not full on enough to take it out of YA, but with a good helping of wince-material nonetheless.
There are a handful of overly familiar tropes in Dead Sleep, but the skill of the narrative and writing makes them forgivable as they are in most other books like this - in particular the mixture of 1st and 3rd person (often falsely labelled a must-to-avoid in writing workshops, and here’s a book that demonstrates why I think those writers who avoid experimenting with narrative shifts often miss out on some nice variety.) Will Swardstrom has taken a risk on ideas most readers will have seen before and made them his own. Dead Sleep is an admirable novel, and let’s remember it’s a debut. I get the feeling bigger things are still to come from this author.
March 24, 2014
I purchased both Dead Sleep and Dead Sight at the same time, and inadvertently read them out of order. Although I do not recommend reading this way, it didn’t confuse me, and as it turned out I found Dead Sleep very exciting.
I love Jack, he is a very solid character. Even though he has the ability to see future events, he doesn’t always know what will happen next. Then there is Kristina… whose life has never been her own. You just want to hug her. When they meet, everything blows up…
I love Jack, he is a very solid character. Even though he has the ability to see future events, he doesn’t always know what will happen next. Then there is Kristina… whose life has never been her own. You just want to hug her. When they meet, everything blows up…
March 6, 2016
Yeah you guessed it, I'm still playing catch up with Will Swardstrom he is an amazing writer. He's been pretty prolific with short stories and this is his first foray into the novel, and it is hella good. It's about what happens when you meet your wife for the first time and she's laid out in a casket. It is a story of Jackson and Kristina and love at first sight. Get the book and enjoy... and, wow, look the sequel is already available. Huzzah!
March 10, 2016
Mysterious.
Exciting first novel from Mr Swardstrom. Likeable characters, lots of mystery and very fast paced. I hope there will be more to come about this duo.
Exciting first novel from Mr Swardstrom. Likeable characters, lots of mystery and very fast paced. I hope there will be more to come about this duo.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews