The last book in the Themis Files hit the ground running. Our heroes are now on the planet of Themis' creators with no way out, as of yet, and so much to learn from their new home. Meanwhile things back on Earth have changed after millions of lives were lost at the hand of Themis' creators. How will this series end is anyone's guess and you will quickly turn the pages as you rush to get to the conclusion of this exciting thrill ride series.

I was so eager to read the third book in this series! Only Human continues off from where the second book ended, and I really enjoyed reading about life on another planet. The pacing felt a little off from the first two books, but the author's exploration of race and genetics kept me hooked. Also important to note- this is NOT a series where you can pick up at random. They must be read in order. It's challenging to write a review for the third book without completely spoiling the first two for readers.

The Themis Files trilogy has reached an end and I'm sorry it's over but hope the author will leave this one right here. If there are other books to come in the future with a vague tie-in to this theme, that would be fine, but I like where Only Human ended - with the opportunity for some serious discussions between friends and book readers.

This trilogy is one of those exceptions to my own rule about jumping into a book series at any point and digging out what happened in the past while you read. It will be so much more enjoyable for you to follow the route the author set and make your discoveries at their proper place in the story arc. Book one concerns a hunt throughout Earth for buried parts of a giant robot. Once the robot is reassembled and functioning as a weapon book two tells the story of what happens when a similar robot arrives in London and death and destruction results. Now book three shows what happened when the first robot, Themis, disappeared from earth and came to rest on Esat Ekt. Only Human covers what was happening during the nine years the crew of Themis was gone from Earth and the impact they had on the planet Esat Ekt. Once again the story is told in the form of files and reports of conversations or interrogations where two worlds are trying to deal with changes brought about by a long ago visit to Earth.

This is the type of science fiction series that really excites my imagination because you can have wonderful conversations about how the author constructed the two worlds the humans and the aliens found themselves in. How hard would it be for Earth to be in the position shown by this author? The frightening conclusion I reached is: not long at all. Read all three books and see what you think.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Del Rey for a digital copy of this novel.

** spoiler alert ** I was thrilled to get to review this for NetGalley!

First of all what's the deal with the description saying it's a cross between World War Z and The Martian? Did we read the same book?

I really loved books 1 and 2. I was highly anticipating this one after the ending of book 2. Would we get to see the alien world? What would it be like? Etc etc.

This one is told in the same format through transcripts. I devoured books 1 and 2, but I had to force myself to keep reading this one. It just didn't grab my attention.

I feel like the author must have written this in the aftermath of the 2016 election shocker. There was just constant xenophobia throughout the book. It's vaguely talked about on the other planet, but when they get back home, the good ol’ USA has turned into basically nazi Germany. If you're part alien or Muslim, you are headed to a concentration camp. If the US wants to take your land, they'll just vaporize you with their new robot.

What’s even weirder is the total unnecessary Islamophobia that's mentioned. So an alien race comes to our planet, kills 100 mil people and yet you’re still worried about Muslims? Really Muslims? Why? It felt so out of place in the book, but it kept being mentioned.

I desperately want to learn what happened on the other planet as they were there for 9 years, but it unfolds so slowly between all that's happening on Earth, you get tired of waiting for it. And, it all felt so vague. They don't really go into the xenophobia that's going on over there, and there are terrorists, or maybe not? They don't really go into much over there.

And the ending...the ending is ok, I guess, if you like it when your mom says "don't do that because I said so." That's basically the ending. It just comes out of no where and feels so forced.

I had been obsessively watching Netgalley like a hawk waiting for this to be posted, and then becoming even more obsessive as I waited to see if I was approved. The Themis Files has been one of the best sci-fi series I’ve ever read, and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read these!

Only Human takes place almost 10 years after Waking Gods, and the majority of the story takes place on the home world of the robotic giants, where Rose, Vincent, and Eva ended up at the end of #2. It was really fascinating reading about this other world, and the people in it, who were more human like than not. When the group finally make it back to Earth, they find things have changed, and not for the better. The world has gone to hell, and people who are considered to have more alien DNA than human DNA, are being forced into camps, where the ultimate end-game seems to be mass-execution. Rose, Vincent, and Eva aren’t exactly welcomed back with open arms, and immediately find themselves part of essentially WWIII. Action, battle, and drama ensues as they try to find their place on an Earth that is starting to feel more alien than the alien planet itself.

I’m not going into any more detail, but suffice it to say that I felt like this was a solid ending to the trilogy. Nothing will live up to that first book, Sleeping Giants, but most series never live up to the first book. I enjoyed that everything was still basically told through journal entries, log entries, and the conversations happening between characters over comms. But, man, did I miss the interviewer from books 1 and 2. Not having him there had the 3rd book losing some of its charm for me.

All that being said, I’ll definitely end up re-reading this series in the future, and would highly recommend to any sci-fi fan.

Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved the other 2 books in this trilogy, and have waiting for this, the last book, to come out. While I didn’t love it quite as much as the first two, it was a great ending to the series. I missed “our friend”, aka the original interviewer in the first two books, which I think is one reason I didn’t love it as much. I loved getting to know more about the alien race that built Themis though, and enjoyed the “twist” at the end. These books are fun, easy reads, so if you’re looking for a new trilogy to enjoy, pick them up!

I must confess, this was the book in the trilogy that I least enjoyed... It felt like a political manifesto as much as (rather than?) than the conclusion to the series. The parts that focused on the continuation of the existing relationships (between Terrans and Ekt, between Eva and Vincent, between Rose and Vincent), and on the establishment of new characters/relationships and bits of fill-in backstory that fleshed out what has been happening to Rose et al. since the end of Book Two were very well done and very engaging. But there was A LOT of "this is what's wrong with the world" played out in the interstices - and those interstices often resembled canyons or trenches (ala Marianas) more than anything actually interstitial...

I understand and appreciate what Neuvel was doing with this book, and how the terrapolitical and geopolitical expositions played into the overarching story. I just felt at times like I was reading an indictment of contemporary political thought and global activity - a philosophical treatise, almost - rather than a scifi novel. That's fine, but it made the pacing uneven for me and slowed things down a lot. I found myself skimming at times in the middle - and honestly, don't feel like I missed anything by doing so. Still, the trilogy as a whole was a vastly entertaining enterprise and very original and well plotted and well characterized. I'm just glad it started with the first book - which was five stars all the way for me - because if it had opened with a focus akin to this final book, I probably wouldn't have made it all the way through...

The final chapter in the them is files was AMAZING. I kept finding ways to talk about it in casual conversation: oh, you have an opinion on politics? Let me tell you about this fascinating democracy structure on a fictional planet. I honestly feel like my life is better for having read this series. Of course, I wish there was more. One can only hope for a spin-off?

It's always bittersweet to see a series I've loved come to an end. On the one hand, I'm getting answers and conclusions.  Things are wrapping up.  Characters are getting on with their lives.  But I've been in love with the Themis Files series since page one of Sleeping Giants when it came out a few years ago.  It's hard to let go.

For those of you not familiar with the Themis Files, you may want to skip this review... it's spoilery.  Here's a brief overview of the first two books, courtesy of Goodreads:

Sleeping Giants (Book One) - 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?
Waking Gods (Book Two) - 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.
Like the two before it, Only Human is told through transcripts of audio/video diaries, conversations and pilot logs.  I think, outside of the plot itself, this method of delivery makes this series even more addictive and readable.  I kept finding myself thinking "ok, just one more quick chapter before I stop for a bit."  The chapters are short and punchy and keep you pulled into the story.

I'm not going to lie... I missed Kara and the Interviewer.  I know their deaths were necessary in Waking Gods, but I couldn't help but miss their characters.  Kara was one badass chick.  Rose and Eva are great and are very strong characters, but I just loved Kara and her attitude.  The Interviewer had a great, dry sense of humor (not to mention mystery) that I thought added another layer of awesome to the previous installments.

Often in series, I feel cheated at the end.  I feel like I've invested so much time and emotion into books and characters, only for things to wrap up unrealistically in the final book.  Thankfully, the last book in the Themis Files didn't disappoint.  Only Human fit well with its predecessors.  It didn't come off as rushed or too easily wrapped up.  I didn't feel like Neuvel was trying to write an ending to please anyone but the characters. I was a bit thrown by the start of the book, with several main characters being transported to an alien planet.  It was weird and unexpected, but oh-so-perfect once you get used to the idea.  Once back on Earth, friendships are tested and right and wrong are no longer clear cut in a world that has changed beyond recognition.  I couldn't help but draw parallels from current political situations we're in now, which I'm sure was Neuvel's intent.

Book one had me hooked.  Book two broke my heart.  And Only Human, book three, was the perfect ending to an amazing trilogy.

I really looked forward to the final book in the Themis trilogy and it surpassed my expectations. I was so excited to see where they would go at the end of the second book and loved the new world of aliens. It was good to explore how the human race would cope after the events in the second book and to understand why it happened. The book delivered a super imaginative tale full of gripping action and a fantastic ending. I was sad to finish it and will definitely read anything else that Sylvain writes.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone. I have reviewed it on Goodreads and will do on Amazon once it is available for review.

Only Human (Themis files #3) by Sylvain Neuvel

This is the third & final book of Themis files trilogy.

Well, I'm going to miss this series but I thought it really ended well !!

At the end of Waking Gods Rose, Vincent, Eva and Eugene are transported along with Themis to the alien planet.

Nine years later , they escape to Earth. What do they find?

Earth is a mess! There is fear & turmoil everywhere.The giant robot that Rose defeated is rebuilt by the US army and US is controlling half the world. People are divided based upon their alien genetics. Rose feels responsible as she was the one who started all of this by discovering Themis. How is she going to restore humanity back on Earth? Have we reached a point that it couldn't be restored at all ?Thats what " Only Human" is about.

This book has past & present type narrative. It alternates between Rose's life in alien planet vs the things happening at Earth currently. The characters really carry this novel like they did the previous onel. The emotional struggle between Eva & Vincent is the part I loved most. NOTE to the audio book producers, please change Eva's voice from the last book ( it was unbearable).

Only human isn't as fast paced as it's predecessors. But it's deeply emotional. It makes you feel the I'm significance and ignorance of human race or infact any race.
There is lot of politics. It touches upon racism, socialism, Muslim politics etc. Annnddd it has giant robot battles !. What else do you need ?

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Verdict : A great conclusion to an amazing trilogy. 4/5 Stars

Book: Only Human (Themis Files #3)
Rating: ****
Source: NetGalley

Only Human takes place 10 years after the events of Waking Gods.

There is excellent character development in this series. Several of the characters, such as Rose and Vincent, are not the same person they were in Book 1 (Sleeping Giants). They have been shaped, beaten and molded by the harsh waves of physical and emotional trauma.

There are common themes of war, along with others: Racism, separation, loss, grief, and a struggle to find one's purpose.

There is a lot of philosophy inter-woven into the novel:
"What does a man's life amount to? What does the life of a thousand, a billion? What is an ant's life worth? I see now that the answer is irrelevant. It's the question that matters. Should the ant let itself die, crushed under the weight of its own insignificance? Or should it live, fight giants, and build magnificent cities underground? What do I choose?"

THE ENDING WILL BLOW YOU AWAY!!!

This was one of the best, maybe the best, ending to any trilogy I have ever read. It was so well crafted, artistic and original.

I would highly recommend this series for fans of Sci-fi.

The latest part from the trilogy starts pretty well, but later it just becomes a long and boring moral lesson about racism.

The beginning of the book is pretty funny: four people passed nine years on the alien planet. Now three of them arrived back to Earth in Themis, actually landed in Russia, where a funny agent makes interviews with them.

There are two story-lines in the book: one about their present in Russia and one about their past on the alien planet. In the present, there are serious problems in Earth: USA became a conquering and oppressive power using Lapetus (the remaining robot in Earth), so it could be real turn when Russia takes his hands to Themis… But who will drive Themis for them? Would they force Vincent to fight for Russia, against the diabolical Americans?

Another serious issue that humanity as a whole started to fear the aliens. As we learned, some people have alien DNA, so countries lock them up in camps, which is a clear reference to the holocaust (except they didn’t kill these people – yet).

The other storyline is about the alien planet, where the aliens does not have hair on their body, but except this, they are essentially the same as humans. They have shops, they have an empress, and they have different kind of people too… As the parallel story goes, we see that their society is very similar to ours: they are racist, they are corrupt… So the four people faces similar problems that on Earth. They have many, actually too many “personal log entries” in the book about their thoughts on racism – the book is full of boring, moralizing monologues.

There’s another storyline between dad and daughter as well, but that’s also not too interesting: it’s always hard to be with teenagers. So instead of an exciting sci-fi based on alien mysteries, we have a boring, moralizing book with an unrealistic story. How the Russians just leave Rose to go home? How can the most important prisoner of the world just escape from the prison? There’s no mystery, there’s no interesting technology, the aliens’s morality is the same as ours, the only exciting character died in the second part, so what remained for the readers are the many long monologues about racism – I hoped for a more exciting end for the trilogy.

The first two books were great science fiction. The conclusion is a little disappointing. I never really liked her to begin with, but now Eva has grown up to become a selfish, spoiled character so it was hard to care about her. The story is still very interesting, showing what happens when you give humans unlimited power (spoiler alert: nothing good) and boils down the conflict when it uses Themis and another robot as tools in a family squabble. Its vision of human nature if very grim. Not that I don't agree with this, but comparing the whole human race to children in need of a father figure to tell them what to do and then following through on it was a let-down. My favorite part was the flashbacks to the alien planet, especially their cultural and political structures, and even their language. This is not a bad book, I just liked the story up to that point so much that maybe my expectations were too high.

I requested this on accident and can't give this book the quality of review it deserves since I have not read the previous installments in the series.

Sleeping Giants, the first book in this series, is still my favorite, but Only Human is a close second.   This is a dual timeline novel - events that occurred during the nine years spent on an alien planet, and what happens after returning to Earth.  

Vincent, with his snark and intelligence, is undoubtedly my favorite character and he has some incredible moments in this book.  His struggles to protect his daughter while also giving her space to become her own person are both heartwarming and humorous.  Although as strong, determined, and principled as her mother, to me, Eva's rants seemed more along the lines of a spoiled brat teenager to the point that it was somewhat distracting.   

The world-building on the alien planet isn't explored in depth.  It's interesting and somewhat similar to Earth, but what I enjoyed most is that it's also flawed.  Their world is just as imperfect as ours, many of their struggles the same.

With its action-packed robot fights to its social commentary, this series has been an epic and thought-provoking ride from beginning to end and one I highly recommend to sci-fi fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

The first and second books in this series were truly epic, fun, charming and action packed. The third book was a slight disappointment, too talky with the middle sort of a slog but the ending was rip snorting great. This was a great series and I sure hope there are more stories to come in the Themis universe.

The third and final(?) book in the Themis Files series. At the end of the second book, Victor, Eva, Rose, and General Govender were in Themis enroute to Themis's homeworld. The third book, like the other two, tells the story in a series of reports and transcripts, which works really well for this story. We get to see the alien society up close, and there's lots of suspense as Neuvel keeps setting up situations that seem impossible to overcome. A satisfying ending to the trilogy, though I would not object to other stories set in this universe. Highly recommended.

For the first time the dialogue only format didn't work. The interpersonal conflict fell flat. Also, I know humans are horrible. I don't need a book to remind me. At least the ending of the series was satisfying.

When we last met our heroes, they were being whisked off to another planet by giant robots. Who wouldn’t anticipate the 3rd book in a series with a cliffhanger like that? The author opens by casually reminding the reader what happened in the first 2 books (which is always appreciated). Over the course of the book, we learn what happened on the planet--told through transcripts of recordings. In the last 2 books, these recorded interviews seemed organic enough. However, this time I had a hard time believing everyone was carrying around a recorder and recording every conversation that turned out to be important enough to provide a storyline for the novel. Out at the market? Carry a tape recorder. Running for your life? Be sure to carry a tape recorder along with the clothes on your back and record while running. In the middle of a robot battle? Don’t forget to record.

I was so excited for this book to come out. I really was. I don’t have a lot of series books for which I’m anticipating additional books, so I jumped right on this one. And it had its good parts and thoughts that were certainly inspired by the times in which we live. However, I wasn’t turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. And, yes, I was a little disappointed about the scant information about the planet our heroes visit. We meet some of the natives, but I couldn’t tell one from another for lack of personality and similarity of name sounds. Fans of the series can rest assured that the series is over after this book. I didn’t dislike the book, but it just didn’t have the same punch and page-turning quality as the ones before. It’s a pleasant read nonetheless.