Waking Gods

A satisfying follow-up to Sleeping Giants.

(Full disclosure: I received a free electronic ARC for review through NetGalley.)

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. Do you think it matters when it comes from?

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—Do you really wanna grow old with just grumpy old me?
—No offense, Kara, but I don’t think either of us will get to grow old, especially if we’re together. The only show more question is: Do I wanna die young with anyone else?

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Now the world is ending and somehow I’ve managed to make that about me too.

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-- 4.5 stars --

It's ten years after the events in Sleeping Giants - Sylvain Neuvel's AMAZING debut novel - give or take, and the aliens have finally returned to Earth to reclaim their war bot, Themis. Army pilot Kara Resnick and Canadian linguist Vincent Couture are still at Themis's helm, but after the show of force in Korea, their role has been more benign: touring the world, speaking to schoolkids, and doing PR for the Earth Defense Corps. In between celeb sightings and autograph signings, the squints in the basement are still studying Themis, trying to figure out what else she can do, but their progress has more or less slowed. It doesn't help that head scientist and the first person to discover Themis - or her hand, anyway - Rose Franklin hasn't really had her head in the game. Not since she was brought back from the dead.

When a second robot materializes in the heart of London, earth's tenuous peace is disrupted in a matter of hours, with some pushing for a first strike and others wanting to approach their alien overlords/benefactors in the spirit of love and cooperation. Considering the synopsis, I don't think it's a spoiler to say that things go sideways but fast. Themis can maybe take on one robot, but thirteen? Who are Themis's creators, and what do they want from us? And how do Rose and Eva factor into their plans? Perhaps most importantly, what does it take to get someone to kick mad scientist/medical rapist Alyssa Papantoniou in her stupid smug face?

However you felt about Sleeping Giants is a pretty good indication of your likely reaction to Waking Gods, for the latter is a natural and harmonious extension of the former; these books are cut from the same cloth. From the narrative format - the story is presented as a series of documents, collectively called the Themis Files, including interviews, journal entries, news reports, and transmission transcripts - to the cheeky sense of humor (Mr. Burns and the anonymous, Cigarette Smoking Man-esque interviewer both grew on me in leaps and bound) the vibe is really quite similar.

Many of the characters you loved/hated/loved to hate turn up again in the sequel, if only for a brief cameo; and Neuvel also introduces us to some new players that are more or less guaranteed to steal our hearts and imaginations. There is one character death - I won't say who! - that I'm still rather pissed about, but them's the breaks. I'm inclined to call foul when a woman's sacrificed to advance the story line, but in this case it doesn't feel like she was fridged, so there's that at least.

While Goodreads currently only lists two books in the series, Waking Gods ends on a serious cliffhanger note, so I don't think this is the last we've seen of the Themis Files. And, just as with the original - I'm already jonesing for the sequel.

http://www.easyvegan.info/2017/04/18/waking-gods-by-sylvain-neuvel/ show less

Even though my review may not show it, I loved Sleeping Giants. It is one of the rare novels last year that made it to my permanent to-keep bookshelf. The story was creative, engaging, mysterious, and suspenseful. Giant robots, kick-ass women pilots, even cooler female scientists, an unknown super-spy, national intrigue, patriotism, human greed, human achievement – it pretty much has it all. Knowing it was a series only made it better because it meant there was more robot awesomeness to come. Normally, such high expectations do not bode well for the second book in a series. Thankfully, Waking Gods more than lives up to those expectations. In fact, it pretty much blows them out of the water.

Waking Gods starts out ten years after the show more events of the first novel. A second, larger robot suddenly appears in central London, and suddenly everything Rose and the EDC don’t know and could not figure out during the ten-year interval comes back to haunt them. While Sleeping Giants was all about man’s greediness, Waking Gods explores mankind’s penchant for violence – violence as a first reaction to a threat, violence as power grabs, violence as a form of revenge. It is not until the situation becomes truly bleak where violence gives way to more thoughtful actions. Once again, it is an insightful look at society at its weakest and the very real consequences that result.

Suffice it to say, Waking Gods is just as good as, if not better than, Sleeping Giants. It has action and adventure, soul-searching, drama, loss, love, and most importantly, humor. In fact, I don’t remember the first novel being quite as sarcastic as this one is, but I like it! Told in the same format as the first one, through transcripts of interviews, news reports, scientific testing, doctor’s notes, and the like, the format allows you to be an impartial observer and also an intimate participant of the events. Because it is the second novel in a series, to discuss the story in any greater detail would be to spoil all of the fun and ruin the suspense, but what follows after that initial robot appearance is a frenetic, intense, and dark story that keeps you on the edge of your seat from open to close. show less

Waking Gods is the second book in author Sylvain Neuvel’s series The Themis Files and it is at least as exciting as the first book, Sleeping Giants, which was one of my favourite books of 2016. Like the first book, it is told mainly through emails, letters, reports, and other documents as well as by the unknown narrator so that the reader is never allowed to know more than the characters, giving the story a real sense of urgency as events seem to happen in real time.

The story opens with a new even bigger robot appearing suddenly in a garden in London. At first, nothing happens but, when England sends in the military, things take a huge turn to the horrific. Themis is brought in to stop the devastation and, mostly by sheer luck, the show more robot is defeated. But that is only the beginning and soon an alien attack on a massive scale is launched. In desperation, Rose must find a way to defeat them and their seemingly indestructible robots but how when they seem impervious even to Earth’s most powerful and deadly weapons.

At the risk of sounding like a fan girl, I am loving this series. The story is one roller coaster of a ride with constant twists and turns and just when you think you know what’s going to happen next, well, you are most likely wrong. Most of the characters we met in the first book are back and we get more of their backstories, their strengths and their flaws. They are not only interesting, they are complex. This is one unputdownable adrenaline rush of a book. It ends on a cliffhanger and I am already impatiently anticipating the next installment of the series. A definite high recommendation from me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publish Group for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less

Just like the first book, the audio performance was incredible. It absolutely brought the story to life. However, the author used a horrible, outdated, disgusting, violent trope that I just can't forgive and brought down the entire book for me. The entire plotline with Kara made me cringe. Have a woman who doesn't want kids? Instead of respecting her decision and not trying to explain why she's "wrong" with childhood backstories, let's VIOLENTLY brutalize her and force her to have a child she doesn't want in her life and then completely devolve her character to sacrifice said life for said unwanted child. The progression in her and Vincent's relationship on the no kids issue was great, but completely ruined by the forced child. The show more sacrificing mother trope is overdone, harmful, and not what I expected from a book that otherwise seems new and fresh, and to try to add her not wanting kids as a plot point/challenge to "overcome" is equally harmful and disgusting. I NOPED my way through that entire nonsense, and it left a bitter impression on the entire rest of the story. Very disappointing. show less

This novel is book two of the Themis Files. If you haven't read book one, Sleeping Giants, go directly to the library and pick it up (do not pass go, do not collect $200). This series is absolutely fabulous, but really does need to be read in order. I listened to Sleeping Giants on audio and adored the full cast treatment and will pick up the audio of Waking Gods as well. But, I read this one in ebook format and found it to be just as compelling. It is difficult to review either of these books without giving away spoilers, but the first edition opens as an 11 year old girl falls into a hole in the woods and into a giant metal hand. Years later, that girl has become the physicist in charge of the group trying to understand this find and show more others like it. Wonderfully put together and imaginative science fiction ensues. At the end of book one, some things are resolved, others aren't and book two picks up with a new discovery. Very entertaining. Would make a great family read (appropriate for junior high ages and up) as well. I think this series has a wide appeal factor and would be entertaining for many readers, not just those who regularly read science fiction.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks! show less

Re-read 2/17/18:

Thrilled as hell to get the ARC of book three, I decided to go on a tear through the first two again.

But Why?

Because they're just that good. Great characters, fantastic dialogue, and action, action, action. What kind of action? GIANT ROBOT ACTION.

I hated to see who died and loved to see who took over. I'll leave it at that. I would like to call this pure popcorn fiction, but it's a bit better crafted than that. Deceptively simple, even, sprinkled with very sharp quotes and humor. I'd say don't miss this SF if you're at all a fan of SF at all. It's pure fun. :)

And with that cliffhanger.......

I'm SO HAPPY to have the new book! WOOOO! WOOOO!


Original Review:

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

I've been looking forward to this show more one ever since I read the ARC for the first, and I cannot even begin to describe how excited I was when I got the second. :)

In the first, we get an adventure and the assembly and the loss and the regaining of the Giant Robot Themis, with our motley pilots and oh-so-mysterious Interviewer.

In this one, we dive right into the thick of things ten years after the adventure began with the arrival of rival robots from right across the universe. We'd already heard tales of them in the first, from strange long-lived people who'd stayed behind to see through the bloodlines, but this is where things get really wonky.

And where the death-count starts rising.

And if you're more interested in the characters and their arcs, never fear. Some very interesting developments are happening. Am I just as thrilled for the Neon Genesis Evangelion nod? Hell yeah. Do I love this tale and the odd kinds of twists and turns surrounding our original researcher? Double hell yeah.

As for our not-so-favorite geneticist? I feel nothing but loathing. That's kind of the point. She rather deserves it. :)

No spoilers since this won't be released for several more months, but suffice to say I really enjoyed it and I really want to sing its praises. I love my big robots! I love ALL my big robots, even if they're not on our side. They still give me the warm tingles. :)


All told, if you guys haven't enjoyed the first novel, then get on it. The second is just as delicious and its satisfying all types of unfulfilled SF niches for us. :) show less

Almost a decade has passed since the events of Sleeping Giants, when Rose Franklin and her team hunted down and assembled the pieces of the giant alien robot known as Themis. Rose has dedicated her time to studying Themis, and Kara and Vincent have continued to try to master operating her. Then another robot materializes in the middle of London, and the government’s response inevitably leads to a deadly confrontation. The appearance of Hyperion also drives home how little the Earth Defense Corps really knows about Themis’ combat capabilities. And that knowledge will be more necessary than ever when more robots begin to materialize around the globe, in the world’s most populous cities. The aliens know that humanity has found show more Themis, and they are not happy about it.

The structure of Waking Gods continues in the interview format Sylvain Neuvel used with great success in Sleeping Giants, with the unnamed character who I always think of as the Interrogator resuming his contact with the Earth Defense Corp after a long silence. Neuvel continues to work this technique, for example by having General Govender practice his speech to the UN General Assembly for the Interrogator before he delivers it. This in fact makes for a more interesting scene than simply witnessing the speech directly, as we gain insight into the Interrogator through the changes he suggests. However, as the situation on Earth descends into chaos, the narrative structure devolves in parallel, taking on more of a transcript style than an interview format. Everything is falling apart, and the style mimics that. We do, however, find out more about the mysterious Interrogator, and his even more mysterious friend Mr. Burns.

It has been nine years since Rose Franklin returned from the dead, mysteriously missing three years of her life and memories. For all that time she has struggled with what this rebirth means, whether she is really Rose Franklin, or merely a copy with some of her memories and knowledge. That doubt has been eating away at her stability for nearly a decade, but when the robots begin to appear, and Themis is called into action, it is the world that has become unstable, and Rose who must hold steady in the face of the unknown. Her development is one of the most interesting aspects of this series.

One of the more disturbing plotlines picks up a dangling thread from Sleeping Giants. Before being ousted from the Earth Defense Corps, geneticist Alyssa Papantoniou harvested ova from Captain Kara Resnick without her knowledge or consent. Kara has never been informed about this violation, because those who knew about it decided that the situation had been taken care of with Alyssa’s removal. When it turns out that Alyssa may have had time to act on her plans before her ouster, they continue to delay telling Kara what was done to her as they try to confirm whether or not Alyssa succeeded. If I can get a little bit spoilery here for the remainder of this paragraph… I absolutely loathe plotlines where women who are childless by choice are forced into motherhood. And I especially hate the implication that their choice was just due to some sort of damage, and really they would be great mothers. In short, I really did not enjoy how Kara’s character was developed in this volume.

In Waking Gods, the genre elements of Sleeping Giants are intensified, and the plot becomes more fast-paced. There is now no question that Themis has alien origins, or that aliens visited earth long ago, and that some of them stayed behind. Waking Gods explores the fallout of these conclusions, but also the more dramatic effects of the aliens becoming aware of how humanity has developed since their last contact. At the same time, the aliens are not significant characters, since this is really an exploration of what it means to be human. Although the duology stands well together, the epilogue hints at the possibility of further adventures.

Originally published at Required Reading: https://shayshortt.com/2017/07/04/waking-gods/ show less