I read Sleeping Giants in a paperback edition. Sleeping Giants is the first book in the Themis Files series.

Genre: Science fiction

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd.

Published: April 21st, 2016

Pages: 320

Audiobook length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

Synopsis by the publisher:

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?

Sylvain Neuvel

The Review

"Sleeping Giants is as much original as it is exciting and mysterious!"

The Writing

The format of this book is one of the things that makes it so incredibly interesting. Almost the entire book is written in conversation logs, diary entries and files.

This makes for a very interesting reading experience. It reminded me a bit about Illuminae, but with a better story and without the pictures.

It was very fast paced and for those who want somewhat of a different reading experience, this is definitely a good choice.

The Characters

In this book you get to know all the characters through each others conversations and thoughts instead of an outside view.

There were very distinct written voices to the different characters which I really liked. I think Rose is one of my favorite characters so far in the series. And of course the mystery interviewer.

There are quite a few characters throughout this novel and I can’t wait to see who else will be introduced in the next book.

The Plot

The plot of Sleeping Giants is one that was very interesting and different. I was captured by the story at the very beginning when Rose fell into the ground and landed on a huge metal hand. Who wouldn’t want to find out more about that?

The storyline takes som major twists and turns throughout the book and sometimes it can almost feel like things are bit rushed. But all in all I really did enjoy the plot so far and I look forward to seeing where the series will go from here.

Additional Thoughts

Sleeping Giants is as much original as it is exciting and mysterious! It’s a very interesting reading experience with a good set of characters that develops throughout the story. I’ve been waiting to be swept away by a new science fiction series for quite some time, and the Themis Files might be the one. I guess we’ll have to wait until April 4th, 2017 when Walking Gods comes out to find out if my love for this series will still remain strong!

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