Sleeping Giants – Sylvain Neuvel

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 comes to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant hand.

Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artefact remains unsolved – its origin, 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 re as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What’s clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge on unravelling 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?

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FUN FACT: Sleeping Giants was the first book I read this month and this month is almost over and it’s still all I think about. 

I borrowed Sleeping Giants from a local library’s audio book collection after hearing quite a few recommendations – which I now back 110% – out of the blue. I decided to listen to it via audio, rather than read the paperback copy which I ALREADY OWNED (I’m horrible I know)!!! Because the audio-book had a full cast, which is amazing. Each character had a distinct voice and personality that really gave the novel life. I found myself connecting to the character on such a different scale in comparison to when I try and make up a character’s voice in my head.

The entire novel is just one big, giant screenplay, and is told in a series of interviews, which really worked to its advantage. The format made Sleeping Giants easy to listen to, while still keeping me engaged and my body wide awake. Usually when listening to audios, I have a nasty habit of falling asleep twenty minutes in – but not with this bad boy. My mind was focused on every single syllable and what could possibly happen next.

Sleeping Giants is so unique that it’s hard to not blurt out a recommendation to everyone I meet. The combination of science, romance and the exploration of both the unknown and the known flow beautifully throughout the entire novel. Neuvel’s storytelling skills are incredibly impeccable and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to pick this one up and experience its awesomeness.

The only con I really have for this novel is the timeline and not knowing how long it’s been since a certain event or how many days have passed. Each new interview/chapter starts with who’s being interviewed and where, but it never mentions dates. I suppose if you read this novel over a brief period of time, it’s not a huge concern. However, I did find myself at a loss from time to time though out the sequel where time jumps drastically.

It’s easy to say that this novel in now a new favourite of mine, along with Waking Gods which I listened to straight after finishing Sleeping Giants, and is a complete 5-star book for me. If you love science fiction and fantasy, I would definitely recommend this to you.

Tina from Bob’s Burgers giving Sleeping Giants and Waking Gods all the stars.

You can find Sleeping Giants here! Plus, if you’re new to Audible…you basically get an audio-book FOR FREE.

Now all I need to do is survive the wait until book three in this epic series . . . . . . .