In the gripping sequel to Sleeping Giants, Sylvain Neuvel’s innovative series about human-alien contact takes another giant step forward. “ Sleeping Giants may have debuted his thrilling saga, but Waking Gods proves that Neuvel’s scope is more daring than readers could have imagined.”— Paste As a child, Rose Franklin made an astonishing discovery: a giant metallic hand, buried deep within the earth. As an adult, she’s dedicated her brilliant scientific career to solving the mystery that began that fateful day: Why was a titanic robot of unknown origin buried in pieces around the world? Years of investigation have produced intriguing answers—and even more perplexing questions. But the truth is closer than ever before when a second robot, more massive than the first, materializes and lashes out with deadly force. Now humankind faces a nightmare invasion scenario made real, as more colossal machines touch down across the globe. But Rose and her team at the Earth Defense Corps refuse to surrender. They can turn the tide if they can unlock the last secrets of an advanced alien technology. The greatest weapon humanity wields is knowledge in a do-or-die battle to inherit the Earth . . . and maybe even the stars. Praise for Waking Gods “Kick-ass, one-on-one robot action combines with mind-bending scientific and philosophical speculation. Series science-fiction fans will enjoy this follow-up filled with unexpected revelations and a surprise finale.” — Booklist “Pure, unadulterated literary escapism featuring giant killer robots and the looming end of mankind. In a word: unputdownable.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Sheer escapist fun.” —Shelf Awareness Don’t miss any of The Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel: SLEEPING GIANTS
WAKING GODS
ONLY HUMAN “Kick-ass, one-on-one robot action combines with mind-bending scientific and philosophical speculation. Series science-fiction fans will enjoy this follow-up filled with unexpected revelations and a surprise finale.” — Booklist “Pure, unadulterated literary escapism featuring giant killer robots and the looming end of mankind. In a word: unputdownable.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Stunningly good . . . If you read just one science fiction book this year, then Waking Gods is the perfect choice.” —Fresh Fiction “Sheer escapist fun.” —Shelf Awareness Praise for Sylvain Neuvel’s Sleeping Giants “As high-concept as it is, Sleeping Giants is a thriller through and through. . . . One of the most promising series kickoffs in recent memory.” —NPR “Neuvel weaves a complex tapestry with ancient machinery buried in the Earth, shadow governments, and geopolitical conflicts. But the most surprising thing about the book may just be how compelling the central characters are in the midst of these larger-than-life concepts.” — Chicago Review of Books “This stellar debut novel . . . masterfully blends together elements of sci-fi, political thriller and apocalyptic fiction. . . . A page-turner of the highest order.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Reminiscent of The Martian and World War Z, Sleeping Giants is a luminous conspiracy yarn that shoots for (and lands among) the stars.” —Pierce Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Red Rising trilogy “First-time novelist Sylvain Neuvel does a bold, splashy cannonball off the high dive with Sleeping Giants . It bursts at the seams with big ideas. This book is a sheer blast from start to finish. I haven’t had this much fun reading in ages.” —Blake Crouch, author of Dark Matter and the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy “A remarkable debut.” — Library Journal (starred review) Sylvain Neuvel is the author of Sleeping Giants and Waking Gods . He is a linguist and translator based in Montreal. He is at work on an R2-D2 replica and his next novel. PART ONE KITH AND KIN File No. 1398 News Report—Jacob Lawson, BBC London Location: Regent’s Park, London, England A twenty-story-tall metallic figure appeared in the middle of Regent’s Park this morning. Caretakers at the London Zoo were the first to notice it at around 4 a.m. Standing on one of the Hub’s football pitches at the north end of the park, the figure, or robot, bears a resemblance, in both size and shape, to the UN robot we now know as Themis. This new giant, however, appears to be a man, or shall I say is made in the image of a man. It is much more muscular than the slender feminine titan that visited London less than a year ago, perhaps taller as well. Its colour is also different, a lighter grey than the UN robot, and it is striated with yellow light, in contrast to the turquoise-veined Themis. According to early witnesses, the robot appeared out of thin air in the middle of the park. “It wasn’t there, then it was,” said one of the zookeepers. Fortunately, the football pitches at the Hub were deserted at this hour, and not a single casualty has been reported. It
WAKING GODS
ONLY HUMAN “Kick-ass, one-on-one robot action combines with mind-bending scientific and philosophical speculation. Series science-fiction fans will enjoy this follow-up filled with unexpected revelations and a surprise finale.” — Booklist “Pure, unadulterated literary escapism featuring giant killer robots and the looming end of mankind. In a word: unputdownable.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Stunningly good . . . If you read just one science fiction book this year, then Waking Gods is the perfect choice.” —Fresh Fiction “Sheer escapist fun.” —Shelf Awareness Praise for Sylvain Neuvel’s Sleeping Giants “As high-concept as it is, Sleeping Giants is a thriller through and through. . . . One of the most promising series kickoffs in recent memory.” —NPR “Neuvel weaves a complex tapestry with ancient machinery buried in the Earth, shadow governments, and geopolitical conflicts. But the most surprising thing about the book may just be how compelling the central characters are in the midst of these larger-than-life concepts.” — Chicago Review of Books “This stellar debut novel . . . masterfully blends together elements of sci-fi, political thriller and apocalyptic fiction. . . . A page-turner of the highest order.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Reminiscent of The Martian and World War Z, Sleeping Giants is a luminous conspiracy yarn that shoots for (and lands among) the stars.” —Pierce Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Red Rising trilogy “First-time novelist Sylvain Neuvel does a bold, splashy cannonball off the high dive with Sleeping Giants . It bursts at the seams with big ideas. This book is a sheer blast from start to finish. I haven’t had this much fun reading in ages.” —Blake Crouch, author of Dark Matter and the bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy “A remarkable debut.” — Library Journal (starred review) Sylvain Neuvel is the author of Sleeping Giants and Waking Gods . He is a linguist and translator based in Montreal. He is at work on an R2-D2 replica and his next novel. PART ONE KITH AND KIN File No. 1398 News Report—Jacob Lawson, BBC London Location: Regent’s Park, London, England A twenty-story-tall metallic figure appeared in the middle of Regent’s Park this morning. Caretakers at the London Zoo were the first to notice it at around 4 a.m. Standing on one of the Hub’s football pitches at the north end of the park, the figure, or robot, bears a resemblance, in both size and shape, to the UN robot we now know as Themis. This new giant, however, appears to be a man, or shall I say is made in the image of a man. It is much more muscular than the slender feminine titan that visited London less than a year ago, perhaps taller as well. Its colour is also different, a lighter grey than the UN robot, and it is striated with yellow light, in contrast to the turquoise-veined Themis. According to early witnesses, the robot appeared out of thin air in the middle of the park. “It wasn’t there, then it was,” said one of the zookeepers. Fortunately, the football pitches at the Hub were deserted at this hour, and not a single casualty has been reported. It