Book Review
Title: Waking Gods (Themis Files #2)
Author: Sylvain Neuvel
Published: 2017
Rating: 80/100
Review:
 |
| Waking Gods (Cover) by Sylvain Neuvel |
If you haven't already read my review of the first book in this series, click below to do so:
[Light Spoilers] Waking Gods (WG) is the second book in Sylvain Neuvel's 'Themis Files' sci-fi series. It follows on from his wildly popular debut novel, Sleeping Giants (SG). If SG was a slow burn, WG is a roaring bonfire.
In WG, Neuvel turns up the heat and shifts the story into 5th gear, giving it the nitro boost SG was missing. This time around I appreciated that Neuvel wasn't afraid to take a page out of George RR Martin's book by killing off major characters when I least expected it. Many of the chapters had me on the edge of my seat. I also appreciated him delivering on a promise he made in SG - a promise that, at some point, we'd get complete and utter robot mayhem on an epic scale. The mayhem did not disappoint. I wanted 'Transformers' destruction. I got it. I wanted 'War of the Worlds' chaos. I got it. I wanted 'World War Z' scale death. I got it. With WG, Neuvel injects the reader with adrenaline and raises the stakes to extreme heights.
With that said, it seemed like it was all over a little too quickly. I finished the audio book in under 7 days and was left thinking... is that it? Going back to the fire analogy, it felt like Neuvel had a giant canister of fuel and instead of adding it to the fire slowly, to keep it going, he just went "**** it" and tipped the entire canister on top, reminiscent of the Joker in 'The Dark Knight' when he lights that pile of money up and laughs like a maniac.
Don't get me wrong, I love watching things explode as much as the next person, but I was enjoying WG so much I just wanted it to keep going, instead it just felt like it died out too quickly.WG also felt slightly rushed in some way, as if Neuvel was pushing to complete it in time to ride the wave of well-deserved popularity he received after the success of SG. I acknowledge that WG is slightly longer than SG, so I guess I'm whinging about the length of both books. I only say this because some of the audio books I've recently listened to have been 20-40 hours long (like 'The Name of the Wind'), compared to WG which comes in at a little over 9 hours. I know I shouldn't judge a book by it's length, but as an Audible subscriber who only gets 1 book per month, it's hard not to associate length with 'value for money'. The 'Themis Files' is an incredible story and I just want Neuvel to flesh it out and give me a bigger slice of the pie next time. I'm a hungry audio book listener who is hoping the third 'Themis Files' book comes in around the 15 hour mark (at least)!
Now, back to piling on the well-deserved praise. Neuvel's pacing is on point, again, and I appreciated him giving the 'Interviewer' (my favourite character who I picture being played by Kevin Spacey) some much needed back story. I absolutely loved the continuing dynamic between the other 2 major characters, Vincent and Kara. Their interactions were real and emotional, helping me form a stronger connection to them. I was less enthusiastic about the introduction of a few new characters, but by the end Neuvel had made me a believer. Meanwhile, I feel like Mr. Burns needs his own prequel novella - make it happen Sylvain!
Overall, I have to agree with Niall Alexander from Tor.com who said that WG favours narrative over characters - this is true and it's also a good thing, because the major strength of the entire 'Themis Files' series is the narrative and it's very clear Neuvel knows this, expertly using it to his advantage by answering many of SG's questions and filling in the gaps. Depending on where Neuvel takes the story and how he decides to wrap it all up, the 'Themis Files' has the potential to be one of the best sci-fi stories of the decade (no pressure) - and I truly hope that's what it becomes, because Neuvel is an incredible writer and he deserves it.
Who will like this book?
Anyone who likes a smart and thought-provoking science fiction novel that isn't all spaceships and aliens. Anyone who liked reading World War Z or the first book in this series, Sleeping Giants.
Comments
Post a Comment