Sylvain Neuvel

Waking Gods

In the gripping sequel to "Sleeping Giants, "which was hailed by Pierce Brown as a luminous conspiracy yarn . . . reminiscent of "The Martian "and" World War Z," Sylvain Neuvel s innovative series about human-alien contact takes another giant step forward. As a child, Rose Franklin made an astonishing discovery: a giant metallic hand, buried deep within the earth. As an adult, she s dedicated her brilliant scientific career to solving the mystery that began that fateful day: Why was a titanic robot of unknown origin buried in pieces around the world? Years of investigation have produced intriguing answers and even more perplexing questions. But the truth is closer now than ever before when a second robot, more massive than the first, materializes and lashes out with deadly force. Now humankind faces a nightmare invasion scenario made real, as more colossal machines touch down across the globe. But Rose and her team at the Earth Defense Corps refuse to surrender. They can turn the tide "if" they can unlock the last secrets of an advanced alien technology. The greatest weapon humanity wields is knowledge in a do-or-die battle to inherit the Earth . . . and maybe even the stars. Praise for Sylvain Neuvel s "Sleeping Giants" As high-concept as it is, "Sleeping Giants" is a thriller through and through. . . . One of the most promising series kickoffs in recent memory. NPR Neuvelweaves a complex tapestry with ancient machinery buried in the Earth, shadow governments, and geopolitical conflicts. But the most surprising thing about the book may just be how compelling the central characters are in the midst of these larger-than-life concepts. "Chicago Review of Books" This stellar debut novel . . . masterfully blends together elements of sci-fi, political thriller and apocalyptic fiction. . . . A page-turner of the highest order. " Kirkus Reviews "(starred review) "" Reminiscent of "The Martian "and" World War Z, Sleeping Giants" is a luminous conspiracy yarn that shoots for (and lands among) the stars. Pierce Brown, #1 "New York Times "bestselling author of" "the Red Rising trilogy First-time novelist Sylvain Neuvel does a bold, splashy cannonball off the high dive with "Sleeping Giants." It bursts at the seams with big ideas. This book is a sheer blast from start to finish. I haven t had this much fun reading in ages. Blake Crouch, author of "Dark Matter" and the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy A remarkable debut. "Library Journal" (starred review) "

High Fidelity

You’re a very complex, awe-inspiring configuration of matter that is stable at room temperature.

—I do not mean to interrupt, but room temperature?

—More or less. The universe loves stability. That’s why you don’t fall apart into a quadrillion little parts or a puddle of goo. But you’re only stable at this temperature. Raise it or lower it by a hundred degrees and you start falling apart.

My mother told me she would pray for me. You don’t do that for someone who’s doing great.

I feel like the problem with second books in any series is that they have to change, they have to evolve and fill you in on the story but not too much because you must keep something for the rest of the series and it doesn't quite feel right up until you finish the whole thing and it is mind-boggling and you feel kind of ashamed and disrespectful for not being absorbed by all of it like you were in in the first book. That said, I was eating this book up till page 206 and then I got hit by emotional damage and I kind of felt like the whole weight of the writing changed, that the scale's shifted and I cannot say if it's for better or for worse because the shock of the whole thing was holding me to till the last page, I kept reading but my mind was still stuck that one scene and then, even though I was paying attention, the rest of it was like a blur and a rush and with a pretty good cliffhanger.

It is a 4-star rating for this one until I wrap up the whole series.

I feel like the problem with second books in any series is that they have to change, they have to evolve and fill you in on the story but not too much because you must keep something for the rest of the series and it doesn't quite feel right up until you finish the whole thing and it is mind-boggling and you feel kind of ashamed and disrespectful for not being absorbed by all of it like you were in in the first book. That said, I was eating this book up till page 206 and then I got hit by emotional damage and I kind of felt like the whole weight of the writing changed, that the scale's shifted and I cannot say if it's for better or for worse because the shock of the whole thing was holding me to till the last page, I kept reading but my mind was still stuck that one scene and then, even though I was paying attention, the rest of it was like a blur and a rush and with a pretty good cliffhanger.
It is a 4-star rating for this one until I wrap up the whole series.

Amanda Faith

Once upon a time,
I had a favourite character.
I still do,
Though he's dead now, of course.

Dee B. 

Sylvain Neuvel, why do you do this to me? How do you even know which strings to pull to leave me desperate for the next book? However you do it, just don't stop!

Maggie Gordon

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Ray for an ARC for review purposes!

Review to come closer to the review date as per the publisher's request. However, OMG YEAH! It's just as good as book one! Different, but still fast, thrilling, and full of mystery!

************* UPDATE ****************

Sleeping Giants was a slow burn mystery, teasing readers with knowledge from someplace other than Earth. Waking Gods, on the other hand, is substantially different. This isn't a book for cautious research, but a book of confrontations. We still don't understand what Themis is, but that no longer matters. The people who built it have arrived and seem to be testing us. Except humanity is failing and if we want to live, we need to figure out what to do...

While the book is centered on war and conflict, there are still many mysteries being unravelled. Readers get to see more of what Themis can do, and we learn about the mysterious man that the unnamed interviewer visits at the Chinese food restaurant. It's a breakneck plot that results in massive changes for both the characters and Earth, and a very satisfying follow-up to the original book.

One word of caution: don't get attached to ANYONE. The death count in Waking Gods is high and no one is safe. Neuvel makes it clear that this book represents a huge turning point for the series. The consequences of finding and activating Themis have finally come back to haunt humanity, and the knowledge that we gained has a pretty significant price tag attached. 

Still told largely through interviews and articles, Waking Gods is a strong sequel in a series filled with secrets, science, and action.

Alexa Jade

Mariana Correia

** spoiler alert **
           Simply wow! Sleeping Giants was amazing and Waking Gods did not fell short, being an amazing sequel!!! I couldn’t had asked for more!! I am sad Kara died but it only showed the values her personality and caracter carried. I am sad the interviewer died too but Rose will do a good job! I can’t wait to see how this story will end, the expectations are high!!!!

I now have a book hangover.....
This series is so good that you have ruined other books for me. 
Now, to try and find a book worthy of reading after this.

Sheila Goicea

1) Sleeping Giants: ★★★½

See my FULL review of this book on my blog along with others at: shesgoingbookcrazy.com



All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.



Release date 04/04/2017!

Another massive robot has arrived in London. They call it Chronos. It's bigger than Themis, and no one knows what it wants...

Wow, I enjoyed  Waking Gods a lot more than  Sleeping Giants. Not that its predecessor was bad, I just didn't find the story as engaging. This series is very technical and has a lot of scientific backgrounds which needs to be waded through in  Sleeping Giants in order to make way for the action present in this sequel. 

The continuation of the story takes place ten years after the first book. Almost immediately, a new giant makes its appearance and begins wreaking havoc on London. Unfortunately, he's only one of the first. The team constructed by the unnamed interviewer scrambles to try and figure out how to stop the genocide of mankind, literally standing at their doorsteps. 
"This is why I wish we...I...had never found Themis. They're here. Her family's here, now."
The characters we met in  Sleeping Giants take overwhelming steps toward complexity. I wasn't expecting some of them to go as deep into their emotions as they did. Unfortunately, there are a lot of casualties in this book, including some of the more interesting characters (in my opinion), and we only get to know so much about them. I would suggest not to get too attached to anyone... 
"I came to realize that good and evil were out of my reach, that time was the only thing I had any control over. I could buy time, create intervals. I could not truly make the world a better place, but I could make part of it a better place for a short while."
I've discovered that there are a few drawbacks to this writing style---using a dossier to tell the story---It tends to leave a lot out. There is a lot of undisclosed information that I'm dying to know more about. Also, some of the live action parts aren't explained in full. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of action, but at times I felt lost in the setting, and what exactly was happening around me. Lastly, the time frame would sometimes jump drastically from one entry to the next. I felt like my body was shifting along with the story, but my mind was left back in time.

Overall, this was a great story. There are several facets, angles, agendas, and wars of all shapes and sizes interfering with one another. Despite everyone's differences, they are working towards one goal: keeping mankind alive. 

Vulgarity: Quite a bit.
Sexual content: Minimal. 
Violence: Minimal. 

My Rating: ★★★★

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Malin Tälle

Paola C

Knocked off a star because Alyssa is in this book as well and she annoys the hell out of me. Also that ending was *chef kiss*

"What's going on? Turn on the television. What channel? Any channel. An unknown vessel, not of this world, materializes in London. A colossal figure towering over the city, it makes no move. Is this a peaceful first contact or the prelude to an invasion? Every child has nightmares. But the only thing scarier than little Eva Reyes' dreams - apocalyptic visions of death and destruction - is the habit they have of coming true . . . Scientist Dr Rose Franklin has no memory of the last few years. The strangers she works with say she died, and was brought back to life. The question is not just how . . . but why? Kara Resnik and Vincent Couture fell in love during war, and have found peace since. They are the thin line of defence against what is coming. But they do not know they have been living a lie. And a man who claims to have the answers has his own agenda. There are things he cannot say - and others he won't. All pieces of an epic puzzle- one we have been trying to solve since the dawn of time . . ."

Themis Files 2

Olivera Mitić

Amanda

The audio books are voiced by a full cast and it makes for a really cool experience. I love these characters so much, the plot is fast paced, and the audio book makes for a quick read.

Анастасия Розова

4.5/5


  “The known is finite, the unknown infinite; intellectually we stand on an islet in the midst of an illimitable ocean of inexplicability.” 


Soo... I'm dead? JUST LIKE SOME CHARACTERS I'M NOT GONNA NAME FUCK YOU BOOK WHAT WAS THAT I HATE YOU GOOD LORDS GIMME THE NEXT ONE

I've honestly covered all the important parts of this series in my review of the first book. There you can find all the important and enjoyable things, I don't see the point of repeating myself.

I do, however, wanna talk a little bit about this particular installment. It was a little bit slower than the first one, but maybe it's cause I've been awfully busy and have been listening to the audiobook for almost four months? I know, terrible. 

The audiobook was still amazing, although Eva's voice drove me up the wall. I have a problem with some sounds and some voices and this was UGH. Thank gods we don't see much of her in this one. Plus, she was totally childish and whiny (she was 10, I know, but c'mon). She acted one way, whined to get everyone do what she wanted, and then cry because one little thing failed when she was allowed to do whatever she wanted to do. Hard to explain without spoilers, sorry. But those of you who's actually read the book will understand what I'm talking about.

Vincent is still my baby and I'll kill for him. The best. 

The plot twists broke my heart into a million pieces and I just wanna lie here and pretend it didn't happen. I'm so mad, but also they were such good plot twists... I'm conflicted. I was finishing the audiobook in the airport and trying not to fucking cry because fuck you that's why. 
And the end itself? Damn, I'm intrigued what's gonna happen!

Also, I lived for such interactions in the book. The best.

  “Vincent: "Rose, we can't fight this guy."
Rose: "Can you..."
Vincent: "Kara, what are you doing?"
Rose: "What's going on?"
Vincent: "Kara's... engaging in diplomacy."
Rose: "She's what?"
Vincent: "She's giving him the finger. Very mature, Kara!"”


Very excited for the next one, possibly the last one? Don't know, but I need it right now!

Malin Alexander

** spoiler alert **
           The fact that Kara's unwillingness to become a mother was use as a PLOT DEVICE was what upset me most about this book. 
The overall plot itself stayed interesting and intriguing enough that I didn't completely hate reading it and actually still want to read on the next book in the series. But FFS women are allowed to make that choice and decide that they don't want to be mothers, it's not that uncommon but it's often treated as though women shouldn't have that choice in society and their sole purpose is to get kids! So the fact that they pretty much forced her to have a kid, then even though she never wanted one she suddenly reacts with maternal instincts and drops everything for her.... THAT WAS BS. 
Then sure go ahead and kill off every single character that was ACTUALLY interesting why don't you. 

Really really disappointed in this book....

Elizabeth Raines

It truly amazes me how connected we get with these characters as this book is only dialogue, it’s in a file format. You never realize how much the characters mean to you until they get thrown into the action and then it’s just crazy. We don’t really have an atmosphere as this story is told through diary entries and files. However, the character of, Mr. Burns, really brings in a lot of world building by telling the history. The only reason why this isn’t a full five star is because we’re just thrown into the story. I was confused the whole first quarter of the book. I skimmed over a lot of the in-depth science talk but I did enjoy the scenes with genetics. With this being a multimedia book, it is very fast and you could probably read it in one day. The plot was just plain out amazing, the author is not afraid of what he is writing and that only leaves us getting out heart strings pulled. I loved this book. 

4.42 out of 5 stars.

Full thoughts in this video: https://youtu.be/S21BsN9ONiA

Pepper

** spoiler alert **
           Eva. She is the reason this book got ruined. Without that annoying 10-year-old it could have been easily a 4 star book. Her dialogues were so dumb I started wondering if I’m reading some cheap fan-fiction. Moreover, I listened to the audiobook. Her accent and her voice is the last thing I ever want to listen. I was kinda hoping they would kill her off by the end of the book so I could continue with this series, but damn, she lives. 

The way Eva says “You don’t understand” makes me wanna smack her face. God, kids are supposed to be adorable. What’s gotten to me???? 

The death of Cara was one of the worst kill-offs I’ve ever read. I didn’t feel shit, even though she was one of my favorite characters in the book. 

The interview-like style has started to show it’s ugly side. It’s been two books and I still don’t feel attached to the characters. They say things which normal people wouldn’t speak out loud, just so we know what they are thinking. Although it’s not too bad. I should give credits to the author for trying out something new. It takes a lot of guts to do that. Kudos. 

I had high hopes for this one. Now, I don’t feel like continuing with the series.

Emily C Peterson

Elodia

As a child Rose Franklin made an astonishing discovery - a huge metallic hand, buried deep in the earth. She has since focused her scientific career on uncovering everything about the hand and the other gigantic body parts found scattered about the globe. When another robot is discovered and lashes out, Dr Franklin is closer to learning its secrets than ever before. But as more machines appear, earth looks set for an invasion for which it is colossally unprepared. Mankind's only chance is for Rose and her team to uncover the mysteries of the ancient technology or the earth might be lost to them forever . . .

Elke

I am so in love with this series ... second book was even better than the first and I am so excited to read the next book!

Shirley Krijnen

'Reminiscent of The Martian and World War Z' PIERCE BROWN A twenty-story-tall metallic figure appears in the middle of Regent's Park. The caretakers at London Zoo notice it first at around 4am. The figure, or robot, bears a great resemblance to the UN robot known as Themis . . . Who made Themis? It's been ten years since Themis - a giant alien metal robot - was revealed to the world by Dr Rose Franklin. It now stands at the heart of the Earth Defense Corps - in case the makers of Themis return to claim it. Why did they leave it here? Rose and her team are still seeking answers to Themis's origins when a second and even bigger robot appears in London's Regent's Park. A military response backfires, reducing half the city to bare earth. And what if they come back? As more robots appear across the world, Rose knows it's a race against time to discover where they've come from, what they want and - most importantly - how to stop them . . . 'Captivating' BUZZFEED 'A sheer blast from start to finish. I haven't had this much fun reading in ages' BLAKE CROUCH 'Non-stop action and adventure. In a word: unputdownable' KIRKUS

Themis Files

vera

”If I grab a bunch of matter, anywhere, and I organize it in exactly the same way, I get…you. You, my friend, are a very complex, awe-inspiring configuration of matter. What you’re made of isn’t really important. Everything in the universe is made of the same thing. You’re a configuration. Your essence, as you call it, is information. It doesn’t matter where the material comes from.”

This was such a great sequel! Totally worthy of those five stars! I’m really loving this series, I couldn’t put the book down.

The stakes are higher. There’s some great character development. Plot twists everywhere. Tough decisions. Lots of action. Original, funny, gripping and heartbreaking.

I love how scientific based this series is. It makes everything feel so realistic. I loved reading all the research parts and following along the process of studying and trying to understand the mystery of these robots and the aliens. It just really pulled me in. I also really loved the political intrigue thrown in there. Literally everything about this was so interesting.

Absolutely in love with this series.

”If I grab a bunch of matter, anywhere, and I organize it in exactly the same way, I get…you. You, my friend, are a very complex, awe-inspiring configuration of matter. What you’re made of isn’t really important. Everything in the universe is made of the same thing. You’re a configuration. Your essence, as you call it, is information. It doesn’t matter where the material comes from.”


This was such a great sequel! Totally worthy of those five stars! I’m really loving this series, I couldn’t put the book down. 

The stakes are higher. There’s some great character development. Plot twists everywhere. Tough decisions. Lots of action. Original, funny, gripping and heartbreaking.

I love how scientific based this series is. It makes everything feel so realistic. I loved reading all the research parts and following along the process of studying and trying to understand the mystery of these robots and the aliens. It just really pulled me in. I also really loved the political intrigue thrown in there. Literally everything about this was so interesting.

Absolutely in love with this series.

Sally Salinas

Hard not to get sucked in! Love this series!

Lucas Coelho

From the Evangelion references to characters and plot, I really liked this book. Probably more than the first one. 

It does not give you a lot of time to breath but I think this was what the Author intended, to bring the “Two Towers” kinda pace for the second book of this series.

Read the two first in a roll but think I need a rest after this one to digest everything that happened before moving to Only Humans. 

Good experience for the ones listening to the Audiobook.

Waking Gods

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