Around the world, women fall asleep and don’t wake up. As they slumber, a cocoon enfolds them. If their sleep is disturbed—well, let’s not go there. There is, however, one woman who is different. She can sleep and wake. She seems to know what’s happening.

The premise was enough to catch my attention—classic Stephen King. I was also interested to see how the father-and-son team of Stephen and Owen King would unpack this idea. Unfortunately, when you write enough books to fill a small library, you occasionally swing-and-miss. This book is a miss.

As the story unfolds, the plot felt too familiar. Readers of The Dark Tower and Under the Dome will know what I mean. A creative nod or two to earlier works is endearing—this felt derivative.

More problematic was the way the King boys engaged gender politics. How would the men fare with all the women removed? Predictably.

Stephen King’s body of work runs deep. There are many better books to read.

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King, Stephen and Owen King. Sleeping Beauties. New York: Scribner, 2017.