Leviathan (Leviathan Trilogy) by Scott Westerfeld (2010-08-10)

Amazing detail that conjures clear pictures and lovable characters add to the start of amazing adventures-- for Deryn and Alek. Highly re-readable, as this is my third time reading the books over again, I encourage readers of any kind to enjoy Westerfeld's brilliant work. Five stars again and again!

I've always enjoyed fantasy and historical fiction so this was an obvious choice to read. I loved the action and the sketches helped me see what was going on-- not that the imagery was lacking. But a World War I book with a Darwinist whale ship and awesome chicken walking war machines needs a few pictures. Decent story. Easy read. And want to read more to see what happens next.

This book was very entertaining from start to finish, always have new surprising events around the corner, and the Clankers and Darwinists were both very interesting and different which made the story different then the actual world war 1, because in the war, they were using the same old gear, rather than having beasts and walking machines in battle.

I absolutely love this book. I'm rereading the series and it is worth it. I would recommend this to Artemis Fowl fans, Percy Jackson fans, Alex Rider fans, and pretty much to anyone who loves a good book with action in it.

I bought Leviathan on audiobook to keep me awake while I made a long road trip alone at night. Let me tell you, it worked! Of course that's partially due to Westerfield's excellent plot, but the narrator (Alan Cumming) also does a pretty good job of rendering the characters. My car has a screwy sound system that made all the Austrian accents very quiet, but that's probably not the CD's fault. One thing to keep in mind is that this is an unabridged audiobook. It is 7 CDs and about 8.5 hours long. It will keep your attention for 8.5 hours, and when you're done you're going to want to order Behemoth and make another solo road trip.

good fast service, a very good book, i have finished it the book was well written, serious,but some funny remarks in places,such as when they were talking about the armored walkers on person remarked about
how 'you wouldn't
expect these walkers to have treads would you'?

Interesting premise, a biologically advanced Great Britain, a mechanically advanced Prussia. Not quite young adult but middle school at most. Still an engaging story and I heard enough about it to sacrifice some money. The use of illustrations in the story is an interesting throwback to earlier times when it was common to sprinkle woodcuts and engravings throughout the text. I don't regret buying it but loaned it out when done.

Three stars for having such promise. Another star might be forthcoming if the next book in the series is truly at a YA level.

This was an incredible book and a thrilling read, I couldn't put it down! It was by far one of the best Steampunk themed books I have ever read. I'm a huge fan of the genre and these books! Well worth the money!

When I was searching through the store for steampunk works, this particular book happened to pop up. Not only did it compose itself of excellent steampunk elements, but quite interesting biochem-tech theories all wrapped up in a twisted history sort of way. To say the least, even though the book was written for young adults, I found myself quickly and happily emersed in the world of the Clankers and Darwinists and enjoyed the work thoroughly. Now I just have to get my hands on Behemoth.

This book is an interesting twist from Westerfield's Uglies series. Very much a take on World War I, it took a bit to get used to at first, but once there, I was absorbed.

A must read for fans of Scott Westerfield's writing.

Overview:

Leviathan is an alternative history of World War I. It follows the timeline of the fallout from the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. The alternative aspect is the war machines. England has organic war machines, a combination of fabricated animals and machinery. Germany and Austria have purely mechanical beast that remind me of AT-STs from Star Wars.

The story follows Deryn, a young girl who pretends to be a boy so she can join the British navy, and Alek, the son of Archduke Ferdinand. Things are going well for Deryn. She succeeds in joining the nave and serves on a flying organic machine called the Leviathan. Things aren't going as well for Alek. His parents are assassinated and he is fleeing for his life. Eventually, the two meet up and form unlikely alliance and friendship.

Thoughts:

I was hesitant to write a review for Leviathan. Two stars means it’s bad right? I wouldn’t say it is bad, just not for me. There are things in it I like. The machines are cool, Deryn and Alek are interesting. There is a bit of mystery. There are even a couple of cool fight scenes. There were some neat things in the world-building, but it was our world with one major change and a few minor tweaks. It would have been nice to see some more ripple effects from the Darwinists inventions.

I can’t really point to anything wrong with Leviathan, but it never grabbed me. I was never really invested and was occasionally bored. I don’t think it was do to poor writing. Leviathan is well written, but not every book is for every person. I can see it appealing to someone else. If you find the description interesting, I’d encourage you to give it a shot.

Info for YA fans. I’d say Leviathan inhabits that trick space between Middle-Grade fiction and Young Adult. The characters are 15ish, old enough for YA, but they feel like they were written for older MG/ younger YA readers