Leviathan [Hardcover]

 

 

Create your own review

LEVIATHAN is a novel of alternate history. More specifically, it can be classified as steampunk, which depending on what definition you read, is an extension of science fiction and fantasy. Westerfeld decides to reinvent the era of World War I in his latest novel. While he maintains some of the actual events of the war, he creates and alters many.

The story follows the lives of Deryn and Alek. Deryn is a young woman desperate to join the Air Men of the Darwinists Army (British Empire/France). With the help of her brother, she disguises herself as a boy and joins the fight. She has excellent Air Sense, which is a must for the Darwinists, since their main type of weaponry are flying airships made of living animals, with each animal in the ecosystem playing its part. The Leviathan is an airship made up of a countless number of animals - from the smallest microscopic animal to a giant whale that contains everything.

Alek's parents, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, have been assassinated, leaving Alek on the run for his life. The Austro-Hungarian Empire/Germany wants him dead in order to ensure the end of the bloodline to the throne. Alek's people are referred to as the Clankers because of the loud noises that come from their form of weaponry - swords, cannons, aeroplanes, and, most exciting, walkers. Picture a huge tank with legs instead of treads.

Both Deryn and Alek are dedicated to their causes, and when they are thrust into the same fight and forced to work together, both must take a look at the world around them and see things from the other's perspective.

The ending really leaves the reader hanging, and not necessarily in a good way. I felt like it cut off right when we needed some important information, but I guess Westerfeld is leaving that for the sequel.

The book contains several beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Keith Thompson. I really enjoyed coming across those throughout the story.

Even though LEVIATHAN took me a while to get through, I still enjoyed it and look forward to the sequel.

Reviewed by: Karin Librarian

Leviathan is a novel of alternate history. Westerfeld reinvents the war to end all wars creating a world of mechanical weaponry vs genetically engineered living animals. The Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Princess Sophie have been assassinated and their son Alex, is forced to run away in a giant, two legged mechanical contraption during the middle of the night. Alex's father never listened when he was told he could not marry for love. An heir to an empire must marry for the good of the country. When Franz Ferdinand married Sophie he was forced to compromise, and accept the fact that any children would never be considered a legitimate heir. Alex grew up in a household, knowing nothing of his fathers would ever be his. His relatives wished he were never born. On the brink of war, Alex must fight for his life. The Austro-Hungarian empire wants to end the blood line to the throne. Alex, although not an heir is a threat. His tutors have become his guardians. Giving up their families, they have vowed to help Alex and abide by Franz Ferdinand wishes.

Along his journey Alex meets Deryn, a young girl posing as a male soldier in the British air service. All her life Deryn wanted to fly. Her father would take her up in an air ballon, she had excellent air sense. After her father dies, Deryn feels forced to be a proper lady. She always loved to fly, her only problem was girls were not allowed into the air service. With the help of her brother, Deryn disguises herself and is accepted into the service. Their worlds collide and an alliance is formed despite being on the opposite sides.

The characters were really great, I really enjoyed this novel. It was my first steampunk novel and I'm very excited to read the next one in the series. Westerfeld created a great original novel. I highly recommend it. The illustrations are amazing, it really helped create the world for me. Keith Thompson did an outstanding job!

Disclaimer: Reviews will mainly concentrate on novels that I enjoyed, and in writing them I will attempt to be succinct and to avoid all manner of spoilery comments. A grading guide follows my reviews. Also, please note that while I have read widely in the genre, my tastes are quite distinct and thus readers should absorb my wisdom with, at the very least, a few pinches of salt. Cheers.

-

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Characterization: 7/10
Two of the main characters of this novel are Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and Deryn Sharp, a commoner disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. Aleksander's struggle to do the right thing is easy to relate to, whereas Deryn is a spunky character who is easy like. The use of both a male and female heroine is sure to please teenage readers as there will always be someone for them empathize with. Although neither character is particularly well-developed, they perform their narrative functions well (as do the various secondary characters). I do look forward to seeing how they change and evolve in future novels.

Plotting and Pacing: 8/10
Scott Westerfeld does a great job here. The novel starts off quickly enough and once events are set into motion he doesn't let up. While this kind of writing is almost a necessity for writing YA, I found it refreshing. There was always enough conflict to keep me reading and enough slow moments to help establish character and further explore the setting. My one complaint is with regards to the novel's ending. I am used to massive forest-destroying tomes where a LOT happens in one book, instead of being broken into multiple volumes. If the story had to stand on its own, the ending would hardly be satisfying, but luckily Westerfeld is busily cranking out sequels.

Setting: 8/10
The story is set in an alternate-history Earth at the start of World War I. In this world, however, the political divisions are based on whether one is a Darwinist or a Clanker. The Darwinists use fabricated beasts while the Clankers utilise steam-powered war machines. It all feels very steampunky and fun and I especially like the creative ways in which various animals are modified to create new weapons of war.

Style and Themes: Style 5/5 and Themes 2/5
Make no mistake, the novel is written in a highly accessible manner, as the writing flows smoothly and the dialogue is well done. I like my novels to have something interesting to say the nature of the human experience, but this novel fails to do so (and perhaps it isn't trying to). On the other hand, I kept thinking about it afterwards because I couldn't stop thinking about other creatures that might exist.

Total: 31/40
Definitely a fun YA read by a well-established author. I've heard good things about his other novels, so I'll be checking out more of his work in the future. Even reading the novel as an adult was a satisfying experience, which is unusual for much of the YA genre (which typically has too much melodrama for my liking). If you're looking for a fun romp through an interesting steampunk setting, look no further.

-

Grading: Note that '5' is an average grade for each category, unexciting but still decent. Therefore, any novel that scores above twenty is above average and thus better than most of the other stuff floating around in bookshelves (at least in my opinion).

Rating Scale
01-09: Nigh unreadable
10-19: Get it from the library
20-24: A modest endorsement
25-29: Well-rounded and enjoyable
30-34: Highly recommended
35-40: A must-read!

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 10 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

4.0 out of 5 stars I loved that old feeling of the past mixed with the futuristic feel of steampunk
This has been sitting in my TBR pile for quite a while and I'm glad I had a chance to finally read it. Read more

Published 4 months ago by Fantasys Ink

5.0 out of 5 stars Leviathan, It's Really Big
Technically, this is a juvenile. The protagonists are under age and
that makes it a juvenile. Read more

Published 7 months ago by David Johnston

3.0 out of 5 stars Dreaming of Books Review
Having read one other steampunk series before, Leviathan is my second foray into the world of steampunk. Read more

Published 11 months ago by Jenny "Dreaming of Books"

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't put it down!
I bought this book for my 12 year old son, who is definitely not into reading.
It was amazing. Read more

Published 15 months ago by kar

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun
I'm giving the book a 5/5 for everything. Atmosphere, characters, cant put it down-ed-ness. Really the only thing bad I can say is that the second book in the series isn't out... Read more

Published 20 months ago by R. Hayes

5.0 out of 5 stars Airship ahoy
The year is 1914, and the world is teetering on the edge of a massive war. On one side is the British and French with their Darwinist "beasties," and on the other are the... Read more

Published 21 months ago by E. A Solinas

5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic alternate history!
I thought I would like it, but I was surprised by how quick I actually got into it. Often, I find that speculative fiction starts with a disadvantage : it's a new or different... Read more

Published on Nov 1 2009 by the Infinite Shelf

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 10 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!