RATING  ****

 Beggars in Spain is a 438 page hard science fiction paperback book by Nancy Kress published March, 1994.

I first read Beggars in Spain six or seven years ago and I enjoyed it then.  I’ve found that the better stories age well; come back a few years later and they still engage your heart and your mind.  This is one of those stories.

Nancy Kress illustrates a fast approaching issue – the impact of genetic engineering – with well-drawn characters in realistic situations.  The premise is science has learned how to engineer humans such that they no longer need to sleep.  Obviously, the “sleepless” have a huge advantage over the “sleepers,” and Kress explores the chasm that develops between the two classes of humans.  Not to give away the story, but the “sleepless” have additional gifts that notch up the intensity significantly.

My only complaint is that the story seems to run out of gas toward the end.  Kress has ably developed the issues, but doesn’t bring the plot to a definitive climax.  Nevertheless, Beggars in Spain is an excellent hard science fiction story, one that will stay with you over the years.