Project : Sleepless Dream

by C.G. Jones

On the brink of nuclear war with the Neo-Axis Powers, the Divided States Department of Unspecified Services launches Project: Sleepless Dream. This clandestine operation, headed by Dr. Pernal Norlin, is tasked with developing “human nuclears”—a nuclear explosive genetically embedded inside of human test subjects. As Dr. Norlin begins to question the ethics of his work, his wife, Stella Norlin, is captured as a test subject.

Caught between the threat of nuclear apocalypse and psychological turmoil, Dr. Norlin must reckon with the potential fallout of his misplaced genius. Project: Sleepless Dream is a novel that tackles the moral and philosophical questions surrounding war, anti-natalism, and the bittersweet progress of science. At once a satire and cautionary tale, this novel draws on themes of family, national duty, and what it means to be human in the 21st century.

188 pages, Paperback

Published July 30, 2021

About the author

C.G. Jones is the author of Project: Sleepless Dream—an ergodic text told through emails, letters, memos, transcripts, and poetry. He is currently at work on a short story collection that takes place in the same world as PSD.

Reviews

[Jack the Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to start off by saying how much I loved C.G. Jones' writing, it was alluring and charismatic. His words drew you in to the story,  captivating you into each sentence. The title it self Projecy: Sleepless Dream was intensely interesting to me, it makes you wonder and really think, just like much of the novel. Project: Sleepless Dream was written in a case file type format, something I haven't seen much before.
In parts of the novel, I was getting goosebumps, and I honestly could not put this book down, I finished in the first 2 days I had it, and honestly wish I had a physical copy (I have the ebook). Jones wrote many intense scenes, that were terrifying yet at the same time where pleasurable and alluring, egging you to read on. And that's what I believe made the book so profoundly amazing. Jones' made you want to continue reading, because you needed to find out what happened. He used the first 60 or so pages building up the intensity and suspense of the what was going to happen. He used an amazing technique when he wrote this novel. 
Project: Sleepless Dream is a unique, and smart read, if you love reading sci-fi, and  love engaging in novels and working through documents I definitely recommend picking a copy of this profound project. 

[Tanvi Shivgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In one amazing dystopian nation called “Divided states of America”, Dr. Pernal Norlin is tasked with a secret project “Project: Sleepless Dream” to develop Serplexifan, “a human nuclear explosive which is genetically embedded inside human test subjects, considering a nuclear war with Neo-Axis Powers. An awesome thriller along with satire & philosophical touch, “Project: Sleepless dream” proves out to be a coming of age Sci-Fi which is drawn on the themes of family, duty towards one’s country & humanism.

This novel is different from what I’ve been reading since my childhood. It is written in a case file type format that consists of diary entries, secret documents, letters, emails, poems, etc. Some letters which were written by Norlin’s wife, Stella, were written in binary format (in the form of ‘1’s and ‘0’s). This is really fascinating about it & I think it proves how an ideal Sci-Fi novel should be.

I loved how C. G. Jones has correctly portrayed his thoughts & how narration, once, takes hold of a reader & doesn’t let him/her lose the interest until its end. The language is a little tough as there are many technical & medical terms involved in it. The beautiful philosophical touch around wars, anti-natalism & Science further makes us ponder upon the questions about scientific progress, human evolution, our morals & where we’re heading as a species.

If you love reading smart, scientific, geeky books or love exploring dystopian worlds beyond current reality, this is the perfect choice.


Book: Project: Sleepless Dream
Author: C. G. Jones
Publisher: @cttb_fiction
Pages: 188
Format: Ebook
Genre: Dystopian Fiction

“As long as you dwell on the past,
you’re filled with doubt and sorrow
As long as you trust in yourself,
then you trust in tomorrow:
Bird, do you belong
among the eagles taking flight?
Or are you just Minerva’s pet -
spreading wings at fall of night?”

[Josephus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Project : Sleepless Dream is a thrilling arrangement of fragmented documents and correspondence surrounding the development of a biochemical substance whose consequences cannot be overstated. The format gives the reader a sense of excitement in slowly piecing together the puzzle of events, an excitement which quickly morphs into dread and horror as the details of the plot become clearer. The foreboding achieved by this novel is one of its greatest achievements. The reader gradually embraces the paranoia that several of the main characters suffer from—paranoia being one of the most prominent themes, along with fatalism and the question of free will, antinatalism, the inevitable injustice of governments, and so on.

The novel doesn’t appear to take a firm stance on any of these issues, rather allowing the reader to consider them in light of the novel’s events. I am most interested by the treatment of paranoia. We often think of paranoia as an irrational state—a response to fear or danger when none is present. However, Jones presents a world in which paranoia seems like it may be the only rational response. The biggest question, perhaps, that Project : Sleepless Dream asks is whether the world of the novel is in fact our own and should our response to it be paranoia.

My hat tips to Jones for this marvelous work of art, characterized by a riveting plot, a careful treatment of tricky philosophical ideas, and a deep love and cultivation of poetry. This novel has much to offer, and makes for a very rewarding read.

[Aayusi Biswas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Project : Sleepless Dream is a name interesting enough to draw one's attention, so when I got a chance to provide an honest review in exchange of an advance reading copy I couldn't resist.

Written in the epistolary format ( I'm a sucker for those) it was a fairly short and brilliant book following Dr. Norlin and the bio weapon he was hired to make. A young researcher fresh out of college, Norlin's diary entries are proof of the battle his conscience fought with his need to excel while the government forced him to work on a human implantable nuclear bomb.

The book reminded me of Frankenstein and that is a huge compliment, coming from me. I absolutely loved Shelley's writing style and this read was a modern version of the dilemmas presented in Frankenstein - what is the price of creating something so brilliant, unthinkable and destructive? The philosophical questions raised presented right along with crisp scientific facts left me in awe. The wonderful footnotes ( I feel this book is meant to be read in an e-book format, ok? ) and the story within a story adding dimensions to the dystopian world made for a fantastic read.

If you're a sci-fi fan and enjoy reading about insightful geniuses who have zero foresight, then go ahead and read this book.

[Kelsy Tidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Project Sleepless Dream follows Dr. Norlin as he works on a new government project embedding nuclear weapons into human test subjects, while questioning the ethical ramifications and the effects of his work on his relationship with his wife, Stella. Things go from bad to worse when Stella is kidnapped and implanted with this technology.

I could not put this book down! It's fairly short so it was easy to read in one sitting if you've got the time. The format is interesting too. Instead of a straight narrative, the story is told through memos, emails, and journal entries, with lots of footnotes mixed in with additional information about the context of what you're reading. The idea of using humans as nuclear weapons is terrifying, and it given the political climate and the rapid technological advances that are happening in the world, it makes it seem like an experiment like this really could happen if the wrong people were to gain control. I loved this book and I can't wait to see what author C.G. Jones comes up with next!

[Brad Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

PROJECT:SLEEPLESS DREAM is an absolute trip.

It is being inside a conspiracy theory (in the best way possible). It is a manic dream about a way things could go. It is dark and smart and yet has enough light and heart that you still find yourself caring what happens to the world and the people in it.

Mr. Jones has masterfully handled the epistolary novel—not just in letters, but in diary entries, official documents, bits of code, a haunting spreadsheet (I can’t imagine anyone else has ever pulled this off), and research findings. And he skillfully lets the story play out primarily underneath, between, and beside these documents. And because of this, the book is much bigger than its 180-some pages. It feels like a curious puzzle you unfold and unfold and unfold until it takes over the room.

And you want to unfold it. Because the fate of the world is at stake—the next era of warfare, terrifyingly invasive (and hugely creative) technology, the lineage of humankind, history itself—and because the fate of just a couple people is at stake. Smart, thoughtful, scared, and sometimes brave people.

There are a couple techniques at work here that could be considered “borrowed,” the footnotes of David Foster Wallace for instance. But Jones uses these sharply and creatively. The footnotes are incisive, clever, illuminating, and sometimes compelling. And there are rabbitholes scattered throughout the book, as if hyperlinked to the kinds stuff you might scroll late at night, when you cannot sleep.

And the spreadsheet. You’ve got to read through until you get to the spreadsheet. Nine out of ten horror movies can’t give you the bone-deep disquiet that Jones’ spreadsheet will give you.

[Devanshu Singhal · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all Let me tell you , At a point of time I got goosebumps reading this book . This book had so many intense scenes which were at times horrifying and at time pleasuring . Once you start reading this book , you won't be able to put it down until you find out what actually happened . The storyline is very very interesting . Begginners could also go on and read this book if you are hunting for new genres . If you will read this book, till the first 60 pages you won't get anything that what's happening but after that the book will become your must read . I liked this book a lot . First because the book had numerous kind of new words along with its meaning at bottom and also its fun to read book in which there are some lines written in binary format .Also becuase the book takes place in the future i.e. 2032 , so it just triggers your mind to read more and more. Its just amazing .Its a reread book ,I would obviously reread it in future sometime.

[Josh Doughty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across C.G. Jones when recently coming across his review on Cioran’s “The Trouble With Being Born” and have been a follower ever since.

Once Project Sleepless Dream came into being, I purchase immediately, but sadly, like all new books, are pushed into the abyss of our TBR. Until now.

Project Sleepless Dream takes place in the not so distant future in the Divided States. Your main characters are Dr (Medicine Man) Norlin and Stella (Ill Lantern). Norlin is in the works of creating “Serplexifan” which will be used as chemical warfare. You are ultimately entrapped in a existential conspiracy thriller type quest written in a diary/email corespondent variety.

I was curious as to when the “antinatalism” stuff would pop in and it comes in like a truck during the last portion of the book. While I won’t express my opinion on my views towards it, the author does allow so sort of fair mindedness in order for people on opposing sides to not shut the book entirely.

There was a small apprehension of being lost or disoriented given the way it is written, but C.G. Did an excellent job providing notes practically on every page to keep the reader on track.

The novel also subtly takes place (or attempts to) in the Ukraine which is ever so relevant today/now.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the (coded) letters between Norlin and Stella. The amount of love they hold for each other given the total adversity is commendable.

There are also so slight Wallace-like absurd humor sprinkled in subtly.

In terms of formatting/conspiracy, this book 100% reminds me of William Cooper’s “Behold A Palehorse” which I believe now deserves a re reading.

Will keep an eye out on more works from This guy!

For fans of pessimism, existentialism, UFOs, conspiracy, and antinatalism.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating novel takes the shape of a “case file”—a collection of government documents all related to the experiments of Dr. Pernal Norlin, a toxicologist developing human weapons for the “Divided States” Government.

I must say this isn’t my typical genre of choice, but I was struck by the novel’s clever balance of the clinical and the sentimental. Even as the audience becomes desensitized to the kinds of horrific black budget programs supported by the government, we are simultaneously exposed to the complicated psyche of the man at the heart of one of these programs. It is impossible to hate Dr. Norlin. Even as he works toward the potential annihilation of the entire human race, he is incredibly human himself—grappling with loyalty to his career and country, but also loyalty to the one he loves.

The novel is also surprisingly feminist, serving as a scathing critique of the government’s perceived entitlement to women’s bodies and reproductive systems.

“Project: Sleepless Dream” is incredibly unique, smart, and relevant. The novel profoundly rewards the reader who takes the time to work through its maze of documents. I can’t wait to see what’s next from the author!

[Fantom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel took me by surprise. I’ve read dystopian novels before but this was a completely different one. It makes us see our world, an imperfect world at that, on the brink of a nuclear war which threatens the existence of every single soul. It exposes us to the very possibility of what may happen if we continue to progress in science without humanity. Project Sleepless Dream is a novel that tackles the moral and philosophical questions surrounding war, anti-natalism, and the bittersweet progress of science. I very much loved the novel; it was short and covered every necessary detail. C.G. Jones made it an interesting one by writing it in the form of documents, diary entries and memos and giving foot-notes as well. I loved the characters very much, especially Dr.Norlin, as we could understand whatever he was going through throughout the novel. This book surely gave me a new insight of many things, some I never knew about before. So it is a highly recommended book for all, go and grab your copy now!

[isaacq · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a true hidden gem, excellently-written and compulsively-paced.

i don't want to be unkind, but C.G.Jones really deserved a better publisher for this novel. the cover design is unimaginative and somewhat amateurish-looking, and the inner design was perhaps even worse: there's a frustratingly lightweight typewriter font used for at least half the text that was difficult to read even in the brightest lighting.

added to that, the editor also missed a lot of glaring mistakes (e.g. a character's name changing randomly between Lilly Lantovia and Lilly Lovebetter on p.174; phenomenon being used as a plural instead of phenomena; and this gem on p. 138: "The bodies [...] have already been preparing the bodies for transport.").

i'm not holding any of that against Jones though: his book was intricate and fascinating, and should be recommended to anyone with tastes ranging from philosophy to metafiction to good old-fashioned political thrillers.

[Phillip Freedenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

The clandestine, tactical obfuscation of truth and information by traditionally dominant controlling power structures has been a mechanism of interest of the elite for over a hundred and fifty years.

The potentially nefarious authoritarian coding of American intelligence systems has, in some sense, drawn the locus of our imagination toward the possible existence of the construction of an impenetrable, cryptanalytic infrastructure in which, as if centered at its core, nested in some superencipherment labyrinth, lost like Genevieve Grotjan Feinstein within the seemingly impossible-to- pattern computational code Purple output from a System 97 Printing Machine, we, as a civilization as well as a species, routinely hope that there exists some meaning to be discovered not only about the operational ontology of our modern empire, but also we hope that if we could just tidily unravel the complexity of the historically obscured power systems which intrusively occupy us, we may uncover some hidden tether to a Rosetta Stone of high-resonant human truth and meaning.

From this, we hypothesize simply that there is an argument to be made that those who methodologically control the symbolic classification of our information systems also hold the power over controlling the objective order of our world, and it is founded somewhere within this curious proposition that the artfully written, brilliantly constructed world of Project Sleepless Dream emerges, in which author C.G. Jones deliberately and skillfully lures the curious reader into a methodically byzantine science-fiction-drenched dystopia in which we not only face the horrifying post-structural apocalyptic hysteria of the weaponization of the very fabric of what makes us human, but we also, as readers, under the watch of the divinely Kafkaesque Divided States Department of Unspecified Services, as we chase the quixotic narrative thread of Dr. Pernal Norlin deep into oblivion, we kaleidoscopically explore a beautifully written novel through its use of an intoxicating, literary multimodal form of creative experimentation, in which Jones progressively dares to push the boundaries of what the novel—as both art and form—is capable of achieving into new and previously unexplored terrain with his extraordinary debut novel.

Highly recommended.

Phillip Freedenberg
10/16/21
Buffalo, NY