Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel was a fun, thought provoking, if edging on weird science fiction novel.

It was a very easy read and quite easy to get into, a little bit of mystery with some boisterous and different characters.

The structure could have annoyed me as it is similar to Radiance which I really disliked (mainly as it was so disjointed.) While you have a little bit of the disjointedness in Sleeping Giants, as the story is relayed via a series of interviews and diary entries, it is still very narratively sound. It progresses in a linear fashion and has plot progression in a way you can recognise. Also, you get a sense of the personalities with the interviews even the nameless interviewer.

So what is the plot? Essentially, a mysterious hand is unearthed which doesn’t seem to come from this planet. A team is assembled to find other pieces of what turns out to be a giant robot and to figure out what it does. Personality clashes, potential global conflict and a very cunning interviewer, takes us through the story at a rapid but not distracting pace. It is almost believable, with only one major plot point that I had a problem with. But it makes sense for propelling the tension, so it is forgiven.

Why is it weird? Well, you have to read it. But it does have a giant alien robot that lurked beneath our feet for thousands of years.  I think it is weird in a good way though. Maybe surprising is the better word for it. Anyway, still 100% enjoyable.

Additionally, there are loads of women in the book, who are all very intelligent, capable, resilient and just plain ol’ interesting. More than half of the main characters are women (I think) and they are absolutely integral to the plot, which is utterly delightful.

I’m looking forward to the sequel, Waking Gods, which is out in April 2017.