The Trilogy kicks off with great promise. In Sleeping Giants. Rose Franklin, as a child, stumbles upon a mysterious artifact that on investigation has every indication of being alien in origin having been left behind some time in the distant past. Over time, this initiates a search for other parts of what is eventually discovered to be a gigantic alien Robot weapon. The narration evokes a sense of a grand wonder and curiosity requisite of first contact stories. In many ways this was reminiscent of that Arthur C. Clarke classic – Rendezvous with Rama. 

The discovery has global repercussion, kicking off a power struggle as Russia and America vie for access to the powerful weapon. The characters and their relationships are well written and include among them a mysterious deep state actor with seemingly limitless power to influence people into doing his bidding— who is trying to both control the overall situation as well as defuse the international tension, in the interest of all Earth. The story is largely told through interviews conducted by this character (whose name we are never to know). The rest of it through the personal logs of the other characters. This makes the narrative fast paced and Mr. Neuvel has a flair for entertaining dialogue.