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UniCorp #2
No Life But This
Rose spent most of her life asleep. Otto spent his as an object.
Rose Fitzroy woke from her long sleep to a changed world and new life. Her friend Otto watched her from afar, longing for what he felt he couldn't have. But just when things seem to be going right, his own biology backfires, sending him into a deathly spiral that neither of them can stop. His only hope lies on the distant ice moon of Europa, where an experimental treatment might bring him back from the brink.
But Europa is in a state of revolution, and Otto's brother Quin is tangled up in it. With Otto going slowly insane, and Rose haunted by ghosts of her old life, more than one world may soon be destroyed around them.
Rose Fitzroy woke from her long sleep to a changed world and new life. Her friend Otto watched her from afar, longing for what he felt he couldn't have. But just when things seem to be going right, his own biology backfires, sending him into a deathly spiral that neither of them can stop. His only hope lies on the distant ice moon of Europa, where an experimental treatment might bring him back from the brink.
But Europa is in a state of revolution, and Otto's brother Quin is tangled up in it. With Otto going slowly insane, and Rose haunted by ghosts of her old life, more than one world may soon be destroyed around them.
320 pages, Paperback
First published December 18, 2014
13 people are currently reading
1294 people want to read
About the author
Anna Sheehan
8 books294 followersTo tell of myself:
As Walt Whitman said, "I am large, I contain multitudes!" The epigraph of every writer, really.
I was conceived in northern Alaska, and was born to a bohemian veterinarian mother in a hospital on the shores of Lake Michigan. I endured numerous hellish years of school, and I can say with reasonable veracity that I have forgiven all my teachers and even the poor children who had to figure out how to deal with me.
Instead of a social life, I swam in books. I became a devoted follower of Diana Wynne Jones and Douglas Adams. I studied acting and Shakespeare with the Young Shakespeare Players of Madison, Wisconsin, and it deeply impacted my direction in life. I then discovered historical re-enactment, where I hung about in velvet, idly strumming a harp while men in plastic armor hit each other with sticks. That too was most enlightening.
Despite collecting a technical degree in commercial goldsmithing, I instead pursued writing as my primary means of unemployment. I moved with my family to a tiny ranch in rural Oregon, where I still live with my daughter, my mother, and assorted Irish Wolfhounds.
As Walt Whitman said, "I am large, I contain multitudes!" The epigraph of every writer, really.
I was conceived in northern Alaska, and was born to a bohemian veterinarian mother in a hospital on the shores of Lake Michigan. I endured numerous hellish years of school, and I can say with reasonable veracity that I have forgiven all my teachers and even the poor children who had to figure out how to deal with me.
Instead of a social life, I swam in books. I became a devoted follower of Diana Wynne Jones and Douglas Adams. I studied acting and Shakespeare with the Young Shakespeare Players of Madison, Wisconsin, and it deeply impacted my direction in life. I then discovered historical re-enactment, where I hung about in velvet, idly strumming a harp while men in plastic armor hit each other with sticks. That too was most enlightening.
Despite collecting a technical degree in commercial goldsmithing, I instead pursued writing as my primary means of unemployment. I moved with my family to a tiny ranch in rural Oregon, where I still live with my daughter, my mother, and assorted Irish Wolfhounds.
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January 9, 2016
Hey everyone -- current status on the book is as follows:
My excellent editors at Orion helped this book become the best I could have imagined. Thank you everyone who kept faith with me, and sent encouragement through this difficult editing process.
Look for reviews from unbiased sources, and thanks again to everyone.
Anna.
My excellent editors at Orion helped this book become the best I could have imagined. Thank you everyone who kept faith with me, and sent encouragement through this difficult editing process.
Look for reviews from unbiased sources, and thanks again to everyone.
Anna.
Want to read
December 29, 2014"Stand-alone sequel"
I don't even care, though, because I wants it. A Long, Long Sleep was amazing, and I wanted more and now there IS more.
I don't even care, though, because I wants it. A Long, Long Sleep was amazing, and I wanted more and now there IS more.
February 5, 2015
This is going to be hard. I'm still not entirely sure what I think about this book after finishing it. But I would like to say this before anything else: I loved the first book. It blew my mind in terms of what it had to say about love, relationships, abuse, and recovery. It was a book unafraid to deal with the mental and political consequences of a story like "Sleeping Beauty" and it handled them in a very raw, emotional way. It was a breath of fresh air in terms of literature, and I enjoyed every step of it.
Needless to say, I was so, so excited to read this book. That might have been part of the problem. I had all sorts of ideas about what issues I wanted to explore and what I wanted to see happen (as any fan would), and of course all of my wishes could not have been granted. I didn't expect them to be.
I'm sure preference weighs in heavily here. While I liked Otto, I was always more drawn to Rose as a character, and I probably would have preferred to hear most of the issues addressed in this novel from her perspective. I preferred Rose and Otto's relationship as a platonic one. I liked the emotional center of the first book rather than the sci-fi world it was set in, which this book concentrates more heavily on. The list goes on and on. This review is definitely hindered by my love of the first book, but is it possible to review a sequel without your opinion on its predecessor weighing in somehow?
I think it's safe to say that "No Life But This" is almost nothing like "A Long, Long Sleep." It has the same characters and the same world--and that's about where the similarities end. Even the writing style (under a different publisher this time) is radically different from "A Long, Long Sleep." It kind of works, because it's a different character's story this time around, but at the same time it's completely jarring. I almost felt like I was reading fan-fiction at times, not because of the quality of the writing, but because of the radically different voice and tone and occasionally random insights into unimportant characters, events, etc. The entire universe was the same, and so were the people who lived there--and yet I hardly recognized any of it.
One of the aspects of "A Long, Long Sleep" that I liked the best was how Anna Sheehan handled the relationships between all of the characters. Compared to most of the angsty YA out there, the characters' interactions in the book felt strong, smart, and almost classy in their structure. In the first book, the relationships between Rose and Bren, Rose and Xavier, and Rose and Otto were all treated with dignity and respect, whether they were romantic, friendly, or somewhere in-between. Nothing felt irrational or out of left field in those romances/friendships, and refreshingly, the characters actually TALKED about their friendships and feelings for one another, which is something you don't see very often. "No Life But This" continues in this vein, for the most part. Otto and Nabiki discuss their former relationship in a way that I found incredibly mature for a couple of teenagers, refusing to place blame or hatred on any party involved. Rose continues to be emotionally closed off from romance (understandably), and her reluctance to get involved in a relationship like that again felt realistic; she needs to focus on herself first. But then things got a little too weird and uncomfortable for me in terms of the romance and relationships between the characters.
Mainly, I mean Rose and Otto, which is the relationship which this story is centered around. I loved their friendship in the first book; it flowed, felt realistic, and I loved the way they came together as outsiders. Their personalities meshed in a really surprising way, especially when it came to Otto helping Rose through her personal torment. However, this book twisted everything around, taking all of the trust and sweetness of their relationship and turning it into something unnatural and ugly. From the first few pages to the very end, Otto just gushes and gushes about Rose and how beautiful she is and the things he wants to do with her. It practically turns her character into a fantasy object of his, instead of an actual person, which was really disappointing because Rose's character was so vast and complex in the first book. Their whole relationship bothered me in this book. I understand that Otto was dying and losing his grasp on both his sanity and reality, but the way he treated Rose made me like him less and less as a character. There was a point when I almost gave up completely on the book, and I won't go into specifics, but during this point, Otto heavily violated his code of ethics and tainted/exploited Rose's memories for the sake of his own selfish gain. It was disgusting (dare I say borderline mind-rape?), BUT I can't write it off completely because Sheehan and Otto both acknowledge how horrible his actions were. He even feels remorse for them and expresses it throughout the rest of the book, which makes him feel like far less of a monster. That remains true for most of the characters in this novel, as well--they cross some serious lines, compromise their moral integrity, and yet they show awareness and regret for what they have done. And that makes it impossible to completely despise them.
So, what does this novel do well?
First and foremost, would be the universe that this book, and its predecessor, are set in. Anna Sheehan is a world-builder. If you couldn't get that from "A Long, Long Sleep", you will definitely see it here. This vast interplanetary empire is thoroughly thought-out and you can see that she had a clear vision for what it looked like, how it functioned, etc. Everything is very well-developed from UniCorp to Europa to the science to the politics. It has beauty and ugliness and rich and poor and feels just as complicated and complex as our world today. Not all questions have answers, not all sicknesses have cures, and not all problems have solutions. It's way too realistic to be simply called a "dystopia" (and it's certainly not a "utopia"). This is a universe of its own.
Another thing I liked about this novel, like the one before it, is that scenes are given room to breathe. For some, it might seem bothersome. Characters spend pages on end discussing emotional conflicts and really talking through their situations. It's dialogue-heavy; at times, it could almost be a play. I loved this, though, and it felt more real and less like the abrupt, underdeveloped, melodramatic conversations you can see in other novels, particularly those aimed at a teenage audience.
Rose and Xavier were pleasant to hear from (and Bren, though he was barely in this one). Most of the book is from Otto's point of view, and as a result, these characters' personalities are heavily filtered through his eyes, but the few times we see directly into their minds, it's a treat and gives us further insight into their characters, which I find so fascinating. A special shout-out would go to Rose. Despite being more of a side-character in this novel and mainly being there to play Otto's object of affection (like I mentioned above), she was excellent when you saw her, still vulnerable to emotional abuse and manipulation, still lacking some much-needed backbone, still occasionally self-righteous and (at times) dangerous. This felt completely honest to her character, and you can see how torn and emotionally disturbed she is, especially when it comes to interacting with Otto and Xavier (or both). However, there can be too much of a good thing--I liked what we heard from Xavier at first, too, but when the whole Otto/Xavier thing came into play, it became a real headache.
The plot throughout this book was really, really weird (even for futuristic sci-fi/fairytale retellings). It's a messed up story. It's rather fitting, though, because these are very messed-up characters living in a very messed-up world. I didn't expect a happily-ever-after at the ending of this novel and I didn't get one. The characters are damaged and do some rather horrible things. Even by the resolution--even on the second-to-last page--characters were acting in ways toward one another that made me uncomfortable, were morally questionable, and were all kinds of screwed up. I spent a lot of time in this book not liking what I was reading, and grimacing at the characters I once loved. But I do appreciate that Sheehan was making her characters, and her world, flawed, and I would have been even more unhappy if things were perfect and fluffy.
By the end, the plot got super weird (as well as the resolution), but to its credit, even if I was struggling with comprehending it, it was clear that Sheehan knew what she was writing about and where she was taking the story. She has a very solid grasp on her world and how it works and what she wants to happen. And the resolution was strong; to be honest, the ending was probably the most satisfying part of the story. The last two pages were where I saw the brilliance of "A Long, Long Sleep" return. I loved what this novel was saying about life, how you must live it, and the choices you can be forced to make. The entire closing portion of the novel was very powerful.
I love the title. I love the way it ties back to Emily Dickinson's poem of the same name (which "A Long, Long Sleep" did, too), but it also emphasizes the point of the entire story. It's one of my favorite titles, ever, honestly. It's powerful, applicable to the story, and a shout-out to some classic American poetry.
I had such high hopes for this book that I was bound to be disappointed. There were aspects of it that I enjoyed, but when you match it up to the brilliance of the first novel, in my eyes, it doesn't hold a candle. That being said, I remain fascinated by this universe and its inhabitants. The ending hints at more story to be told, particularly on Rose's side, and that is definitely a story I would want to read.
I can't recommend this novel, but I can't completely write it off, either. Some will like it and some won't, as is the case with anything. It wasn't my favorite, but I continue to love this world and Anna Sheehan's writing. They are inventive and unlike anything I've ever read before. I'm looking forward to whatever it is she publishes next. 2.5 stars.
Needless to say, I was so, so excited to read this book. That might have been part of the problem. I had all sorts of ideas about what issues I wanted to explore and what I wanted to see happen (as any fan would), and of course all of my wishes could not have been granted. I didn't expect them to be.
I'm sure preference weighs in heavily here. While I liked Otto, I was always more drawn to Rose as a character, and I probably would have preferred to hear most of the issues addressed in this novel from her perspective. I preferred Rose and Otto's relationship as a platonic one. I liked the emotional center of the first book rather than the sci-fi world it was set in, which this book concentrates more heavily on. The list goes on and on. This review is definitely hindered by my love of the first book, but is it possible to review a sequel without your opinion on its predecessor weighing in somehow?
I think it's safe to say that "No Life But This" is almost nothing like "A Long, Long Sleep." It has the same characters and the same world--and that's about where the similarities end. Even the writing style (under a different publisher this time) is radically different from "A Long, Long Sleep." It kind of works, because it's a different character's story this time around, but at the same time it's completely jarring. I almost felt like I was reading fan-fiction at times, not because of the quality of the writing, but because of the radically different voice and tone and occasionally random insights into unimportant characters, events, etc. The entire universe was the same, and so were the people who lived there--and yet I hardly recognized any of it.
One of the aspects of "A Long, Long Sleep" that I liked the best was how Anna Sheehan handled the relationships between all of the characters. Compared to most of the angsty YA out there, the characters' interactions in the book felt strong, smart, and almost classy in their structure. In the first book, the relationships between Rose and Bren, Rose and Xavier, and Rose and Otto were all treated with dignity and respect, whether they were romantic, friendly, or somewhere in-between. Nothing felt irrational or out of left field in those romances/friendships, and refreshingly, the characters actually TALKED about their friendships and feelings for one another, which is something you don't see very often. "No Life But This" continues in this vein, for the most part. Otto and Nabiki discuss their former relationship in a way that I found incredibly mature for a couple of teenagers, refusing to place blame or hatred on any party involved. Rose continues to be emotionally closed off from romance (understandably), and her reluctance to get involved in a relationship like that again felt realistic; she needs to focus on herself first. But then things got a little too weird and uncomfortable for me in terms of the romance and relationships between the characters.
Mainly, I mean Rose and Otto, which is the relationship which this story is centered around. I loved their friendship in the first book; it flowed, felt realistic, and I loved the way they came together as outsiders. Their personalities meshed in a really surprising way, especially when it came to Otto helping Rose through her personal torment. However, this book twisted everything around, taking all of the trust and sweetness of their relationship and turning it into something unnatural and ugly. From the first few pages to the very end, Otto just gushes and gushes about Rose and how beautiful she is and the things he wants to do with her. It practically turns her character into a fantasy object of his, instead of an actual person, which was really disappointing because Rose's character was so vast and complex in the first book. Their whole relationship bothered me in this book. I understand that Otto was dying and losing his grasp on both his sanity and reality, but the way he treated Rose made me like him less and less as a character. There was a point when I almost gave up completely on the book, and I won't go into specifics, but during this point, Otto heavily violated his code of ethics and tainted/exploited Rose's memories for the sake of his own selfish gain. It was disgusting (dare I say borderline mind-rape?), BUT I can't write it off completely because Sheehan and Otto both acknowledge how horrible his actions were. He even feels remorse for them and expresses it throughout the rest of the book, which makes him feel like far less of a monster. That remains true for most of the characters in this novel, as well--they cross some serious lines, compromise their moral integrity, and yet they show awareness and regret for what they have done. And that makes it impossible to completely despise them.
So, what does this novel do well?
First and foremost, would be the universe that this book, and its predecessor, are set in. Anna Sheehan is a world-builder. If you couldn't get that from "A Long, Long Sleep", you will definitely see it here. This vast interplanetary empire is thoroughly thought-out and you can see that she had a clear vision for what it looked like, how it functioned, etc. Everything is very well-developed from UniCorp to Europa to the science to the politics. It has beauty and ugliness and rich and poor and feels just as complicated and complex as our world today. Not all questions have answers, not all sicknesses have cures, and not all problems have solutions. It's way too realistic to be simply called a "dystopia" (and it's certainly not a "utopia"). This is a universe of its own.
Another thing I liked about this novel, like the one before it, is that scenes are given room to breathe. For some, it might seem bothersome. Characters spend pages on end discussing emotional conflicts and really talking through their situations. It's dialogue-heavy; at times, it could almost be a play. I loved this, though, and it felt more real and less like the abrupt, underdeveloped, melodramatic conversations you can see in other novels, particularly those aimed at a teenage audience.
Rose and Xavier were pleasant to hear from (and Bren, though he was barely in this one). Most of the book is from Otto's point of view, and as a result, these characters' personalities are heavily filtered through his eyes, but the few times we see directly into their minds, it's a treat and gives us further insight into their characters, which I find so fascinating. A special shout-out would go to Rose. Despite being more of a side-character in this novel and mainly being there to play Otto's object of affection (like I mentioned above), she was excellent when you saw her, still vulnerable to emotional abuse and manipulation, still lacking some much-needed backbone, still occasionally self-righteous and (at times) dangerous. This felt completely honest to her character, and you can see how torn and emotionally disturbed she is, especially when it comes to interacting with Otto and Xavier (or both). However, there can be too much of a good thing--I liked what we heard from Xavier at first, too, but when the whole Otto/Xavier thing came into play, it became a real headache.
The plot throughout this book was really, really weird (even for futuristic sci-fi/fairytale retellings). It's a messed up story. It's rather fitting, though, because these are very messed-up characters living in a very messed-up world. I didn't expect a happily-ever-after at the ending of this novel and I didn't get one. The characters are damaged and do some rather horrible things. Even by the resolution--even on the second-to-last page--characters were acting in ways toward one another that made me uncomfortable, were morally questionable, and were all kinds of screwed up. I spent a lot of time in this book not liking what I was reading, and grimacing at the characters I once loved. But I do appreciate that Sheehan was making her characters, and her world, flawed, and I would have been even more unhappy if things were perfect and fluffy.
By the end, the plot got super weird (as well as the resolution), but to its credit, even if I was struggling with comprehending it, it was clear that Sheehan knew what she was writing about and where she was taking the story. She has a very solid grasp on her world and how it works and what she wants to happen. And the resolution was strong; to be honest, the ending was probably the most satisfying part of the story. The last two pages were where I saw the brilliance of "A Long, Long Sleep" return. I loved what this novel was saying about life, how you must live it, and the choices you can be forced to make. The entire closing portion of the novel was very powerful.
I love the title. I love the way it ties back to Emily Dickinson's poem of the same name (which "A Long, Long Sleep" did, too), but it also emphasizes the point of the entire story. It's one of my favorite titles, ever, honestly. It's powerful, applicable to the story, and a shout-out to some classic American poetry.
I had such high hopes for this book that I was bound to be disappointed. There were aspects of it that I enjoyed, but when you match it up to the brilliance of the first novel, in my eyes, it doesn't hold a candle. That being said, I remain fascinated by this universe and its inhabitants. The ending hints at more story to be told, particularly on Rose's side, and that is definitely a story I would want to read.
I can't recommend this novel, but I can't completely write it off, either. Some will like it and some won't, as is the case with anything. It wasn't my favorite, but I continue to love this world and Anna Sheehan's writing. They are inventive and unlike anything I've ever read before. I'm looking forward to whatever it is she publishes next. 2.5 stars.
Want to read
April 15, 2013If anyone remembers my review of A Long Long Sleep, they'd remember how eager I was for Sheehan to make a sequel.
Well. She has.
Well. She has.
February 1, 2016
I remembered nothing from A Long, Long Sleep, except that Rose had been put into stasis regularly throughout her life, such as when her parents wanted to go on holiday without her. (Yes, neglectful parents.)
This sequel had a tough publication, especially because it was originally printed with the wrong summary. (This may have been corrected in later printings.) Which is a shame, because ICE MOON is all readers need to motivate them to read No Life But This! Though it does take about six chapters or so to actually get going on the journey to Europa, an ice moon of Jupiter. Before that, there's relationship drama and introducing all the characters, but keep reading.
When the characters arrive on the ice moon, things get more interesting, though also rather confusing. I often struggle reading about psi abilities, so this doesn't surprise me. There's a massive info-dump chapter near the end that explains everything, though, so that helps.
The ending won't work for every reader, but it made the most sense to me, and I'm so pleased that the author went through with it.
This sequel had a tough publication, especially because it was originally printed with the wrong summary. (This may have been corrected in later printings.) Which is a shame, because ICE MOON is all readers need to motivate them to read No Life But This! Though it does take about six chapters or so to actually get going on the journey to Europa, an ice moon of Jupiter. Before that, there's relationship drama and introducing all the characters, but keep reading.
When the characters arrive on the ice moon, things get more interesting, though also rather confusing. I often struggle reading about psi abilities, so this doesn't surprise me. There's a massive info-dump chapter near the end that explains everything, though, so that helps.
The ending won't work for every reader, but it made the most sense to me, and I'm so pleased that the author went through with it.
January 20, 2015
2.5 stars
This ends up being one of the books with the strangest plot's that I've ever read, and the weirdest thing, is that I only found myself truly enjoying it in the last part of the story; in which the definition of "weird" really reaches places it probably never had.
For that part alone, for the way this plot has its conclusion _and was able to tie up a lot of loose ends_, this would get a solid four rating.
However for a really long, long time this gets focused on an insane/heartbreaking/you've got to be kidding me...twisted relationship.
It has so many twisted scenes which are played by its twisted characters....in a very new adult *my heart is breaking in so many different ways, so let me write you a long ode regarding my feelings*, style.
*Sigh*
Definitely not my cup of tea. My patience was running wild like a caged beast in tired circles, because if I had to hear how pretty Rose was one more time..I was going to blow a gasket!
Basically I pretty much hated all the emotional stuff involving Otto, Rose, Xavier, Otto- Xavier!
You know what made me keep reading when all the hormonal crazy stuff was happening?
Quinn. Go figure!
His short fused temper and cruel honestly were a life saver when I was more than ready to DNF it.
And now, after a frustrating start, an irritating nerve shattering middle, and a blow mind last part, I find myself curious about further developments from this world.
And when say this world, I really mean it literally!
Because when it comes to Rose and boys dramas, I've had more than enough.
Give me something new. Give me Quinn as the leading character, but make sure Rose's gets a backbone once and for all.
This ends up being one of the books with the strangest plot's that I've ever read, and the weirdest thing, is that I only found myself truly enjoying it in the last part of the story; in which the definition of "weird" really reaches places it probably never had.
For that part alone, for the way this plot has its conclusion _and was able to tie up a lot of loose ends_, this would get a solid four rating.
However for a really long, long time this gets focused on an insane/heartbreaking/you've got to be kidding me...twisted relationship.
It has so many twisted scenes which are played by its twisted characters....in a very new adult *my heart is breaking in so many different ways, so let me write you a long ode regarding my feelings*, style.
*Sigh*
Definitely not my cup of tea. My patience was running wild like a caged beast in tired circles, because if I had to hear how pretty Rose was one more time..I was going to blow a gasket!
Basically I pretty much hated all the emotional stuff involving Otto, Rose, Xavier, Otto- Xavier!
You know what made me keep reading when all the hormonal crazy stuff was happening?
Quinn. Go figure!
His short fused temper and cruel honestly were a life saver when I was more than ready to DNF it.
And now, after a frustrating start, an irritating nerve shattering middle, and a blow mind last part, I find myself curious about further developments from this world.
And when say this world, I really mean it literally!
Because when it comes to Rose and boys dramas, I've had more than enough.
Give me something new. Give me Quinn as the leading character, but make sure Rose's gets a backbone once and for all.
Read
February 2, 2018DNF
Maybe I'm being unfair and should give Otto a chance to redeem himself, but I'm done. You don't pull that shit on other people!
Maybe I'm being unfair and should give Otto a chance to redeem himself, but I'm done. You don't pull that shit on other people!
March 23, 2015
The potential for a great sequel derails into angsty melodrama and a trainwreck of a novel.
I almost don't know where to begin. I loved A Long, Long Sleep. I thought it was such an clever and innovative retelling of "Sleeping Beauty." Besides this containing the same characters, there is no similarities.
No Life But This picks up just a few months after Long Sleep, and it starts strong. Otto, my personal favorite from Long Sleep is narrating. Odd choice, but ok. He and Rose also haven't gotten together, which I could sorta buy. And Otto, well, he isn't doing well. Beisdes the odd POV, and how this Otto really didn't feel like the strong quite witty Otto of Long Sleep, and that we clearly weren't following up on Rose's missing siblings, (and how Quin may have been redesigned as a character), everything thing until they went to Europa I was pretty ok with. Though claerly, this book was having problems from the get go.
Then it took a turn that made it feel like bad fanfiction. Characters were all over the place. .
Oh, and let's add in some random rebellion drama and class issues? At least Long Sleep has an evil robot chasing Rose thoughout the plot as a source of action conflcit. Better than some half-ass rebellion.
Cuz, I guess the highly interesting conflict of Rose's lost siblings wasn't enough actual plot for a sequel. (Though, that's really the story that I wanted to be reading.)
No Life basically took everything I loved about Long Sleep (creative fairy tale, dealing with emotional abuse, an unusal and wonderful love interet) and threw it all out the fucking window. This is actually a book I wish I'd never read.
I almost don't know where to begin. I loved A Long, Long Sleep. I thought it was such an clever and innovative retelling of "Sleeping Beauty." Besides this containing the same characters, there is no similarities.
No Life But This picks up just a few months after Long Sleep, and it starts strong. Otto, my personal favorite from Long Sleep is narrating. Odd choice, but ok. He and Rose also haven't gotten together, which I could sorta buy. And Otto, well, he isn't doing well. Beisdes the odd POV, and how this Otto really didn't feel like the strong quite witty Otto of Long Sleep, and that we clearly weren't following up on Rose's missing siblings, (and how Quin may have been redesigned as a character), everything thing until they went to Europa I was pretty ok with. Though claerly, this book was having problems from the get go.
Then it took a turn that made it feel like bad fanfiction. Characters were all over the place. .
Oh, and let's add in some random rebellion drama and class issues? At least Long Sleep has an evil robot chasing Rose thoughout the plot as a source of action conflcit. Better than some half-ass rebellion.
Cuz, I guess the highly interesting conflict of Rose's lost siblings wasn't enough actual plot for a sequel. (Though, that's really the story that I wanted to be reading.)
No Life basically took everything I loved about Long Sleep (creative fairy tale, dealing with emotional abuse, an unusal and wonderful love interet) and threw it all out the fucking window. This is actually a book I wish I'd never read.
December 30, 2015
I was afraid it won't live up to my expectations after A Long, Long Sleep, but I was pleasantly surprised! It was everything I didn't know I needed: showing what damage love can do to us. It was heartbreaking, twisted, emotionally raw. I just envy Sheehan's talent depicting the nuances of different kinds of love. Though the end felt a bit rushed to me, I loved this book nonetheless, and I can't wait for another UniCorp book.
April 22, 2015
This book took me a long time to read because of the fact that I had to be in a certain mood to read it...usually somber.
I don't want to go over the story line but just how it made me feel. There were times where I felt so angry and sad reading this because of how the main character was acting.
There were other times I'd actually want to keep reading but knew that I could only do small doses of this book.
I'm glad I did read it since I kept seeing the cover and knew there was more to the story than the description. I went in feeling hopeful about this character and walked away feeling sad...not all stories are supposed to give you warm fuzzy feelings.
I don't want to go over the story line but just how it made me feel. There were times where I felt so angry and sad reading this because of how the main character was acting.
There were other times I'd actually want to keep reading but knew that I could only do small doses of this book.
I'm glad I did read it since I kept seeing the cover and knew there was more to the story than the description. I went in feeling hopeful about this character and walked away feeling sad...not all stories are supposed to give you warm fuzzy feelings.
Want to read
March 15, 2016I LOVED A Long, Long Sleep but it's been an incredibly long wait for this sequel. I REALLY hope it's as good as the first one!
October 13, 2020
این کتاب با نام انتخابی مترجم یعنی تصمیم نابخشودنی چاپ شده. نمی فهمم چرا مترجم از نقش مهم خودش تخطی می کنه و در این حد تغییرات می ده؟عنوان اصلی کتاب مگه چه عیبی داشته؟ بگذریم. داستان این بار از زبان رز نبود بلکه از زبان اوتو یکی دیگه از شخصیت های داستان بود. فضای داستان کاملا متفاوت از داستان پیش بود، تلختر و سیاهتر بود. درگیری عاشقانه تقریبا شش هفتم یا بیشتر کتاب رو پر کرده بود، اونم از نوع درگیری های عجیب ذهنی اوتو. البته در مجموع ایده قدرت ذهنی خاص اوتو ایده خوبی بود ولی در هر حال داستان به دلم چندان ننشست. شاید چون برعکس کتاب اول که در اون #آرامانشهر دغدغه اصلی داستان نبود، در این کتاب #پادآرمانشهر محوریت فکری نویسنده بود و همین یکم خستهام کرد. البته انصافا تکرار پادآرمانشهرهای قبلی نبود و تا حدی نوآوری داشت. در مجموع اگر بعد از جلد اول، انتظار یک داستان با همون سبک و سیاق و فضا رو دارین، سخت در اشتباهید! صرفا اشخاص و زمان همون هستند. ترجمه کمی بدتر از جلد قبلی و ویرایش با همون وضع بعضا آزاردهنده بود.
March 27, 2017
Your first series was so good but also so sad. It's completely unfair the fate that was dealt to both the main characters, but I think they did the best they could with what was dealt to them. And the way certain characters couldn't be together because of fate or time, it made me cry and almost feel nostalgic for something. The writing was amazing, I found myself rereading passages and pages. It took me a long time to get through this book, I would read a passage and then have to "sit with it" for a little bit.
February 5, 2017
WHERE do I start? This book is so twisted. The plot tangles and goes in wild directions you can't predict. Ones you couldn't believe could possibly be tied up in a way that is both satisfying and makes sense. But Anna does it, and it's a pretty little bow that comes out of the vast darkness of space and emotional trauma. DO NOT DISMISS THIS BOOK! It has so many deep, deep levels.
Yes, it might make you uncomfortable in places, but it makes you THINK. It makes you feel so much. It's just really, really worth it.
Yes, it might make you uncomfortable in places, but it makes you THINK. It makes you feel so much. It's just really, really worth it.
dnf
August 20, 2023The first book was okay and got amazing toward the end, so I was willing to give this plenty of time to get better, and was mostly reading for relationship resolution from the first book.
Then this took a turn toward the ick (hard to label without giving spoilers but kind of in the manipulative relationship zone, but worse) and I considered giving up, but decided to keep going just for story resolution.
Then after making it about 80% of the way through, a big reveal involved LOTS of pro-abortion language and discussion. (Talking about how fetuses were 'potential people' and other more aggressively disturbing statements.)
I did skim some of the rest of the story just to get the resolution and it totally wasn't worth it.
If you liked the first book, save yourself the misery and just head canon your own OTP. Do not read this book.
Then this took a turn toward the ick (hard to label without giving spoilers but kind of in the manipulative relationship zone, but worse) and I considered giving up, but decided to keep going just for story resolution.
Then after making it about 80% of the way through, a big reveal involved LOTS of pro-abortion language and discussion. (Talking about how fetuses were 'potential people' and other more aggressively disturbing statements.)
I did skim some of the rest of the story just to get the resolution and it totally wasn't worth it.
If you liked the first book, save yourself the misery and just head canon your own OTP. Do not read this book.
July 23, 2015
www.bookenthral.com
**May contain spoilers from previous books in the series*
I was so, so eager to read this book, I loved A Long, Long Sleep and couldn’t wait to see what was happening with Rose, little did I know this book is actually based in Otto’s POV. I was so confused about this because we get no indication that this is book is in anyone else’s perspective but Rose while reading the blurb. I feel like I was thrown an unwanted curveball.
I am unfortunate to say that I think No Life But This suffers from a bit of the sophomore curse. This book was far less amazing and captivating as the first UniCorp book. I flew through the first 150 or so pages but then (at least in my eyes) this book hits a very confusing slump which last the next hundred pages only to come back on the home stretch with an AMAZING ending. I think without that ending I would have had to give this book less than 3 stars.
Because the ending is by far the best part of this book I’m going to finish this review off with all the positives about it and start with the negatives:
As explained in A Long, Long Sleep, Otto is a genetically engineered being, he is half human half alien and because of this mixing of species Otto and his siblings have either already died or are going to die, which is what is happening to Otto in No Life But This. Part of the dying process is that you start to go mad. This is what bothered me. The middle 100 pages which took me like 3 days to get through is mostly about Otto going and functioning as someone who has completely lost their mind. Otto can receive and send telepathic messages so his going mad process also involves a lot of different voices and personalities in his head and it was EXTREMELY confusing. I couldn’t keep up with who controlling Otto (Otto or someone else in his head) and it was no fun to try and work out who was doing what. Another thing about Otto losing his mind which truly bothered me was that Otto’s strict moral code about never influencing someone into doing something they don’t want to do went right out the window. He did some extremely questionable things which had me on the boarder of calling him a horrible, manipulative, controlling, jealous person.
I didn’t mean to go on a long ramble about that but those middle 100 pages really ruined the story for me.
Also another thing I didn’t like was that Bren is barely in this book. I was excited to read about him again and then he’s barely in it! Same with the rest of Rose’s friends who we read about in A Long, Long Sleep.
Now onto the positives, because who likes to be a downer all day long!!
Rose and Otto’s romance!! I barely read books from males POVs and it even rarer that it is a romantic book! Otto has such strong feeling for Rose from the start of the book, you see him struggle with being jealous and having insecurities around her. When Otto isn’t losing his mind his and Rose’s relationship is very sweet and tentative, when he is losing his mind I am quite uncomfortable with it (you’ll have to read the book to understand). I loved reading from a male’s perspective about being in love but viewing Rose from someone else other than herself was a bit strange. You learn while reading this book that to the people who aren’t 100% important to Rose that she can be quite callous and demeaning to. It was pretty eye opening.
Just like in A Long, Long, Sleep the world building of Europa (the planet this book is mostly set on) is fantastic! I could picture the frozen to perfect city and the giant bodies of water. Sheehan is very talented with writing in a way that builds vivid images in your head.
The ending is pure amazing! The ending saved this book – It is so inventive and ingenious. I honestly did not see it coming at all throughout the book so when it did but it made so much weird but wonderful sense. The ending sets up for another book, and after that ending I am so keen to read it but considering there’s a 3 year gap between the first books publication and the second books, I don’t think I should start holding my breath. I also think it’s going to be in maybe Bren or Sarah’s POV since it looks like the POVs are changing each book.
Overall, when I think back on this book I will probably remember two things above the rest, that amazing ending and that really bad middle. Unfortunately doesn’t matter how great that ending was it can’t outweigh the massive chuck that I had to force myself to read. I am eager to see what happens next in this crazy world.
**May contain spoilers from previous books in the series*
I was so, so eager to read this book, I loved A Long, Long Sleep and couldn’t wait to see what was happening with Rose, little did I know this book is actually based in Otto’s POV. I was so confused about this because we get no indication that this is book is in anyone else’s perspective but Rose while reading the blurb. I feel like I was thrown an unwanted curveball.
I am unfortunate to say that I think No Life But This suffers from a bit of the sophomore curse. This book was far less amazing and captivating as the first UniCorp book. I flew through the first 150 or so pages but then (at least in my eyes) this book hits a very confusing slump which last the next hundred pages only to come back on the home stretch with an AMAZING ending. I think without that ending I would have had to give this book less than 3 stars.
Because the ending is by far the best part of this book I’m going to finish this review off with all the positives about it and start with the negatives:
As explained in A Long, Long Sleep, Otto is a genetically engineered being, he is half human half alien and because of this mixing of species Otto and his siblings have either already died or are going to die, which is what is happening to Otto in No Life But This. Part of the dying process is that you start to go mad. This is what bothered me. The middle 100 pages which took me like 3 days to get through is mostly about Otto going and functioning as someone who has completely lost their mind. Otto can receive and send telepathic messages so his going mad process also involves a lot of different voices and personalities in his head and it was EXTREMELY confusing. I couldn’t keep up with who controlling Otto (Otto or someone else in his head) and it was no fun to try and work out who was doing what. Another thing about Otto losing his mind which truly bothered me was that Otto’s strict moral code about never influencing someone into doing something they don’t want to do went right out the window. He did some extremely questionable things which had me on the boarder of calling him a horrible, manipulative, controlling, jealous person.
I didn’t mean to go on a long ramble about that but those middle 100 pages really ruined the story for me.
Also another thing I didn’t like was that Bren is barely in this book. I was excited to read about him again and then he’s barely in it! Same with the rest of Rose’s friends who we read about in A Long, Long Sleep.
Now onto the positives, because who likes to be a downer all day long!!
Rose and Otto’s romance!! I barely read books from males POVs and it even rarer that it is a romantic book! Otto has such strong feeling for Rose from the start of the book, you see him struggle with being jealous and having insecurities around her. When Otto isn’t losing his mind his and Rose’s relationship is very sweet and tentative, when he is losing his mind I am quite uncomfortable with it (you’ll have to read the book to understand). I loved reading from a male’s perspective about being in love but viewing Rose from someone else other than herself was a bit strange. You learn while reading this book that to the people who aren’t 100% important to Rose that she can be quite callous and demeaning to. It was pretty eye opening.
Just like in A Long, Long, Sleep the world building of Europa (the planet this book is mostly set on) is fantastic! I could picture the frozen to perfect city and the giant bodies of water. Sheehan is very talented with writing in a way that builds vivid images in your head.
The ending is pure amazing! The ending saved this book – It is so inventive and ingenious. I honestly did not see it coming at all throughout the book so when it did but it made so much weird but wonderful sense. The ending sets up for another book, and after that ending I am so keen to read it but considering there’s a 3 year gap between the first books publication and the second books, I don’t think I should start holding my breath. I also think it’s going to be in maybe Bren or Sarah’s POV since it looks like the POVs are changing each book.
Overall, when I think back on this book I will probably remember two things above the rest, that amazing ending and that really bad middle. Unfortunately doesn’t matter how great that ending was it can’t outweigh the massive chuck that I had to force myself to read. I am eager to see what happens next in this crazy world.
February 5, 2015
Originally published at SFFWorld.
No Life But This by Anna Sheehan is a stand-alone sequel to her 2011 novel, A Long, Long Sleep (review). When I read that novel upon its release I was surprised to find such an intimate and emotional story, one that pulled me in and completely captivated me with the writing and characters. Seeing that No Life But This was being released at the end of 2014 made it a book that I knew I had to read, and one that I hoped would evoke that same feeling of emotional connection I remembered so strongly from A Long, Long Sleep.
From the Publisher:
For Rose the dream is over, it’s time to wake up. She has the power to change the world – but can she make it better?
Rose slept for a hundred years and when she awoke the world as she knew it had vanished, utterly.
She has gone from being a cherished only child to being the sole heir to a vast, interstellar empire. From being alone to being surrounded by friends; from being protected against everything – whether she wanted to be or not – to having others depend upon her.
In the superb stand-alone novel A LONG, LONG SLEEP we saw her survive assassination attempts and heartbreak alike. Now, in the stand-alone sequel, Rose must take control of her future for the sake of her friends – and find a way to protect them without unwittingly caging them in love…
Where A Long, Long Sleep focused on Rose Fitzroy and her waking from a 62 year stasis sleep, No Life But This follows events after its conclusion. The point of view is also a different one, this time told from the perspective of Otto Sextus, one of Rose’s friends, and, along with some of the others in the group, the result of a genetic experiment created on the moon of Europa.
No Life But This starts off in a relatively straight-forward manor. We’re introduced to Otto and Rose, as well as the other surviving members of the Europa experiment. However, out of these survivors Quin stands out the most with his seeming uncaring and harsh personality, though each of the group gets a good look through Otto’s eyes.
Otto is a strange one to tell the story through, being unable to talk, instead communicating telepathically through touch. He can whisper on occasion, but it hurts him to do so and only does this to those he is closest to. This is a side effect of his genetics, and each of the experimental subjects display varying levels of this power. Otto is by far the most extreme, with Quin the most normal of the lot. Of course, normality is relative when they’ve all got blue skin – again another result of the genetic experiment.
Rose, the main character from the first novel, is the focus of Otto’s attention, for he is in love with her. But her stasis sleep has caused her to be completely out of touch with those she knew when younger, particularly her childhood boyfriend, Xavier, who is now in his 70’s. Due to this, and the uniqueness of Otto’s genetics, we’re left with a story that, while dealing with a clear issue – that of Otto’s declining health and mental state, and the quest to Europa in an attempt to heal him – is another intimate affair that Sheehan handles with grace and ease.
Using an SF setting to tell this story really does increase the emotional connections between the characters, especially Otto and Rose. However, the narrative doesn’t get bogged down by any needless world building or exposition, it simply tells the story of these relationships and the effect they have on all around Otto. When the story shifts focus to Europa things get interesting for many reasons, not least because Otto is slowly losing his mind due to his condition. It also gives Sheehan a chance to go past a character-focused story and establish an interesting society that is entirely believable.
No Life But This completely met my expectations, and it’s a novel that I thoroughly enjoyed for its emotional and character-focused plot. While marketed as a stand-alone, I would highly recommend starting with A Long, Long Sleep before reading this one, if for no other reason than it’s a great novel. Books like No Life But This don’t come along often, but when they do it once again shows how diverse and interesting the science fiction genre is. Recommended.
No Life But This by Anna Sheehan is a stand-alone sequel to her 2011 novel, A Long, Long Sleep (review). When I read that novel upon its release I was surprised to find such an intimate and emotional story, one that pulled me in and completely captivated me with the writing and characters. Seeing that No Life But This was being released at the end of 2014 made it a book that I knew I had to read, and one that I hoped would evoke that same feeling of emotional connection I remembered so strongly from A Long, Long Sleep.
From the Publisher:
For Rose the dream is over, it’s time to wake up. She has the power to change the world – but can she make it better?
Rose slept for a hundred years and when she awoke the world as she knew it had vanished, utterly.
She has gone from being a cherished only child to being the sole heir to a vast, interstellar empire. From being alone to being surrounded by friends; from being protected against everything – whether she wanted to be or not – to having others depend upon her.
In the superb stand-alone novel A LONG, LONG SLEEP we saw her survive assassination attempts and heartbreak alike. Now, in the stand-alone sequel, Rose must take control of her future for the sake of her friends – and find a way to protect them without unwittingly caging them in love…
Where A Long, Long Sleep focused on Rose Fitzroy and her waking from a 62 year stasis sleep, No Life But This follows events after its conclusion. The point of view is also a different one, this time told from the perspective of Otto Sextus, one of Rose’s friends, and, along with some of the others in the group, the result of a genetic experiment created on the moon of Europa.
No Life But This starts off in a relatively straight-forward manor. We’re introduced to Otto and Rose, as well as the other surviving members of the Europa experiment. However, out of these survivors Quin stands out the most with his seeming uncaring and harsh personality, though each of the group gets a good look through Otto’s eyes.
Otto is a strange one to tell the story through, being unable to talk, instead communicating telepathically through touch. He can whisper on occasion, but it hurts him to do so and only does this to those he is closest to. This is a side effect of his genetics, and each of the experimental subjects display varying levels of this power. Otto is by far the most extreme, with Quin the most normal of the lot. Of course, normality is relative when they’ve all got blue skin – again another result of the genetic experiment.
Rose, the main character from the first novel, is the focus of Otto’s attention, for he is in love with her. But her stasis sleep has caused her to be completely out of touch with those she knew when younger, particularly her childhood boyfriend, Xavier, who is now in his 70’s. Due to this, and the uniqueness of Otto’s genetics, we’re left with a story that, while dealing with a clear issue – that of Otto’s declining health and mental state, and the quest to Europa in an attempt to heal him – is another intimate affair that Sheehan handles with grace and ease.
Using an SF setting to tell this story really does increase the emotional connections between the characters, especially Otto and Rose. However, the narrative doesn’t get bogged down by any needless world building or exposition, it simply tells the story of these relationships and the effect they have on all around Otto. When the story shifts focus to Europa things get interesting for many reasons, not least because Otto is slowly losing his mind due to his condition. It also gives Sheehan a chance to go past a character-focused story and establish an interesting society that is entirely believable.
No Life But This completely met my expectations, and it’s a novel that I thoroughly enjoyed for its emotional and character-focused plot. While marketed as a stand-alone, I would highly recommend starting with A Long, Long Sleep before reading this one, if for no other reason than it’s a great novel. Books like No Life But This don’t come along often, but when they do it once again shows how diverse and interesting the science fiction genre is. Recommended.
February 18, 2015
A body in motion stays in motion; a body at rest stays at rest. A character at rest usually bores the reader. That is why authors cook up really awful situations to put their characters in. Those are the most interesting characters to read about.
Anna Sheehan is particularly good at coming up with awful problems packaged in pink satin with ribbons that don’t look so bad at first glance, but become more and more pernicious as the reader explores them. In her first published book, A Long, Long Sleep , Sheehan tells of a Sleeping Beauty character, Rose, who is awakened after spending 62 years in a protective stasis tube, apparently to protect her from the social upheaval of the Hard Times. She has always been given the finest of everything, and she awakens to discover that she is the heir to an empire. But she is hurt and broken. She slowly comes to realize that the reason she was left in stasis was not to protect her, but because she was her mother’s accessory, like a handbag, or a Chihuahua, and she had gone hopelessly out of style. Now Rose must create her own life.
Sheehan’s second book, No Life But This , is set in the same world, but it is not a continuation of Rose’s story. Instead, it is the story of Rose’s friend, Otto. His history is very different from Rose’s, but similar in that the horror of his situation doesn’t become apparent right away. He is human-like, but with the addition of DNA from life found on Europa. He is blue. He lacks a speaking voice, but has the ability to communicate through touch. He has been reared in a laboratory with all of his needs very scientifically met. He attends an exclusive private school where his closest friends are the elite of the solar system. He has fallen in love. It sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? But he is owned by the company that created him, and he is dying.
The book is the story of Otto’s quest to find a way not to die, and his search for answers to the question “Why did someone make me like this?” Otto finally gets his answers, but they are not at all what he expected. Sheehan makes it very clear that evil exists in her world, but she also shows how likeable characters, even characters who are ‘Good,’ can be pushed into corners where they do terrible things because they don’t know what else to do. During the course of the book there were characters that I wanted to knock upside the head, and some that I thought deserved to be destroyed in a flash of scattered typeface. (There are some explosions in this book, but it is still not a story of gory violence, but rather of subtle manipulation that is just as harmful.)
But by the end, Sheehan managed to redeem all of the characters I cared about. There was still evil to be fought, but each of the characters had faced their own guilt and had a plan to atone for it and move on. The characters had gone through some painful but necessary changes that will allow them to move forward in a better, healthier way.
Was there a fairytale ending with true lovers united? No. But seriously, while Rose may actually be 101, she only feels 17. That’s not an age at which people settle down to live happily ever after. There is a lot more to come for both Rose and Otto.
Anna Sheehan is particularly good at coming up with awful problems packaged in pink satin with ribbons that don’t look so bad at first glance, but become more and more pernicious as the reader explores them. In her first published book, A Long, Long Sleep , Sheehan tells of a Sleeping Beauty character, Rose, who is awakened after spending 62 years in a protective stasis tube, apparently to protect her from the social upheaval of the Hard Times. She has always been given the finest of everything, and she awakens to discover that she is the heir to an empire. But she is hurt and broken. She slowly comes to realize that the reason she was left in stasis was not to protect her, but because she was her mother’s accessory, like a handbag, or a Chihuahua, and she had gone hopelessly out of style. Now Rose must create her own life.
Sheehan’s second book, No Life But This , is set in the same world, but it is not a continuation of Rose’s story. Instead, it is the story of Rose’s friend, Otto. His history is very different from Rose’s, but similar in that the horror of his situation doesn’t become apparent right away. He is human-like, but with the addition of DNA from life found on Europa. He is blue. He lacks a speaking voice, but has the ability to communicate through touch. He has been reared in a laboratory with all of his needs very scientifically met. He attends an exclusive private school where his closest friends are the elite of the solar system. He has fallen in love. It sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? But he is owned by the company that created him, and he is dying.
The book is the story of Otto’s quest to find a way not to die, and his search for answers to the question “Why did someone make me like this?” Otto finally gets his answers, but they are not at all what he expected. Sheehan makes it very clear that evil exists in her world, but she also shows how likeable characters, even characters who are ‘Good,’ can be pushed into corners where they do terrible things because they don’t know what else to do. During the course of the book there were characters that I wanted to knock upside the head, and some that I thought deserved to be destroyed in a flash of scattered typeface. (There are some explosions in this book, but it is still not a story of gory violence, but rather of subtle manipulation that is just as harmful.)
But by the end, Sheehan managed to redeem all of the characters I cared about. There was still evil to be fought, but each of the characters had faced their own guilt and had a plan to atone for it and move on. The characters had gone through some painful but necessary changes that will allow them to move forward in a better, healthier way.
Was there a fairytale ending with true lovers united? No. But seriously, while Rose may actually be 101, she only feels 17. That’s not an age at which people settle down to live happily ever after. There is a lot more to come for both Rose and Otto.
January 7, 2015
Ahhhhh.... I wish there were lots more books like Anna Sheehan's. This is the kind of sci fi I like--it's fresh and tackles real problems within a speculative environment. It's wholly original and unexpected. I really hope there are more books to come in this series, because I'd love to find out more about these characters. (Plus, the ending hints at more, definitely.)
I think you could read this as a standalone, although it's better if you read the first book, A Long, Long Sleep. This book is about Otto, who is...not quite human, having been injected with DNA from the native organisms of Jupiter's moon Europa. But he lives on Earth. He's the blueskinned friend of Rose, heiress of UniCorps (the company that rules the solar system and incidentally "made" Otto). She woke up in the last book after years of being forgotten in statis, thanks to her parents, who were rather abusive about things like that. Otto is someone she can talk to who really understands what life is like for her, because Otto can communicate by touching people and listening/speaking directly with their minds.
Anyway, in this book, Otto is scared, and Otto is sick. Most of his "siblings" have died, and he is scared of being next. Even though Rose is still mostly in love with her old boyfriend Xavier, she still cares about Otto--enough to take him to Europa to get help. And some interesting developments take place there. Which I can't say without being spoilerish.
If you made a movie of this, it wouldn't be full of a brand new action scene every three minutes. But I really liked how Sheehan took the time to delve into the consequences of people's choices. Rose isn't suddenly all better after finding out that stassing your kids is criminal. Otto doesn't get any quick cures. He's seen and experienced some rather strong things because of his peculiar way of communicating, and it affects him strongly. So...you're in Otto's head a LOT. But I thought it was rather well done. And even though the ending was not the one I wanted, I felt convinced by it--which is very hard to pull off (making me believe the ending I didn't want).
There's still room for a sequel, though. ;)
I'd recommend these books to anyone who likes books by Jackie Dolamore or RJ Anderson--like them, they include a close POV and a really non-vanilla worldview. Good stuff!
I think you could read this as a standalone, although it's better if you read the first book, A Long, Long Sleep. This book is about Otto, who is...not quite human, having been injected with DNA from the native organisms of Jupiter's moon Europa. But he lives on Earth. He's the blueskinned friend of Rose, heiress of UniCorps (the company that rules the solar system and incidentally "made" Otto). She woke up in the last book after years of being forgotten in statis, thanks to her parents, who were rather abusive about things like that. Otto is someone she can talk to who really understands what life is like for her, because Otto can communicate by touching people and listening/speaking directly with their minds.
Anyway, in this book, Otto is scared, and Otto is sick. Most of his "siblings" have died, and he is scared of being next. Even though Rose is still mostly in love with her old boyfriend Xavier, she still cares about Otto--enough to take him to Europa to get help. And some interesting developments take place there. Which I can't say without being spoilerish.
If you made a movie of this, it wouldn't be full of a brand new action scene every three minutes. But I really liked how Sheehan took the time to delve into the consequences of people's choices. Rose isn't suddenly all better after finding out that stassing your kids is criminal. Otto doesn't get any quick cures. He's seen and experienced some rather strong things because of his peculiar way of communicating, and it affects him strongly. So...you're in Otto's head a LOT. But I thought it was rather well done. And even though the ending was not the one I wanted, I felt convinced by it--which is very hard to pull off (making me believe the ending I didn't want).
There's still room for a sequel, though. ;)
I'd recommend these books to anyone who likes books by Jackie Dolamore or RJ Anderson--like them, they include a close POV and a really non-vanilla worldview. Good stuff!
November 13, 2016
I loved and adored Sheehan's first book, A LONG, LONG SLEEP, and was happy to see there was a second book in the series. However, it took my years to finally start reading it, in part I think because I was worried it wouldn't live up to the first. Therefore, it took a little bit for me to remember what had happened prior and who the different characters were.
I was surprised that the focus of this book was not on Rose's search for her other siblings, but on Otto, who is dying. In an attempt to save him, Rose et al take him to Jupiter's Ice Moon for experimental treatment.
Really, this story should be divorced from the first one because while the characters are the same and the plot continues from the first book, the feel and focus is greatly different. That said, it was a completely worthwhile book to read and I enjoyed it immensely, once I realized that it was exploring a new direction that I had previously not expected. This is also much more science-fictiony than the first book, which might be jarring for readers, but I enjoyed.
That said -- there were some ethical boundaries that characters crossed in this book that I really did not like, and I felt that Sheehan needed more discussion about them. It is obvious that Rose is greatly damaged, as is Otto, and that consent is questionable even when it was given. In some sense, I think I would have preferred if the character had had sex, instead of the mental melding and borderline mind-rape that occurred. That scene was intensely disturbing to read.
But. At the end, there was a brief dangling plot point regarding Rose's missing siblings, and I really hope that Sheehan gets the opportunity to explore that in a later book. I want to read that story!
I was surprised that the focus of this book was not on Rose's search for her other siblings, but on Otto, who is dying. In an attempt to save him, Rose et al take him to Jupiter's Ice Moon for experimental treatment.
Really, this story should be divorced from the first one because while the characters are the same and the plot continues from the first book, the feel and focus is greatly different. That said, it was a completely worthwhile book to read and I enjoyed it immensely, once I realized that it was exploring a new direction that I had previously not expected. This is also much more science-fictiony than the first book, which might be jarring for readers, but I enjoyed.
That said -- there were some ethical boundaries that characters crossed in this book that I really did not like, and I felt that Sheehan needed more discussion about them. It is obvious that Rose is greatly damaged, as is Otto, and that consent is questionable even when it was given. In some sense, I think I would have preferred if the character had had sex, instead of the mental melding and borderline mind-rape that occurred. That scene was intensely disturbing to read.
But. At the end, there was a brief dangling plot point regarding Rose's missing siblings, and I really hope that Sheehan gets the opportunity to explore that in a later book. I want to read that story!
March 16, 2015
A Long, Long Sleep is one of my favorite YA books, so I was really excited for this one. I gobbled the first one up in a couple of days, but the sequel was harder for me to get through.
It's full of beautiful descriptions of a sci fi universe and philosophical musings about unity, which I liked. But I really missed seeing things from Rose's POV. I used to like Otto a lot, but after being in his head for so long, not so much anymore. His obsession with Rose is TOO overwhelming to the point where it's not romantic-cute at all anymore. It got tiresome to read about how gorgeous she was for the millionth time.
I read that the author's US publisher wanted her to basically write the same thing again for the sequel, and I'm guessing that means they wanted her to focus on Rose's siblings being found instead of on Otto's journey. I really wish her siblings had played a bigger role. But it was still interesting to learn more about the experimental children. I just wasn't as broken up by the end of the book as I felt I should be because
It's full of beautiful descriptions of a sci fi universe and philosophical musings about unity, which I liked. But I really missed seeing things from Rose's POV. I used to like Otto a lot, but after being in his head for so long, not so much anymore. His obsession with Rose is TOO overwhelming to the point where it's not romantic-cute at all anymore. It got tiresome to read about how gorgeous she was for the millionth time.
I read that the author's US publisher wanted her to basically write the same thing again for the sequel, and I'm guessing that means they wanted her to focus on Rose's siblings being found instead of on Otto's journey. I really wish her siblings had played a bigger role. But it was still interesting to learn more about the experimental children. I just wasn't as broken up by the end of the book as I felt I should be because
June 26, 2017
I wanted to love this, I really did. I really enjoyed the first one and was looking forward to discovering more of Rose's story. Unfortunately, this was more Otto's story than Rose's. Yes, she was key in the plot and yes, there was some progression to her story, but being told from Otto's point of view changed the entire feel of the book and it just didn't grab my attention the way the first one did. I'm not sure if there will be any other books, but there is definitely room for Rose's story to continue. If it does, I hope I'll enjoy it more than I enjoyed this one.
June 12, 2018
Did not finish after three chapters. Ugg. I loved the first book so much. I don’t know if I changed too much since I first read this author’s work, or if this sequel is really very different. The writing style was not working for me, but what *really* bothered me was the way the narrator thought about his crush. It was very creepy and weird. And there was a scene where he withheld information from her and did something very telepathically intimate without telling her what it was. Consent is informed. She was uninformed, so she could not consent. That scene was super creepy.
Want to read
December 25, 2013There's going to be a sequel?
Excuse me whilst I asdfghjkl;
Excuse me whilst I asdfghjkl;
Want to read
January 4, 2015The first book's cover is perfect. . .what in the world is going on with this one? The kid looks like 10. . .
February 8, 2015
Oh, I love Otto. This whole story is still crushingly heartbreaking. So glad the kindle was finally up!!
August 13, 2017
I read the first book and I absolutely loved it, but this one was a major let down!! A long long Sleep left us with a cliff hanger and this is the route Anna Sheehan took it? Rather than finishing where she left off, she tried to start up another story line. This one lacked way too many details and there were several things that made me yawn reading it. A lot of things seemed to drag on and become page filler. As much as I would've loved reading about Otto and the EP kids story, the 2nd book was definitely not the book to do it with after the reveal of her having siblings in the first one.
Quin turns into the guy nobody likes and this story line is pressed with so many annoyances it made me want to skip pages with how annoying this book was. I mean the lack of descriptions on certain things and the amount of story line annoyances there were. To put it this way, I only have 2 pages left and to cool off, I'm ranting about how bad this second book is on here. I had to look at the title of the book because I could not remember it. It's barely a step up from twilight. I also didn't like how it seemed Quin wasn't the same character as the first book. Characters didn't seem the same as they were in the first book and the biggest sentence that pissed me off was "Rose became her father." The whole BS that children become their parents is annoyingly untrue. It doesn't happen all the time, but of course in this book it would because why not.
I liked Rose and Otto being a platonic relationship and I would've much rather have seen her chase her siblings with Otto AS A FRIEND than try to force the relationship that this book tried to stir up. I guess the rebellion was what was needed to create action? The rebellion seemed forced. I understand there was time made to create the setting on Europa, but this setting seemed forced. I wasn't expecting some magical place that was all glittery, but I wasn't expecting something as mixed as this was. Plastines being so analytical and they still couldn't control the tunnels? Rebels were starving but I guess banded together somehow long enough to create bombs rather than find actual food. I'm not buying the whole scene where Rose was yelling at everyone to find Otto and he was just there.
Reading the I stuff was extremely annoying because it sounded like it was trying to be one of those "Mind f*ck" things, but it caused way more an eye roll than that. Then to ultimately have Otto not even be with Rose made it seem like a waste of time, paper, money, and space. All that crap just for that? A big let down. I wasn't expecting no happy ending with how the last book was, but the ending of this book wasn't a cliff hanger, it wasn't depressing. It was frustrating.
*I admit my initial one star rating was too low, but I believe it deserves no greater than a 2.
If you're considering this book, it's a quick read but my advice is only read it because you read the first one. If you want to read for enjoyment, just read the first book again.
Quin turns into the guy nobody likes and this story line is pressed with so many annoyances it made me want to skip pages with how annoying this book was. I mean the lack of descriptions on certain things and the amount of story line annoyances there were. To put it this way, I only have 2 pages left and to cool off, I'm ranting about how bad this second book is on here. I had to look at the title of the book because I could not remember it. It's barely a step up from twilight. I also didn't like how it seemed Quin wasn't the same character as the first book. Characters didn't seem the same as they were in the first book and the biggest sentence that pissed me off was "Rose became her father." The whole BS that children become their parents is annoyingly untrue. It doesn't happen all the time, but of course in this book it would because why not.
I liked Rose and Otto being a platonic relationship and I would've much rather have seen her chase her siblings with Otto AS A FRIEND than try to force the relationship that this book tried to stir up. I guess the rebellion was what was needed to create action? The rebellion seemed forced. I understand there was time made to create the setting on Europa, but this setting seemed forced. I wasn't expecting some magical place that was all glittery, but I wasn't expecting something as mixed as this was. Plastines being so analytical and they still couldn't control the tunnels? Rebels were starving but I guess banded together somehow long enough to create bombs rather than find actual food. I'm not buying the whole scene where Rose was yelling at everyone to find Otto and he was just there.
Reading the I stuff was extremely annoying because it sounded like it was trying to be one of those "Mind f*ck" things, but it caused way more an eye roll than that. Then to ultimately have Otto not even be with Rose made it seem like a waste of time, paper, money, and space. All that crap just for that? A big let down. I wasn't expecting no happy ending with how the last book was, but the ending of this book wasn't a cliff hanger, it wasn't depressing. It was frustrating.
*I admit my initial one star rating was too low, but I believe it deserves no greater than a 2.
If you're considering this book, it's a quick read but my advice is only read it because you read the first one. If you want to read for enjoyment, just read the first book again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2025
This book eviscerated my heart.
I understand why this sequel to A Long, Long Sleep has a much lower rating on Goodreads than its predecessor because I think people give stars based more on enjoyment than merit. This was not an enjoyable read. There's a lot of pain in this one. Sheehan unflinchingly captures the pain and grief of human existence, packages it into beautifully crafted paragraphs of shrapnel, then mercilessly scatters them into the narrative.
Otto, Rose, Xavier and Quin are are complex, sometimes unlikeable, oftentimes flawed, but always deeply understandable characters. They make mistakes, give in to their darker sides and let fear or anger influence their actions. But love is deeply woven into their stories, and, for me anyway, it was easy to empathise with every character. This novel makes you confront uncomfortable realities: life isn't fair, people are forced into participating in evil by the societies they live in, there are no easy solutions, and sometimes there is no happily ever after.
I loved Otto as a character and felt like I understood his motivations very well, even at the height of his madness. If you've ever been an outcast, stared at, pitied, struggled to communicate (and at the same time, overwhelmed people with your intensity when you *did* communicate), loved desperately and hopelessly, this character will resonate with you. A lot of people may dislike the direction that his relationship with Rose took in the middle portion of the novel, but I don't think what he did was out of character or completely unforgivable.
I also love that Rose and Xavier's love from the first novel wasn't erased or glossed over. This novel has a very mature view of love: it is possible to love someone deeply, intensely, tragically, never recover from that love, and yet still go on to love another.
The middle portion of the novel became quite dense with world-building, politics and societal issues which I feel like could have benefited from another few chapters. But then again, I was struggling about 70% of the way in because things felt so unrelentingly bleak, so I'm glad the ending wasn't delayed any further. The last chapter and the epilogue are incredibly powerful, and felt so bright and clear and sharp, like emerging, gasping, from an icy lake, or supernova bursting against your ribcage. Okay I may be a little biased because this story had personal meaning for me. But the ending was magnificent.
People wanting a simple love story or easily understood characters won't have the patience for this, because it is dark and twisty and dense and complex. But there were so many things to love about this novel, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven sci-fi with well-researched, intelligent societal issues and deep world building.
I understand why this sequel to A Long, Long Sleep has a much lower rating on Goodreads than its predecessor because I think people give stars based more on enjoyment than merit. This was not an enjoyable read. There's a lot of pain in this one. Sheehan unflinchingly captures the pain and grief of human existence, packages it into beautifully crafted paragraphs of shrapnel, then mercilessly scatters them into the narrative.
Otto, Rose, Xavier and Quin are are complex, sometimes unlikeable, oftentimes flawed, but always deeply understandable characters. They make mistakes, give in to their darker sides and let fear or anger influence their actions. But love is deeply woven into their stories, and, for me anyway, it was easy to empathise with every character. This novel makes you confront uncomfortable realities: life isn't fair, people are forced into participating in evil by the societies they live in, there are no easy solutions, and sometimes there is no happily ever after.
I loved Otto as a character and felt like I understood his motivations very well, even at the height of his madness. If you've ever been an outcast, stared at, pitied, struggled to communicate (and at the same time, overwhelmed people with your intensity when you *did* communicate), loved desperately and hopelessly, this character will resonate with you. A lot of people may dislike the direction that his relationship with Rose took in the middle portion of the novel, but I don't think what he did was out of character or completely unforgivable.
I also love that Rose and Xavier's love from the first novel wasn't erased or glossed over. This novel has a very mature view of love: it is possible to love someone deeply, intensely, tragically, never recover from that love, and yet still go on to love another.
The middle portion of the novel became quite dense with world-building, politics and societal issues which I feel like could have benefited from another few chapters. But then again, I was struggling about 70% of the way in because things felt so unrelentingly bleak, so I'm glad the ending wasn't delayed any further. The last chapter and the epilogue are incredibly powerful, and felt so bright and clear and sharp, like emerging, gasping, from an icy lake, or supernova bursting against your ribcage. Okay I may be a little biased because this story had personal meaning for me. But the ending was magnificent.
People wanting a simple love story or easily understood characters won't have the patience for this, because it is dark and twisty and dense and complex. But there were so many things to love about this novel, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys character-driven sci-fi with well-researched, intelligent societal issues and deep world building.
June 14, 2021
I find it hard to put into words how I feel about this book, especially how I feel about it as a sequel to A Long, Long Sleep. I think the best word to describe this book is “messy”, but I don’t believe that makes it bad. The beginning of No Life But This had a tone quite different from its predecessor, and the change in perspective to Otto was only a small part of this. The beginning of the novel was more akin to your typical YA romance, one character pining for another in a generally angsty manor, but as the novel progressed it almost seemed to morph into an entirely different book and I kind of wish Sheehan had gone about a different route for introducing the major conflicts in the latter half of the book. As the book progresses, we see Otto’s general angst deepen into existential dread as he starts to comprehend his possible impending death as well as the circumstances of his and his siblings creation through reprehensible genetic experiment. The nature of Otto’s mind makes this journey a difficult one to follow, both logically and emotionally.
In my review of A Long, Long Sleep, I griped about wanting to know more about the intricacies of this future interplanetary world, as well as the implications of a gargantuan like UniCorp, and I certainly got this tenfold. Otto and his siblings are a prime example of the corruption of UniCorp: reckless combination of human and alien life. Additionally, we get some glimpses of what the politics are like on the outer planets. Although these topics, and some more, were explored, I feel Sheehan was just too ambitious in her undertaking of this universe; I can feel this is just a small fraction of the universe she has created in her mind, but the scale is just too much to fit in so small a space.
Overall, I’m glad to have read this book, but I think it is not as strong as A Long, Long Sleep which was much more focused the conveyance of its moral themes. The ending is bittersweet and somewhat unsatisfactory to my need for a happy ending. No Life But This closes with a pretty clear finality while also providing a contradictory possibility of future installments. I would be interested to read another book in this series, but it’s been a while since publication and I have little hope of a follow-up; nevertheless, I am happy to have been able to read No Life But This.
In my review of A Long, Long Sleep, I griped about wanting to know more about the intricacies of this future interplanetary world, as well as the implications of a gargantuan like UniCorp, and I certainly got this tenfold. Otto and his siblings are a prime example of the corruption of UniCorp: reckless combination of human and alien life. Additionally, we get some glimpses of what the politics are like on the outer planets. Although these topics, and some more, were explored, I feel Sheehan was just too ambitious in her undertaking of this universe; I can feel this is just a small fraction of the universe she has created in her mind, but the scale is just too much to fit in so small a space.
Overall, I’m glad to have read this book, but I think it is not as strong as A Long, Long Sleep which was much more focused the conveyance of its moral themes. The ending is bittersweet and somewhat unsatisfactory to my need for a happy ending. No Life But This closes with a pretty clear finality while also providing a contradictory possibility of future installments. I would be interested to read another book in this series, but it’s been a while since publication and I have little hope of a follow-up; nevertheless, I am happy to have been able to read No Life But This.
June 25, 2025
Welp, this wasn't easy. Mid-book, I really was like nope, nah, I don't want this, not for me, but fortunately the story managed to bring itself back by the end. But, needless to say, not exactly the Otto-story I expected.
In the first book, Otto was a breath of fresh air, a friendly, honest voice Rose could talk to, sort of an outsider like her. You could feel he was immediately attracted to her, but it was their friendship that I appreciated, it was a shining light in the big depression. In this book, we see through Otto's eyes, and it's not long that we figure out how much he suffers and how not-so-sweet and nice his inner life is. It was hard to accept at first, even though he had every reason: from even before his birth, his existance is surrounded by tragedies and injustices. He's the ultimate outsider, alongside his "siblings", with no hope to ever really connect with the world that forced him to life.
Except for Rose. So maybe his obsession is unavoidable. They are at the same time good, and terribly bad for each other. They want to be together, but they're too wounded for it to work. And the book really goes into this...uncomfortable, using Otto's telepathic ability to its full extent. There were parts that were truly awful to read -- I understand why they were needed, but I did not enjoy it. Especially because it's really difficult to judge how much Otto can be blamed for the things he did. Especially because we're talking about traumatized children.
On the other hand, we also spent a lot of time on the world, the world UniCorp (Rose's family) built, which is...well, somewhat dystopia-like, in places. I liked how we got to know more about it compared to the first book. By the end, I even wished we spent more time with the rebels, with the history of Europa etc. so that the endgame connected even better.
But yeah, the ending was satisfying, against and with all this, as much as it could be, for Otto, for Rose, even for Quin and Xavier. Things fell into their place, moral values kinda restored, and there is Some Hope for a better tomorrow. I don't think we'll get a third book after all these years, although there could be one, and I would read it.
Torturous book, thank you.
In the first book, Otto was a breath of fresh air, a friendly, honest voice Rose could talk to, sort of an outsider like her. You could feel he was immediately attracted to her, but it was their friendship that I appreciated, it was a shining light in the big depression. In this book, we see through Otto's eyes, and it's not long that we figure out how much he suffers and how not-so-sweet and nice his inner life is. It was hard to accept at first, even though he had every reason: from even before his birth, his existance is surrounded by tragedies and injustices. He's the ultimate outsider, alongside his "siblings", with no hope to ever really connect with the world that forced him to life.
Except for Rose. So maybe his obsession is unavoidable. They are at the same time good, and terribly bad for each other. They want to be together, but they're too wounded for it to work. And the book really goes into this...uncomfortable, using Otto's telepathic ability to its full extent. There were parts that were truly awful to read -- I understand why they were needed, but I did not enjoy it. Especially because it's really difficult to judge how much Otto can be blamed for the things he did. Especially because we're talking about traumatized children.
On the other hand, we also spent a lot of time on the world, the world UniCorp (Rose's family) built, which is...well, somewhat dystopia-like, in places. I liked how we got to know more about it compared to the first book. By the end, I even wished we spent more time with the rebels, with the history of Europa etc. so that the endgame connected even better.
But yeah, the ending was satisfying, against and with all this, as much as it could be, for Otto, for Rose, even for Quin and Xavier. Things fell into their place, moral values kinda restored, and there is Some Hope for a better tomorrow. I don't think we'll get a third book after all these years, although there could be one, and I would read it.
Torturous book, thank you.
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