Sleeping Giants (The Themis Files)

Very Interesting and Enjoyable Strange, but Interesting! Well, I finally got around to finishing, Sleeping Giants! Sylvain Neuvel has written an off beat science fiction story that is well founded in science, the man knows his stuff, but having said that I must say this novel isn’t for everyone. The novel is written in a series of interviews and exchanges between the main characters and an unknown and unnamed narrator who has the benefit of knowing exactly why they have been recruited for a research study that has enormous consequences for the human population. However, he keeps this crucial information to himself. (Spoiler: there is someone else who pulls the strings, an unknown entity) An enormous (giant) hand was found years before by a young girl who later becomes a scientist. She heads up the team. One is a linguist and the other is an army pilot. Through this series of interviews, we find out how they go about locating all the missing parts of this giant that are located beneath the earth all over the world. The giant robot has the form of a woman, but with no eyes. This robot is 20 stories high by the time they connect all the parts. It has an energy source that is unknown to anyone on earth. It is also a weapon of mass destruction. The team accidently engages the energy source and the result is that a whole lot of people in airplanes and part of the Denver Airport are instantly vaporized. Now comes the part, all through interview, where every nation on earth wants the robot, so the US decides its too dangerous for anyone nation and they drop it in a deep trench in the ocean. However, one nation, Russia, finds a way to retrieve it and they are off and running again, except the controls and two control helmets will not work on anyone other an the two American researchers who first were part of the research. There is a surprise ending, with an epilog alluding to the next book in the series. All in all, well written and interesting, but this novel is not for everyone, though I did enjoy it because I like science, but it did lag in places. *** Sylvain Neuvel has written an off beat science fiction story that is well founded in science, the man knows his stuff, but having said that I must say this novel isn’t for everyone. The novel is written in a series of interviews and exchanges between the main characters and an unknown and unnamed narrator who has the benefit of knowing exactly why they have been recruited for a research study that has enormous consequences for the human population. However, he keeps this crucial information to himself. (Spoiler: there is someone else who pulls the strings, an unknown entity) An enormous (giant) hand was found years before by a young girl who later becomes a scientist. She heads up the team. One is a linguist and the other is an army pilot. Through this series of interviews, we find out how they go about locating all the missing parts of this giant that are located beneath the earth all over the world. The giant robot has the form of a woman, but with no eyes. This robot is 20 stories high by the time they connect all the parts. It has an energy source that is unknown to anyone on earth. It is also a weapon of mass destruction. The team accidently engages the energy source and the result is that a whole lot of people in airplanes and part of the Denver Airport are instantly vaporized. Now comes the part, all through interview, where every nation on earth wants the robot, so the US decides its too dangerous for anyone nation and they drop it in a deep trench in the ocean. However, one nation, Russia, finds a way to retrieve it and they are off and running again, except the controls and two control helmets will not work on anyone other an the two American researchers who first were part of the research. Sylvain Neuvel has written an off beat science fiction story that is well founded in science, the man knows his stuff, but having said that I must say this novel isn’t for everyone. However, if you like science fiction, this is really good and a different take on a presentation. The novel is written in a series of interviews and exchanges between the main characters and an unknown and unnamed narrator who has the benefit of knowing exactly why they have been recruited for a research study that has enormous consequences for the human population. However, he keeps this crucial information to himself. (Spoiler: there is someone else who pulls the strings, an unknown entity) An enormous (giant) hand was found years before by a young girl who later becomes a scientist. She heads up the team. One is a linguist and the other is an army pilot. Through this series of interviews, we find out how they go about locating all the missing parts of this giant that are located beneath the earth all over the world. The giant robot has the form of a woman, but with no eyes. This robot is 20 stories high by the time they connect all the parts. It has an energy source that is unknown to anyone on earth. It is also a weapon of mass destruction. The team accidently engages the energy source and the result is that a whole lot of people in airplanes and part of the Denver Airport are instantly vaporized. Now comes the part, all through interview, where every nation on earth wants the robot, so the US decides its too dangerous for anyone nation and they drop it in a deep trench in the ocean. However, one nation, Russia, finds a way to retrieve it and they are off and running again, except the controls and two control helmets will not work on anyone other an the two American researchers who first were part of the research. There is a surprise ending, with an epilog alluding to the next book in the series. All in all, well written and interesting, but this novel is not for everyone, though I did enjoy it because I like science, but it did lag in places. ***

On May 21, 2016, I went to Books-A-Million to return a book that I thought would be good, but a few chapters into it proved otherwise. I decided to look around and see what was out and new, see if anything would grab my attention. Since reading indie authors almost exclusively for about two years, I find it hard to go into a bookstore and find a book. Why pay nearly $30 for a new hardback or $17 for a paperback when I can get several books by good indie authors for the same price? I started in the front of the store, where the new releases are, and began to look at the covers to see if anything grabbed me. (Yes I know they say not to judge a book by its cover but that is what gets people’s attention. If your cover doesn’t grab me in the store then I’m probably not going to read what your book is about.) After looking at the newest books, I continued to a table that displays books that have recently been released. Then I saw the cover to Sleeping Giants. Ok, you have my attention, Sylvain Neuvel. I know almost all hardbacks have the story synopsis on the inside flap, but I wondered what was on the back. This book has some great praises: “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 “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, New York Times bestselling author of Red Rising “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 and the questions they spawn: How much human life is worth sacrificing in the pursuit of scientific progress? Can humanity be trusted with weapons of ultimate destruction? And the biggest: Are we alone? But all that really matters is that 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 After reading these quotes I had to know what this book was about, especially since Pierce Brown said it was “reminiscent of The Martian.” I opened the book to read the inside flap: A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand. Seventeen years later, the mystery of the bizarre artifact remains unsolved—its origins, architects, and purpose unknown. Its carbon dating defies belief; military reports are redacted; theories are floated, then rejected. But some can never stop searching for answers. Rose Franklin is now a highly trained physicist leading a top secret team to crack the hand’s code. And along with her colleagues, she is being interviewed by a nameless interrogator whose power and purview are as enigmatic as the provenance of the relic. What’s clear is that Rose and her compatriots are on the edge of unraveling history’s most perplexing discovery—and figuring out what it portends for humanity. But once the pieces of the puzzle are in place, will the result prove to be an instrument of lasting peace or a weapon of mass destruction? I have to admit, I was interested in this book now. I continued to walk through the store to see if any other book would make me change my mind on Sleeping Giants . . . they didn’t. I knew I had to get this one. I started to read it Saturday evening. Sylvain Neuvel writes in a way that really keeps your interest in the story. Saturday night I had to decide if I was going to stay up and read or if I would sleep. We had a 5 hour ride to make the next day, but this book had my attention. I finally decided that I would get some sleep. Sunday I downloaded the Audible version of the book so I would have it to listen to on the way home. Once my wife fell asleep, I turned on the audiobook. I will talk more about that later. I finished the book on the morning of Tuesday, May 24, 2016. That is the quickest I have read a novel in a while. I am a slow reader, but I could not put this book down. I was trying to find time to read what happened next. Video games didn’t matter; Netflix and Hulu didn’t matter, I just wanted to read the story. From what I am reading online and from other reviews, Sleeping Giants is written like World War Z. The story is told mainly through interviews. There are a few other things like a news article, journal entries, or flight transmissions, but the majority (maybe 90-95%) of the story is told through an interview. The same character does the interviewing. We never learn who he is, what he really does, or who he really works for and that adds to the mystery of the book. I found myself asking, is he really a good guy, a bad guy, or a combination of both? We learn about the other characters through the interviews. I cannot say that I really connected with many of them, I guess it is hard to when the story is told through an interview, but that did not detract from the story. You still come to care for characters and maybe hate a few. The pacing of the story is great. Some chapters did end on a slight cliffhanger, but every chapter felt necessary and made me want to continue the story. “Every major religion has to adjust to this revelation. Whatever god you believe in can’t just be about humans anymore. He, or she, has to be a god of the whole universe.” This book needs to be read and/or listened to. The audiobook is amazing. This might be the best audiobook I have listened to. Each character in the story is voiced by a different actor/actress. To me it makes the story so easy to follow along with and works great with the format of the story. It brings a whole new level to this book. While I was driving, my wife stopped reading her book at times to listen to this audiobook as well. I highly recommend the audiobook. ***Just on a funny side note: I started listening to this while my wife was sleeping. At one point in the story a main female character screams. I had no idea this was going to happen and it scared my wife. She sat up wondering why a female was yelling when it was just us and our dogs in the car. I laughed so hard. She did too . . . later.*** I have read and watched some reviews for Sleeping Giants and I would like to address a few things that really bugged me: One reviewer said that he wanted to see more killer robot action. Let me say this about the robot. This robot is not what you are probably picturing when you think robot. Yes this is a giant robot (200 feet tall). But this robot does not have a mind of its own. The robot has to be controlled. One of the really fun things about this book is the people learning how to control the robot and what the different buttons and things do. What do the different symbols mean? That is all part of the fun of the book. This robot cannot act on its own. So know that going into it. This book is not The Martian. When someone compares a book to The Martian I automatically think of space. This book takes place on earth but asks, are we alone in the universe? I guess the other reason it is compared to The Martian is the fact that they use science and math in the book but it is easy to understand. As I said earlier, the writing is compared to World War Z. Each chapter has a file number and is in interview format, you could call the style a dossier. If you don’t care for that type of format then you probably won’t like this book very much Sleeping Giants is my pick for book of the year so far. I had been having a hard time finding a book that really grabbed me, until this one. Sleeping Giants grabbed me and didn’t let go until I finished it. I could not turn the pages fast enough. I could not read the words fast enough. I needed to know what happened and I needed to know now. Once I finished the story I was left with a big smile on my face. This book is truly fun to read. I am not sure how many books will be in this series, The Themis Files, but book two, Waking Gods is scheduled for release on April 4, 2017. This is WILL BE a book that I preorder from Amazon and have it delivered to me the day it releases. I will also stop whatever book I am reading at the time to read it. Sylvain Neuvel’s debut novel, Sleeping Giants, is an amazing read and I cannot recommend it enough. Neuvel shows that he has some major talent and I hope that he will continue to write more books. I cannot wait to read whatever he puts out next. The movie rights for the story were bought by Sony before the book was released. As of the day I am writing this review, David Koepp (Mission Impossible, Jurassic Park, and War of the Worlds) is set to write the screenplay. Matt Tolmach (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Josh Bratman are set to produce. Sleeping Giants is a joy to read and listen to. I hope at some point I am able to get my copy signed by the author. I have a feeling I will be reading this book more. It might even be one I read every year. Before I give my rating I want to tell you how I came up with it. When I give you my rating, it is on a 10 point scale. Why is that, you might ask. Everyone else does 5 star ratings. In my head, the 10 point scale is like receiving a grade in school. If I give it 10/10 then that is like getting a 100%, 9.5/10 is like getting a 95%, and so on and so on. I do not hand out many 10/10 ratings. Why? For a book to get a 10 out of 10 it has to do a few things for me: It really has to pull me into its world. I have to feel like I am part of the book. I have to feel like I am there as I am reading it. I have to have the feeling that I cannot and do not want to put the book down. I have to want to read instead of watching my favorite show, eating food, or getting sleep. The book has to leave me with a feeling that it might be the most important thing at that moment. It has to be a story that I would want to read at least once a year. Since I have started posting my reviews on the blog I have given 10 stars to only three books and they are: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Empathy For Andrew by WJ Davies I went back and forth on this book, to be honest. It is hard to feel like I am part of the world when the book is told through interviews. But in the end it meets all of the other criteria for a 10 Star rating and that is what it deserves. I am not going to punish the story because the writing format is different to me. This is a book that I will recommend to everyone and will probably read every year. This book truly is amazing. Leighgenadry Rating: 10/10 Stars Sleeping Giants (Themis Files) by Sylvain Neuvel Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Del Rey (April 26, 2016) Audiobook: 8 hours and 28 minutes

Things I liked: The first quarter of the book was very good. I really do enjoy stories that are based around discovery. The whole process of finding the parts of the robot and scientifically evaluating and studying them was very compelling. I actually liked how the story was told in interviews and such- it broke the story down into small and manageable pieces, making it easy to casually pick up. I appreciated that the gender balance of major characters was roughly equal and there were female scientists, a female pilot, a female president of the US, etc. I might read the second book in the series if I happen to see it at the library. Things I didn't like: I found the romance subplot kind of awful. It's really unnecessary, the characters in question don't seem to really have chemistry, and, as other reviewers have said, it doesn't make sense for the person interviewing the characters to pry into their personal lives in these regards. It's especially annoying because, to me at least, it seems to encourage the belief that having women in the military leads to sexual drama- a belief that does tangible harm to women in the military. Romance novels are well and good, but I get frustrated when other novels throw in a het romance that doesn't fit the characters or situation just because every book's gotta have one. About half way through the book, it starts significantly losing steam as far as the discovery elements were concerned- that might just be because this was the author's first novel. You can kind of feel at the beginning that things are happening a bit too fast to be sustained for the rest of the book.

TL;DR Sleeping Giants is an exciting and engaging look at how we react when finding ancient artifacts that science cannot explain. Science is about answering questions, even when we may not be ready for the answers. SYNOPSIS “A girl named Rose is riding her new bike near her home in Deadwood, South Dakota, when she falls through the earth. She wakes up at the bottom of a square hole, its walls glowing with intricate carvings. But the firemen who come to save her peer down upon something even stranger: a little girl in the palm of a giant metal hand.” I mean, reread that description. How cool does this book already sound? A giant metal hand buried in the earth?! Ok, here’s more: Years later Rose and other scientists are still trying to solve the puzzle of the giant hand and more importantly…who put it there. Told in the format of interviews with each of the key players (similar to World War Z and the logs from The Martian) the story goes through the efforts of scientists and the military to unravel this ancient secret and ultimately answer the question, “Are we alone?” MY THOUGHTS I really enjoyed this book. I was along for the ride from the first chapter when little Rose fell into a hole and discovered and ancient robot hand. I could not wait to find out what this freaking hand was and who put it there. The interview format means we don’t really get deep inside any characters heads, so there isn’t a ton of depth to them, but I didn’t find this a barrier to my enjoyment. For me the story was about this discovery process and how it effects humankind, more than it was about an single person involved. I did find the characters telling the interviewer (even the ones who hated him) their super personal (and um, sexual) details to be a bit unbelievable, but that’s due to the limit of the format. This Sci Fi book is definitely science-light, so it should be enjoyable by everyone. While this book answered a lot of the initial questions, there’s still a ton to learn. Naturally, this book is part of a planned series of which Neuvel says there will be at least three. Because you can’t write a Sci Fi book unless it’s at minimum a trilogy. It’s hard to say much more about the story since it quickly goes into spoiler territory. I guess you’ll just have to read it yourself to find out! PROS Fascinating story Great build up for the next book without leaving a concocted cliffhanger Kept me on the edge of my seat with each new discovery Kara, a pilot, reminded me of her namesake in Battlestar Galactica. CONS Format limited character development A few dramatically implausible moments QUOTABLE QUOTES “If you are a scientist you believe that it is good to find out how the world works; that it is good to find out what the realities are; that it is good to turn over to mankind at large the greatest possible power to control the world and to deal with it according to its lights and its values.” “Justice is usually much swifter for someone in my trade. It comes unannounced, usually from behind, and as far as I know, it is never prefaced by a meeting at the White House.”

I bought this book based on an ad and its New York Times bestseller designation, as well as the fact that it dealt with earth confronting an alien race. It sounded like a thriller, and, believe me, it is. Everything is bold about this book. The concept is bold, the characters are bold, and, what most impressed me, the writing is bold. Sleeping Giants breaks all the rules. There is no narrator, no main character (the closest we come to one is an unnamed interviewer) and no scenes. The entire novel consists of interviews, interspersed with a couple of diary entries. Despite the book’s format, there is a definite plot, a gigantic (literally) mystery, and memorable characters. It’s not exactly hard science fiction, but there are some technical details, and, more than the technical science, the politics and international relations are insightful. And it’s definitely science fiction. Over a period of decades, parts of a giant human body are unearthed in various regions around the world. When they emerge from deep in the earth, they destroy whatever is on the ground above them, be it a small town or a section of the desert. Gradually, they are assembled, and it becomes clear that it is a female body, a warrior, that is, in fact, a mobile weapon that can be driven by two humans seated inside. The story follows the scientists who are in charge of studying the giant figure and the “pilots” who will run it, as they discover how to operate the machine. Meanwhile, a mysterious interviewer, who is more or less in charge of the project, talks to politicians, presidents, the pilots, the scientists and the armed services people involved with finding and storing the parts of the giant’s body. The fate of the massive figure is the subject of international intrigue and incidents, but its original purpose and its creators remain a mystery until it is revealed to the interviewer as a folk story told by an old man. From that point on, the interviewer knows, and must convince others, that learning everything there is to learn about the giant female warrior and, most importantly, how to use its powers to defend earth, is of utmost importance. Sleeping Giants is, I believe, the author’s first book and it is the first in a series. I haven’t read the next two books or any others by Sylvain Neuvel (he’s written several), although I certainly will. I was very impressed and found the book one that truly is hard to put down. As a science fiction writer, myself, I applaud the author for his groundbreaking effort. It’s a great success.

It all started when the little girl fell through earth. In his debut novel, Sleeping Giants, Sylvain Neuvel brings to us a very compelling and thrilling Sci-Fi novel. It’s also the beginning of a very promising series, Themis Files. When the little girl Rose fell into what looked like a giant metal hand, no one could tell what that thing was. Almost seventeen years later, it seems like the hand could find its way to Rose. Rose has grown up to be a scientist specialized in physics. One way or the other, a project to unleash what the giant hand could be has found its way to her. She is now leading a highly qualified team to find the origins of the giant hand. The research is held in top secrecy. The results of the research imply something major. Could the hand be only a part of something bigger? As more results are unleashed, there seems to be other similar objects buried deep underground. The question is who had buried them and for what reason. Moreover, as the technology involved in such thing is way beyond the human kind knowledge, could this thing belong to aliens? With the progress of the research project, the continuous discoveries lead to political chaos. Science is no longer the mere player in this puzzle. As tension arises, we witness the struggle of powers and conflicts of interests pressing for more compromises. But at what cost would such compromises be? The story is told through a series of interviews and reports. It’s like a series of coded project files. Well, that was new, and good as well. It was like revising the project files to know how things had turned up, with each report or interview telling us something new. Also, leading all those interviews was our anonymous yet very powerful man, Mr. Anonymous as I called him. Well, this Mr. Anonymous seemed to be very powerful and manipulative at the same time. He controlled everything and everyone. While each one on this project knew only one side of the truth, Mr. Anonymous had a masterplan in mind with all the necessary contingency plans. He controlled and manipulated everyone to fulfill this plan. You could never tell for sure who his allies were. Well, this was a very fast paced book. I am not usually a science fiction reader. So I am very cautious when selecting a science fiction book to read. Well, after reading this book I think I’ve been missing a lot. I really loved this book. The concept of facing such a threat in itself was very thrilling. There was also a myth side to the story which was also interesting. In one word, this book was simply beautiful. I can’t believe this is the author’s debut novel. Sylvain Neuvel has a very creative mind. That I’m sure of. He has the intense spirit of a boy captured in a very thrilling star wars game. I am lucky enough I didn’t have to wait as I am currently reading Waking Gods, the next installment in this series.

The book starts off innocently enough with 11- year old Rose Frankling trying out her new birthday bike and taking it for a ride in her backyard. Suddenly the ground falls from beneath her and she falls into a large crater.. right smack dab in the middle of a giant robot hand! We then skip to 17 years later and Rose is all grown up and has become a scientist, who of course wants to study the strange giant hand she fell onto as a child. In doing so she uncovers a chilling truth; It is in no way possible that human being could have had the technology or resources to create the giant hand. Rose is convinced that there has to be more than just a hand waiting to be uncovered, which leads to an entire robot body being discovered piece by piece burried deep all across the world. Dr. Rose, her team and the mysterious interviewer have to grapple with ethical dilemmas while figuring out how to answer the many questions that come about such a unnerving discovery. Are we not alone in the universe? If aliens created this thing, why leave it buried in a dozen places on earth? What is its use? etc. The story is told in a series of interviews and journal enteries, which many people may find distracting or feel it takes away from the character development but i feel the manner in which they were written enhances the authors story telling ability. In a unique way you get to see the character as how the present themselves, without knowing any information that the interviewer himself doesn't know. The journal enteries are also nice because they give you a glimpse into the characters thought process and offer up a little more background and information like a normal novel, but you still only get as much as the character will reveal. I had only read one other book in this way and I admit it was diffcult for me to get into it and enjoy but Sylvain Neuvel absoulutely nailed this style of writing. It had such a good flow to it and i felt on the edge of my seat the entire read. I lead a very busy life and was able to read a few chapters, put the book down, and come back to it later without having to refresh my memory or feel as if I forgot an critical part of the story. I also felt that I was getting only important parts of the story that i needed, there were no chapters that felt like fillers that made me want to skip ahead to the good stuff; the entire book was the good stuff! If you want a thoroughly entertaining read I highly suggest giving this book a try. It takes maybe 2-3 chapters to get into the flow of the interview/journal/document dialogue but once the story starts to take off the entire book cannot be read fast enough. I devoured it in less that 2 days. This is a great first book to a very promising series. I cannot wait to see what else Sylvain Neuvel can come up with.

I went into this novel with high expectations, especially since it was recommended, or at least had a blurb, from Pierce Brown (author of the Red Rising series). And of course, the premise sounded promising, the opening seemed intriguing. Alas, by the time I finished this book, I was just kind of done with it, and glad of it. First, a warning and comments on the novel's structure: this is written entirely in a disassociated past-tense interview style, with the occasional "mission log", a news story, an FAA report, and a few other non-interview chapters thrown in. At first, I found this really awkward, then when the pacing and time-scale of this novel became apparent (I believe by the end it insinuates that at least 4 years have passed), it was clear why the author decided on this style, since anything more intimate would prove challenging with the huge jumps in time-passage. However, by the end of the book I was back to finding this style less clever and more frustrating. As you can imagine, a story told entirely through interview format means the story itself is told in rough edged chunks, with actual information and world building only occurring in spurts, while the rest of what you read is just back and forth commentary with awkward bits of exposition thrown in (only about half the time did I think, "Oh yes, this is how two people who know each other would actually talk about a past event they're both aware of"). Further, this format could have benefitted a lot from including many more instances of diary excerpts, lab reports, or mission logs, something that would have actually cut the back-and-forth babble and gotten to actual story telling while maintaining that air of disconnected mystery. If you can get past that, there's some gems to this story, but also some completely illogical bits too. The whole idea of discovering buried giant robot bits around the world is pretty cool; it rang a little bit of War of the Worlds (there's no sudden invasion, so forget that part), and also a bit of many other ancient alien sci-fi stories, without being a rip-off of any of them. There's some realistic political strife and international tension, some nice gritty procedural science and speculation, and even a little bit of character building here and there. But of course, the format makes this not only difficult and not typical, but when the author DOES attempt to do character building, it comes off as weird and out of place, because why would some emotionless, unnamed, clandestine interviewer (we're never told who it actually is) give a crap about the personal relationships some of these characters have with each other? Past that, the story eventually devolves into your typical "super advanced alien robot operates on magic, basically" crap, and any pretense involving scientific discovery is dropped to pursue your cut-and-paste "how can we weaponize this for the benefit of the glorious United States" junk. Then half-way through, things go crazy with the robot, and ... well, no spoilers, but basically the story ends up just about resetting itself and then moving forward in both a completely different way, and also a retread of the entire first half. It's a shame. I wanted to like this book. It seemed clever, was exploring a potentially cool spin on the "buried ancient alien machines" story, but ultimately the biggest barrier to a meaningful novel here is the narrative structure. I give the author props for trying something original, and I get why it was done, given the large gaps in time it takes to put together the alien robot, but at the same time this sacrifices any chance at a coherent story with relatable characters. And perhaps this narrative structure is also what mangles the story itself into a bizarre zig-zag of events. I wish I could say I would be buying the next novel, but a last minute contrived cliff-hanger makes it unlikely.