Sleeping Giants (The Themis Files)

Concept was so unique that this book was very hard to put down. Character development was great. There were unexpected twists, which was the best part. It's nice to not be able to always predict what will happen.

I was totally caught up in the storyline. It took a little time to get used to the style of writing but once I did I enjoyed it very much. My only disappointment was when I turned the last page and found it was over! Now I must go get the next book in the series.

I thought the book's concept was interesting but the format of interviewing people took away from the fluidity of the story. Also, the end of the book should have given away more info, which was revealed in the preview of the next book. As is, it isn't a cliff hanger as an enticement to read on, but more of an unsatisfying ending.

I went into this novel with high expectations, especially since it was recommended, or at least had a blurb, from Pierce Brown (author of the Red Rising series). And of course, the premise sounded promising, the opening seemed intriguing. Alas, by the time I finished this book, I was just kind of done with it, and glad of it.

First, a warning and comments on the novel's structure: this is written entirely in a disassociated past-tense interview style, with the occasional "mission log", a news story, an FAA report, and a few other non-interview chapters thrown in. At first, I found this really awkward, then when the pacing and time-scale of this novel became apparent (I believe by the end it insinuates that at least 4 years have passed), it was clear why the author decided on this style, since anything more intimate would prove challenging with the huge jumps in time-passage. However, by the end of the book I was back to finding this style less clever and more frustrating. As you can imagine, a story told entirely through interview format means the story itself is told in rough edged chunks, with actual information and world building only occurring in spurts, while the rest of what you read is just back and forth commentary with awkward bits of exposition thrown in (only about half the time did I think, "Oh yes, this is how two people who know each other would actually talk about a past event they're both aware of"). Further, this format could have benefitted a lot from including many more instances of diary excerpts, lab reports, or mission logs, something that would have actually cut the back-and-forth babble and gotten to actual story telling while maintaining that air of disconnected mystery.

If you can get past that, there's some gems to this story, but also some completely illogical bits too. The whole idea of discovering buried giant robot bits around the world is pretty cool; it rang a little bit of War of the Worlds (there's no sudden invasion, so forget that part), and also a bit of many other ancient alien sci-fi stories, without being a rip-off of any of them. There's some realistic political strife and international tension, some nice gritty procedural science and speculation, and even a little bit of character building here and there. But of course, the format makes this not only difficult and not typical, but when the author DOES attempt to do character building, it comes off as weird and out of place, because why would some emotionless, unnamed, clandestine interviewer (we're never told who it actually is) give a crap about the personal relationships some of these characters have with each other? Past that, the story eventually devolves into your typical "super advanced alien robot operates on magic, basically" crap, and any pretense involving scientific discovery is dropped to pursue your cut-and-paste "how can we weaponize this for the benefit of the glorious United States" junk. Then half-way through, things go crazy with the robot, and ... well, no spoilers, but basically the story ends up just about resetting itself and then moving forward in both a completely different way, and also a retread of the entire first half.

It's a shame. I wanted to like this book. It seemed clever, was exploring a potentially cool spin on the "buried ancient alien machines" story, but ultimately the biggest barrier to a meaningful novel here is the narrative structure. I give the author props for trying something original, and I get why it was done, given the large gaps in time it takes to put together the alien robot, but at the same time this sacrifices any chance at a coherent story with relatable characters. And perhaps this narrative structure is also what mangles the story itself into a bizarre zig-zag of events. I wish I could say I would be buying the next novel, but a last minute contrived cliff-hanger makes it unlikely.

This story comes from a very unique angle and still manages to be compelling. I have never enjoyed a boom that was basically 100% dialogue before. This is like the book version of a first person movie like cloverfield.

Things I liked: The first quarter of the book was very good. I really do enjoy stories that are based around discovery. The whole process of finding the parts of the robot and scientifically evaluating and studying them was very compelling. I actually liked how the story was told in interviews and such- it broke the story down into small and manageable pieces, making it easy to casually pick up. I appreciated that the gender balance of major characters was roughly equal and there were female scientists, a female pilot, a female president of the US, etc. I might read the second book in the series if I happen to see it at the library.

Things I didn't like: I found the romance subplot kind of awful. It's really unnecessary, the characters in question don't seem to really have chemistry, and, as other reviewers have said, it doesn't make sense for the person interviewing the characters to pry into their personal lives in these regards. It's especially annoying because, to me at least, it seems to encourage the belief that having women in the military leads to sexual drama- a belief that does tangible harm to women in the military. Romance novels are well and good, but I get frustrated when other novels throw in a het romance that doesn't fit the characters or situation just because every book's gotta have one. About half way through the book, it starts significantly losing steam as far as the discovery elements were concerned- that might just be because this was the author's first novel. You can kind of feel at the beginning that things are happening a bit too fast to be sustained for the rest of the book.

An entire novel told through interviews and log entries, "Sleeping Giants" has some interesting ideas and approaches. While a little clunky at times, the novel is an unquestionable page turner - I'm looking forward to book 2.

Trying to get back into reading. This caught my attention and has the best structure I could think of. For anyone who enjoys science fiction and needs an easy read to get going this is it. The interview style makes it easy while aiding in the mystery. Can't wait for Waking Giants.

I thought this was a very good book. I anxiously await the next one. I enjoyed the writing style and presentation of the story. Kept me interested all the way through and I finished it way too soon. It was hard to put down.

Great Reading! I enjoyed this book from the beginning to the end. Surprises and new avenues through out the book. If you are looking for a great story with new ideas and fast paced then look no further.

As one reviewer said, "Now I understand why this book wasn't published in the first place. I just don;'t understand why it was published in the second place." This book shows that anyone can publish a book regardless of whether or not is good. I will not be buying any more of this author's books. I did not mind the interview style of the book but the story never went anywhere. It is labeled Sci-Fi because it has a robot in it and nothing more. To compare it to WWZ is ridiculous. There is no comparison and whomever compared it to WWZ should be thanked for the sales of this book. We don't hear much about the robot and are left with a book of interviews with the different people involved in finding and studying the robot. I only finished reading it because I spent my money on it and felt obligated. I kept reading hoping it would get better but sadly it did not. Robot parts and interviews by someone whose identity is never revealed made for a long, boring read.

Fun read, good storyline. Yes, it's science fiction and if you take it at that, it's very entertaining. If you're the type who tries to find fault with everything don't bother, just enjoy the story!

A very fast read in an interesting format: a series of interviews (think of the interrogation rooms from numerous crime shows) with different characters, thus, no ongoing 3rd person narration. The science here not so "hard" or technical--discovery of parts of a gigantic [presumably alien] artifact that becomes a foreground geo-political issue, with the usual personal twists between scientific -military personnel. Apparently the movie rights have already been bought.

A very fast read in an interesting format: a series of interviews (think of the interrogation rooms from numerous crime shows) with different characters, thus, no ongoing 3rd person narration. The science here not so "hard" or technical--discovery of parts of a gigantic [presumably alien] artifact that becomes a foreground geo-political issue, with the usual personal twists between scientific -military personnel. Apparently the movie rights have already been bought.

I really enjoyed this book... Interesting characters and plot twists, and a great story line. I've pre-ordered the sequel already, the first time I've pre-ordered a sequel as soon as I finished a book.

Sleeping Giants drags in science fiction tropes from the far corners of the genre without actually saying anything new, including using the interview as narrative format that worked so well in World War Z. Here it feels like laziness on the author's part. Rather than write out the action, she gets her characters to talk about it with their mysterious super-spook handler, whose comments are annoyingly made light grey (kindle version) which makes them easy to identify, but harder to read.

Ancient alien artifacts being dug up and put to work by a team of scientists isn't anything new, and the most innovative thing about this giant robot is that the knees bend backwards. Like the robots in Pacific Rim, it takes two to tango, but here one person puts on the legs actuator and the other the torso. The notion, that the knees bend the wrong way gives you an early bad feeling about the guy who gets that job...

The characters aren't bad, but I'm really not a fan of the interview transcript style.

Overall, I'd have been happier paying $4.99 for it as a self-published work than the big name publisher price I actuall paid. It's the start of a series, but I doubt that I'll be back for more.

Exciting with twists...would have given it 5 stars except it left me wanting to know more and frustrated!
I guess I'll have to read the whole trilogy now...wait that's what they want!....arrrgggh!...foiled again!

I am sure that the narrative structure and ultimate plot reveal will chafe some readers the wrong way, but I absolutely loved this book! Stayed up until 5am reading it, and then immediately wished I had gone slower so that I could have savored the world and characters more. This is definitely a book I will re-read throughout my life, and I can't wait until the sequel comes out next year.

Beautiful book one in what looks like a trilogy. I was captivated immediately, and loved the ways the book is presented, interview-style. Highly recommend, and if you like this book, you will love Waking Gods (Book #2)

...that devolved as it were into a lot of irrelevant chit chat. What started out as a Robert Heinlein level masterpiece deteriorated into a Marvel Comic level plot that could not end too quickly. The WSJ gave this a pretty great review...must have been a college buddy.

Sometimes what you need is a fun, fast romp through a new paradigm, even if it is predictable and low character development
If that sounds like a drubbing, it is not. I totally enjoyed this book, precisely because it moved so quickly and was so lean. Perfect summer one-day fun.

Nothing ground breaking but the format captures your attention, the story keeps you interested and the characters add color and depth. I would recommend this book and I am looking forward to the next.

Very Interesting and Enjoyable
Strange, but Interesting!
Well, I finally got around to finishing, Sleeping Giants!

Sylvain Neuvel has written an off beat science fiction story that is well founded in science, the man knows his stuff, but having said that I must say this novel isn’t for everyone.

The novel is written in a series of interviews and exchanges between the main characters and an unknown and unnamed narrator who has the benefit of knowing exactly why they have been recruited for a research study that has enormous consequences for the human population. However, he keeps this crucial information to himself. (Spoiler: there is someone else who pulls the strings, an unknown entity)

An enormous (giant) hand was found years before by a young girl who later becomes a scientist. She heads up the team. One is a linguist and the other is an army pilot. Through this series of interviews, we find out how they go about locating all the missing parts of this giant that are located beneath the earth all over the world.

The giant robot has the form of a woman, but with no eyes. This robot is 20 stories high by the time they connect all the parts. It has an energy source that is unknown to anyone on earth. It is also a weapon of mass destruction.

The team accidently engages the energy source and the result is that a whole lot of people in airplanes and part of the Denver Airport are instantly vaporized. Now comes the part, all through interview, where every nation on earth wants the robot, so the US decides its too dangerous for anyone nation and they drop it in a deep trench in the ocean.

However, one nation, Russia, finds a way to retrieve it and they are off and running again, except the controls and two control helmets will not work on anyone other an the two American researchers who first were part of the research.

There is a surprise ending, with an epilog alluding to the next book in the series.

All in all, well written and interesting, but this novel is not for everyone, though I did enjoy it because I like science, but it did lag in places. ***

Sylvain Neuvel has written an off beat science fiction story that is well founded in science, the man knows his stuff, but having said that I must say this novel isn’t for everyone.

The novel is written in a series of interviews and exchanges between the main characters and an unknown and unnamed narrator who has the benefit of knowing exactly why they have been recruited for a research study that has enormous consequences for the human population. However, he keeps this crucial information to himself. (Spoiler: there is someone else who pulls the strings, an unknown entity)

An enormous (giant) hand was found years before by a young girl who later becomes a scientist. She heads up the team. One is a linguist and the other is an army pilot. Through this series of interviews, we find out how they go about locating all the missing parts of this giant that are located beneath the earth all over the world.

The giant robot has the form of a woman, but with no eyes. This robot is 20 stories high by the time they connect all the parts. It has an energy source that is unknown to anyone on earth. It is also a weapon of mass destruction.

The team accidently engages the energy source and the result is that a whole lot of people in airplanes and part of the Denver Airport are instantly vaporized. Now comes the part, all through interview, where every nation on earth wants the robot, so the US decides its too dangerous for anyone nation and they drop it in a deep trench in the ocean.

However, one nation, Russia, finds a way to retrieve it and they are off and running again, except the controls and two control helmets will not work on anyone other an the two American researchers who first were part of the research.

Sylvain Neuvel has written an off beat science fiction story that is well founded in science, the man knows his stuff, but having said that I must say this novel isn’t for everyone. However, if you like science fiction, this is really good and a different take on a presentation.

The novel is written in a series of interviews and exchanges between the main characters and an unknown and unnamed narrator who has the benefit of knowing exactly why they have been recruited for a research study that has enormous consequences for the human population. However, he keeps this crucial information to himself. (Spoiler: there is someone else who pulls the strings, an unknown entity)

An enormous (giant) hand was found years before by a young girl who later becomes a scientist. She heads up the team. One is a linguist and the other is an army pilot. Through this series of interviews, we find out how they go about locating all the missing parts of this giant that are located beneath the earth all over the world.

The giant robot has the form of a woman, but with no eyes. This robot is 20 stories high by the time they connect all the parts. It has an energy source that is unknown to anyone on earth. It is also a weapon of mass destruction.

The team accidently engages the energy source and the result is that a whole lot of people in airplanes and part of the Denver Airport are instantly vaporized. Now comes the part, all through interview, where every nation on earth wants the robot, so the US decides its too dangerous for anyone nation and they drop it in a deep trench in the ocean.

However, one nation, Russia, finds a way to retrieve it and they are off and running again, except the controls and two control helmets will not work on anyone other an the two American researchers who first were part of the research.

There is a surprise ending, with an epilog alluding to the next book in the series.

All in all, well written and interesting, but this novel is not for everyone, though I did enjoy it because I like science, but it did lag in places. ***

Definitely not your regular style book. It's not read like a traditional story from a 3rd person perspective, but rather as a catalogue of interviews, conversations, and diary entries. Overall a really good and refreshing read. Not the kind of book you can't put down, but still a book I'd recommend to friends.

A fantastic sci-fi novel, written entirely as interviews and journals from a very large project, which chronicles from the discovery of a giant humanoid hand, to the discovery of a large alien massive construct, whose parts must be retrieved from all around the world, and only a few users can unlock. The novel perfectly blends many paradigms and gets inspiration from a great number of sources, from Pacific Rim, to Star Wars, even possibly Steven Universe.

This is a great novel that never disappoints and ends in a cliff hanger that will prompt me to read the next novel (Waking Gods) as soon as I finish my current book queue.

Not to be missed, extremely recommended, after all, that's why it was a contestant in last year's Goodreads Choice Awards.