Machines Vs. Beasts

Leviathan, Behemoth, Goliath
By Scott Westerfeld 
Young Adult Steam Punk
*A Trilogy 

I read the first book in this series, Leviathan, several years ago, and knew I had to nab the rest of the series to know what happened, but I just got around to finishing it. 

This series is an alternate history of World War I, with elements of steam punk and fantasy. It follows Alek, a young prince of Austria without a throne running for his life. He is part of a Clanker nation, which surrounds itself with metal and machines. 

Deryn, a girl disguised as a boy in the British air service, also plays a crucial role in this series. She is a lover of fabricated beasts, from flying whale-like airships to message lizards, and detests anything metal. 

Fate throws the two together, and they must battle to end the war before it ends everything they know, both metal and beast. 

I highly enjoyed this series! Something exciting is always happening, so the story flies by. The books are also littered with excellent drawings depicting the fabricated beasts, metal creations, and characters so you can better imagine these bizarre things that Westerfeld imagined.

Alek is a bit dimwitted and naive at times, especially in the last novel, but Deryn more than makes up for his idiotic moments. She is clever, daring, adventurous, and basically a 'better' boy than he is. I do get frustrated with many of the female characters in today's world acting like boys. Can't there be a strong, clever girl who's more feminine? I suppose one must look to Jane Austen for that. But overall, Deryn was a great, realistic character (even with all of her crazy stunts); I just wish she didn't have to help/prod Alek so much. 

As I mentioned above, the series moves along at a gallop, which is mostly a good thing. However, I did find myself, especially in the sequel, Behemoth, wishing for the action to slow down a bit so the characters would interact more and grow. There was such a spate of action, that it was hard to keep track, in the second and third books, what was happening, and how everything is connected. Certain events in Goliath seemed random, or that Westerfeld just wanted to put them in the novel because they were cool. 

I enjoyed the first or the last book the best. I like certain characters in the final novel, but not how thick Alek acts. But once you've started the series, there's no going back! You must finish it, or you probably won't sleep at night. This series deserves a 3.5 out of 5, and I recommend it for 10 year olds and up. 

What I learned: Don't judge someone on just their appearance (including gender). Also, fabricated beasts are awesome, and it's really too bad that thylacines are extinct. 

*Westerfeld also wrote the Uglies, Pretties, and Specials series which is deeply provocative and fabulously written. 

Machines and Monsters, Oh My!

Leviathan 
By Scott Westerfeld
Genre: YA Steam Punk
#1 in the Leviathan Series

Choose your Weapon: Beastie or Clanker

"Alek is a prince without a throne. On the run from his own people, he has only a fighting machine and a small band of men.

"Deryn is a girl disguised as a guy in the British Air Service. She must fight for her cause-and protect her secret-at all costs.

"Alek and Deryn are thrown together aboard the mighty airship Leviathan. Though fighting side by side, their worlds are far apart. British fabricated beasts versus German steam-powered war machines. They are enemies with everything to lose, yet somehow destined to be together."

This book was nothing like I've ever read before. In a good way, don't worry. First of all, it's steam punk. I've never read anything in that genre before, nor ever desired to, so I have nothing to compare this to, but it blew me away. The way that Westerfeld used facts from World War I and brought in highly imaginative creatures was so creative. I enjoyed the blurring of the lines of past and future, so that this novel truly could have taken place at any time. He always kept me on my toes, and I never knew what to expect.

The way Westerfeld used science and Darwinism was fascinating. I mean, animals that are made up of lots of other animals and can fly? So cool! Also, this book is laced with beautiful drawings that bring the reader into this unique world and help explain the machines and creatures Westerfeld invented for this tale. Without the drawings I might have been more frustrated and confused about what the creatures specifically looked like or how they worked, but since there were drawings, I could easily imagine these strange inventions in my head and didn't feel left out of the world.

This book was as different from the other novels I've read by Westerfeld, Uglies, Pretties, Specials, as a zebra is from a squirrel. I think that shows great talent on his part. But like in those books, I like how he creates new words for his characters to use, and I might have used one of them out loud at one point... And the characters! They're so funny, especially Deryn. I love her snarky humor and 'no-nonsense' attitude; she just pulls you right along with her and keeps everything fresh and funny.

The only thing I didn't particularly like about this novel was that the boy, Alek, seemed a bit 'weak' at the end. For being a Prince and a male character, I expected to pull more of his weight toward the end of the novel, especially when Deryn's soaring down ropes and threatening people. It was kind-of like Inheritance by Christopher Paolini all over again. But there's still hope! There's two more books in the series: Behemoth and Goliath. I do want to finish the series, but I'm not necessarily dying to.

I give Leviathan a 3.5 for all of the above and recommend it for 12 year olds and up.

What I learned: Oftentimes you have to take risks to grow, to change. Difficulties shape us into who we are.