What a weird book. It seems kinda sloppily written at times though. Like how does a seagull lift an iron hand the size of a bed? And maybe I missed something, but does the giant go through the whole book without one ear? I don't remember reading that he ever found the other one. And if all the organic life is dead, wouldn't there be an essentially limitless amount of "scrap" for the giant to eat? It's a good thing the (spoiler) "space-bat-angel-dragon" - yes, really - was so principled as to not go back on the terms of their agreement... I think I missed the morals of this one. Aside from its charm, whimsey, and two main characters, the book was quite indistinguishable from the film, but at least it didn't have broken families and a "guns are bad" narrative. The giant herein never wields a weapon, let alone transforms into a death-ray toting megatron. There is an anti-war sort of message, (spoiler) e.g. if we don't stop fighting then the heavenly dragons might be inspired to come down and destroy us. But also, the giant came from the heavens (presumably), so it'll all work out? What is the giant supposed to represent? I don't know. It was okay, and I liked it well enough, I suppose (3 stars). I'm sure people will love the illustrated edition, which I'll probably pick up, since it looks beautiful. But I guess I need some help unpacking what we're supposed to have learned from this one, haha. Cleverness beats brute strength, maybe? Use what makes you special (how you were made) to protect others, even if they're different and used to persecute you? Not sure. I can get down with that last one though :)

I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a quick light read (<80 pages! I read it one sitting) and is a fan of the movie/curious of the original story.

edit: It makes a lot more sense now that I realize the giant represents industrialization. I didn't put it together before, but this book is written from a very English perspective, which wasn't how I read it. As an American who's familiar with the very "Americana"/cold war themed movie, this book now seems even more departed from the film.

Also... there's a sequel. The Iron Woman is one I am definitely interested in reading.