Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel (English) Hardcover Book

Description: Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel In the gripping sequel to Sleeping Giants, Sylvain Neuvels innovative series about human-alien contact takes another giant step forward. "Sleeping Giants may have debuted his thrilling saga, but Waking Gods proves that Neuvels 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, shes 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 AwarenessDont miss any of The Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel:SLEEPING GIANTS | WAKING GODS | ONLY HUMAN FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography 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. Review "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 AwarenessPraise for Sylvain Neuvels 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 havent 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) Review Quote Praise for Sylvain Neuvels Sleeping Giants Excerpt from Book PART ONE KITH AND KIN File No. 1398 News Report--Jacob Lawson, BBC London Location: Regents Park, London, England A twenty-story-tall metallic figure appeared in the middle of Regents Park this morning. Caretakers at the London Zoo were the first to notice it at around 4 a.m. Standing on one of the Hubs 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 wasnt 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 is unknown, of course, whether this early appearance was deliberate, as we do not know where this robot came from or who sent it. If this is indeed a robot like Themis, and if it is controlled in the same manner as she is, there could be pilots aboard. If pilots there are, are they Russian, Japanese, or Chinese? Or are they from somewhere else entirely? We can only speculate at this juncture. There might be no one at all in this giant structure. In the four hours it has been standing here, it has not moved an inch. The Earth Defense Corps (EDC) has yet to issue an official statement. Dr. Rose Franklin, head of the scientific division, was reached in Geneva, where she was to give a speech later this morning. She would not speculate as to the origin of this second robot but has assured us that it is not part of the UN planetary defence. If true, this would suggest that either a second alien robot has been discovered on Earth and kept from us or that this one does not come from our planet. In New York, the EDC has scheduled a press conference for three oclock London time. The Earth Defense Corps, which was founded nine years ago by the United Nations following the American discovery of the Themis robot, is tasked with extracting new technologies from the alien artifact for the benefit of mankind and to protect this planet against extraterrestrial threats. Only time will tell if we are facing such a threat today. No word yet from His Majestys Government, but sources say the Prime Minister will address the nation within the hour. The British people will not have to wait to hear from the other side of the aisle. The official opposition was quick to issue a statement earlier today, immediately calling for the Prime Minister to offer some reassurances. Opposition leader Amanda Webb took to the air about an hour ago, saying: "There is an alien device with potentially devastating power standing in the middle of London and all the Prime Minister has seen fit to do is to restrict access to one city park. Can he tell the thirteen million people who live in the Greater London Area that they are safe? If he can, he owes the British people an explanation, and if he cant, I for one would like to know why we arent talking about evacuation." The former Foreign Secretary went on to suggest that Central London be evacuated first, something that, by her calculation, could be accomplished in an orderly manner in less than forty-eight hours. Londoners, for their part, appear in no hurry to go anywhere. Perhaps as surprising as the robots appearance is the utter nonchalance the population has displayed since. The towering figure is visible from most of London, and while one might expect civic unrest, or a massive exodus from the city, Londoners, for the most part, have gone about their business; many have even made their way towards Regents Park to see this new titan up close. The police have closed off the area south of Prince Albert and north of A501 between A41 and Albany Street, but some have managed to escape their attention and found their way into the park. The police even had to evacuate a family that was preparing for a picnic, a mere few steps from the giant metallic feet of the intruder. Its hard to blame Londoners for seeing a creature similar to Themis as a friendly figure. They have been told that a race of aliens left her on Earth for our protection. Her metal face and backwards legs are on the telly almost every day and have made the front page of every red top for nearly a decade. There are Themis tee shirts for sale on every corner, and young Londoners have grown up playing with Themis action figures. Themis is a star. Her visit to another one of Londons Royal Parks a year ago felt more like a rock concert than first contact with something from an alien world. This is a defining moment in the short history of the EDC. The fruit of a very fragile coalition, the organization has been called a public-relations stunt by its detractors. Many have argued that a single robot, no matter how powerful, could not defend a planet against an invader. By adding a second robot to its arsenal, or forging a formal alliance with another race, the EDC would come a long way in silencing its critics. File No. 1399 Personal Journal Entry--Dr. Rose Franklin, Head of Science Division, Earth Defense Corps I had a cat. For some reason, no one remembers my having a cat. Ive been picturing her curled into a ball on the kitchen floor, slowly starving to death while waiting for me to come home. I keep forgetting that Rose Franklin came home that night, that she--the other me--never left. Im glad my cat didnt starve, but part of me wishes shed waited for me by the door. I miss her. My apartment feels incredibly empty without her small presence. Maybe she died. She wasnt that old, though. Maybe I got rid of her when my job became too demanding. Maybe she didnt recognize the person who came home that night pretending to be me and ran away. I wish. Shed probably be afraid of me if she were still around. If theres a "real" Rose Franklin, chances are Im not it. Thirteen years ago, I got into a traffic accident on my way to work. Strangers pulled me out of my car and I woke up on the side of the road, in Ireland, four years later. I hadnt aged a day. How is that possible? Did I travel to the future? Was I...frozen, cryogenized for four years? Ill probably never know. I can live with that. What Im having a hard time dealing with is that I wasnt really gone for those four years. I--someone like me, anyway--was here. Rose Franklin went to work the next day. She did a whole bunch of things during those years. Somehow, she ended up studying the giant metal hand I had fallen onto as a child. She became convinced that there were more giant body parts lying around and devised a method for unearthing them. She pieced together a giant alien robot called Themis. Then she died. It was a busy four years. I dont remember any of it, of course. I wasnt there. Whoever did all those things died. I know for a fact it wasnt me me. Rose Franklin was twenty-eight when she was put in charge of the research team studying the hand. She died at thirty. A year later, they found me. I was twenty-seven. Themis ended up with the United Nations. They created a planetary defense branch, called the EDC, with the robot as its main asset. I wasnt there for that either. One of me had died. The other hadnt been found yet. They put me in charge of the EDC research team about a month after I reappeared. The other Rose must have made quite an impression because I was probably the least qualified person for the job. I had never even seen Themis. As far as I was concerned, the last time I had seen any part of her was on my eleventh birthday. They didnt seem to care. Neither did I. I really wanted the job. Ive been at it for nine years. Nine years. One would think that would be enough time to get over what happened to me. Its not. I had four years of catching up to do, and that kept my mind busy for a while. But as I settled into some sort of routine, got more comfortable with my new job, my new life, I became more and more obsessed with who and what I am. I realize that if I did travel through time, I probably dont have the knowledge to fully understand it, but there shouldnt have been two of us. Move an object from point A to point B, logic dictates you wont find it at point A anymore. Am I a clone? A copy? I can live without knowing what happened to me, but I have to know if Im...me. Thats an awful thing to doubt. I know I dont belong here, now. Im...out of sync. Its a familiar feeling, now that I think about it. Every so often--maybe two or three times a year--I would get this anxiety rush. Id usually be really tired, maybe had too much coffee, and Id start feeling...I never knew how to describe it. Every second that goes by feels like nails on a chalkboard. It usually lasts a minute or two but it feels like youre just a tiny bit--half a second or so--out of sync with the universe. I was never able to really explain it, so I dont know if Im the only one who ever felt this. I suppose not, but thats how I feel every minute of every day now, only that half second is getting longer and longer. I have no real friends, no real relationships. The ones I have are based on experiences I didn Description for Library In the much-hailed Sleeping Giants, a South Dakota girl falls through the earth into a huge metal hand and as an adult leads the team puzzling over that hands provenance and meaning. In this sequel, bits and pieces of that sleeping giant have been discovered and assembled, but now a second giant has appeared. Film rights optioned by Sony. Details ISBN1101886722 Author Sylvain Neuvel Short Title WAKING GODS Language English ISBN-10 1101886722 ISBN-13 9781101886724 Media Book Format Hardcover Series The Themis Files Year 2017 Publication Date 2017-04-04 DEWEY 813.6 Series Number 2 Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2017-04-04 NZ Release Date 2017-04-04 US Release Date 2017-04-04 UK Release Date 2017-04-04 Place of Publication New York Pages 336 Publisher Random House USA Inc Imprint Del Rey Books Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:141731016;

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