The Stone Giant

The Stone Man, Book 3

By: Luke Smitherd

Narrated by: Matt Addis

Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

In Coventry, Eric and Harry watch helplessly as they find themselves face to face with the latest arrival at Ground Zero. Tired and coming to terms with Eric’s devastating injuries, how can two men hope contain such an indestructible force, let alone escape the impenetrable energy shield that now envelops them and the city?

In the north of the country, Maria and her new friends race towards the Isle of Skye and - hopefully - answers. What is the secret behind Maria’s own connection to the Stone Men? What is the purpose of the mysterious Prism, and can it be destroyed? What has been happening at Project Orobouros for the last five years, and has it led to anything that can be deployed against this new incarnation? The stakes are about to rise dramatically, so much so that the fate of the country - and humanity itself - hangs in the balance.

Maria, Eric, and the rest of survivors of the fourth arrival will need to uncover the truth and band together in a desperate last stand against an unfathomable threat.

But how can mere humans hope to resist the unstoppable power of the Stone Men?

©2022 Luke Smitherd (P)2022 Audible, Ltd

Best of the Series in what is a Must Listen Saga!!

The third evolution of the Stone Man Saga is easily the best, as Smitherd not only takes us on a breathtaking ride, but he also fills in a lot of backstory that we have wanted to hear since the first appearance of the original Stone Man.
At the start of this story, we are introduced to Sophie and her father Trevor, and given a brief introduction to their story when the Empty Men arrived, before we are returned to the unfolding events of Eric and Harry.
The Stone Giant is a fast moving story, there are moments of action, others in which we are taken back in time to previous events and filled in on events that have occurred and taken place during the ‘Stone Man’ timeline, either after the events of the first Stone Man story and before the Empty Men events, or during the events of Empty Men, but that were not told during that book. Each of these events is something that is a key piece of information, something that as readers, we have been wanting to know (I know that I was very much wanting to know it, so I am sure others do!!), but more importantly, it provides important information for events in this book.
Smitherd has been incredibly clever, unfolding this book in such a way that (and I promise, no spoilers here – I wouldn’t dare, he might sic Matt Addis on me), this story unfolds in a very carefully, and intricately told tale, that once you start reading (or listening), you just won’t be able to stop. It is such a multi-faceted story, with so many different key elements, all telling different parts of what is essentially the same story, sometimes on different parts of the timeline to fill in backstory, but essentially, all working towards a single point at what is the culmination of the final few chapters in this book that will leave you with your mouth hanging open in total awe.
I have read and listened to over 50 books already this year, and none have had the impact that the end of ‘The Stone Giant’ had on me.
As with the other books in this series, the Character work has been exceptional, Andy is fascinating in this story, as his somewhat narcissistic and self-centered personality has been tempered by having been ‘joined’ with Sophie in book 2, making him a somewhat more empathetic person, and it is interesting watching him deal with this new version of himself, as well as come to grips with the events as they unfold.
The other really outstanding character in this series is Eric, who continues to grow from book 2, as we see him battle with not only the events that unfolded in book 2, but now those that begin to play out in book 3. Faced with the inevitable loss of his friend, and knowing he has to make it to the Isle of Skye, Eric continues to struggle forward, hoping he can help others. His inner struggles and battles, as well as his just constant perseverance make his character so realistic at times (I have met people like him in my life as a Police Officer), his uncompromising will to go on.
The other character that I found really fascinating in this story was Maria, coming to terms with her new found abilities, as well as the situation she finds herself in, her character is captivating. I don’t want to give too much away or say too much about her.
There are numerous other characters (both new and old), Paul, the Brigadier (Have to love Straub!!), as well as multiple others that make this story as compelling and extraordinary as it is. Smitherd creates these wonderful, gritty and powerful characters that you grow so attached to. Unfortunately, in his books, you don’t get to stay attached to them for long.
The other really great thing about this book is the incredible detail that Smitherd has created in just every aspect of this story, from the Stone Men themselves, to the genetic aspects, to the Military research that has been done (Such as the various levels of ‘Stone Man’ ability that each and every person has – yes, this is all revealed in Stone Giant – in great detail. There is such a complex and in-depth level of information that really provide a whole extra dimension to this story. It really creates this level of realism within the story, adding not only layer of credibility to the story, but giving it this gritty edge when the action heats up.
Overall, this series has been one of the real standouts in recent years, and ‘The Stone Giant’ is perhaps the best book in the Saga yet, not only continuing what is an extraordinary (and I might add, the original of this type of story), but also giving us so much additional backstory and insights that we have been dying for as fans of this series. One of THE books of 2022 to be reading, and one of the must read series in Sci-Fi.
Matt Addis is brilliant at Narration, with a wonderful voice for Narrating that you can listen to for hours, as well as a voice that is clear and concise. He does a fantastic range of both Male and Female voices, but even more importantly, he is able to provide a great range of very distinctly different ‘Male’ and ‘Female’ voices, so that you can clearly distinguish who is talking, without having to be told. On top of this, Addis is able to easily, and with stunning clarity, provide the listener with the emotional state of each of characters, so that we know how they are feeling at the time (whether that be sad, happy, angry, etc), and this allows the listener to really understand the context of the story.
Addis is an extraordinary Narrator, and you will get so much more out of this book by listening to it rather than reading it because of the exceptional quality of the Narration.

good book, no conclusion

I really like this series, and thought this book would be a fitting end to a trilogy; but turns out this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger too. It is another good piece of the story, but I wish it had more answers. hopefully this saga ends soon, not much story left.

Another great stone man listen

the first stone man book was one of my first few books from audible and at the time I was very disappointed there weren't more. I was so glad when the second book came out and now this one I am very much looking forward to the next one.
the character development and story arch are very well done and the performance of Matt Addis is another quality read.
thank you for the great book can't wait to listen to the next one.

Favorite of the series so far!

Love Matt Addis as narrator for these books, glad he's done all 3. This book is the most action packed and emotionally gripping of the 3 so far, and introduces several new characters that, in my opinion, are great additions and add a lot to the overall story. Love this author, definitely recommend this series and other books by Smitherd.

Buy This Book! (after reading the first two)

I discovered Luke Smitherd on a whim after the first Stone Man was released on Audible and I bought it. After that I was hooked. Over the next few years, I would listen to him whenever he put a new book out, or I would read one of his back catalogue whenever nothing new by other authors interested me. In a short time I had read or listened to all of his books.

I genuinely feel that he is one of the best fiction writers working today. This man is all story! His prose are professional-level decent, but his stories (YES, YES, and OH MY GOD, YES) his stories are excellent. I am now left in the difficult position of telling you his stories are excellent but not being able to back that up without spoiling them. That's okay. Take my word for it, or not. Maybe just pick a random title of his and give it a whirl (A Head Full of Knives is my favorite).

I also get a kick out of his afterwords. If I have any complaint about this particular book, it is that the afterword is a little short on details, but since he is putting out another one, there is always hope that he will dish the inside scoop for the entire series once it is done.

All in all, this is an author that you need to discover. If you've fallen down the Luke Smitherd rabbit hole deep enough to read this review and are still on the fence, I don't know what to tell you other than go ahead and take the plunge (with The Stone Man if you want to get to this one, or one of his stand alone books.)

#2

always good to have our second favorite author do so well for himself.

here's to many more years of being just short of the best, Mr Smitherd.

Smitherd does it again!

The third instalment of The Stone Man series has been my favourite yet. The charm of the characters and the well spun web of storylines that begin to intersect here had me immersed in the world the author has created so much that I found myself pondering what was happening to the characters even while sitting at work.

Wonderful series!

Can’t wait for book 4! The characters are well developed, and I often found myself on edge waiting to see how they would fare in their trials!

The Stone Giant Is Stone Cold Greatness!

This is an excellent book and Luke Smitherd is a great author! The first Smitherd book I listened to was 'You See the Monster'. It left me wanting more from this guy. So I listened to The Stone Man, The Empty Men and The Stone Giant in fairly quick succession. The Stone Man was great, and each book in the series was better than the last, with The Stone Giant keeping me glued to the excellent narration. Great characterization, real people, a wonderfully original premise and a truly terrifying scenario that keeps getting worse and worse (though not entirely hopeless ...).

Not going to drop any spoilers, but to those reviewers who (unfairly in my opinion) complained that Maria was not a strong enough female character in The Empty Men ... the phrase 'rush to judgement' will have new meaning for you. Lol!

One caution ... read all the Stone Man series books in publication order; otherwise, you'll be lost.

Cannot recommend strongly enough for anyone interested in sci-fi and horror! Keep an eye on this Smitherd dude!:)

love how the story has evolved!!!

Modern sci-fi classic!!! I can't recommend it enough. if you enjoyed the last two in the series, this one won't disappoint.