Sylvain Neuvel Explained

Sylvain Neuvel
Birth Date:	1973
Birth Place:	Quebec City, Quebec
Occupation:	Novelist, Translator
Language:	English
Nationality:	Canadian
Genre:	Science Fiction
Notableworks:	The Themis Files, Take Them to the Stars
Years Active:	2010s-present

Sylvain Neuvel is a Canadian science fiction writer, linguist, and translator. He is author of the series The Themis Files and Take Them to the Stars.

Early life

Neuvel was born in Quebec City and raised in the suburb of L'Ancienne-Lorette.^[1] He was educated at the Université de Montréal and the University of Chicago.

Literary career

The Themis Files trilogy begins with Neuvel's debut novel Sleeping Giants. It follows a group of scientists as they track down and assemble a giant robot of mysterious origins, scattered across the Earth. The idea for Sleeping Giants first came to him when Neuvel's son asked him to build a toy robot with an extended back story.^[2] The novel is written in back-and-forth dialogues, journal entries and documentation rather than through traditional narration.^[3]

Neuvel first submitted the novel to literary agents in 2014 and received 50 rejections. The novel was published by Del Rey Books in 2016. It began accumulating favourable buzz after Kirkus Reviews published a positive review of the galley copy it had received. The novel, which was a longlisted contender for the 2017 edition of Canada Reads,^[4] was optioned by Sony Pictures for development into a film.^[5] It was a finalist for the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Science Fiction,^[6] the 2017 Compton Crook Award^[7] and for the Concordia University First Book Prize at the 2016 Quebec Writers' Federation Awards.^[8]

Neuvel was announced as one of three contributing authors on a Black Mirror book, but the project was shelved in 2018.^{[9] [10]}

Other work

Outside of his literary career, Neuvel runs a professional translation agency.

Bibliography

Themis Files series

1. Sleeping Giants, Del Rey (2016)
2. Waking Gods, Del Rey (2017)
3. Only Human, Del Rey (2018)

• "File N°1743" (2016, short story)
• "File N°247" (2016, short story)
• "FILE NO. 002" (2017, short story)

Take Them to the Stars series

1. A History of What Comes Next, Tordotcom (2021)^[11]
2. Until the Last of Me (2022)^[12]
3. For the First Time, Again (2023)

Standalone

• No Kindness Too Soon, Audible (2022)
• The Test, Tordotcom (2019)

Notes and References

1. https://montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/sylvain-neuvels-buzzed-about-debut-novel-asks-age-old-sci-fi-question-is-there-anybody-out-there "Sylvain Neuvel's buzzed-about debut novel asks age-old sci-fi question: Is there anybody out there?"
2. http://www.thesuburban.com/arts_and_entertainment/arts/sylvain-neuvel-s-debut-novel-sleeping-giants-results-in-three/article_14b7e0d4-92ac-5cac-9f4f-22ca68fd008c.html "Sylvain Neuvel's debut novel Sleeping Giants results in three-book deal"
3. News: How author Sylvain Neuvel finds the human heart in his giant robot thrillers. The Verge. 2017-10-06.
4. http://news.nationalpost.com/arts/books/cbc-canada-reads-2017-announces-longlist-including-katherena-vermette-vivek-shraya-andre-alexis "CBC Canada Reads 2017 announces longlist, including Katherena Vermette, Vivek Shraya, André Alexis"
5. News: In the Author's Universe: Interview with Sci-Fi Author Sylvain Neuvel. 2017-06-14.
6. Web site: Best Science Fiction 2016 — Goodreads Choice Awards. Goodreads. 2017-01-24.
7. News: Finalists for 2017 Compton Crook Award Announced - SFWA. 2017-03-27. SFWA. 2017-06-13. en-US.
8. http://www.cbc.ca/books/2016/10/madeleine-thien-nominated-for-quebec-writers-federation-literary-award.html "Madeleine Thien nominated for Quebec Writers' Federation literary award"
9. News: Charlie Brooker reveals authors of Black Mirror book. 2017-09-21. Digital Spy. 2017-10-06. en.
10. Web site: Charlie Brooker reveals why planned Black Mirror spin-offs novels have been shelved. Digital Spy. Jeffery. Morgan. 29 October 2018. 1 November 2018. 28 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200828154702/https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a869500/black-mirror-spin-off-novels-cancelled/. live.
11. Web site: Book Review: A History of What Comes Next: A Take Them to the Stars Novel. 2020-12-09. www.publishersweekly.com.
12. https://www.cbc.ca/books/66-works-of-canadian-fiction-to-watch-for-in-spring-2022-1.6283875 "66 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2022"