Sleeping Giants

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
Themis File #1
Science Fiction
2016 Random House Audio
Read by Andy Secombe, Eric Meyers, Laurel Lefkow, Charlie Anson, Liza Ross, William Hope, Christoper Ragland, Katharine Mangold, and Adna Sablyich
Finished on October 14, 2016
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

"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)

Publisher's Blurb:

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?

I initially picked up a copy of Sleeping Giants at the recommendation of a coworker, and after reading the chilling prologue, I was instantly hooked and decided to download the audio book to my phone. I was shocked (and a bit concerned) that the audio has nine readers, but I was quickly sucked into the story and the characters are distinctive enough with their own quirks and personalities that I didn't have any trouble keeping track of each individual. The chapters are told in alternating points-of-view, most of which are in the format of interviews with a nameless interrogator (I was never sure if he was actually human or a robot...). The novel has been likened to World War Z and The Martian, neither of which I've read, but I did enjoy the movie adaptation of The Martian and would love to see this on the big screen. I kept picturing Katee Sackhoff in the lead role as Kara Resnik.

Great praise from another recently discovered author:

“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 and the questions they spawn—How much human life is worth sacrificing in the pursuit of scientific progress? Can humanity be trusted with weapons of ultimate destruction? And the biggest: Are we alone? But all that really matters is that 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

Final Thoughts:

This is a great audio book with compelling characters and an inventive, thought-provoking plot. I look forward to reading the sequel and may just have to re-read the book before then. The audio took me a little over a week to complete, but after thumbing through the paperback edition, I realize it can be easily read in a day or two. I've forgotten a lot about the ending, so a re-read is probably in order.

(from the author's website)

Yay! I just discovered this on Neuvel's website:

The movie rights for Sleeping Giants have been optioned by Sony. David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Mission Impossible) is writing the script. Josh Bratman and Matt Tolmach are producing.

In addition to the author's personal website, be sure to click here to see the site devoted to the trilogy. I love the graphics!