Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Le Sommeil des Géants

I understand why this premiere novel is enjoyable to many. It's an intriguing sf mystery which (told in a file-name/interview style borrowed from World War Z) moves inevitably towards a likely alien invasion climax. Neuvel does a fair job of pacing this work, piling on plot turns and political machinations which occasionally offer true surprises (and even some chuckles of pleasure). I presume the next two volumes will do the same.

But this is the extent of the work, at least so far. It aspires to nothing more than this exciting adventure introduced and promised. Told through the files of an unnamed and nearly-omnipotent narrator who often spends his asides editorializing on human politics (thinly-veiled author commentaries on current trends and scandals), the novel never attempts to maintain a coherent pattern which we might call "theme" or even "topic." (Even mysterious characters who supposedly hold answers do do only of plot-level elements.)

It seems unfair to compare Neuvel with the likes of Clarke, Niven, Card, LeGuin, Chang and so many others, but a work which borrows so heavily in plotting from such authors (or even Evangelion and Cloverfield, anyone?) must then ultimately offer something of its own: a take, a riff, a nuance, an expansion, a reversal, a . . . something.

I burned through this title for its adventure; I was never unhappy with its turns or even asides. I just kept waiting for the new spin. And I'm still waiting . . . .

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obviousthings's review against another edition

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The story really jumped the shark with the lengths the nameless interviewer character was willing to go for the project. The thing about

Vincent's legs

is just incredibly stupid, imo, and I don't want to read any more of this.

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jojo_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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ticktock's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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marareading's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This didn't fully land for me. I normally love a book written in an interview style. This story felt character driven up front and plot driven at the end. I didn't connect the overall story, but the characters were interesting. The end definitely had some twisted story lines that grabbed me. Not enough for me to reach for book two.

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deejmgee's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

3.75

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thereadinghammock's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book had been on my TBR for ages and I decided to rec it for a book club to have folks to read it with. I was still lingering on a book hangover, but finally kicked myself into gear to get it read, and at just under 300 pages, I figured it wouldn't be too tough a read. The book ended up being a lot darker than I was expecting, and left me with a lot of questions I wasn't expecting to want answered at the end.

The format of the book was a bit strange at first. The interview format with the forever nameless interviewer was intriguing, and his complete anonymity was both frustrating and intriguing throughout the entire book. Kara was a hot head and a very relatable character from the very beginning. Rose was so loveable and sweet and I loved how excited she got for all the science. Vincent and Ryan were a bit more of wild cards for me, though I grew to like Vincent a bit more after "The Incident" and we got to see his resolve and effort to getting back into the machine.

What I was NOT expecting was Ryan slipping off the deep end and trying to kill Vincent, or the pulse weapon vaporizing the Denver facility and killing (or so we thought) Rose! Oh my gods I think I actually gasped!! Some things I was aghast at, but not really surprised by: the nameless interviewer forcing a radical surgical procedure to give Vincent reversible knees, given the unique anatomy of the robot; and Papantoniou resorting to forced IVF egg retrieval, given her insistence on having back up pilots. Once she was in control of the program, it was clear that everything was just going to hell in a handbasket. What I hadn't been sure of was whether it would be because of her need for control and success or because she wouldn't have the backbone to stand on her own two feet against The Board, but WOW was that a tough read toward the end. But I think I was the most impressed with Vincent's character development overall. He ended up being a character I enjoyed more than I thought I would.

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mar's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

why is almost every character in this book a war criminal. this sucks but i cant put it down tf

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