Steampunk is a genre with a huge underground following (even music – check out “Abney Park”), but it has yet to become mainstream. Scott Westerfeld may help to change that. His newest title, Leviathan, takes history, fantasy, adventure, animals, Star Wars and the women’s movement, tosses them in a pot, swirls them around, and creates an absolutely delicious feast of a story. Did I mention it’s got awesome illustrations throughout?
The book focuses on two main characters. Prince Aleksandar, a “Clanker” from a country that is dependent on wild machines, is forced to flee after the assassination of his parents, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and wife Sophy, sets off a course of events leading to the Great War. Deryn (aka Dylan) Sharp is a firecracker of a girl who wants nothing more than to be an airman in His Majesty’s Royal Air Force, where the Darwinist airships are living organisms and ecosystems. An accident lands her on the “Leviathan” (the largest ship in the force, comprised of a giant whale), where she encounters a mysterious woman scientist.
When these characters come together, wild adventures ensue. You’ve got fighting, mid-air battles, strange and glorious creatures, brave and daring friends and foes, and a rich twist of history and fantasy that’s really well done. I’m excited about Westerfeld’s take on steampunk, and can’t wait for the next installment! If you like Kenneth Oppel’s Airborn or Paul Stewart’s The Edge Chronicles, you’ll LOVE Leviathan.
To order Leviathan, click here.
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