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Leviathan

(Leviathan #1)

Scott Westerfeld (Goodreads Author)

3.90 · Rating details · 93,247 ratings · 7,118 reviews

Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I ...more

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Hardcover, 440 pages

Published October 6th 2009 by Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

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· 93,247 ratings · 7,118 reviews

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Oct 16, 2009 Tatiana rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: existing Westerfeld fans, pre-teen boys

Shelves: 2010, children-s-middle-school

Like many of my friends, I've been looking forward to getting my hands on "Leviathan" for a while. It is so sad that after such a long wait I can't give this book more than 2 stars. And if I am being honest, I added second star for fabulous cover art and excellent illustrations (1 or 2 per chapter!). My low rating doesn't mean however that I would recommend NOT to read this book. I simply didn't care for it personally, for several reasons.

First, this book seems to be mistakenly classified as you Like many of my friends, I've been looking forward to getting my hands on "Leviathan" for a while. It is so sad that after such a long wait I can't give this book more than 2 stars. And if I am being honest, I added second star for fabulous cover art and excellent illustrations (1 or 2 per chapter!). My low rating doesn't mean however that I would recommend NOT to read this book. I simply didn't care for it personally, for several reasons.

First, this book seems to be mistakenly classified as young adult fiction. To me it read more like a children's book, middle school maximum. For a book about 15-16 year olds, Daryn and Alek are written awfully young. By the way their thought process, their behavior and motivations are portrayed, you'd think they are 11-12 years old, they are even drawn by the illustrator as pre-teens. I can enjoy some books written for this age group, such as first 2 Harry Potter books or "His Dark Materials," but the world of "Leviathan" just didn't hold my attention.

Secondly, the book is extremely heavy on descriptions of various machinery and fabricated animals and battles between them. I know, this is the core of the book - a war between Clankers and Darwinists - but I hoped this concept would be presented in a more interesting manner. Just reading about how the zeppelins are constructed or how to operate an airship made out of a combination of creatures bored me to death.

And lastly, for a book that is supposed to offer an "alternative history," the "alternativeness" is very thin and doesn't go beyond war machinery. The rest is pretty much taken from real history - we are not offered anything new in terms of government structure, social order, belief system, etc. It is possible however that Westerfeld will explore these avenues in later books in the series.

I wouldn't discourage anyone from giving this book a shot. But if you are like me and prefer books for older teens, have no interest in mechanics and war battles, like to have a little bit of teen romance in your stories, you can safely skip this book. ...more

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Nov 08, 2013 Rick Riordan rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed Westerfeld’s Uglies, so I was excited to read this new book, set in an alternate reality. It’s the dawn of World War I, and war is about to erupt between two great powers – the Clankers (Germany & Austro-Hungary) and the Darwinists (England, France, Russia). The Clankers are technologists with walking tanks (a la Star Wars), zeppelins and airplanes, while the Darwinists have discovered ways to manipulate DNA and create biological hybrids like floating whale ships, lizards that r ...more

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May 26, 2012 Jeffrey Keeten rated it really liked it

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change." Charles Darwin

The world of Leviathan set in 1914 is divided into Darwinists and Clankers. The Darwinists have evolved genetics to make animals more useful to humans. The Clankers have built their society on machinery technology. I love maps and Scott Westerfeld provided a great map to show how his imagined world has been divided up between the two ca ...more

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Mar 25, 2011 mark monday rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fog-and-gears, rain-man-reviews, inbetweenworld

this is a zippy, high-spirited breeze of a novel, aimed at the lucrative TROPE(1) audience - and with clear appeal for even younger folks. as far as characterization and narrative go, there is not much here that will suprise or challenge the reader...but the novel does have charm, lots of it. don't expect to get your mind blown, but it is certainly a pleasant way to spend a few hours. and there are many enjoyable elements in the now-almost-played-out use of TROPE(2): big clanky walking-machines, ...more

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May 15, 2012 carol. rated it liked it

Recommends it for: fans of young adult, biotech and Austria

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, awards, for-the-kid-i-don-t-have, steampunk, military-fantasy-sci-fi

Alternate title: An Adventure in Which an Aristocratic Young Man Discovers How to Pilot an All-Terrain Walker and that he is Now an Orphan, and a Young Woman Disguises Herself as a Young Man and Joins the Navy to Pilot Flying Octopi and Whales.

I rarely read Young Adult, so it is a mark of Westerfeld’s credit that I didn’t abandon ship immediately. I picked it up as a monthly read, mistakenly assuming the group disqualified the genre from nominations. I know what you are thinking–why didn’t I qui ...more

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Nov 17, 2014 Dan Schwent rated it liked it

Shelves: ebooks, 2015, steampunk, young-adultery

The Archduke of Austria-Hungary and his wife are assassinated and their son, Alek, flees into the night with trusted advisors. Deryn Sharp disguises herself as a boy to gain a post on a Darwinist airship. With a Great War brewing, how will their paths intersect?

I had Leviathan on my kindle for so long I'd largely forgotten when I purchased it. Sometimes, you just want to read about giant steam-powered robots in the dawn of World War I.

Leviathan is a steampunk adventure tale set in the opening mo ...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Jo rated it it was amazing

"A missing piece can be very bad for the puzzle, whether in the natural world, or politics, or here in the belly of an airship."

Initial Final Page Thoughts.
That’s what I want to know, Alek. That’s what I want to know.

High Points.
Deryn. Alek. This world… wooow, why doesn’t it exist yet?! Huxleys. Darwinists. Clankers. Flying wales. Cow farts. Trinkets&Diddies. Messenger lizards. Science. Nature. Snowshoes. Tazza. Dr Barlow. Frostbitten bums. Odd kind of tingling. The prospect of sequels…

Her ...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Lyndz rated it really liked it

Shelves: mypod-audiobook, reviewed

After reading Cassandra Clare’s Infernal Devices, I got a taste for steampunk that I have not been able to satiate until now.

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Leviathan is targeted for early YA, in the same vein as Percy Jackson and the early Harry Potters. My advice to you is if you are thinking about reading any of the Rick Riordan/Percy Jackson books; put that thought out of your mind right now, and pick up Leviathan instead. Trust me on this one, you will thank me for i ...more

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Jan 07, 2020 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: science, young-adult, fantasy, historical, united-states, 21th-century, fiction

Leviathan (Leviathan #1), Scott Westerfeld

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

Aleksander Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His Leviathan (Leviathan #1), Scott Westerfeld

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

Aleksander Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men.

Meanwhile, Deryn, a commoner girl, is staying with her brother Jaspert in London. Her father died in a ballooning accident and her mother and aunts want her to grow up as a proper lady. Deryn dreams of joining the British Air Service and to serve on one of the great air beasts. In order to do so, she must pose as a boy ("Dylan Sharp"). To pass the starting exam, she goes aloft with a Huxley (a jellyfish-like creature which uses hydrogen to float) to prove her air-worthiness. However, a storm hits while she is aloft, severely tossing Deryn and the Huxley about, and they narrowly survive—she is forced to cut the Huxley loose from its mooring in order to avoid crashing into a nearby building. This results in Deryn and the Huxley being blown out over the North Sea; she is thrilled when she and the Huxley are rescued by the Leviathan, the most famous of the air-beasts, a massive ecosystem comprising many different animals but based largely on a whale. She is inducted into the crew of the Leviathan, and makes friends with the 'Monkey Luddite' Newkirk. The Leviathan's mission is to transport a top British boffin, or scientist, and a secret package to Constantinople. Deryn is surprised to learn the boffin is a woman, Dr. Nora Barlow, and is afraid Barlow will discover her secret.

In the air over Europe, the Leviathan comes under attack from German airplanes. The crew fights back and defeats the planes, but not before the great whale's hydrogen bladder is severely punctured. The airship crash-lands in Switzerland on the very glacier where Alek's group is hiding. Alek and Volger witness the crash, but Volger insists they do nothing to interfere, as they will risk giving away their position to the Germans or being captured by the British.

Alek is unable to stomach letting the crew of the Leviathan suffer out on the ice, and secretly leaves the fortress to bring medicine to the crew of the fallen ship. The first person he finds is an unconscious Deryn, who had fallen from the rigging during the crash. Alek revives her and claims unconvincingly to be a Swiss villager. Deryn is suspicious of him and sounds the alarm, resulting in Alek's capture. Alek continues to insist he is just a bystander trying to help, but the captain refuses to release him and instead leaves him under Deryn's charge. The secret cargo brought by Dr. Barlow is revealed to be eggs of some kind, though most were destroyed in the crash.

Alek's "family" comes to his rescue, and battle almost erupts between the two sides, but Deryn's quick thinking in bringing Alek to the front and holding him as a hostage brings everyone together to talk under a flag of truce. Realizing their differences are outweighed by their similarities, Alek offers a sizable chunk from their food storage so the ship can replenish its hydrogen supply and take off again. However, as they travel back to the Leviathan, two German zeppelins appear and send out commandos to capture them. Unfortunately, one of the zeppelins escapes, and the Stormwalker is severely damaged by an aerial bomb, making it impossible to stand up and repair.

...more

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Oct 27, 2012 David - proud Gleeman in Branwen's adventuring party rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, steampunk, 2013-reads, five-inges-because-inge-is-a-star

For any YA-fans looking for a new fun and imaginative adventure to fill the Harry-Potter-sized void in your lives, I give you Leviathan!

Beware the Clanker Revolution!

It's the year 1914, and Austrian prince Alek has just learned that his parents have been murdered. Instead of being allowed time to grieve, he is forced to flee his country with only a handful of men loyal to him. As his birthright represents a direct threat to the Clanker army's quest for power, the fifteen-year-old Alek has been t For any YA-fans looking for a new fun and imaginative adventure to fill the Harry-Potter-sized void in your lives, I give you Leviathan!

Beware the Clanker Revolution!

It's the year 1914, and Austrian prince Alek has just learned that his parents have been murdered. Instead of being allowed time to grieve, he is forced to flee his country with only a handful of men loyal to him. As his birthright represents a direct threat to the Clanker army's quest for power, the fifteen-year-old Alek has been targeted for assassination. On the run, the young prince tries valiantly to find a way to prevent a war by ending the conflict.

Behold the Darwinist Evolution!

In contrast, Deryn Sharp doesn't try to avoid conflict, she thrives on it! So much so that the 15-year-old girl masquerades as a boy just so she can join the British Air Service. Now she finds herself swept away to a new home, filled with extraordinary genetically-altered creatures. As the young girl fights alongside the Darwinists in their battle against the Clankers, she proves many times over that the most powerful weapon at her disposal is her mind.

"Leviathan" was the most fun I've had reading a book in a long time! One thing that struck me was the sheer creativity Scott Westerfeld displayed in establishing this alternate-reality version of World War I. The Clanker army (which includes Germany, Austria, and the Ottoman Empire) possesses a wide variety of steam-powered monstrosities that march into war. What was truly impressive was Westerfeld's ability to not only describe the various machines' appearances, but to even provide such fluid descriptions as to how they operate. The Darwinists (comprised of Britain, France, and Russia) feature even more imaginative weapons, genetically-manufactured "beasties" that are crossbreeds of various animals and scientifically engineered to possess useful abilities (my favorite being the talking Message Lizards). Such a perfect blend of the natural and the mechanical makes Westerfeld's world a truly rich and elaborate setting.

Of course, a book that takes place in an exciting world still suffers if the characters aren't interesting, but fortunately Westerfeld gives us a cast that manages to be even more compelling than the wonders surrounding them. Alek is altruistic, yet somewhat spoiled. He is stoic in the loss of his parents, but his emotions still get the better of him at times. Deryn is also an extremely likable character. She is spirited and strong, but often also reveals a much softer side (especially her affection towards the beasties that most others only see as tools). Deryn's swashbuckling ways led me to almost cheer out loud on more than one occasion. Westerfeld pulls off an amazing trick, giving us two young leads who are wise beyond their years, yet also talk and act in such a way that they are perfectly believable as teenagers!

While these two lead characters are captivating enough to carry the book on their own, fortunately they don't have to. Westerfeld also gives us an enjoyable supporting cast as well. Particularly engaging is Dr. Nora Barlow, a British scientist who possesses not only a bubbly disposition, but also a brilliant and observant mind that rivals even that of a certain well-known British detective. Another enthralling player in this drama is Count Volger, the loyalist who becomes Alek's father figure. Volger is gruff, but also noble, and his cunning and shrewdness make us very grateful that he is on Alek's side! Truthfully, the supporting characters in this book are more interesting than the stars of many other books!

On the surface, the story is a fast-paced adventure, but there are many other themes that play out as well. The persecution the Darwinists suffer from those who label them "godless". A soldier's torment over whether to follow orders or do what they truly feel is right. The fallacy of gender and national stereotypes. Mature themes are woven into a young-adult adventure to add more layers of depth to the story.

Ultimately, once I finished reading this book, I only had one complaint...I wish the book never had to end!
...more

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Mar 23, 2011 TK421 rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

Whew…where do I begin? First off, let me tell you this is my first steampunk experience, which will definitely not be my last. At work, I’ve had a few of my co-workers recommend this book to me, along with about fifteen other steampunk titles. I ignored them. Steampunk just wasn’t my bag. It seemed too…too…what’s the word?...ridiculous. Months passed. But every time I needed a new book to read and review for my job, I always found myself looking at LEVIATHAN. The cover art is pretty cool; but ju Whew…where do I begin? First off, let me tell you this is my first steampunk experience, which will definitely not be my last. At work, I’ve had a few of my co-workers recommend this book to me, along with about fifteen other steampunk titles. I ignored them. Steampunk just wasn’t my bag. It seemed too…too…what’s the word?...ridiculous. Months passed. But every time I needed a new book to read and review for my job, I always found myself looking at LEVIATHAN. The cover art is pretty cool; but just not cool enough for me to read it…or so I thought. Then, last night, as we were closing shop, I dared myself to read this title. I’m not much into YA literature either, so my hopes were not great. I thought: If I can just read 50 pages, then I could tell them that this type of stuff isn’t for me.

Well, my wife and kids went to bed early, so I opened this book. And man oh man, did I have a fun few hours. As the night grew older, I kept saying, “Just one more chapter.” I ended up reading half the book.

The story revolves around an alternate history of what precipitated the events that triggered (no pun intended for those history buffs reading this review) WWI. In the real history, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed by an assassin’s bullet. In this version, the Duke and his wife are killed by poison after having survived two previous attempts. Their deaths leave their son, Aleck, now heir to the Austrian-Hungary Empire alone, save for two loyal officers that whisk him away in the dead of the night. This all happens within the first ten pages. I liked this. It kind of had an Ender’s Game feel to it.

As the story progresses, we find out that the world basically split into two factions: the Clankers, and the Darwinists. The Clankers live and die by technology. Machines are their future. In fact, their machines seem to serve one purpose only: advancement of military might. Darwinists are a bit different. Yes, they use technology, but this technology is fused with the life forms of earth. These are called Beasties. A great example of these Beasties is the Leviathan itself. This monstrosity has the body of a whale, but is actually an amalgam of ecosystems working together. It looks and acts like a zeppelin, the difference being, it is alive. Needless to say, the world-building in this story is incredible. I could see and smell and hear all what was happening, both in the Clankers world and in the Darwinists’.

I won’t spoil the story, but here are a few themes throughout: bravery, technology versus nature, overcoming odds, redemption, acceptance of loss, and loyalty. There are epic battles and escapes. Daring rescues. Science and speculation. Strange eggs. Descendants of Charles Darwin. Fusion of past and future concepts. A girl posing as a boy as to serve her country in war. (Possible romance in the next books?) And, my favorite, bats that eat pieces of metal so they can be used as missiles when attacking enemies. (You can probably guess as to how these projectiles are ejected from the bats!!)

The two major criticisms I have about this novel are: sometimes the language seems needlessly juvenile. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does it is jarring to the story. The other is the illustrations. I found this book to be dark. Not in violence or topic necessarily, but it is about war and is filled with war scenes, the illustrations detract from the story, sometimes making it less urgent or compelling. Had these been drawn to show the darker elements of the story, they would have added greatly.

Still, this was an awesome novel. I will proudly eat my own words and say steampunk is fun, good reading, and YA literature has a lot to offer.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Richard Derus rated it really liked it

Wow. Really, just...wow. I love alternate histories, and I dote on steampunk, and I am learning just how fertile the YA vineyards are in both these realms. This book is a wonderful tale of an alternate WWI, fought between the Darwinist powers and the Clankers. That is, those whose fighting technology is genetically manipulated animal based, and those whose fighting technology is...well, technology.

Darwin's theories of evolution became available to manipulate and modify animals at a much earlier Wow. Really, just...wow. I love alternate histories, and I dote on steampunk, and I am learning just how fertile the YA vineyards are in both these realms. This book is a wonderful tale of an alternate WWI, fought between the Darwinist powers and the Clankers. That is, those whose fighting technology is genetically manipulated animal based, and those whose fighting technology is...well, technology.

Darwin's theories of evolution became available to manipulate and modify animals at a much earlier stage of reality than our own, and of course the first thing that was created was fighting machines. Well, duh, we're talking about humans here, and what do we love better as a species than killing each other? The author, whose prejudices are clearly against the killing of others, never preaches, though his subtext is pretty overt to adult readers.

The story's focus is on a teenaged Hapsburg prince, the son of Franz Ferdinand (the archduke, not the Scottish dance band), whose factuality I have no idea about...though it wouldn't surprise me if there was a large dollop of truth in it...as he attempts to survive the loss of his parents, the bewildering early days of the war, and the inevitable confrontation of his prejudices with the realities of the Great Evil Other Side, the Darwinists. It's a very good piece of storytelling, no doubt about it; it's also a subtle and undidactic meditation on the sense of self as it's constructed during our adolescence, with all the pressures and trials magnified by both war and the identity that the young hero didn't choose.

His opposite number, a Darwinist airshipman, is secretly a girl, and this fact would just get her bounced out of service...whereas the prince's withheld identity, though known to midshipman Dylan/Deryn Sharp, would get him imprisoned and used as a pawn in international politicking. Both identities are kept secret, thank goodness, or there wouldn't be a sequel.

Which had darn straight better be forthcoming soon! I liked this book, and I recommend it to all lovers of identity fiction, steampunk aficionadoes, and the odd curious tourist into this twisty piece of literary territory. It's a great first steampunk book. Enjoy! ...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Jesse (JesseTheReader) rated it really liked it

I really enjoyed this and I'm glad it was the first steam punk book I got to read! I loved all the different vehicles and airships throughout the book. I just had a few problems with one of the main characters, as she was super annoying, and I also thought the ending was a BUZZKILL. Other than that the story was great and I'm excited to continue on with this trilogy. ...more

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Feb 15, 2010 Valerie rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, sci-fi

The style came easily to me even if it is my first historical sci-fi book. I usually avoid sci-fi for the reason that they usually have long series. I read somewhere that there is a sequel to Leviathan but I forgot. I probably would've read the book anyway though because Deryn is a girl disguised as a boy and that in and of itself would hook me to almost any book.

Absolutely loved the whole Darwinist v. Clanker bit. The fact that Westerfeld really made it fit so easily without making everything ...more

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Nov 18, 2016 Connor rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult-science-fiction

I did in the end enjoy this novel, but I had a few reservations. I loved the illustrations. I wish they were all pushed a page later so they wouldn't spoil what was currently happening every time I turned the page, but that was alright. I think at times, I found it easy to put down, but once I committed, I was totally in. The characters were pretty realistic with their characterizations and were kept super consistent. I loved the afterward where he explained his ideas for this alternate history/ ...more

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Jul 08, 2011 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: action-packed, multiple-narrators, sci-fi, girl-power, own, love-the-protag, little-romance

What a pleasant surprise this book was! I strongly dislike the Uglies series and had a sense that Leviathan would be a "boy book" (whatever that means), but it turns out it was highly enjoyable.

Plot
Basically, a heavily altered retelling of the initiation of World War I. It follows two protagonists: Alek, the orphaned son of the murdered Austrian archduke, and Deryn, a girl disguising herself as a boy in order to fly on a Darwinist airbeast. She will be flying against the Clankers, the sections o ...more

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May 05, 2017 Mike rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, alternative-history, war, steampunk

I felt that this series was best reviewed as one coherent narrative given the relatively short period of time the books cover, the continuous story that was told, and the similarities between them.

The Leviathan series is a fun mix of steampunk, adventure, and historical/alternative history that, for the most part, delivered a satisfying and enjoyable reading experience (even if the end of the series does sink a bit too deeply into some annoying YA qualities). I was able to devour these books at ...more

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Mar 23, 2014 Michael rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, austria, england, switzerland, world-war-1, childrens-literature, alternative-history

This combination fantasy and alternative history of World War 1 was fun and imaginative in many ways, but it came up short for me in its limited depth of characters and plotting and in my troubles suspending disbelief. Only some of such weakness seems attributable to this being children’s literature.

The overall premise is that the Allied powers use genetically engineered animals in their military technology while the Central powers use machines—the "Darwinists" versus the "Clankers". The former This combination fantasy and alternative history of World War 1 was fun and imaginative in many ways, but it came up short for me in its limited depth of characters and plotting and in my troubles suspending disbelief. Only some of such weakness seems attributable to this being children’s literature.

The overall premise is that the Allied powers use genetically engineered animals in their military technology while the Central powers use machines—the "Darwinists" versus the "Clankers". The former have living blimps derived from whales and hydrogen producing jellyfish, while the latter have walking tank-like machines. The alternative history angle has it that the assassination of the Austrian archduke in Sarajevo was a plot by the Germans to start the war and that his fictional teenaged son Alek has to go on the run with some of his father’s men to keep out of their clutches. The plot brings him together with a 14-year old British girl, Deryn, who has joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman by pretending to be a boy. Her ship, the Leviathan, is on a secret mission to Constantinople known only to a colorful and mysterious woman scientist aboard the ship.

Both Alek and Deryn show a heartwarming courage and ingenuity in the face of dangerous conflicts with the Kaiser’s military forces. Deryn in particular has fetching verve, great sense of humor, and cute use of slang. However, I didn’t quite get the same level of satisfaction from the emotional struggles and challenges to coming of age from the young heroes of Harry Potter, tales of Narnia, and Pullman’s Golden Compass series. I do give it some style points, consistent with the surface chic typical of the emerging steampunk genre; i.e. that special combination of projecting early advances of technology with a backward-looking nostalgic twist. The wonderful drawings by Keith Thompson are a definite plus in that regard. I balked quite a bit over the silliness of the two-legged walking tanks being so subject to falling over (at least the similar machines in Star Wars had four legs). And the core weakness of airships with lift provided by explosive hydrogen is the very reason Zeppelins failed as an effective military technology. I also got tired of the frequent references to the ominous stink of leaking hydrogen, when this gas is odorless (in contrast to the hydrogen sulfide of rotten eggs).

Despite these caveats, the book still kept me glued to the read. I was headed to a 4-star rating when I was cheated by the abrupt ending. Even books in a series should have more closure than this one did. We never learn anything about what the mission to Constantinople was all about or even get a sense of the linkage of the Ottoman Empire had to do with the German and Austrio-Hungarian Empires. Is it a spoiler to tell potential readers that they must count on reading the whole series to get any real understanding of major plot elements?
...more

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Nov 27, 2017 Scott Hitchcock rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned-series, historical-fiction, steampunk

1.5*'s.

This book read like a newsreel being delivered by a stiff network anchor. I never felt engaged by the story or the characters. Everything moves at a super slow pace an is overly simplistic.

The book is a steampunk and historical fictional piece about the son of assassinated WW1 icon Franz Ferdinand. The story takes place in the events leading up to and then in the war. The fictitiously named son spends his time on the run in a dirigible learning secrets long kept from him.

I will not be ...more

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Sep 12, 2015 Ivan rated it liked it

Shelves: steampunk-and-gunpowder-fantasy

I love the setting but characters and story are bit too naively written. Since this is YA book aimed at lower age parts of YA spectrum but I feel that what this book does, it does worse than Mortal Engines which has significantly better characters and character interactions. Overall fun read but too much unused potential for such awesome setting. ...more

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Jul 02, 2020 Brooke W rated it really liked it

Recommended to Brooke by: T Kess

Shelves: favorites, clean-ya

At first, this book was a DNF. I was not a good enough reader yet, and I had no respect for steampunk. How wrong I was. I flew(ha) through this, happy and in anticipation the whole time. By the time I picked it back up again, a few months later, I had been introduced to Uglies and Impostors...
I love love love alternate history, and Westerfeld turned World War 1 into a fight between mechanics and animal lovers(poor explanation alert). Everything was so well explained that I could envision every m At first, this book was a DNF. I was not a good enough reader yet, and I had no respect for steampunk. How wrong I was. I flew(ha) through this, happy and in anticipation the whole time. By the time I picked it back up again, a few months later, I had been introduced to Uglies and Impostors...
I love love love alternate history, and Westerfeld turned World War 1 into a fight between mechanics and animal lovers(poor explanation alert). Everything was so well explained that I could envision every movement. There are INCREDIBLE illustrations in all three books! MIND-BLOWING level drawings.

Plot: It was very well thought through and things come together perfectly at the end of the trilogy. I love the ending of Goliath so so much :) Leviathan was a little predictable, but it left me in so much anticipation.

Characters:
Deryn: I love her. She's incredible! She has such perseverance and a great personality and a sense of humor. She's so enjoyable and I LOVE her perspective, passion, and ferocity.
Alek: I love Alek as well but Deryn is #1. Alek definitely has the most growth in this series, he learns about himself and what he is willing to fight for, and that he is capable of making decisions.

The ~one~ thing I didn't like:
Leviathan was a little predictable, I knew where this book was going. It left me in high anticipation which I give Westerfeld applause for. *applause* The rest of this series is very unpredictable and I would recommend giving them a try even if you didn't like book 1!

The trilogy alternates perspective between our MCs, Deryn(Dylan), and Aleksander(Alek). Deryn is posing as a boy so she can fly. It's all she's wanted, and she's willing to risk so much for flying. Alek the prince of Austro-Hungaria. A worthless commoner and a prince, in an alternate WW1. With Scott Westerfeld as the author. Scott Westerfeld can write ANY AND EVERY SINGLE genre.

Through all of Westerfeld's variety of genres and years of writing, he's grown as a writer but I still love and recognize his talent.

I'm so thankful to my LA teacher for recommending this series to me!! I love this series and it has a spot on my favorites list!

I recommend to alt. history and steampunk lovers and people who are looking for a new genre. ...more

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Jun 09, 2018 Alaina rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, fiction, june-challenge-2018, historical-fiction, fantasy, sci-fi, dystopia

Leviathan was so freaking good. Amazing even. The amount of world building and scientific shit were highly entertaining to listen to. However, I will admit that I still had moments of confusion and awe as well.

This book follows Prince Aleksander, who used to be a would-be heir but is now running for his life, and Deryn Sharp, who is a commoner disguised as a boy. These two were likable together and apart. Even though I liked both characters, things that were happening with or around Alek were a ...more

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Mar 24, 2019 Mel (Epic Reading) rated it it was ok

Shelves: own-print

Scott Westerfeld's trilogy Leviathan has been on my print shelf to read for 6+ years. Perhaps it's because it was there so long collecting dust, or because I had too high of expectations. Or may it truly isn't all that great of a book. Whatever the reason I just could not get into it at all. I kept picking up every other book I was reading and avoiding it like the plague.

Middle Grade or Teen?
This trilogy is usually categorized in teen but I think it really belongs in Middle Grade fiction. There Scott Westerfeld's trilogy Leviathan has been on my print shelf to read for 6+ years. Perhaps it's because it was there so long collecting dust, or because I had too high of expectations. Or may it truly isn't all that great of a book. Whatever the reason I just could not get into it at all. I kept picking up every other book I was reading and avoiding it like the plague.

Middle Grade or Teen?
This trilogy is usually categorized in teen but I think it really belongs in Middle Grade fiction. There is something just a bit too juvenile about the whole thing. While our characters are younger teens that wasn't even the overall issue. It was more the way Westerfeld wrote the story. I'm not sure if it's categorized differently elsewhere but that is where my library and local bookstores put it. Maybe later in the trilogy it gains more of a teen feel (like how Harry Potter evolves) but based on this one book it's far too tame for the YA/teen genre and lacks a substance and emotion I expect from teen novels.

Illustrations
The best part about Leviathan is the beautiful pencil drawings throughout the book. I highly recommend a library print or purchased print copy so you can enjoy them. However you can certainly read the story without the illustrations on an e-reader and nothing in the story will be lost. The illustrations do help to imagine how large the whale that is the core of the Leviathan flying ship it. It also helps to imagine the large robots that are used by our lead boy. However if you've seen Star Wars then you'll likely have a good idea of what the steam machines look like.

Characters
We have two major players in Leviathan, one is a girl (pretending to be a boy) who is training to fly. The other is a boy who is a child of important political pawns and whom is on the run. Eventually, about 75% in, our two main characters meet. This was thankfully a turning point for me. Without this meeting I may have given up and not bothered to finish. Acknowledging that Leviathan got better once the two characters were together, I appreciate that this may mean that the next two books are greatly improved as our characters stick together. But for me I just don't care enough to know what even happens to these two.
There are a multitude of characters that surround our major two players. Yet each of them is, at best, an archetype and at worse a cardboard cutout that plays a role to move the plot forward and nothing else. The one interesting person is a woman 'bowler' (scientist essentially) whom is looked down upon for being a woman and yet revered for being rich and smart. Maybe this was a piece of my distaste for this book was it's clear and obvious gender bias against women.

The Animals
Before you get all hung up on what I'm about to say... yes this is clearly fiction, I am aware of that. However the idea of humans manipulating genes and breeding animals to be used to fly ships, repair other animals, use up hydrogen and other oddities that are mixed up in this half steam, half natural environment bothered me. I know it shouldn't but it did. Perhaps Westerfeld describes his animals too well. Or the illustrations of the animals made them too real for me. All I know is the first time we see the Leviathan flying ship I wasn't impressed by the description (or picture); instead all I thought was that poor, poor whale all tethered up and forced to fly! As our animals are not sentient there is just no way to know if they like what they are engaged in. It just felt wrong to me more than once. This may be that Westerfeld wants the reader to 'choose a side' and select the technological solution over the Darwin one (as it is called in the book). Regardless it made me uncomfortable and I couldn't get over it.

Overall
As a lover of steampunk I was very excited for this to be a solid trilogy that I could gift out to teens or children. I had hoped it would inspire using scientific principles in a creative way. And while it demonstrates that new technology is a blend of creativity and science, overall it just feel short of any real impact for me. Between flat characters and a slow moving plot I just didn't see the appeal. And while I liked that there was both a lead girl and boy in Leviathan, Westerfeld seemed to miss capturing either character in a compelling and enchanting way. Add in the animals that seemed like slaves and poor conceived steam technology; and you'll find that I just can't find anything really good to say here.
But the illustrations are truly amazing. So at least you can look at the pretty pictures and then move on without spending too much time here. ...more

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Sep 01, 2010 Shannon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, alternate-history, 2010, cover-love, steampunk, favourite, historical-fiction

Just look at this cover, isn't it GORGEOUS?! I absolutely love it. It's so rich, with such sumptuous detail, wonderful design and use of colour and all the elements of the story and its genres. It's simply RIPPING!! It feels nice too, with embossed bits, shiny bits, matte bits, texture in places so that if you run your fingers over it they get all excited and tingly! The one and only thing that bothers me is the cardstock used - the cover never lies flat but is constantly (even brand new and sit ...more

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Oct 06, 2009 Bry rated it did not like it

Shelves: rubbish, young-adult, historical-fiction, 2010, fantasy, steampunk

My first impression of this book is that it is beautifully done. The map on the inside covers are amazing with the details and colors. Plus the illustrations throughout the book are fantastic. Full page sketches of a scene that are highly detailed and stunning. The text itself though is not written for teens but for young pre-teens, and the characters are said to be 15-16 but appear 12 or so in the illustrations. It just all sounds and feels so juvenile. They also think, sound, and act juvenile. ...more

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Sep 11, 2013 Megan Baxter rated it liked it

This is a very solid young adult book, with not too much romance shoehorned in. (That is to say, there is some romance, and it feels very shoehorny, but is on the brief side. This book in particular feels like it could have skipped the burgeoning of the feelings without in anyway detracting from the book.) I am waffling on the three or four stars right now - because I liked it enough to be interested in further books in the series without in any way falling in love with it.

Note: The rest of this ...more

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Mar 19, 2018 Kaylin (The Re-Read Queen) added it

Shelves: didn-t-finish

I've tried the audiobook for this twice now and I just can't get into it. This time I was several chapters in and almost 2 hours in and I still was zoning out.

I'll probably try again with a physical copy soon, but for right now it's a DNF ...more

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May 18, 2019 YouKneeK rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, completed-series

Leviathan is the first book in a young adult steampunk trilogy. Although it does have a young feel to it, and the story is straight-forward and a bit predictable, it was actually a vey fun, light read. I haven’t read a lot of steampunk, so I hadn’t read anything quite like this story, and I think that helped keep me interested.

The story is set right at the beginning of World War I on an alternate version of our Earth where technology has developed a bit differently. DNA was discovered earlier, l Leviathan is the first book in a young adult steampunk trilogy. Although it does have a young feel to it, and the story is straight-forward and a bit predictable, it was actually a vey fun, light read. I haven’t read a lot of steampunk, so I hadn’t read anything quite like this story, and I think that helped keep me interested.

The story is set right at the beginning of World War I on an alternate version of our Earth where technology has developed a bit differently. DNA was discovered earlier, leading to the creation of genetically engineered “beasties” such as living war machines that function a lot like hot air balloons, and lizards that can be used to deliver recorded messages. Other countries have spurned such creations as unnatural and have instead developed “mechanikal" creations such as war machines as tall as trees, with legs that can walk or run more efficiently over rough terrain than something with treads.

The story alternates between the third-person POV of two main characters who are around fifteen. Alek is an Austrian prince whose family is at the center of the conflict that kicks off World War I, in a similar manner to the real war. Deryn is a British girl who disguises herself as a boy to join the British Air Service. Both characters were very likeable. Deryn is spunky and fun, maybe a bit too good at everything that matters, but easy to cheer for. Alek has lived a more protected life and makes a lot of mistakes, but his ability to acknowledge those mistakes and try to do better made him a character I could appreciate and sympathize with.

This was just a light, fun read, perfect if you’re in the mood for something that isn’t very demanding. I imagine teenagers and possibly some younger children would also enjoy it. It has some war-related violence that isn’t described in any particularly gory detail, but otherwise I didn’t notice anything that I would imagine many people finding objectionable, either for themselves or for their children. I’m not always the best person to gauge that kind of thing, though.

This first book doesn’t have a proper ending. It doesn’t end on a cliff hanger in the sense that anybody’s life is in immediate peril at the end, but there were a lot of plot threads left hanging. I plan to continue on with the series. I’ll be traveling next week for a business conference, so something lighter like this may actually be perfect timing. I’m much more distracted while reading in public, at airports, on airplanes, etc., and more tired than normal in the evenings once I get back to my hotel, so simpler stories are often a good choice for me when I travel. ...more

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Nov 16, 2016 Ashley rated it liked it

Shelves: alt-history, treasure-and-adventure, speculative, audiobooks, unfinished-series, steampunk, war, young-adult, illustrated

I don't know what happened here. How a book about an alternate history steampunk WWI where one side has clankers, and the other genetically engineered flying beasts that double as airships could be so exceptionally uninteresting and generic, I really don't know. Also one of the MC's is the son of the murdered Archduke Franz Ferdinand. And the other is a girl who dresses as a boy! Also, also it was narrated by Alan Cumming! And yet, my mind wandered constantly while listening, and I had to force ...more

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Jul 25, 2021 Howard rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, fantasy, fiction

4 Stars for Leviathan: Leviathan Series, Book 1 (audiobook) by Scott Westerfeld read by Alan Cumming.
This was a interesting and unique world. It’s something like steam punk but different. It has some great characters in a real adventure. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

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topics	posts	views	last activity
SciFi and Fantasy...: "Leviathan" - Full Discussion Spoilers	26	193	May 23, 2021 08:42PM
Too juvenile?	5	6	Nov 25, 2020 09:06AM
Play Book Tag: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld- 3 stars, Im not a good judge of steampunk	5	25	Jan 05, 2019 01:24PM
YA Buddy Readers'...: Leviathan (Leviathan #1) by Scott Westerfeld - Starting November 15th 2018	3	17	Nov 28, 2018 07:09PM
SSJCPL (Stockton-...: Leviathan	1	4	Jul 05, 2018 10:44AM
Challenge Corner: Leviathan Series by Scott Westerfeld -> Starting June 4th, 2018	37	16	Jun 16, 2018 11:44AM

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About Scott Westerfeld

Scott Westerfeld

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Scott Westerfeld is a New York Times bestselling author of YA. He is best known for the Uglies and Leviathan series. His current series, IMPOSTORS, returns to the world of Uglies.

The next book in that series, MIRROR'S EDGE, comes out April 6, 2021. ...more