Leviathan

Scott Westerfeld

Oct 2009 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

The first novel in a masterful trilogy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld that School Library Journal hailed is "sure to become a classic."

It is the cusp of World War I. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ genetically fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.

Aleksandar Ferdinand, a Clanker, and Deryn Sharp, a Darwinist, are on opposite sides of the war. But their paths cross in the most unexpected way, taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure….One that will change both their lives forever.

Ratings and reviews

If you are into alternative history you may like this, but throw in the strange science and is to weird or different for me to get into. The book also follows a dark Disney plot. In other words is easy to figure out what's going to happen next. But it is well written. For me this book was written for Smart teens who have a good understanding of history and know who Charles Darwin is.

It's a fun book, probably best for readers from, say, ages 8 to 13. Still worth a read if you're older but I'd say those are the optimum ages (or so). If you liked this, check out the book Airborn by Kenneth Oppel for another fun take on airborne travel. This book's big selling point is the connection to the actual events in WWI. It earned 4 stars for the political drama, but fell just shy of 5 for me personally. Definitely worth the two bucks to pick it up!

To me, this is the weakest book in the Leviathan trilogy, but don't let that put you off from reading it- it only gets better. The great characters, immersive and imaginative steampunk world, and incredibly detailed and beautiful illustrations make this a must-read!

About the author

Scott Westerfeld is the author of the Leviathan series, the first book of which was the winner of the 2010 Locus Award for Best Young Adult Fiction. His other novels include the New York Times bestseller Afterworlds, the worldwide bestselling Uglies series, The Last Days, Peeps, So Yesterday, and the Midnighters trilogy. Visit him at ScottWesterfeld.com or follow him on Twitter at @ScottWesterfeld.

Keith Thompson’s work has appeared in books, magazines, TV, video games, and films. See his work at KeithThompsonArt.com.