The first novel in a masterful trilogy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld that School Library Journal hailed is “sure to become a classic.” It is the cusp of World War I. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ genetically fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their … weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.
Aleksandar Ferdinand, a Clanker, and Deryn Sharp, a Darwinist, are on opposite sides of the war. But their paths cross in the most unexpected way, taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure….One that will change both their lives forever.
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Completed the Leviathan Series by Scott Westerfield, fun, light, historical fantasy mostly for younger readers but the artwork was amazing!!
This is a very imaginative steampunk book with what felt like a Harry Potter kind of vibe. The main characters are 15 and 16 but seem more like 12 or 13 in the way they talk and act (which is fine for the novel, just younger than I would expect). The illustrations made it fun. There’s lots of adventure, along with danger, humor, mystery, air and ground battles, and cool creative beasts and inventions. The ending was fairly wrapped up plot-wise, except for one cliffhanger element in the last few lines (argh! I wanted to know how that turned out, but I assume it’s in the next book). 4.5 stars.
My first novel of the steampunk genre, wasn’t terribly engaging, but I would still recommend. Two perspectives; Alek a prince in hiding, and Deryn a girl disguising her gender in the British Air Service. Retelling of the start of World War I, but it is Beasties (fabricated life forms) vs. Clankers (large machines).
This book inspires me to write some steampunk myself one day. I love the gritty nature of this world, the crazy wild flights of imagination – fabricated animals as weapons? Fantastic! Action packed, tense and always interesting. It’s been some years since I read it, and its one I often think about, and get annoyed at myself for not having gotten around to reading the sequels – more to add to the ‘to read’ list.
Barking Brilliant! Scott Westerfeld had me at the word Clankers! Leviathan is marvelous twist of history, DNA, and mechanical monstrosities, spread across a rich tableau of World War I Europe. I could smell the diesel fuel, hear the cries of the beasties, and see the Swiss Alps. Where do I get my Cyklop Stormwalker! I have a feeling it would come in quite handy the next time traffic backs up on my way to work. The main characters are vividly drawn and completely believable. I felt like I was right their with Airman Sharp, whether she was running across the top of Leviathan, repelling down its flanks, or walking through its vast interior. What kind of a mind thinks these things up? And, more importantly: why don’t I have a copy of book two! It’s late, and all the bookstores are closed. Wildcount! Prepare the stormwalker! We’re going to Barnes & Noble for a midnight raid!
Welcome to post WWII Europe, steampunk style. We have the Darwinists vs the Clankers and it’s going to be an interesting war.
Alek is the son of the Archduke of Austria, his parents have just been murdered and he’s on the run for his life. Thankfully, his father and tutor have already set up precautions. Alek and his crew sprint towards the Switzerland border in a large cyclops clanker – a battle machine.
Deryn has joined the British Air Service disguised as a boy. She loves flying. Due to a mishap during the recruitment, Deryn finds herself as part of the crew of the Leviathan, a large Darwinist air ship made from many different animal species. The Leviathan’s mission is take a special passenger to the Ottoman Empire, Dr. Barlow – the granddaughter of Charles Darwin.
Alek and Deryn meet through unfortunate circumstances, but each will need the other if they are to accomplish each’s mission and goal.
Confession time: I love going to Dragoncon every year. It’s a highlight for me. I get to meet actors and authors, see the cosplay and impressive costumes. It’s so much fun! Just a huge party in downtown Atlanta. My favorite outfits are the Steampunk ones. They are so chic and put together. I definitely want to try to create my own costume one year. But I have never read a steampunk book until now. I have TBR list for them, but never stumbled across one.
Leviathan was a really interesting read. There are basically two types of ‘war’ machines. The Clankers and Darwinists. The Clankers consist of metal machines used for mass destruction. Darwinists have ship that are part machine, part animal. They can fly and even rejuvenate and heal themselves. It was so fascinating to read about!
The book was very well done, though I feel a lot of it was from the inside of the characters’ heads. I did get annoyed with Deryn. I have a thing for stupid characters. In my mind I scream: ‘DON’T DO IT!! DON’T DO IT! YOU DID IT! WHY COULDN’T YOU LEAVE IT ALONE!!’ I had one of those moments, and I almost put the book down. But I’m glad I didn’t.
Leviathan is part of a trilogy and it leaves just enough unknown for the reader to want to continue reading the rest of the series. I do feel it could have been fleshed out a bit more, but all in all, it was good!
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld gets 3 stars.
It starts out a little slow, bouncing back and forth between the two main characters. The series really picks up after they meet but even though it’s slow before that, it’s just because there is so much background needed to fully enjoy this series.