Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel is the second book in the Themis Files. We pick up somewhere around ten years after Sleeping Giants. The alien weapon Themis is now a part of the EDC, Earth Defense Corps, and is mostly used as a peace prop, visiting schools and “marching” in parades. Research into Themis is at a standstill and no real discoveries have been made into its origins.
Dr. Rose Franklin is back from the dead and on the verge of a breakdown, not knowing who or what she may be. Everything comes to a halt when a second robot appears in London and decimates thousands. Mankind is at the brink of extinction and only the EDC can come to it’s rescue.
Who sent these giant terminators? What do they want from us? Will Themis and Dr. Franklin find a way to halt the invasion and save mankind?
This series is fantastic! Like nothing I’ve ever read before. We see a global conflict unfolding before our eyes. The style of narration reveals itself through journal entries, interviews and transcripts. And of course our mysterious narrator of Sleeping Giants is back! You just sort of feel like this book is a stab at the what if. What would happen if we found alien technology? What would happen if we were attacked? And reading the book as if you are going through actual documents only makes it feel more real.
This is one of those books that makes you want to meet the author because you cannot imagine one person putting all these elements together in one book. And this is a debut series! I mean seriously, don’t discount the newbie publishers–take a chance!
There were a lot of unexpected twists and turns in this sequel that kept me on my toes. Every time I thought I had this book nailed down, it did something to completely throw me for a loop. I really hope there is more to come but if there isn’t, I will still be completely satisfied.
This book is fast paced and full of possibilities. I would recommend this series to just about anyone. This one gets a shining five stars from me. Go read it!
That’s all for now!
-M-