I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

While this book has many of the issues I had with the first one, it's definitely more action packed than the first one. It seems when you're not dealing with cliche political wrangling of putting together a giant robot, and instead dealing with pure action of robots ending the human race, more can be forgiven. Yeah the writing is not the best, BUT OMG IT'S THE APOCALYPSE! It being a compelling enough story obviously helps. Otherwise, it would end up like Armada.

While the telling over showing was a big part of this book as well, it helped by being more from the diary entries than the interviews. The mystery man was still the weakest part. Even attempts at giving him emotional scenes and a backstory fell flat. The backstory was a mixture of odd and laughable. It really didn't work for me.

I do like how the author took risks with the plot. After certain choices in the first book, I thought the author wasn't willing to do some things to help drive the plot. If he retcons this in the 3rd book, it'll be a bit upsetting.

While the dossier style of the book makes things all a bit shallow, it's quite a fun read. Moreso than the first one. If you've wanted to read Independence Day mixed with mecha, here it is.

Thanks very much to NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

After years of investigation, Rose and her team have just begun to figure out a portion of the mystery surrounding the giant robot that they had unearthed and pieced together. The answers that they have found have been extremely interesting, to say the least, but there is still quite a bit that they just don't know. That's when a robot even bigger than the one that they dug up materializes and unleashes its wrath on a major city. Suddenly the team finds themselves living in a nightmare, as more and more robots start appearing on their planet. If they want to stand a chance the Earth Defense Corps is only going to have to work out the technological secrets of an unimaginably advanced species.

I was absolutely thrilled when I lucked out and got approved for this ARC on NetGalley since I enjoyed book one of the Themis Files, Sleeping Giants, so much. (You can see my review of that novel here. I'm so pleased to see Neuvel back back for book two in style! Waking Gods is an awesome sequel! I loved seeing our cast of characters back for round two - I can never get enough of Kara and Vincent, plus our interviewer who (reminds me primarily of Agent Smith from The Matrix with a dash of Castiel from Supernatural) is my personal favorite character of the entire group. My only issues with this novel, like before, is that I really wish we had a better sense of time between each interview and report and during a few scenes I found myself wishing that we were a bit closer to events instead of being a step or two removed. Otherwise, though, I particularly enjoyed the formatting of this story - it's such a unique and imaginative way to set up this sci-fi saga.

This installment is a fun, thrill-ride with some stunning twists and emotional gut punches (I'll admit I got a bit misty-eyed) to boot. I don't want to give too much away about the plot overall, but I'm still reeling from that cliff hanger ending. If you like The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, The Fold by Peter Clines, The Iron Giant, Fringe, and Power Rangers, I highly recommend this series. I can't wait to see what will come next in Sylvain Neuvel's Themis Files!

As with Sleeping Giants, I enjoyed this book a lot. It amazes me how well written it is and how this series have made me be more open to the Sci-Fi genre, which I didn't use to read a lot. A well crafted writing style, action, and a great continuation to book one which I highly recommend.

It's sequal time. I did read the first book in this series. I'm glad to say that this was a BIG improvement over the first book. I started to not read it, but I hoped to have questions that weren't answered solved. I'm not sorry that I got it. It's still log/journal entry style, but at least we are more involved in the plot and outcomes now.

If you liked the first book even 2 stars worth, this has jumped to 4 stars. My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

The sequel to <i>Sleeping Giants</i> definitely raised the stakes. I almost want to think of the first book as the training montage for both Vincent and Kara piloting Themis, but also for the reader's understanding of this version of earth's history. It's a fascinating exploration into the human psyche from the perspective of empathy and bureaucracy told in case files and audio interviews.

As with many SFF sequels, this one was an easier read because the reader knew most of the rules. Or so they thought. There was so much left to learn about the giant robots and the way they functioned. There was a palpable terror with the amazing abilities these aliens had. There were definitely more nods to the ways the mechs work that remind me of <i>Pacific Rim</i>, but more directly, <i>Neon Genesis Evangelion</i>.

Where the book falls apart is that less time was spent delving on the magnitude of human suffering. In the first book, Neuvel spent more time from multiple POVs looking at the disasters that happen. Perhaps because it's hard to understand millions dying in an alien-induced apocalypse, but that global feeling of hopelessness and sadness could have been executed better.

With that cliff-hanger ending, I can't wait to see what comes up next in <i>The Themis Files</i>.

This second in the series was very good, but I didn't feel it had quite the impact on me as the first book.

I was hesitant going into this book, the second in what I believe will be a trilogy. I had really enjoyed the first book but I hadn’t loved it. My biggest issue with the first book is that I hadn’t connected with any specific character. I’m accustomed to having some sort of main character to bond with and follow on a journey. The Themis Files series is much more devoted to the plot than character and is told in a completely different format. Instead of chapters, the entire book is portrayed through interview logs, diaries, and other documentation. It’s a big adjustment compared to what I’m used to reading and with this second book I almost gave up at the beginning. I’m super glad I didn’t, I actually ended up enjoying this book far more than the first.

In the first book, I didn’t really connect with any specific character and I didn’t in this one either. That said, I felt close to them in a way that I didn’t anticipate or even realize until things began happening. I thought I was fairly distant from each individual but in one scene, in particular, I found myself actually crying. I’m still kind of in shock over how things happened days after finishing the book. The many twists this book takes had my feelings all over the place and left me in a bit of a book hangover. My only warning with this book is that the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, one that I didn’t see coming at all. Most of the situations that go on throughout this second book of the series do get resolved and wrapped up. The final chapter, however, deals a solid blow leaving a lot of clues as to where the next book will take us.

I’ve spoken to a few people about this series who’ve been reluctant to read Waking Gods after having lukewarm feelings about the first book. I totally get that because, in some ways, I had the same reservations. After having read it, however, I highly recommend giving it a try as I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Sleeping Giants was one of my favourite books of 2016 - I had absolutely no idea what it was about, or what to expect, but I loved every page of it. So, I could not wait for the release of its sequel, Waking Gods. However, unlike Sleeping Giants, I did not enjoy every page. The first half was amazing, and then things kind of fell apart for me.

Sleeping Giants was mainly about finding and assembling all the different pieces of the alien robot, Themis, learning how she operated, how the countries of Earth react to this new threat in the hands of the United States, and ultimately banding together to form a defense league against potential alien threats . In Waking Gods, the stakes are much higher. When additional robots start appearing in major cities across the globe,

One of my favourite things about Waking Giants was its tone. The idea of giant robots suddenly appearing across the globe, threatening major cities, is a pretty discomforting one. However, the irreverent banter between the characters made it much more fun to read about as opposed to them being serious all the time.

In the first book, the format was something I really enjoyed. For the most part, it was written as a series of personal journal entries and interviews conducted by an unidentified character. This meant that the reader played a somewhat passive role - as we generally learnt about events after the fact. However, Waking Gods introduced some new elements that I didn't like anywhere near as much. The ones I found to be the most problematic were the scenes of pure dialogue. I know I said I enjoyed the banter between the characters, but it just wasn't very exciting or as engaging to read scene after scene with no exposition whatsoever.

While I didn't think it was as good as Sleeping Giants, I still thought that Waking Gods was a very interesting, fast-paced read, and will definitely be continuing on with the series.

Ten years after scientists discover a giant robot on Earth, the world must deal with a second robot that appears without warning. Unlike the first robot, however, the second one exhibits malicious intentions. The scientists who found the first robot will have to use every resource at their disposal to stop the new evil visitor before every person succumbs. Author Sylvain Neuvel continues the thrilling story of Themis with aplomb in the second novel of the Themis Files series called Waking Gods.

It's been a decade since scientist Rose Franklin and her team excavated and assembled the mysterious pieces of metal that turned into the robot she named Themis. The world has become complacent about Themis in that time. Since her appearance, nothing terrible has happened and Themis seems more like a fascinating scientific oddity than anything else.

So when another robot just appears one morning in London, residents of that city as well as others think Themis’s “family” may finally be joining her. Rose doesn’t know what to think about the new robot. As a scientist she’s intrigued, but an unnamed government source told Rose that Themis wouldn’t be the only one to visit. Nor would the other robots necessarily be as benign as Themis.

The prediction becomes truth when the second robot in London emits a deadly gas and kills thousands. Before anyone can formulate a plan, robots begin arriving in other cities. They, too, begin emitting deadly gasses.

The citizens of the world are under attack.

Not everyone dies, however, and Rose races to find out why. The survivors don’t seem to have any connection to one another. Why do they get to live?

Along with all this, Rose deals with her own insecurities about her abilities. Years earlier she was found after an accident in which she supposedly died. When she wakes up, four years have passed and she questions everything she knows about herself and her life.

It doesn’t help that Kara and Vincent, the cracker jack team of scientists who actually pilot Themis, also treat Rose like a delicate vase. They want to restore the friendship the three shared, but they’re not sure how to go about doing that. With the progression of world events, however, Rose, Kara, Vincent, and all the others involved may not get the time they want to sort through their personal challenges.

Author Sylvain Neuvel brings back his flair and innovative storytelling method for the second book in the Themis Files series. Once again Neuvel doesn’t stick to a conventional narration. Like Sleeping Giants, its predecessor, Waking Gods reads like a collection of files recovered from some sort of aftermath. With the events in Waking Gods, the overall concept for Neuvel’s story world becomes more clear and more opaque all at the same time.

Neuvel spends more time sharing the characters’ lives in this book, which sets it apart from the first novel. In particular readers will find out more about the unnamed government source who Rose and others have turned to time and again for access to information and other resources. Like the characters, readers will find themselves in turns delighted and frustrated by him.

The frustration is purely by Neuvel’s design, though, which is what makes this such a fantastic read. Nothing is out of place in the book in terms of pacing or character development, and readers will most likely finish it wishing they already had the third book on hand. Current world events sometimes suggest the kind of society Neuvel proposes, which makes his books timely, frightening, and necessary escapist reading all in one.

Fans of the first book will find everything they love about Themis, Rose, and the others in this second story. I recommend readers Binge read Waking Gods!

Sleeping Giants was one of my favourite books of 2016, it absolutely blew my mind with the concept and Neuvel’s immersive writing style. I’d never read such wonderful plot twists… until Waking Gods that is. Waking Gods surprised me at every turn and was even more impactful than book 1.

The book opens 9 years after the events of Sleeping Giants, with a new robot having appeared out of thin air in the middle of London. Everybody is in a tizzie because what could this mean and what do they do, when do they bring Themis in?

Since coming back to life at the end of Sleeping Giants, Rose has been struggling with who she is for the past 9 years. The 4 years she spent working on discovering Themis are not a part of her, and while she’s still a brilliant scientist she questions the ‘Rose’ during those 4 years which she can’t remember. I can’t blame her for continuing to question her existence – I mean who wouldn’t be if they were brought back to life? Sleeping Giants Rose approached the discovery of Themis with a positive energy and fervour that made Themis her life. The Rose after is much more hesitant. She is no less brilliant but she’s now seeing things in a much more cautious and negative light. Everybody basically tells her to harden the eff up but it takes her the course of the book to develop and come to terms with who she is.

Kara and Vincent have gotten a lot closer since book 1 and I love their dynamic. I never would have pictured them becoming a couple when they were first introduced but oh how far things have come. Kara is still kind of reckless but hilarious with her witty comebacks, and Vincent is still a genius but I could totally see that they’re in love. Vincent especially has a smaller ego and is always considerate of Kara and it’s so damn sweet. Their life as a couple is also their work and I admired their ability to maintain such a strong relationship despite their differences. Their banter was fun and delightful as always and showed how well they got along.

The unnamed man who I think of as the mastermind behind all of this is still pulling strings and manipulating people throughout the story, however I feel like he’s grown softer. I really admired the way Neuvel did this character’s voice. He elicits such reactions from people with his calm and blunt comments and I could always ALWAYS tell when it was him speaking. There’s something so penetrating about the structure of his words and sentences that cannot be misinterpreted. It’s jarring to the receiver, and to those who aren’t used to him it’s kind of hilarious the way they get angry. Then you’ve got Rose and Vincent who answer normally while Kara responds with her usual wit because they’re so used to him. Neuvel has really done a fantastic job with this unique and recognisable voice through both books. He’s managed to give the character growth in his subtle and infrequent shows of emotion with the way he protects those he’s come to care about.

As with the first book there’s a lot of science and I’m no scientist but I could tell Neuvel had really done his research. The science is in-depth yet Neuvel is also able to explain it in layman terms, presenting these in interview style as a scientist talking to a pleb like me, ahem, I mean non-scientist. There’s more maths, more chemistry and metallurgy, and heaps of biology with talk of DNA and evolution. It was fascinating and planted a lot of seeds in my brain with the direction this story was going. Neuvel’s writing style is easy-going, flowing well and immersive – I couldn’t stop turning the pages!

The plot though, my goodness! Alien robots that are posing to be a threat to mankind seems standard but there’s so many plot twists and mind-fuck moments. There’s punch you in the feels moments too that left me in denial (I’m STILL in denial damn it) and an ending to end all endings with a whopping cliffhanger.

To say Waking Gods is one of the most breathtaking and thought provoking books I’ve ever read in my lifetime is an understatement. It messed with my brain and my heart. Thank goodness there’s a book 3 – I made sure to check with Neuvel and he’s confirmed it’s in the works!

Though it's technically possible to read [book:Waking Gods|30134847] not having read [book:Sleeping Giants|25733990], I wouldn't recommend doing so. These books are quite short and the story is really good. Giant metal limbs are found in different parts of the globe and it is discovered that they attach to each other to form a robot. What great havoc wouldn't that cause?

This was a sequel that did not disappoint. A giant robot - not Themis - shows up in London. We learn more about our nameless narrator (not his name, though), Mr. Burns has some great tales to tell, Kara and Vincent are their same old selves. And so is <spoiler>Rose. Well, not quite. </spoiler>

The ending promises a fantastic third book. Can't wait for it!

(Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy!)

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 background scientific information which needs to be waded through in Sleeping Giants in order to make way for the action.

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 to 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.

4 stars.

Rather, that if one gave thought to the assumptions generated by the first book (sorry to be vague, but spoilers are the death of great books, and I won’t risk them), the direction of this one would be one of a number of likely options. But the fact of that direction/the major plot line here is not the point – the point is entirely in the execution and the details, and that is where this series is so exceptional…

If you are not familiar with the series, check out the book blurb for Sleeping Giants, the first in the series. Given how things ended, I was not sure what on earth (that’s a rather silly pun, if you’re familiar with the series at all) to expect – but it wasn’t this. Things have heated up rather significantly between books one and two – years have passed, seemingly in the blink of an eye. That’s rather how time passes in these books all the time – there are no benchmarks for time, no sense of whether Themis was found in the past, present, or future, no sense of how much time elapses between the various “files” that comprise the story. This is one of the things I like – and also find frustrating. I do think it’s smart, especially in a series and in science fiction, to avoid dating your story (hello, 2001: A Space Odyssey…) since that can create expectations (and disappointments) when the “future” comes and goes. It is challenging, however, to keep things straight without any explicit internal timeline in a complex and ever-developing story like this one. The text of each file does always explain the time-lapse, but the jumps are often uneven in duration and the timeline can be difficult to maintain if you read speedily like I do (I flip back and forth a bit in these books). Still, it’s not at all a distraction – it contributes to the feeling of authenticity in the “series of files” format.

Interestingly enough, this format has never been an issue for me. Generally speaking, I do NOT like epistolary or non-traditional narratives – I usually find them jumpy and difficult, and rarely am I able to really lose my self in the story when it is presented that way. Not so at ALL here. Despite the unusual format and varying styles of each “chapter”/”file”, somehow the whole thing comes perfectly together into a coherent narrative that tells a most compelling story about a brilliant and extraordinarily well-developed cast of characters facing a set of wild circumstances utterly beyond their control.

This is an excellent series – beautifully crafted, insightful in its exploration of the dark side of humanity (and its responses to dark events), and utterly original. I’ve read alien stories before. I’ve read discovery stories before. I’ve read end of the world stories before. I’ve read “let’s learn who we are through strife and conflict” stories before. But I’ve never read a story that comprises all of those concepts into one unified tale full of science and miracles, despair and possibility. And wait until you get a load of the cliffhanger THIS TIME… If you haven’t read Sleeping Giants yet, start the series right away. Then rush out to get this one. You won’t be sorry.

A daring sequel to a thrilling first novel, however slightly inferior. Second book syndrome, or perhaps not enough spent with my favorite character may contribute to my indifferent to this continuation.

Plot-wise it's absolutely fascinating and was moving along quite rapidly. Planet Earth is being invaded by more and more of these "alien robots" that are threatening the very international safety. Chaos ensues and the storyline goes from there, involving all of the same characters that were featured in the first book.

There was more of a sense of deathly urgency, which of curse ensured that there was a decrease in solid character development that I was desperate to see. However this (endearing) train wreck didn't keep my on my toes. I think that the author tried, and quite frankly failed at creating that authentic urgency that's needed in this thriller-esque thing. The format stays exactly the same as it was in the first installment (interviews and short diary entries) however because of certain event and the need for more narratives to fully flesh out the character.

Funny, I expected this alternative world to expand, but instead I felt like it was narrowing. We spend a significant among time solving mysteries in the details of under the microscope and examining DNA. Sure, there were some profound passages that explore the idea of space, infinity, etc. just as could have been expected from Neuvel.

<spoiler>My main problem is that there was emotional distance. Without giving too much, in the world millions of people are dying, and I just didn't seem to care. Major characters also died, and I just kept on going, not really being affected in any way as a reader with the enormous amounts of death and destruction that was sown everywhere. I don't know, maybe the birdseye just wasn't enough for me here, I wanted the author to make these main characters more approachable.</spoiler>

Lastly the ending: omg! Neuvel really has a knack for writing abstract cliffhangers. Not only did you not expect them, but they are completely out of the world of things that happened; that they change the playing board completely. I'm expecting that this is a set-up for the third installment.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

When I first heard of Sylvain Neuvel’s novel “Sleeping Giants” I was wary of all the hype surrounding it. It couldn’t be THAT good, could it? Of course when I eventually read it I was swept away by the twists and turns and unanswered questions of the storyline. It was an action packed reading experience. Today I can easily say “Giant Robots! What’s not to like?”

The sequel “Waking Gods” takes place ten years later when an even bigger robot materialises in London with devastating consequences. Dr Rose Franklin is still coming to terms with some of the events of the previous novel and the mysterious unnamed interviewer is still there asking questions. Soon more robots arrive…

I don’t want to give much away here, especially in case you’ve not read the previous book, but Waking Gods is even better than Sleeping Giants. There is a third book on the way, as well as two other stories from the Themis Files. I only hope I have enough patience to wait for the next book!

It’s nine years after the end of the events in Sleeping Giants. Our anonymous and dry-witted handler is still pulling strings and manipulating events and people behind the scenes. Vincent Couture and Kara Resnick are still in a relationship, and still the only people on earth who can pilot Themis, the two hundred foot tall alien robot that scientists found and assembled. Dr. Rose Franklin ― or the younger copy of her that was found by a road in Ireland, a year after the original Rose died ― is the head of research in the Earth Defense Corps, formed to deal with whatever alien threats might appear. And now, it appear, the EDC will get its chance.

A new robot suddenly materializes in the middle of London, a little taller and more muscular-appearing than Themis, striated with veins of yellow light rather than Themis’s turquoise, and likely six thousand years newer than her. For a week the new robot, called Kronos, stands motionless and silent while humanity in general, and the British Parliament in particular, argues about what to do. Finally the British military calls in tanks and soldiers to confront Kronos with a show of military force, hoping that those who control the robot will choose to leave. Kronos turns its head. And then all hell breaks loose.

More giant robots mysteriously appear around the world, and are wholly uncommunicative about their intentions … but not so much, unfortunately, about their combat abilities. Humanity is in trouble, and at an alarming disadvantage.

The characters we know and love (or, in the case of a couple of them, love to hate) all play a role in the events of Waking Gods. There are some truly surprising character arcs during the events of this novel. The handler character is still nameless, but discloses an intriguing background. Kara is as impulsive and smart-mouthed as ever, but shows a new side of her personality when she gets some astounding and highly personal news. Rose is a darker character in her new iteration. Nine years after her mystical reappearance as a younger version of the character who died in Sleeping Giants, Rose is still traumatized by the idea that she’s just a clone or copy; she spends a lot of time, perhaps too much, gloomily navel-gazing. But the answers to the questions about how and why she was brought back may give her a new purpose.

There are also a couple of key new players: Brigadier General Eugene Govender, commander of the EDC, and Eva Reyes, a ten year old girl in Puerto Rico with disturbing visions that often come true. I’m not always convinced about the wisdom of adding a child character to an otherwise adult adventure tale, but Sylvain Neuvel uses Eva’s character to good effect here.

While Waking Gods retains the same file-based structure and interview and report-based narrative style as Sleeping Giants, the focus shifts from the wonder of discovery and research about an alien artifact and the political ramifications of that discovery, to more of a science fictional disaster film vibe. While the nature of the story being told in Waking Gods didn’t have the innate appeal to me as Sleeping Giants’ story did, it’s still a gripping tale. It’s slightly marred by just a few plot developments that struck me as either overly convenient or pat, or (I’ll admit it) painfully shocking.

Waking Gods is an epic story, global in its scope. Even it didn’t engage me quite to the extent the first book did, it’s unquestionably a solid follow-up. And with that last sentence in the novel, Neuvel had better be planning on publishing a third book soon!

Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel

Waking Gods is the second novel in Sylvain Neuvel’s science fiction series, the Themis Files, and follows on a few years later from Sleeping Giants. You most definitely need to have read Sleeping Giants first and this review assumes you’ve had the pleasure.

When little Rose Franklin fell into a hole in the ground, right into the palm of an extraordinary, enormous metal hand, of unknown construction and astonishing age, the world changed forever. Humanity now knew that it did not exist alone in the universe. This was the hand of a giant robot of alien origin, buried aeons ago, as were the robot’s other parts, which were scattered across the planet. Over the years Rose, now grown and a scientist, led the project to rebuild the robot – Themis. But not just to rebuild it – to pilot it, to understand it. The question of whether this was the right thing to do continues to haunt Rose. She has suffered for it in the worst of ways and many have died or been irrevocably altered, especially its pilots, Vincent and Kara.

A shock is coming. Another robot, bigger than Themis, appears out of the blue in London. It stands still. Nobody knows what it will do. Some flee while some can’t keep away from it, even picnicking by it. But while the world makes up its mind, the robot does it for them. It begins to move. And all hell breaks loose.

As with Sleeping Giants, the narrative is presented as a series of interviews conducted by the mysterious and enigmatic interrogator, as well as journal extracts, news reports, reflections. This means that we spend time with all of the key protagonists in the most immediate fashion and in the most tense circumstances. It’s a style that definitely works in these novels. We sometimes circle around the same critical event from a range of perspectives. There is conflict between the individuals as well as great affection in some cases. Themis herself feels almost alive although she continues to be enigmatic and unknowable.

Waking Gods US ednI’m so fond of these characters, particularly Vincent and Kara but also the interrogator. We learn a little more about him here and some of what we learn surprises. He’s almost as impossible to know as Themis but there are glimpses of his true nature – and it is ambiguous. Kara and Vincent continue to make me care for them and their relationship is central to the novel. Rose Franklin is an intriguing character but her struggle to identify herself makes us keep our distance. She also embodies some important questions about the nature of the origin of these robots. While others bring the militaristic, strategic or political element to the story, Rose brings the science.

Sylvain Neuvel tells a great story. Waking Gods is thoroughly exciting – aliens, giant robots, intrigue, danger, explosions, mystery. All of the ingredients for an entertaining science fiction thriller are here and they’re mixed to perfection. It’s a fast read, very hard to put down, and this is speeded up even further by the dramatic structure. There are surprises and shocks in this novel, far more than I was expecting and some left me reeling and wondering where on earth the story could go from this. But proceed it did and its fantastic ending left me wanting much, much more and soon.

I read Sleeping Giants last year when it came out in hardcover, and was surprised to find that it was nothing like what I expected. I had expected something more like Iron Giant, and got giant robots and politics and war, told through interviews and files.

With the second novel, we go even further. It's about ten years later, and the world has (mostly) come together, with Themis (the giant robot) mainly used as a peacekeeper and propaganda driver. But now, new robots start appearing, and they are anything but peaceful. As well, one of the acts against the pilots of Themis in the previous book bears fruit (almost literally).

And even though book one was nothing like what I expected, I was shocked by events in book two. Especially two deaths that I would never have thought possible. This book also ended on more of a cliffhanger, leaving me anxious for book three. Sylvain Neuvel is proving himself a writer to watch.

Title: Waking Gods
Genre: Science-fiction
Publication Date: April 4, 2017
Rating: 4.25/5




“I just thought… I thought he’d be able to weasel his way out of this, twist God’s arm, tell him he had nude pictures of him or something.”

Waking Gods is the anticipated sequel to Sleeping Giants. You can check out my non-spoiler review HERE or HERE. I am so excited that I was able to get an ARC through the NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Waking Gods takes place 10 years after Sleeping Giants. After the discovery of a giant robot the world has now been exposed to the reality that there is life outside of Earth. These aliens are technologically more advanced than we could have ever dream of. Now that we know they exist, should we begin to prepare for an apocalypse?

Ten years later society is forced to answer that question when robots begin falling from the sky and landing all around the world in the Earth’s most populated cities and begin to kill us by the millions.

The story is told in the same format as Sleeping Giants. There are a series of interviews, military reports, journal entries, and live news broadcasts. The same characters that were in book 1 are in book 2, as well as some new faces. Questions are answered regarding our nameless mystery guy. And, the fate of the world is in the hands of two pilots, a geneticist, a physicist, and a ten-year old girl.

The story keeps you hooked the entire time. Just when you think that things are finally settling down something happens that makes you say ‘WHOA’. You keep wondering what this alien civilization wants from us and how can we possibly defend ourselves when they can so easily erase all human life on earth?

Despite the millions of deaths that occurred, this book was funny and filled with sarcastic characters that I love. The story is somewhat predictable yet there were a few outcomes that I did not see coming that kept me wanting more.

One thing about this story that doesn’t make me jump over the moon and want to shove this book in people’s faces is that the format in which the story is told makes it more difficult to connect with the characters. You never really know what the character is thinking. Your perception of them is solely based on the things they say and do rather than reasoning behind their actions. It's easier to empathize with a villain if you know his reasoning behind their madness.

Besides that this book is funny, has a unique format, and it involves alien civilizations with GIANT ROBOTS. What’s not to love?

SO GOOD. SO SO SO GOOD. I LOVED THIS, I'M GRINNING AND I CAN'T STOP.

Sleeping Giants was one of my favorite sci-fi books of 2015, and I had really high expectations for Waking Gods. This book had everything I loved about the first book, but everything was even better the second time around. Definitely no second book slump here!

Waking Gods picks up a few years after the events of Sleeping Giants, with many of the same narrators. There are a few new voices and I loved seeing how they fit into the larger story. Even though the story is mostly told through journals, reports, and interviews, which can seem a bit emotionally distant, this book was a huge emotional roller coaster. I was grinning, crying, shocked, freaking out...let's be real, I was freaking out for a good 90% of the book because everything was so intense.

This book pulls no punches. None of your favorite characters are safe. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I love how this book is so tightly plotted and intelligent. It's rare that a book is a suspenseful page-turner, a profound meditation on human nature, and a hard-science sci-fi story all at once, but that's exactly what this is. Just when you think you know how this story is going to go, it completely up-ends genre tropes and goes in an entirely new direction. I cannot wait to see where book 3 will take us.