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A review by eesh25
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
5.0
Sleeping Giants has been on my TBR for a while, but it was never really a book that I was eager to read. Just one that I thought could be interesting. Which it definitely turned out to be, and more.
The plot is simple yet unusual. Basically, a girl is riding her bike around the neighbourhood when suddenly, the ground beneath her feet gives away and she finds herself in the middle of a huge, but perfectly shaped, hole in the ground. And she's sitting on a giant metal hand. Fast forward many years (seventeen, to be exact) and the same girl is part of a research group looking into the hand—what it is, what it's for, what it can do—as well as other metallic body parts that have been found.
While the book uses diary entires and reports as well, most of it is in the form of interviews, all conducted by the same person. This person is the, hands down, the most interesting character in the book. Part of it is because he's such a mystery, given that he reveals almost nothing about himself or what he wants or who he works with/for. But there's also the fact that, via his actions and his questions, we discover a very complex character who's difficult to figure out. I can't tell how much I enjoyed trying to piece together whether he was a character to be trusted or one who was going to turn out to be a villain.
Though honestly, the way the author writes the interviewer is probably the biggest reason for the intrigue behind him. But it's not just him that's interesting. There's Rose (the girl who landed on the hand) and other members of the team who are working on the project with her. With the format, you'd think it'd take time to really understand the characters, but their personalities are distinct and clear for the get-go.
Also, the story is really cool (giant metal body parts!) and the pace is fast. I heard a couple of people say that it's a bit heavy on the info-dumps (like The Martian) but I didn't feel that way at all. Though I did read it over a longer period of time so that maybe play a part. Still, every new bit of information we got was another piece of the puzzle for me, and I was excited about each one. I loved the information we got and I was so eager to find out what would become of it. I really liked the characters and their development throughout the novel, how every other chapter managed to surprise me, and—I have to say it again—I fucking loved the pace.
Also, the ending was brilliant. I have no clue what's gonna happen next but I'm most interested to finding out.
The plot is simple yet unusual. Basically, a girl is riding her bike around the neighbourhood when suddenly, the ground beneath her feet gives away and she finds herself in the middle of a huge, but perfectly shaped, hole in the ground. And she's sitting on a giant metal hand. Fast forward many years (seventeen, to be exact) and the same girl is part of a research group looking into the hand—what it is, what it's for, what it can do—as well as other metallic body parts that have been found.
While the book uses diary entires and reports as well, most of it is in the form of interviews, all conducted by the same person. This person is the, hands down, the most interesting character in the book. Part of it is because he's such a mystery, given that he reveals almost nothing about himself or what he wants or who he works with/for. But there's also the fact that, via his actions and his questions, we discover a very complex character who's difficult to figure out. I can't tell how much I enjoyed trying to piece together whether he was a character to be trusted or one who was going to turn out to be a villain.
Though honestly, the way the author writes the interviewer is probably the biggest reason for the intrigue behind him. But it's not just him that's interesting. There's Rose (the girl who landed on the hand) and other members of the team who are working on the project with her. With the format, you'd think it'd take time to really understand the characters, but their personalities are distinct and clear for the get-go.
Also, the story is really cool (giant metal body parts!) and the pace is fast. I heard a couple of people say that it's a bit heavy on the info-dumps (like The Martian) but I didn't feel that way at all. Though I did read it over a longer period of time so that maybe play a part. Still, every new bit of information we got was another piece of the puzzle for me, and I was excited about each one. I loved the information we got and I was so eager to find out what would become of it. I really liked the characters and their development throughout the novel, how every other chapter managed to surprise me, and—I have to say it again—I fucking loved the pace.
Also, the ending was brilliant. I have no clue what's gonna happen next but I'm most interested to finding out.