Keith Thompson (6)

A fun book, but I expected it to be larger format and more lavish than it turned out to be. Perhaps my expectations were set by books of the same sort associated with films, e.g., the many books w/ illustrations of artifacts from the Star Wars movies. The maps, showing the organization of the Clanker and Darwinist powers, are a nice touch.

The alternate-WWI, steampunk world of Leviathan, Behemoth, and Goliath required a surprising amount of pre-work, describing all the technology and creatures and uniforms so the illustrations of the novels would match Westerfeld's vision. This book contains a small sampling of those designs, from detailed floor plans of airships to Latin names for fabricated beasties to portraits of some of our favorite characters. It was a very fast read, but I loved the full color drawings. The pictures show more really helped bring the books to life, and this slim volume only enhances that experience. Recommended for fans of the series, but not until after you've finished reading it. show less

Really, this is just a collection of illustrations and diagrams to accompany the Leviathan series. And it is awesome.

An excellent companion to the trilogy with finely detailed, lavish illustrations of characters, uniforms, weapons, beasties, contraptions, and more.