PANIK

by Chris Selwyn James

Whatever you do, don't sleep... because it's when you wake up that the Panic comes.

The epidemic starts in Oxford. New, expensive drugs keep people awake for days, and strict controls are introduced to quarantine affected communities. Yet people are still dying in the night.

In this world, Nick peddles powerful sleep-deprivation drugs, while Rosa is locked up in a government "safe house" because they think she is the key to finding a cure.

Set in an isolated, pre-apocalyptic United Kingdom, PANIK tells a story about mass hysteria, profit-driven drug companies, and corrupt government. It explores how we are becoming less connected to each other, losing a core part of what it is to be human.

370 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 4, 2019

About the author

Chris Selwyn James is a writer and health economist. Early in his career, he worked in Rwanda a few years after the genocide. This experience had a profound influence on his fictional writing, particularly in exploring mental health and trauma. Chris lives near Paris with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

That would have to be one of the strangest books I have ever read. In these days of COVID it seemed timely to read a book about a weird epidemic sweeping Britain. I thought it would be dystopian and a bit sci-fi but it turned out to be...well, as it progressed it felt more like a horror novel.

The panic is a strange affliction sweeping Britain that attacks people while they sleep. It starts in Oxford but soon spreads throughout England and Wales. Something horrific in their subconscious thoughts or dreams causes people to want to kill themselves. The only defence is to stay awake. People make do as best they can. Nick Parry sells drugs to help people stay awake. His friend Kiyoko sits in vigil with individuals or families and watches over them while they sleep to keep them safe. And Rosa, well we don’t really what Rosa is except she seems to be immune from the panic. She is kept in government facility where they conduct experiments on her and ask her about her dreams.

So far so good but after an auspicious start the story fell into somewhat of a hole. The plot became a bit messy and seemed to lose direction as people lurched from one disaster to the next without seeming to achieve anything. I got a bit annoyed too with the cryptic explanations peppered throughout the narrative. After a year of panic scientists seemed no closer to a cause or a cure and were just re-hashing the same old theories. One of the government characters, Shaw, had obviously known Rosa since she was a child but never clearly explained what had happened to her. In summary - while I thought the plot had lots of potential, and the writing was very good the story could have held together better.

[Misty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well folks, here it is—the first read of 2020 to grace the “OMG Bad” list. It is an honor richly deserved. This is one of those books where the author tried entirely too hard to be intellectual and clever and instead comes off as nothing more than a novice with a pen. Take, for example, the juxtaposition of the names of two of the therapists—Godly and Fersatan. Really? That’s just lazy, not to mention wrong on so many levels. And that’s just the beginning of the writing that had me rolling my eyes so far it hurt. I could write a dissertation about why this piece should have gone straight to the trash, but it just doesn’t warrant one more minute of my time. Seriously. Find something else.

[Velvet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book left me confused, not exactly yearning for more, but it felt unfinished. I don't feel as though the one overarching question was answered and so I feel let down.

Panik is the story of a pandemic that takes over the mind while you're sleeping that winds up convincing people to kill themselves. At the heart of the story is Rosa, who seems to be unaffected by the panik. If anyone finds out they'll (logically) want to test on her. Maybe she holds the key to the antidote, right?

Then we have Nick, a small-time drug peddler. The drugs he sells are those that help keep people awake so they won't fall victim to the panik. But the drugs have side effects and eventually everyone needs something stronger. Such is life.

Their paths are destined to meet but the how and the why never really made much sense to me. Nick is with Kiyoko, a woman who helps people avoid the pandemic while they sleep, and the two of them are determined to find Rosanna, a mystery woman said to have great power over the panik.

The Rosa side of the story was fascinating, but Nick's story just didn't keep me interested. I had several issues with the storyline and the ending seemed like it was all over the place. In addition, it suddenly seemed to become a zombie-like story. I don't get it.

Three stars for a decent read. Thanks to the author and Book Sirens for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[MisterBrennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

PANIK is a gripping story in the tradition of speculative fiction classics like 1984, Brave New World, and Farenheit 451. The author does a fantastic job of creating a world that is both realistic and recognizable, but one where some of our darker tendencies are taken to logical extremes. The premise is rock solid, the characters are richly drawn, and the plot unfolds in an unpredictable but satisfying way. I highly recommend it!

[Tracy Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting

Twists to keep you guessing, up to the end. Didn't realize I was holding my breath at one point! Great book.

[Dr. Raye of Sunshine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was interesting to read right now as we are more or less home bound due to the coronavirus and people are either being blasé or they are panicking.

Rosa is an interesting character. You begin to see signs and realize who she might really be, but there is enough there to make you second guess yourself as well. It’s not really clear to me, even after finishing the book, what role Nick really plays. He could have just as easily NOT been in the novel and it wouldn’t have hurt the plot at all. Maybe I missed something with his character.

The ending is frustrating because I felt like there were too many unanswered questions. WHY was it ok Rosa? HOW was this ending going to actually solve anything or wrap it up?

I liked the author’s writing style and the book was very interesting but the ending really left me wanting more which is what caused me to drop it a star.

Thanks to BookSirens and the author for a chance to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Book Sirens for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own.

Well, I am not sure Panik by Chris Selwyn James was the right book to read while all this Corona Virus stuff is going on. Definitely not a book if you suffer from anxiety caused by epidemics. That being said, Panik is a fast moving book with plenty of twists and turns. One I think most will enjoy.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Panik was an insightful and timely contemporary thriller. The book details the spread of a mysterious epidemic in the United Kingdom, and the effects of this epidemic are seen through the harrowing journeys of two main characters.
The novel is a timely read. Reading this book made me think about current and past pandemics and how we, as a society, respond to human loss and suffering. Whilst the two characters' stories are central to book, I also appreciate that the author talks about the powerful role of pharmaceutical companies in profiting off of human misery.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly prescient book, written before the 2020 Coronavirus, but has scarily similar issues: it starts with an illness which becomes an epidemic. The book is about a new and frightening, highly contagious disease experienced through the eyes of the two main characters. Issues such as quarantine, isolation, paranoia, propaganda, countries closing borders are all raised in this book. When I started reading this book, Covid 19 hadn’t yet hit the headlines. Incredible foresight!
Highly recommended

[Bekah B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Panik sees the UK experience an epidemic outbreak where people's subconscious thoughts or dreams causes them to wake suddenly in a state of..... you guessed it, panic! They then have the urge to maim themselves before killing themselves in very gruesome ways. Scientists cannot figure out a vaccine or a cure so the only defence people have against this terrible affliction is to stay awake. Various drugs are produced and sold that keep people awake but they all have side effects so no-one gets away unaffected by the epidemic.
The protagonist Rose is able to sleep without the worry of the panic, she somehow is immune and the Government decide they should capture and study her to see if she can show them the way to the cure. Cue lots of kidnapping by various groups and attempted escapes.
I think it's important to point out to potential readers that this isn't just your usual epidemic type book. I read a lot of these types of books and Panik was not what I was expecting. About halfway through it went off on a bit of a tangent and ended up in the realms of the paranormal. Which is totally fine if that's your thing but I just wasn't expecting it.
The only issue I had with Panik was that several times during the story characters would basically do a big confession style info dump to explain all what had happened, who did what and why. A character doing that once, okay. But several different characters doing it multiple times just felt a bit unrealistic. It felt to me like the author could have thought of other ways for characters to discover information.
That being said, I did enjoy Panik. I thought it had enough violence and gore to be realistic of this type of pandemic but not so much that it ventured into horror. The main characters were likeable and I was invested in their survival. The book could definitely lead in to a sequel and if it did I would read it.
Thank you to BookSirens, the author, and the publishers for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

It starts in Oxford. At first, they thought it was murder, but it soon became clear that the victims were doing it to themselves. Cases increase on a nightly basis, for it is sleep that triggers the Panic. The only way to guarantee making it through the night is not to go to sleep, and a burgeoning new sleep-deprivation drug industry is born. As the outbreak spreads, only one person seems to be immune. Can she help stop the spread of the Panic?

I have to admit that I’ve spent over a week avoiding having to write this review. The book began well, and the premise is good enough, but something just goes wrong. It’s clear that the author had so many ideas for this story that could have been effective but shoving them all in together just created an overload that makes none of it work. It’s a post-apocalyptic, psychological, political, mystical, gangland, paranoiac, anti-authority, supernatural horror/sci-fi/fantasy mishmash that falls further apart the more you get into the story. Very disappointing.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Christina Broadbent · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I read this book as I got a free copy from book sirens. I was pretty excited when I started coz I’ve read a lot of rubbish from book sirens and this was clever and fast paced and different to things I’d read before it had elements of Nod by Adrian Barnes but not so much that it was copying. But oh man did this turn into a wild ride. I gave it three stars because the first three quarters were amazing, however that ending annoyed me and the plot line at the end was like someone spewed up some ideas and the author thought yeah I will glue them all in. Woah. However I was fairly hooked and would probably read something by the author again as long as enough time had passed to forget that ending.

[Barbara Trice · Rating 3 out of 5]

PANIK

I heard of the condition "sads" years ago because I was feeling real down. I personally wondered if I had a touch of it but I had no trouble sleeping and it was always during the fall of the year! I finally realize I only felt that way when I needed more sunshine! Amazon reader

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok

I'm guessing there will be a book two to explain more because it left some things open. Felt like everything was trying to mashed in before the book ended.Interesting concept but lacked an engaging element.

[Pete · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sounded interesting but not for me. I really tried to like this book but couldn’t. This is only the second book I have ever given up on. Long and slow, a book about people who shouldn’t sleep. Sitting in my smoking room with a cigar, this book was literally putting me to sleep. Gave up at 35%.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty creepy - quick read

[Michele Benchouk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure what to make of this book. I thought the idea of an illness that attacks only in one's sleep was very interesting, especially how the author projected the likely impacts on society, support systems, drugs to keep you awake (legal and illicit), and the fear. The female MC was supposed to be key to the cure and had a heck of a detailed backstory. What she and others went through in trying to find a cure was horrible, but I could see it really happening. However, in the end, I'm not really sure what happened. I feel like I went on a crazy, thrilling ride, but never got anywhere. There are a lot of gaps left for me. I know sometimes authors use that trick to set up a sequel, but I'm not even sure what questions to ask that would be resolved in the second book. I'm left like "Hmmmm" and then a little later "What just happened?". Enjoy the ride while you are on it because that is pretty much what this book has on offer.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review. All opinions above are my own.