Monthly Archives: March 2018

SciFi Book Club to discuss “Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel”

The Science Fiction Book Club has selected Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel as the last book of the semester. Leaning more to the hard science fiction side of the genre, the novel follows Rose’s accidental discovery and life-long study of a strange relic found partially buried in South Dakota. With a unique delivery method— a mixture of fictional primary sources, interviews, and journal entries—we think this will be an entertaining read, and a great introduction to the genre for new sci fi readers.

While its partial use of diary entries to deliver the story is like The Martian by Andy Weir (our November book!), the similarities don’t end there. Neuvel also self-published the book and managed to sell the movie rights before the book was even released by a publisher. Its script is currently being written by Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp.

Unlike The Martian, Sleeping Giants is the first book in a series. It and its sequel, Waking Gods, have both been included in a variety of shortlists and longlists and been nominated for awards. The third book, Only Human, will be released on May 1st.

You can find it (and its sequel) at your local public library or through interlibrary loan.

Come join us on Thursday, April 26th at 2pm in Library 240 to discuss Sleeping Giants!

SciFi Book Club to discuss “Lovecraft Country”

Cover of the book Lovecraft CountryThe Science Fiction Book Club’s pick for March is Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff. Set in the Jim Crow era, this road trip takes Atticus Turner from Chicago to New England and back again. Blending historical fiction with supernatural horror in a local setting, this title will provide a riveting discussion.

You don’t have to read any of the works by H.P. Lovecraft (native of Providence) to enjoy Lovecraft Country, but it’s hard to ignore the influences of his work on the book on many different levels. Not gaining popularity until after his death, Lovecraft’s work now defines a genre of “weird” horror which is undoubtedly present (not just by name) in Lovecraft Country. As its being discovered more explicitly through his personal letters, Lovecraft was “a virulent racist” and race plays a huge role in the book as well.

Lovecraft Country has caught the attention of HBO and its being produced by a slew of big name folks like (recent Oscar winner) Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams. Read it with us now so you can be ahead of the popularity curve!

You can find Lovecraft Country at your public library or by requesting it through interlibrary loan.

We look forward to discussing Lovecraft Country with you in LIB 314 at 12:30pm on Thursday, March 22nd.