46 - A Book in Which a Character Sleeps for More Than 24 Hours

[L Y N N]

A Book in Which a Character Sleeps for More Than 24 Hours

Huh. Well, I'm guessing this is not referring to a character who sleeps 8 hours each of three nights, but rather a character who is literally asleep for more than 24 hours in a row! My first thought is the story of Sleeping Beauty:
Disney's Sleeping Beauty by A.L. Singer
Disney Sleeping Beauty by Michael Teitelbaum
My second thought is this may be a tough one to fulfill!

No help from Goodreads listopias.

I imagine there may be a few nonfiction books that would qualify. Let's put our heads together and come up with a list! 👍

Listopia is HERE

[Dubhease]

A book with a character in a coma might fit the prompt.

[Erica]

Oddly enough I think both Fourth Wing and the second book Iron Flame had a character end up unwell and sleeping for longer than a day. This could help people who like books to fit multiple prompts.

[Brittany]

I was about to pencil in Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir in for ‘set in space,’ but decided to read the blurb once again to double check. And wouldn’t you know it, it says

“He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home.”

So I’m going to use it for this prompt and find another space book, unless I see any other suggestions.

[Irene]

I highly recommend Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher for this one! The antagonist is asleep for something like centuries. It's such an amazing fantasy read.

[Anna]

Time to read Stephen King's Sleeping Beauties for me

[Joanna]

The second and third books of the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy could work, too. Multiple characters spend time in suspended animation, waking up years later.

[Meagan]

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

[honeyfolds]

Dubhease wrote: "A book with a character in a coma might fit the prompt."

This is what i was thinking as well, This Isn't What It Looks Like by Pseudonymous Bosch has a character in coma for weeks!

[Gina]

Weirdly another book I read for this year's challenge fits this: Kafka on the Shore.

For nonfiction, The Sleeping Beauties works.

[Doni]

Meagan wrote: "The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker"

Love this one! I find myself thinking about it frequently.

[Jennifer W]

Rip Van Winkle! :)

Briar Rose I read it many years ago and rated it 4 stars, but I really don't remember much of it, so maybe I'll reread it.

[Nadine in NY]

Dubhease wrote: "A book with a character in a coma might fit the prompt."


Erica wrote: "Oddly enough I think both Fourth Wing and the second book Iron Flame had a character end up unwell and sleeping for longer than a day. This could help people who like books to fit multiple prompts."



I didn't even think of that aspect! But now I realize it does happen a lot in fantasies, mysteries, and adventures, some character gets knocked out or laid low by a fever and is passed out for several day, no biggie. I recently read The Cloud Roads and this happens to two different main characters.

[Michelle]

any scifi book with cryo sleep would work

[Ron]

I was watching the movie 'Interstellar' last night and now it got me thinking about cryo sleep because they have to on their flights.

Luckily I already own the novelization to that movie.

And here I thought I would have to skip this one.

[Jennifer W]

No idea if it's any good or not, but they also made a movie from it-
Awakenings

[Laura]

I was coming to share Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I love seeing all the ideas on sleep. Like many Sleeping Beauty came to mind immediately.

[Jackie]

Irene wrote: "I highly recommend Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher for this one! The antagonist is asleep for something like centuries. It's such an amazing fantasy read."

Ooh, that's been on my list!

[Nadine in NY]

I stumbled upon an old Tor article about SFF with "extremely long naps"
https://www.tor.com/2021/09/01/classi...

[Nadine in NY]

And I just remembered, Witch King opens with the main character waking from a magically induced sleep - he spends most of the rest of the book hunting down the people who trapped him.

[Joanna G]

Going through my TBR, I noticed Unbury Carol, which describes the MC as going into a coma which lasts many days, then waking, each time she "dies". So, sounds like that would work!

[Denise]

Nadine in NY wrote: "And I just remembered, Witch King opens with the main character waking from a magically induced sleep - he spends most of the rest of the book hunting down the people who trapped him."

Thanks, that's on my TBR list, I'll use that one :)

[K.L.]

The final book in the Throne of Glass series, Kingdom of Ash, has a character who sleeps for more than 24 hours.

[Ashley Marie]

I'm going to try and use Jasper Fforde's Early Riser for this one - the population hibernates during the winter!

[Stephen]

As it happens, both the print and audio books that I'm currently in the middle of mention that a character sleeps for more than a day:

The Luminous Dead
The Gameshouse

[Rianna *Hermione*]

Illuminae Files. It's set in space. I'm pretty sure there's a waking up from sleep. I read it 2 years ago, but I Think that was part of it.

[Heather L]

There actually is a GR Listopia that relates to this prompt:

Fiction that Features People in a Coma
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

[Tricia]

A friend lent me The Last Cuentista and it looks like it includes a space journey where the protagonist sleeps for a long time. It also would count as set in space or possibly set in the future.

[Mercedes]

orlando by V. Woolf. Main character sleeps for a week in 2 oportunities

[Joanna G]

Just reading The Belles and one of the princesses is referred to as having been asleep for four years. (Only half way through, but so far, I'd also give it a recommend as a fun read.)

[Louise]

A few suggestions in addition to those already mentioned -

The Omega Project has someone in cryogenic sleep for millenia.

Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers is also someone in cryogenic sleep for millennia but more humorous and in space (compared to above).

Waywalkers I recall the mc passing out for long periods of time after being injured both in this book and the sequel Timekeepers

Mirror Dreams takes part in an entire dream world - I recall one of the characters was there because they were in a coma. The mc does also sleep on at least on one occasion for over a day.

The Curse of the Mistwraith starts with the mc being knocked out for a long period of time and kidnapped.

Brothers of the Wind one of the mc is unconscious for a long time after being injured.

The Cloud Roads people are put into a coma/healing sleep at one point.

Noblesse: Season 1, Set opens with a vampire waking up after centuries. For those that prefer comics.

The Dig mc's powers put him in a coma like situation.

Artefact and series uses cryogenic sleep in space travel.

Servant of the Bones mc is a djinn who "sleeps" between centuries.

Erased 僕だけがいない街 6 Boku dake ga Inai Machi 6 another for those that prefer graphic novels which includes someone in a coma about midways through the series.

[Katherine]

Sleeping Beauty by Elle Lothlorien. a contemporary romance. MC has a sleeping disorder where she'll pass out and wake up sometime later, but seems to also sleep walk

[L]

Volume One of the Sandman by Neil Gaiman features various characters who sleep for long periods

[Laura]

If anyone is looking for a contemporary literary fiction pick that isn't "My Year of Rest and Relaxation" Problems by Jade Sharma might be a good one. Main character sleeps for 24 hours while trying to get clean off of heroin.

[Milena]

I am reading a mystery and the main character happens to lose consciousness for 2 days following an accident. I love finding books accidentally like this. The book is Auntie Poldi and the Vineyards of Etna.

[Theresa]

I know I have read plenty of books where a character sleeps for 24 hours - usually some kind of thriller or specops or such book where a character crashes and sleeps the clock round. I think I will just wing this and see what pops up.

I also know I have read thrillers where a character is given sleeping pills to keep them asleep ... kidnapping.

[Tania]

For nonfiction, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry fits - he describes being in a coma for 2 weeks. This is the one I used.

[Debbie]

Ender’s Game has a character who is put in cryo to basically train Ender.

Across the Universe is a YA scifi romance where the girl and her parents were put in cryo.

Also, any version of Romeo and Juliet that is fairly faithful (and maybe some retellings, but don't quote me on that) will have Juliet under for a few days.

[Emerson]

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) works for this and also for person dying at begining of book.

[Robin H-R]

I read:
The Alienist by Caleb Carr

One of the main characters is beaten by thugs and sleeps for two days

[Laura Ruth]

H.G. Wells pretty much started the "modern character wakes up in the future" trope with When the Sleeper Wakes, and it's a quick read.

Since it doesn't have to be the main character sleeping, 2001: A Space Odyssey also works.

[Katie]

The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain fit the bill! Endearing short read, with some While You Were Sleeping vibes!

[Emily]

Would Divine Rivals work for this? part of the plot is that the God's have been put to sleep.

[Heather]

I read Thornhedge for this prompt. I loved the book and highly recommend it!

I also highly recommend The Dreamers and Project Hail Mary.

[Shanoe]

The Gilded Ones
I'm reading this book at the moment and one of the characters sleeps also for days. Lucky coincidence :)

[Dizzy]

The Cery Secret Society of Irregular Witches
Fresh Water for Flowers (90% sure)

[Dizzy]

*Very

[Renee]

In First Line Wins it has she slept for most of two days, that could count?

[Jessica]

I read Sleeping Beauty for this one :)

[Sim1]

Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto