File N°247

Themis Files #1.5

by Sylvain Neuvel

A new Themis Files to read :

http://www.thethemisfiles.com/File247...

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Adult, Fantasy, Space, 21st Century

10 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Sylvain Neuvel dropped out of high school at age 15. Along the way, he has been a journalist, worked in soil decontamination, sold ice cream in California, and peddled furniture across Canada. He received a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Chicago. He taught linguistics in India, and worked as a software engineer in Montreal. He is also a certified translator, though he wishes he were an astronaut. He likes to tinker, dabbles in robotics and is somewhat obsessed with Halloween. He absolutely loves toys; his girlfriend would have him believe that he has too many, so he writes about aliens and giant robots as a blatant excuse to build action figures (for his son, of course).

Reviews

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a free additional short story to the Themis Files series, coming after the first full-length novel, and is available online, here: http://www.thethemisfiles.com/File247...

This contained another brief interview segment, this time between our unknown interviewer and Lieutenant Colonol Gregor Langden, and revealed, yet again, that the former is always twenty steps ahead of the other players in this political science fiction series. It wasn't essential reading but did provide some information not otherwise understood from just a reading of the first book in the series and hints at something big to come.

[Kalena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 stars, didn’t add much in my opinion

While the first "missing file" that I read for the Themis Files, was short and sweet but still granted a bit of context to some things this one didn't really do anything. It just felt like a fun little addition to the book series in total but didn't really add anything I didn't feel like. But I don't have much to complain about because it was really short.

[TW: mention of jail time, smuggling of funds mentioned]

[Arnis · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/201...

[Jude (NovelReader13) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, these "novellas"/missing scenes are a lot of fun!

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like it, again fun without being essential to read, but I think I enjoy it more than File 002, the tons of the interrogator is just so right, not arrogant, but definitely patronizing at a high level, very funny!

[Nai | Libros con(té) · Rating 4 out of 5]

- What are you doing here? You said we were square. You said I was done!
- Granted, it would not be completely out of character for me to renege on a promise under the right circumstances, though I honestly do my very best to avoid it as much as I can. I find that having a reputation as a man of my word makes encounters of this sort much more expedient. That said, I do
not recall ever calling us “square” or any other shape, nor do I remember
ever indicating to you that I would no longer require your services.

😂

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

"- I must say, of all the unpalatable character traits exhibited by men of your
ilk, predictability is, by far, my favorite.
- What?
- Goodbye, Gregor.
- Wait! Wait! Who am I releasing? What’s your guy’s name?"

[Valentin Derevlean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nimic interesant. Probabil un scurt capitol din volumul 2.

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story 2 in my 24 Days of Shorts

...

Recommended only to the most hardcore Themis Files fan.

This is fun, but too short to even count as a short story.



read it for yourself here: http://www.thethemisfiles.com/File247...



My 24 Days of Shorts
1. File N°002 by Sylvain Neuvel
2. File N°247 by Sylvain Neuvel
3. Skinner Box by Carole Johnstone
4. The Weight of Memories by Liu Cixin
5. A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong
6. If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again by Zen Cho
7. Meat And Salt And Sparks by Rich Larson
8. Seven Birthdays by Ken Liu
9. Where Would You Be Now? by Carrie Vaughn
10. Old Media by Annalee Newitz
11. The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meredith Katz
12. Sweetlings by Lucy Taylor
13. An Unexpected Honor by Ursula Vernon
14. Hell is the Absence of God by Ted Chiang
15. A Love Story by Samantha Hunt
16. The Lake by Tananarive Due
17. Ghost Hedgehog by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
18. Finnegan's Field by Angela Slatter
19. Among the Thorns by Veronica Schanoes
20. Rag and Bone by Priya Sharma
21. The Mothers of Voorhisville by Mary Rickert
22. As Good as New by Charlie Jane Anders
23. Twixt Firelight and Water by Juliet Marillier
24. The Christmas Show by Pat Cadigan

[Jeraviz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este capítulo hay que leerlo entre el primer y segundo libro. Explica un detalle de la trama, pero nada importante. Simplemente un guiño del autor a los fans.

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read the Themis Files novels, so my mind was definitely scrambling a bit to put this story into context. Very short, but entertaining and classically Neuvel.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic file, I loved seeing this moment! Love what it adds to the series!

[Jenifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Completely supplemental. Completely bonus. A little short story to enhance the source material.

I feel myself falling down a rabbit hole here.


Online PDF

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another inessential short within the Themis world, but still fun for fans of the series.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 3 out of 5]

The new science fiction author, Sylvain Neuvel, was a serendipitous discovery. With little to say about a dialogue vignette as minuscule as “Themis Files Archive File N° 247”, it is worth reiterating my uncanny source. I decline the Goodreads recommend button. A peer overlooked that and my disinterest in science fiction, with positive results. I noted Canadian origins as I deleted her notification, which I reserve for comments of my reviews. I read the synopsis and it sounded like a non crime mystery, which I seek widely. I ordered the novel secondhand and loved it.

Sylvain reinvents storytelling, a divine treat when an author can do that. You might think a novel comprised of memo files would be dull or stilted but try it and you might find, as I did, a wonderfully unexpected asset. It fast-forwards the events to the action and key details. Heart, the personal touch, and the relatable emotions like eagerness, fear, wariness, wonder, and amazement are supplied in various characters’ diaries. These fulfill the accessibility points that are essential to any story. The chaff is omitted, letting the cream rise to the top of this science fiction mystery. The mystery geared up my interest and allowed me to enjoy a largely military story, something I rarely want to read. Not least of all, originality is a trait that garners my sincere respect and Sylvain crafted it in spades.

His novel was published in 2016, supplemented by extra background dialogue in 2017: Themis Files #0.5 & #1.5. I am not eager to buy the second novel, although I will eventually read to the end of this alien puzzle. These vignettes are fun and free, meanwhile. Herein, the unknown director coaxes someone to assist his goal, however illegal the action might be. I gave this three stars.

[Chrissie Whitley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, entertaining enough—though I'm a little late for this party; I do love that unnamed narrator/interviewer. This one was just an okay bridging story regarding Ryan Mitchell, though not featuring him.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This explains Ryan’s release, but let’s be real it’s mostly about the mystery man’s snark. I enjoyed the previous file better and it had more context.

[Lauren Burroughs · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short and sweet chapter is the book equivalent of a post-credits scene. It seems like a waste that it wasn't appended to the ending of the audiobook that way. I read this sometime after completing the first book and without normal exposition, a single chapter was difficult to re-orient myself to what was going on.

The file includes a transcript of an interview between a prison warden and the story's nameless interrogator. As usual, the interrogator's questions vaguely veil what his real request is: the release of a prisoner. While the prisoner is never directly named, we can assume that person is Ryan. I'm excited to see him rejoin the team for the sequel.

Overall, it's probably worth the time given the time to read was all of five minutes but if this isn't already in front of you I probably wouldn't seek it out. I don't feel like skipping it would mean I miss out on anything ahead of the second book.

[For The Novel Lovers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book Review
Title: The Lost Files by Sylvain Neuvel (Themis Files 1.5)
Genre: Science Fiction, Short Stories
Rating: 2.5 Stars
File 247
I didn’t particularly like File 247 not because it wasn’t written well but it brings to light the events that led to Ryan being released early from prison at the urging of our mystery narrator. After what Ryan did to Vincent, then helping Alyssa and then what he ended up telling Kara in Waking Gods was awful and directly led to the events that killed one of the best characters in the series. So while I was good and gave some insight I didn’t like it.

[Fawz]

Ah, I see why this would have been important to read directly after the first book but before the start of the second book. As I am already very close to being done with the second book, this lost file doesn’t add much at this juncture. It’s a prelude to the return of a character that I initially liked in the first book but then due to his own jealousy and homicidal instincts came to severely dislike.

[again, even though goodreads counts this as a book read, I personally do not and will read additional books to account for the lost files unless they are more substantive than a handful of pages]

[A B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very short story of an interview between a prison warden and the mystery interviewer. All it really does is briefly discuss Ryan's release from prison. It might have been a little more timely had I read it prior to book 2 but it's not especially important as we know by the end of book 1 that he is released. I was rather bored and had to read it several times, which is pretty sad given its short length. Perhaps it's hard to appreciate given that I enjoyed book 1 so much and was so disappointed by book 2.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

For fans of The Themis Files series, this file is an interview with the warden of the army regional confinement facility at Fort Carson. Like the earlier file, it is not essential to the unfolding story of the sleeping giants, but is an interesting add-on. Fans of the series will enjoy the interaction between Lieutenant Colonel Langden and the unidentified interviewer [who remains just as snarky as readers expect].

Readers should note that this is a very short story.

Recommended for readers of The Themis Files series. For readers new to the series, this file follows the first book.

[Izzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shorter than File 002 and didn’t add much to the story, but it fills in a little about Ryan. This is similar to the other Lost File, so I’d recommend it if you like the series and want all the extra context for this story as possible. It’s been a while since I read the first book, so it was harder to get into this one and understand it. But it’s a fun little extra scene with the interviewer, and I always like that. It would’ve been better if I read these all in order, though.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another missing scene that happens somewhen in Sleeping Giants, but it didn't mesh well for me due to tone inconsistencies.

[Поли E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 4-pdf-page reminder of the pure goodness our favorite nameless agent is /was.
Sylvain Neuvel managing to evoke feelings in such a short text is just the next proof that this man is a god.

[bookellenic · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would have built my suspense more had I read it before the second book and it's really short (short story being the key word), but it's nice to get snippets of this series now that I've finished it!

[Araceli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay....not really getting why we need to read these little books in between the actual books, but I did and I still don't get it. Book #1 was actually intriguing and look forward to Book #2, but these ".5" files I can do without.

[a · Rating 3 out of 5]

“—Can I get a car?

—I find people asking others to repeat something they have crearly heard most aggravating, but I am beggining to understand the urge.”

“—I must say, of all the unpalatable character traits exhibited by men of your ilk, predictability is, by far, my favorite.”

i miss this guy

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find this one....really confusing. I don't remember Gregor. I assume this is ole' what's his name that was jailed for running over his replacement, but I thought the narrator didn't want him out. A tiny bit confused.

[Scot Eaton]

Again, no star rating for a 5-page novella, but I'm glad I read it. Like file N002, it's more of a "deleted scene" than a novella. Fun to watch, but its inclusion would have killed the opening pacing of book 2. Recommended for fans of the series.