Book Review: Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

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Sleeping Giants
Themis Files #1
Author: Sylvain Neuvel
Reading Level: Adult Fiction
Genres: Science Fiction | Thriller
Released: April 26th 2016
Review Source: Del Rey

A page-turning debut in the tradition of Michael Crichton, World War Z, and The Martian,Sleeping Giants is a thriller fueled by an earthshaking mystery—and a fight to control a gargantuan power.


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?

When I first heard about Sleeping Giants I was hooked due to the fact that the story had already been optioned even before it got was assigned a publisher, and it was about Aliens. So when the chance to read it became available, I jump on it quickly. So I dropped everything I was reading and began Sleeping Giants. Well what a shock it was to realize after a couple of chapters, that the whole book would be told in interview format and a couple journal entries by the character. Definitely not your conventional style of writing when it comes to a book.

Now was I affected by the writing format, yes unfortunately I was. It was hard to get past it the majority of the time. The times when it wasn't a factor, it was just a really good chapter that I needed to know what happen, so I was able at that moment to ignore the type of format it was. Now with all that said, this story is pretty good. If it would have been written in the traditional first person or even third person format, I would have probably read in one sitting. Maybe if my expectations would have been lower, I might have not been affected so much. 

The story is based on Rose, when she was little she fell into a ditch that had a robotic hand and cue many years later, Rose is now part of a team of scientist and military officials looking for the complete body of this robot. You struggle a little connecting with mainly the nameless characters while reading the interviews. I connected best when it was journals entries from Rose. Thats when the story felt more personal with me. The nameless moments caused boredom but then as I mention the journals peak my interest again. So this is how I was able to finish the book. As far as the Sci-fi element of the story, its fascinating but the actual writing is a snore. 

There will be a sequel published by the author, I probably will read it but I won't be interrupting other books when I do. Now as far as the movie, now that I'm super excited to hear more details about. So with everything I said in this review, if you love sic-fi give Sleeping Giants a go-around.