Sleeping Giants Review

Review:

Sleeping Giants 

By:Sylvain Neuvel

I decided recently to join an in real life book club at my favorite bookstore on the planet! Bear Pond

Sylvain on the left and myself on the right! Such a fun night!

Books in Montpelier Vermont is my local shopping place, I joined their Sci-fi Plus book club this past month in July because they had an author coming to town to speak about his book; that author was Sylvain Neuvel. Sylvain took the time out of his day to come down from Montreal Canada and speak with us at the bookshop which was amazing in its on right, however hearing the story of how this book came to be and the many changes along the way it made me even more joyous to see what it became! I sadly had not completed the book when Sylvain came to town, however he did a very good job keeping the spoilers hidden by many facial expressions and vague statements which allowed those who had completed it to understand and converse about it secretly. Needless to say I am kicking myself for not completing this book sooner for the actual event.

Sylvain is an awesome guy who will chat as long as you wish, something I enjoyed immensely. He has a passion for all things Geek Culture and exudes excitement when he walks into a room, a joy to meet him in person!

Sleeping Giants Plot: 

"A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.

Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved—its origins, architects, and purpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted; theories are floated, then rejected.

But some can never stop searching for answers.

Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top secret team to crack the hand’s code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What’s clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unraveling history’s most perplexing discovery—and figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result prove to be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction?" (Goodreads.com)"

Plot Thoughts: 

• This book has a fascinating plot for anyone who enjoys science or the unexplainable! 
• The large robot/machine they find reminds me of the ancient Incan Civilizations with the runes seen on her body, which instantly pulled me in with my love of history.
• "This book will pull you in with a wildly imaginative plot and spit you out with a giant plot twist!" (ME!)

General Thoughts: 

• The interview style of this book had me very skeptical when I began, as it gave little to no room for the characters to blossom in my opinion. 
• I could not have been further from the truth in this guess; I thought each character had a unique and fun voice by the end of this fast paced novel. I was skipping the chapter headings where the characters names are listed at times because I knew their voice so well!
• The interviewer does have a slightly monotone voice at the begining with little to add to the story except his questions, however towards the end he explodes into a character in his own right; with motives and devious plots to move the Themis Robot!
• The plot has a decent pacing speed. It is rapid for the most part after you pass the 50 page mark...

Writing: 

• The writing is very easy to read and comprehend. 
• The style that I saw in this novel was more or less a basic screen play with the alternating dialog boxes. This allows the reader to interpret much of the action and scenery on their own, I usually hate this in a novel, however here it worked as it was intended! 
• This is funny that I noticed the screen play aspect, as that is initially what this was going to be turned into when a friend of a friend of a friend handed the ideas and manuscript to a publisher. Sylvain got incredibly lucky with this novel, however he deserves much praise for his debut!
• The dialog (writing) follows the natural flow of the English language which allows you to slip into the story and forget the world around.

Characters: 

• I will just say that for characters, they are all written with a keen eye for realistic detail! 
• I must say that I related with the witty and snarky character that is, Kara Resnik! She has such a sense of dry and witty humor that I myself tend to use on a daily basis to convey my annoyances and joys of daily life. She added the jovial and snarky element that this book really needed!
• Rose, was the young girl who fell into this project literally. She seemed more like a supporting character towards the ending; however I did really enjoy her as a supporting role! I do think and hope that she appears again in the Waking Gods sequel book which is scheduled to come out in April of 2017!
• Utterly despicable human beings, respectable scientists, and loving people all make up the cast of this quirky and jam packed sci-fi debut!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

This book is worth every second of your time to read and experience! The plot at times exudes the tension of a one legged robot trying to walk in a straight line. (Illustration to Come soon!)

Happy Reading!...