cheeseflavoredcorncurls read and liked Graham's review of Leviathan:

"My review from http://grahamchops.blogspot.com/2009/10/...

I don't care who you are. Go read this book right now.

The first Westerfeld that I read was last month--Uglies, the first in a series of four books. Pretties is coming in...more My review from http://grahamchops.blogspot.com/2009/10/...

I don't care who you are. Go read this book right now.

The first Westerfeld that I read was last month--Uglies, the first in a series of four books. Pretties is coming in the mail this week and I'm stoked to read it 'cause then I can Chop the series.

Oh wait, Leviathan is the start of a series too, isn't it? Guess what? I don't care. This is my Chophouse, I make the rules, and I can break them. I'm not going to sit around until October of next year and wait for book 2 to come out just so I can Chop this story.

For starters, watch the book trailer. This will give you the background and intro to the story. I won't waste time describing that, except to say that World War 1 with animals versus machines is so awesome it makes me cry.

This book came into Deseret sometime last week and all I had to do was look at the cover/inside map, and I was sold. Keep in mind, this is after reading the sample chapter included in the back of Extras, which didn't impress me terribly. I actually thought it was kind of weird, but that's because there was no context. I didn't write it off just then; I told myself I'd learn more about it. Well, this stuff above did the trick.

Keith Thompson's drawings throughout the book (there are about 40 of them) are the cherry on the icing on the cake made of pure awesome.

Everything is right with this book: characters are well thought-out and unique. The worldbuilding is spot-on. The fight scenes, chase scenes, plot-building scenes...there isn't a single dull moment. If Uglies was great, Leviathan is epic. This book is Westerfeld's true masterpiece, and I can confidently say that after having only read two of his many titles. This is the book that will make me read his entire backlist, because I want to get my hands on all of his books. He's earned the royalties he'll get from my purchases.

Congrats, Westerfeld: you're in the Collins/Crichton/Sanderson club.

I'll probably read this one again in the near future. (less) "

cheeseflavoredcorncurls added a quote:
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." — Mark Twain

cheeseflavoredcorncurls added a quote:
"Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so." — Charles de Gaulle