Sleeping Giants

I strongly recommend the audiobook, recorded with an amazing full cast.
Entertaining, with just enough science, drama, action and intense emotions to keep you fully invested. And that epilogue!!!!

I can't write a full review of this yet but... THE ENDING. I need the next book NOW.

Feels like a bit of a wasted opportunity, like a really long drawn-out setup for a book (series). I expected more of it. Still a fun read though.

3.5 stars. Started out good, but went off track

I was really excited to read this and it started off really well. Then it got bogged down in politics and just kind of stalled for me. I had to push myself to get through it. Kara Resnick reminded me of Kara Thrace for sure, which was not a negative for me. I will read the sequel, but I'm really hoping for more about the mythology about where the robots have come from and why it is here now.

3 stars for the story, which dragged in some places but was still thrilling, and 4 stars for the ensemble cast performing the audiobook. Super entertaining and engaging!

It's certainly an intriguing premise. I found myself getting a little bored – I think the interview format can take away some of the interest and excitement from what they're actually talking about. I was pretty sure I'd leave this series after the first – not because it was bad, but just because I have a long list of books to read. But the cliffhanger-ish ending has me unsure whether I'm pissed about the cheap gimmick to get me to pick up the next one, or intrigued enough to do just that.

Let me preface this review by saying this: I am not exactly a science fiction girl. That doesn't mean I dislike it – it's just not something I read on a regular basis. So, when I saw this book in the lineup for Book of the Month a couple months ago, I thought “hey, maybe I should try something totally different!” The book sat on my shelf for a couple months while I made it through some book club reads and some others on my TBR. When I was looking for that always difficult-to-choose “what to read next,” I saw this and was overjoyed that I had something totally off my beaten path waiting for me. I was in the mood for something different, so I snatched it up and began reading.

The story begins with the finding of a mysterious, large metal hand in a hole, surrounded by panels with markings on them. These metal pieces have a mysterious bluish glow coming off of them. They're found by a young girl in the woods when she falls into the hole. Cue the excitement for all the crazy alien mystery coming up in this book, right?

I don't want to delve too much further into the plot, because heck, you might want to read it! For me, though, there was just way too much politics and not enough aliens. After getting super excited about this sci-fi novel, it just...wasn't sci-fi enough! The interview style writing was interesting, but I thought it didn't allow for the greatest storytelling. I just spent the whole time wanting something more to happen. Yes, there was drama. Yes, there were some small pieces of alien-type story pieces. A lot of it, though, was how the human world was dealing politically with this crazy alien robot weapon that could probably take out a whole country on its own.

Read my full review here: http://www.literaryquicksand.com/2016/12/review-sleeping-giants/

Full review coming on 08/13/2016.

The first 2/3rds or so of this book was fantastic, but then it turned into just politics from that point forward, and lost most of the charm and wonder that was present in the beginning. However, the ending still left me looking forward to the sequel.

Originally posted on bluchickenninja.com.

It's really hard to review this book because I don't want to give away any spoilers but I'm finding I have to give some parts away to explain this book. Essentially this is the story of a giant alien robot. There is quite a lot more to it than that and the story is more about a bunch of scientists finding various large metal body parts which turn out to be a giant alien robot. And really when you think about it that shouldn't be a surprise at all considering the book is called Sleeping Giants but you really don't expect an author to be quite so literal with the title of their book so it's surprising to come across a book that actually tells you what the story is about.

Anyway this book was okay I guess. I liked it. The story was fascinating. I liked the characters. I even enjoyed how it was written through a series of reports and interviews (I've been looking for something like this ever since reading World War Z). But the problem is despite enjoying the book, it felt more like it was setting up the next book rather than actually being a story. Basically you should look at this as being the prologue to something that I hope will be even better.

But yeah. A book about giant alien robots. It's what you would expect the result to be if you mixed The Iron Giant, Pacific Rim and Greek mythology and yet at the same time it's like none of those things. Basically you need to read and decide for yourself if it's good.

Well, right after that update I went to bed and when I picked this book back up I was at 70% before I realized I blinked. The story is so strong that I forgot how annoyed I was about the interview style telling. I can't wait to see what happens next!

This is more of a 3.5 than a solid 4 for me, all things considered. Sleeping Giants is different than anything I've read lately, and I appreciate it for that reason alone. While I felt that it dragged at certain points (mostly when it was info-dumping, an unfortunate result of the interview format), it held my attention for most of its 300-ish pages.

It had a real sense of mystery and wonder, though that feeling seemed to come and go after the first few “parts” of the book. Unanswered questions are littered throughout, some that add mystery and some that just frustrate. The good usually outweighs the bad however, and I'll be looking for the sequel.

I received this book free in a Goodreads giveaway but the review I'm giving is not influenced by that. I started this book unsure whether or not I would like it because of the “interview style” used throughout the novel. As I became more immersed in the story, however, that fell away and I was more interested in the characters and what was going on, than the style of writing.

Kara Resnick reminded me of Kara Thrace from Battlestar Galactica, and I can't help but wonder if the author didn't model her from that character. She was opinionated, feisty and confident; definitely my favourite character.

The story itself was interested and although it didn't always lead me where I wanted to go, it still managed to keep me engaged. If you are interested in Sci-Fi, or even the politics behind it all, I believe you will enjoy this book.

So, it's written in the same style as World War Z and The Martian (interviews, recorded conversations, journal logs, etc.) which - until The Martian - I didn't think I was a fan of. This was a really fun conspiracy-filled ride. I personally liked having the explanations of various motivations on a global scale being just out of reach enough for me to not have thought of them myself, but easily understood once laid out. The only real downside is that it's #1 in a series that isn't wholly out yet. Grr.

3.5 stars. The premise of this book pulled me in from the beginning and I was excited about the story and seeing what would unfold. I ended up having mixed feelings about the interview/journal method of storytelling as it seemed to make it more difficult to connect with the characters. I also wanted more exploration of the implications of the discoveries in the book and hopefully these will be fleshed out as the series continues. I would recommend this engaging read for people interested in science fiction who don't mind the narrative style or necessarily want lots of character development.

Thanks to Net Galley for a complimentary digital copy of Sleeping Giants.

Fun read, wanted a little more action but still entertaining.

DNF at 65%.
Yes, I actually rate things I did not finish. Deal with it, I don't care if it's fair, this is just how I feel about it. Part of it is probably the fact that I want to read the last Magicians book by Lev Grossman. Oh, well.

So I am the type that picks up books based on the covers sometimes, which is not so unusual for someone who is generally interested in visual art. Sometimes it turns out awesomely (like when I picked up the Johannes Cabal books by Jonathan L. Howard, man, those are such fun ones, definitely recommending them). Some other times... we get this. Seriously, I love the simple cover with the limited colour palette, right up my alley. It is an art to get the feel of the book and condense it into a cover that still doesn't look nonsensical and messy for people who know nothing about the story. In this case, while I loved the art, I found the literature inside really disappointing.

The situation is that by accident a little girl falls into a hole in the ground and finds a gigantic robot hand of unknown origin. Years pass. People find more pieces and start actually working on assembling this gigantic ass mecha woman, because that is what people do. It needs people to control it as well, which is kind of difficult when you realize it was optimized for a body shape that is humanoid, but not quite exact. Of course political machinations happen, I mean we're talking about this virtually indestructible war machine.

Most of the story is told through interviews with people taking part in the events. This is something that will inevitably be controversial with the readers and part of me wants to congratulate Mr. Neuvel for taking such a risk. At the same time... it slows down the storytelling in my opinion. I have no patience for time being blown on the characters (like Kara, one of the military pilots working on the control of the robot) being defiant with the interviewer. Again and again, they sass. Sure, I would probably talk back as well, but it doesn't make a good novel in my opinion. You know you will get to know things sooner or later, but you have to spend time with people bitching, basically.

Another thing is, based on the little blurb and probably my short description as well, you expect a ton of high tech robot badassery. I have bad news for you. The robot is basically a background prop. It feels like I was lied to, if I am honest. I'm not a particularly big sci-fi fan, more into fantasy, but when I want sci-fi, I want it. Not just people talking about it a bit, then doing other shit.

Reading the thing is fast, though. When we're reading the interviews, there is a pretty big gap on the left, so pages just fly by. I started reading it on my little vacation in a hotel bathtub and for that it was fine. When your head is full of other things, but you are a reader and just need to fit in a few pages to wind down. For full attention? Eh. Not for me for sure.

I can't really say much about the author, as I've never heard his name before. I don't think I'm going to actively look for more of his works for now, though. No hard feelings, I'm just not inclined. I wouldn't want to say anything bad about him or his talents, it wasn't so horrid, I just... felt do damn bored by the whole thing that I decided to quit.

Have a nice day and domo arigato, Miss Roboto.

“Am I ready to accept all that may come out of this if it works? It might give us the cure for everything. It might also have the power to kill millions. Do I want that on my conscience?”

This book was just a ton of fun. Mysterious artifacts, government conspiracies, fringe science, international political intrigue, an stone-cold “mastermind”...this book was like a science-fiction version of Indiana Jones, if Indy had ever stuck around after getting back from his treasure hunting. It was solidly science fiction while still being grounded in enough real life to make it feel relatable. That's not to say the science was sound (interspecies breeding when it comes to humans is an old trope but still firmly in the realm of fiction) but it was at least recognizable, to some extent.

The story is told through journal entries and interviews, with a handful of radio transcripts and news reports thrown in as well. It's been done (and perhaps overdone) but it worked really well here. The interviewer becomes a character in and of himself and you come to realize that he knows a bit more than he originally lets on. I got a total Smoking Man vibe from him and loved every bit of it. Interestingly, you eventually realize that the “files” you're reading are numbered and that they are incomplete - numbers are skipped with no explanation - and I immediately wondered if this was a part of the mystery. Are they implying that there's information we're not being given? Will we see it later? As mysteries are solved more arise, teasing the reader all the way to the end.

All in all this book was a complete win for me. It was exciting, action-packed, plot-driven, and had just enough of a cliff-hanger to make me wish I didn't have to wait a year for the sequel.

Not your typical alien/robot story! Told entirely through a compilation of documents - interviews, journal entries, mission logs, etc. - the reader feels almost like a detective piecing together the events surrounding the discovery of stunningly advanced alien technology on Earth. While the format is refreshing and enjoyable, the large time gaps between some of the documents somewhat diminish the scope of the story. There are several strong female characters, and the storyline is engaging. A worthwhile read - I look forward to future installments!

Scattered metal parts
brought together for science
or reasons unknown.

Book provided by NetGalley.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. A little girl named Rose is riding her new bike when she falls into a hole in the woods. She wakes up in a giant hand, the walls around her carved in symbols and glowing. Years later, She is put in charge of a mission to find other pieces belonging to the “giant”. Hoe old is it? Was it built by aliens? I was really excited by the description of this book, but for me, it didn't live up to my expectations. The only character in the book that I actually liked was Rose, beyond that, there was no character connection for me.