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A review by shanaqui
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's been long enough since I last read it that Sleeping Giants had a chance to re-land some of its punches, which was pretty fun. It remains a really intriguing setup, and it does an amazing job with the interview format; I find it really effective in giving us access to all the information we need, in letting us peek into every corner.
Our unnamed interviewer (who I always think of as Agent Coulson from Avengers, somehow, though Director Fury might be more apt in terms of powers and clout) starts out very bland, but even he begins to gain colour and character as you give it time -- I was really surprised to read a review just now that characterised him as a "cookie cutter bad guy", because wow, I don't get that impression at all.
I mean... is he a good guy? Nope. Is he a bad guy? No. Or, perhaps the answer is yes, both times. Alyssa is the closest to a cookie-cutter bad guy in the story. The interviewer is ruthless, unscrupulous, convinced of his own course and his own rightness -- but he also comes to care about Rose, and particularly about Kara and Vincent. He wants the best possible outcome for humanity, and the best possible use of what has been found, and he's afraid of the misuse of it. To read him as nothing but a bad guy with stereotypical aims misses the point, I think.
The same really goes for Kara and Vincent, and even Rose; none of them are the most wonderful people, they all have their faults. Before long, I found myself rooting for them, all the same; whether the book works for you might hinge on whether you find yourself doing the same.
And that ending! I'd forgotten the epilogue. I really need to reread the second book, and finally get onto the third; I hear it only gets weirder.
Our unnamed interviewer (who I always think of as Agent Coulson from Avengers, somehow, though Director Fury might be more apt in terms of powers and clout) starts out very bland, but even he begins to gain colour and character as you give it time -- I was really surprised to read a review just now that characterised him as a "cookie cutter bad guy", because wow, I don't get that impression at all.
I mean... is he a good guy? Nope. Is he a bad guy? No. Or, perhaps the answer is yes, both times. Alyssa is the closest to a cookie-cutter bad guy in the story. The interviewer is ruthless, unscrupulous, convinced of his own course and his own rightness -- but he also comes to care about Rose, and particularly about Kara and Vincent. He wants the best possible outcome for humanity, and the best possible use of what has been found, and he's afraid of the misuse of it. To read him as nothing but a bad guy with stereotypical aims misses the point, I think.
The same really goes for Kara and Vincent, and even Rose; none of them are the most wonderful people, they all have their faults. Before long, I found myself rooting for them, all the same; whether the book works for you might hinge on whether you find yourself doing the same.
And that ending! I'd forgotten the epilogue. I really need to reread the second book, and finally get onto the third; I hear it only gets weirder.