Sleeper Code

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Welcome to the world of Tom Lovett. At sixteen, Tom is homeschooled, but not for the reasons that many students are. No, Tom is homeschooled because his parents don't believe that he can function in a normal high school. Because Tom has narcolepsy, a disease that makes him fall asleep at any moment, and sometimes for days at a time. These attacks, as he calls them, haven't happened in over two weeks, and he's determined to get his parents to let him attend a public school. But when he also mentions that he's stopped taking his medication that's supposed to help control his narcoleptic attacks, all hell breaks loose.

What's worse than losing days, though, is the very real dreams he's started to have show more about murder. More specifically, murders he's committing. At first Tom believes that they're just dreams, very real hallucinations made up by his miswired brain, tricks that are being played on him. Then Tom finds out that he's not really going crazy. Even worse, he really has committed murder--several times, in fact, since he's a trained assassin.

It seems that his narcolepsy isn't just a disease he was born with, but a carefully orchestrated part of a plot to keep his sleeping self away from his waking self. Suddenly the life he thought was looking up, especially since Madison Fitzgerald moved in next door, is going downhill fast. Unable to believe that he's two distinct personalities living in the same body, Tom is determined to prove his dreams are wrong. What happens instead, though, is a long descent into murder, destruction, and mayhem.

Mr. Sniegoski has taken a totally original concept and turned it into an action-packed story that will have you turning pages long into the night. Once you realize exactly who and what Tom is, you can't help but be equally horrified and interested in this young man. As Madison and her family also become targets for Tom's clandestine organization, as Tom learns that his parents aren't his parents but instead handlers, and as he becomes determined to break free from his other identity once and for all, the story takes on mythic proportions. Once you read SLEEPER CODE, you'll be dying to read SLEEPER AGENDA, the second book in the THE SLEEPER CONSPIRACY. This is definitely a book for all action-adventure lovers! show less

Tom wants nothing more than to be a normal kid. Unfortunately he has been diagnosed with Quentin's narcolepsy, a rare and serious form of the disorder. He loses days at a time to sleep. However, it turns out things are not what they seem, and he might not really just be sleeping after all. Through narrative that shifts from scenes of an assassin at work and Tom's daily life, the reader is aware that something strange is going on before Tom knows. Madison, the smart, resourceful love interest who helps Tom realize that there is some truth to the weird nightmares that he has been having and the appearance of his doppleganger, Tyler. Although the beginning of the book feels a little choppy with the separate scenes, once the reader gets the show more bigger picture the book is a page turner. I'm anxious to find out what happens to Tom in the next installment. show less

Fans of the Alex Rider series will enjoy this action flick, with its snappy pacing, guns, fights, and bad guys. However, readers looking for deep characters will be disappointed with shallow stereotypes. The setting at times feels fake, and the emotional conflicts overwrought. The author avoids dealing with any of the more complex issues that the subject of an involuntary assassin could create. But if all you're looking for is a good action story, then you'll love this book.

Tom Lovett suffers from a rare form of narcolepsy. Whenever an attack hits him, he doesn’t know if he’ll be out for a few minutes or several days. Tom’s parents keep a close eye on everything he does since he never knows when he’ll have an attack. He is home schooled and doesn’t have any friends his own age. Tom is extremely isolated and lonely.Tom can’t believe his luck when a beautiful girl moves in next door. Madison notices Tom too and doesn’t waste any time introducing herself. The two hit it off immediately. Everything seems to be going great for Tom until he realizes his life isn’t what he thinks it is.Tom is a sleeper agent developed by a secret government agency. Whenever he has a narcoleptic attack, it is being show more triggered by a satellite that is sending him orders for his next mission. If he thought is narcolepsy was a pain - just wait until he starts dealing with the government!Fans of espionage stories like the Bourne Identity will really enjoy this two part series. SLEEPER CODE (Book 1) and SLEEPER AGENDA (Book 2) are fast paced spy novels. The books are packed with action, advanced technology, and lies, lies, and more lies. show less

From AudioFile
From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up–In this action thriller, a teenager loses days of his life to a debilitating form of narcolepsy. Tom believes he is asleep during his blackouts until it is revealed to him in a dream that he is actually being groomed as an assassin by a secret branch of the government. The Janis Project, as it is called, takes orphans with severe narcolepsy and gives them new, split identities: one being that of a narcoleptic child in a loving family, the other, an unfeeling, efficient killing machine. Once Tom learns of his alternate, murderous identity, the sinister leader of the project becomes bent on erasing this knowledge from his mind. If he is to escape with his life and learn just how far show more his deception has reached, Tom must find a way to unite both his identities. Tom is portrayed as an otherwise typical teenager, as is his neighbor and romantic interest. Other characters are equally well introduced and secrets are revealed in a way that creates suspense. Readers looking for fast-paced action and espionage will enjoy this first book in the two-part Sleeper Conspiracy.–Emily Rodriguez, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL
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