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caterina_1212's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Oh wow this book is so bad. Wouldn't have finished if I wasn't reading for book club. The interview/ recording format doesn't hold up, everyone except Mystery Man shares way too much. On top of that the women are really poorly written, and the men are all either egomaniacs or soldiers who don't question orders. It goes back and forth between scientific discovery and global politics, and turns into a huge meddled mess. Ending is so bonkers I have zero interest in a sequel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma
Minor: Sexual content and Car accident
thriftedbookworm's review against another edition
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? No
2.0
i honestly really wanted to like this, as it was marketed as some alien giant robot story and told in interview format like world war z. and while those still remain true, it felt as if the giant alien robot wasn’t even that central to the story. it read more like a political novel with sci-fi interspersed throughout, and definitely more of a prologue to the rest of the series than a good novel that stands up on its own. all of the characters, including our mysterious interviewer, just kind of fell flat for me and it read more boring than entertaining.
and don’t get me started on the romance subplot forced into here. man was that not fun to read. i will say that the premise did hold some merit, which is why it isn’t a one star read, but the author definitely fell short on execution.
will i read the next book(s)? probably because i hate an incomplete narrative. will i like them? probably not
and don’t get me started on the romance subplot forced into here. man was that not fun to read. i will say that the premise did hold some merit, which is why it isn’t a one star read, but the author definitely fell short on execution.
will i read the next book(s)? probably because i hate an incomplete narrative. will i like them? probably not
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief and Deportation
Minor: Ableism, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I found the concept of this very interesting; there is a discovery of giant robotics parts that predate civilization that could create it for thousands of years buried Underground. a team is assembled to find these pieces, put them together and make one of the biggest scientific discoveries of human kind.
The execution was mostly interesting. it was told via transcripts of recordings, journal, articles, news entries. But this means that they are always talking about the events as happening in the past even if it was just recent. It made some of the events later on a little hard to follow or believe.
It also suffered from not having strong characters, and the characters that were present were not very flushed out with their motivations for doing things.
I think in particular I did not love reading about one of the female main characters as written because the male author portrays her in a fairly unkind light (promiscuous because of relationship trauma) and does not have a good grip on redeeming qualities other than that she is determined and loyal.
There’s also a weird subplot towards the end that I’m not gonna get into but I’ll put in the spoilers:the two main pilots are kidnapped at the end and are taken samples from without their knowledge to potentially create clones from. it felt… odd and didn’t hit the right way.
The execution was mostly interesting. it was told via transcripts of recordings, journal, articles, news entries. But this means that they are always talking about the events as happening in the past even if it was just recent. It made some of the events later on a little hard to follow or believe.
It also suffered from not having strong characters, and the characters that were present were not very flushed out with their motivations for doing things.
I think in particular I did not love reading about one of the female main characters as written because the male author portrays her in a fairly unkind light (promiscuous because of relationship trauma) and does not have a good grip on redeeming qualities other than that she is determined and loyal.
There’s also a weird subplot towards the end that I’m not gonna get into but I’ll put in the spoilers:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexism, Violence, and War
Minor: Sexual content and Sexual violence
arlorees's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I would recommend listening to this book, I listened to the audiobook over a few long drives and it was fantastic. The characters are super engaging, the story is fascinating and I love sci-fi which focuses on the human reaction to alien things. There are a lot of serious topics touched upon in this but none are in too much depth.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
nilssjoberg's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child death, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Deportation
one_womanarmy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The basic story: pieces of a gigantic metal robot, thousands of years old, are discovered scattered around the earth, buried deep in the earth or under the sea. Where did they come from? What are they for? A team is assembled in top secrecy to rebuild the robot and figure out how it works.
The story is told in a series of interviews -- reports submitted by an anonymous interviewer who is pulling most of the strings behind the project. This narrative structure is very easy to follow and pulls you in nicely. I finished the book in a single day.
The story is told in a series of interviews -- reports submitted by an anonymous interviewer who is pulling most of the strings behind the project. This narrative structure is very easy to follow and pulls you in nicely. I finished the book in a single day.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Medical content
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
4.25
Finished reading: September 7th 2023
“I was smart enough to know it was wrong, but not brave enough to stop them.”
It's true that I don't usually read a lot of sci-fi, and especially when there are aliens involved... But there was something about Sleeping Giants that made me curious ever since it was first published back in 2016. I guess my TBR jar thought it was time I finally gave this first book of a trilogy a chance, and I'm very glad this title popped up now. Why? I have to say that I was very much impressed by Sleeping Giants! There was just something about this story that was both addictive and able to make you feel humble at the same time. The fact that you don't exactly know what is going on only adds to the suspense, and it was absolutely fascinating learning more about what was being discovered. The writing style itself stands out as it is told through interviews, diaries and other files, but somehow the story was still very readable. It makes you wonder what would happen if such a discovery would be made in real life, and how the people involved would react... The different characters involved added humanity to the story and while I could have done without the love triangle, in general I enjoyed learning more about them. And after how things ended, I also can't wait to pick up the sequel to see what will happen next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Genocide, Sexual content, Torture, Xenophobia, and Kidnapping
aggie24's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
justagirlwithbooks's review against another edition
4.0
“If you fall in love with someone, there’s a good chance the person won’t love you back. Hatred, though, is usually mutual. If you despise someone, it’s pretty much a given they’re also not your biggest fan.”
I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! The interview style made it fast-paced and a quick read. Sci-fi is not a genre I am familiar with, so this book makes me excited to read more sci-fi!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Medical content
Minor: Sexual content
olityr's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.0
The entire story is presented in the form of classified documents and audio recordings. It's done better than several others I've read that took that format. Surprisingly deep concepts to think through. A few sexual references, but never graphic.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual content