Leviathan

Alternate title: An Adventure in Which an Aristocratic Young Man Discovers How to Pilot an All-Terrain Walker and that he is Now an Orphan, and a Young Woman Disguises Herself as a Young Man and Joins the Navy to Pilot Flying Octopi and Whales.

I rarely read Young Adult, so it is a mark of Westerfeld’s credit that I didn’t abandon ship immediately. I picked it up as a monthly read, mistakenly assuming the group disqualified the genre from nominations. I know what you are thinking–why didn’t I quit? Well, Leviathan has been making reading lists for some time with solid ratings from my friends. And every now and then I do read some fantastic young adult. It isn’t the book’s fault, exactly–it’s mine.

“It felt odd fencing in show more farmer’s clothes, without servants standing ready to bring water and towels. Mice scrambled underfoot, and the giant Stormwalker watched over them like some iron god of war. Every few minutes Count Volger called a halt and stared up at the machine, as if hoping to find in its stoic silence the patience to endure Alek’s clumsy technique.”

It begins with Prince Aleksandar Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary headed to bed, musing on the battle he was enacting with his little tin soldiers. Before long, he’s awakened by his father’s trusted adviser on what he thinks is a nighttime training mission–piloting a land-walker in the dark. Try as I might, I could not stop visualizing the Star Wars edition, circa 1983:



Prince Alek is young, and makes all sorts of silly mistakes: thinking the advisers might be out to kidnap him, not believing his parents were killed and accidentally betraying his noble upbringing. It’s hard to be in disguise as a peasant! Apparently his situation is the byproduct of an attempt to incite a war. Meanwhile, Deryn Sharp is also discovering it is hard to live in disguise–in her case, as a boy. You have to swagger and hit people a lot, but she’s learning fast as she goes through training in the British Air Service. During her test flight, her balloon/octopus accidentally gets away and results in her being picked up by a mammoth–excuse me, whale–of a flying warship. She gets a place in the crew and manages to become part of an important diplomatic mission. Of course, the two worlds will collide. Oh, did I mention they are also the Romeo and Juliet of the European world, representing opposite sides in the conflict, who in turn represent opposite applications of technology?

“According to her aerology manual, the big hydrogen breathers were modeled on the tiny South American islands where Darwin had made his famous discoveries. The Leviathan wasn’t one beastie, but a vast web of life in ever shifting balance.”

The most engaging aspect of the tale was the cultural construct of how scientific thought was applied. In the English faction, science dove right into “Darwinism,” gene-splicing and biotech. Inventions are based upon biological creations operating in mechanical ways. Thus, the flying octopus balloons and the whale-based airships powered by renewable biomass. It’s extremely interesting and creative and was, without doubt, one of the reasons I kept reading.



Plotting felt solid. Relatively predictable, of course, given our YA heroes, but with a twist or turn along the way as to the structure of the conflict. I read the hardcover, which not only has a lovely jacket but a creative European-west Asian map on the faceplate. The illustrations by Keith Thompson are shown in perfect detail. I thought they added a great deal to the story, occasionally providing some imagery to hook the story on, and was glad I was reading paper. It wouldn’t have worked as well on my e-reader.

Writing style was excellent, and again, sign of Westerfeld’s skill, as far as I’m concerned. Deryn does speak in a heavy slang at times, to the point that Alek complains she is almost incomprehensible.

Confession time: not only to I not enjoy Young Adult as a genre, I really don’t enjoy modern human history. Part of it is the arbitrariness of the detail for me: Leader X of Y ate apples and bananas in 1935 and might have set off a world war when he accidentally tipped the farmer who lost his shirt in the milk shortage a gold coin. I just can’t remember that kind of arbitrary minutia; I’m much better with cardiovascular output, baroreceptors and red blood cells porting around oxygen to the outer perimeters. Westerfeld’s set up has to do with Leader Somebody So-and-So not being something or another in 19-Something-Something, only it went the Other Way in real life. I didn’t care when I tried to learn it in 1985, and I really don’t care now. But kudos to you, Westerfeld for making a pivotal historical event your story lynchpin. The other reason it is was never going to work for me: fighting. Events leading up to war. Young people discovering adult politics. Mounted scouts. Flying stuff shooting at other flying stuff. Land stuff shooting at flying stuff. Skirmishes. You know–tin soldiers.

Upshot? Hugely readable, well-written and illustrated book that almost completely misses my reading interests and manages to be entertaining anyways. If any of that appeals to you, I highly recommend it. show less

In Scott Westerfield’s strange and wonderful world, it’s British Clankers and their extraordinary steam-driven machines versus continental Darwinists and their amazing genetically engineered creatures, and both sides are gearing up for war in an alternative version of the second decade of the twentieth century. Prince Aleksander, heir to the throne of the Astro-Hungarian Empire is woken late one night and bundled from the palace and into a small walking tank. He learns, to his horror, that his parents have been assassinated in far-off Sarajevo and that he is next to be taken captive or murdered. Together with his loyal retinue he must flee from his enemies to the safety of neutral Switzerland.

Deryn Sharp longs to in the British show more Navy and sail the skies in the giant living airships of the British Empire. Unfortunately, she’s a girl, and must disguise herself as a boy to enlist as a cadet. On her first day aloft over the London rooftops she is cast adrift by a storm and rescued by the great Leviathan, where she is made a midshipman. The Leviathan embarks on a secret mission to Turkey, but flying over Switzerland, is shot down over the Swiss Alps, close to Aleksander’s mountain refuge.

The Leviathan’s crew struggle to repair their ship in a desperate race against time as German forces cross the Swiss border intent on their destruction. Aleksander must struggle with his loyalties and his need to stay hidden and his urge to help Deryn and her shipmates from their dangerous plight.

Leviathan is a cracking tale of adventure and derring do with a pair of engaging, likeable leads set in a fascinating, brilliantly realised world. Superb illustrations by Keith Thompson make for some amazing visuals. This is the first volume in a series and I very much look forward to reading more. show less

Wow. Really, just...wow. I love alternate histories, and I dote on steampunk, and I am learning just how fertile the YA vineyards are in both these realms. This book is a wonderful tale of an alternate WWI, fought between the Darwinist powers and the Clankers. That is, those whose fighting technology is genetically manipulated animal based, and those whose fighting technology is...well, technology.

Darwin's theories of evolution became available to manipulate and modify animals at a much earlier stage of reality than our own, and of course the first thing that was created was fighting machines. Well, duh, we're talking about humans here, and what do we love better as a species than killing each other? The author, whose prejudices are show more clearly against the killing of others, never preaches, though his subtext is pretty overt to adult readers.

The story's focus is on a teenaged Hapsburg prince, the son of Franz Ferdinand (the archduke, not the Scottish dance band), whose factuality I have no idea about...though it wouldn't surprise me if there was a large dollop of truth in it...as he attempts to survive the loss of his parents, the bewildering early days of the war, and the inevitable confrontation of his prejudices with the realities of the Great Evil Other Side, the Darwinists. It's a very good piece of storytelling, no doubt about it; it's also a subtle and undidactic meditation on the sense of self as it's constructed during our adolescence, with all the pressures and trials magnified by both war and the identity that the young hero didn't choose.

His opposite number, a Darwinist airshipman, is secretly a girl, and this fact would just get her bounced out of service...whereas the prince's withheld identity, though known to midshipman Dylan/Deryn Sharp, would get him imprisoned and used as a pawn in international politicking. Both identities are kept secret, thank goodness, or there wouldn't be a sequel.

Which had darn straight better be forthcoming soon! I liked this book, and I recommend it to all lovers of identity fiction, steampunk aficionadoes, and the odd curious tourist into this twisty piece of literary territory. It's a great first steampunk book. Enjoy! show less

Like Marie Lu, Scott Westerfeld is an author who walks the line between middle grades and young adult. Each of his series, and there are many, including the Uglies, are accessible reads for middle schoolers, high schoolers, and adults alike. His effective storytelling and dynamic characters insures that one will never be bored when reading his books and they have great staying power – Uglies, published over 10 years ago, is still a staple in bookstores and on school reading lists.

But I wasn’t particularly intrigued by Uglies, I was much more intrigued by Westerfeld’s take on the start of World War I and his Darwinists and Clankers. The British Darwinists have woven together the “life-threads” of various animals to create show more everything from great flying whale ships to messenger lizards and many “beasties” inbetween. The German & Austrohungarians have crafted mechanical machines, referred to as “clankers.” Main characters Alek and Deryn are often trying to one-up each other in terms of determining which are better, beasties or clankers. Steampunk definitely suits Westerfeld’s storytelling style.

Leviathan, told in third person but in alternating perspectives between Deryn (Dylan) and Alek, weaves together a complex tapestry of the motivations behind the start of World War I, blending fact and fiction until you have to forcibly remind yourself that the British didn’t set off across the continent in a giant whale zeppelin. As with Legend, Leviathan is the perfect book for both boys and girls of all ages, especially for teenagers who love a good adventure that doesn’t center on romance. show less

Holy guacamole, this book was awesome!
This is the story of two boys. One of them is actually a girl who dresses up as a boy so she can join the air force - which in this world fly not airplanes but GIANT GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SEA CREATURES FILLED WITH HYDROGEN. The other boy is actually a boy and actually the only son of the late Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Yes, THAT Franz Ferdinand. Because he's the unwanted heir to the Hapsburg throne, he is on the run from the Austrians and Germans in a GIANT TWO-LEGGED STEAMPUNK ROBOT THING. Also there are illustrations!

There's no reason for me to say much more because as you read this you are either a) disgusted, b) nodding emphatically because you have already read it, or c) already on your way to show more the library or bookstore. When you get back, and zip through this book in a day or so, make sure you read the afterward. I usually skip them, but this one was very good.

Highly recommended. show less

This book was like finding a new best friend. Something just CLICKED.

First off, Westerfeld's writing is beautiful. It's functional, it's evoking, and it's gorgeous without being bogged down by an excess amount of detail. It's just glorious.

I loved the interaction between the two main characters (when it finally happened) and I love that Deryn hiding her gender ended up being a more original plot device than the concept usually ends up becoming. Speaking of that business, Deryn's character was not bogged down by the conflict of hiding her gender. I honestly believe Deryn is the first female hiding herself as a boy that I didn't find annoying at any point in the story.

The science and the research that went into this novel is fascinating, show more and completely solid. Everything seems real. I forget that I'm reading a book and I'm right in with the action and the story.

Brilliant story. I wish it would have had more of an ending, though, despite that I know that it's just the first book. I wished there was more of a conclusion with the characters and the plot.

Of course, I'm sure he planned it this way to keep readers itching for the sequel. One I can hopefully get my hands on very soon . . . show less

Okay, I'll admit, I've put off reading this book for ages and ages. I love Westerfeld's work, his creativity, and his clean writing, but I knew this one was going to bug me. Why? Because I really couldn't get behind the whole using GMO animals in WWI. Yeah, my inner scientist seriously had a snit-fest. Does that make me a science-snob? I honestly can't help it... (I have always been curious what might have happened if Darwin and Mendel exchanged ideas during their day and how much further we might have advanced, but Mendel is totally left out of this book. Come on! He'd my historical science crush--don't leave him hanging!)

So, once I forced myself to get past the whole "this is so far-fetched and may happen in 100 years--from now" bit, show more I did enjoy the story. Westerfeld has a great way with pacing. Things are constantly happening, and WWI definitely provides a great backdrop for anything going on in Europe. Throw in a girl dressing as a guy to enlist, an escaping prince, and there's tension galore. And explosions--those are always good too :) If I can snag the other books used somewhere I'll probably read them, just because I'm curious (another of Westerfeld's talents), but I'm not dying to read on. show less