Leviathan cover art

Leviathan

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

$8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Get this deal
Offer ends on July 15, 2026 at 11:59 PT.
More purchase options

Leviathan

Written by: Scott Westerfeld
Narrated by: Alan Cumming
Get this deal

$8.99/mo. after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offer ends July 15, 2026 at 11:59pm PT.

Buy Now for $27.29

Buy Now for $27.29

The first novel in a masterful trilogy about World War I with a steampunk twist by #1 New York Times bestselling author Scott Westerfeld.

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.©2009 Scott Westerfeld; (P)2009 SImon & Schuster Fiction Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Science Fiction Science Fiction & Fantasy Steampunk Fantasy War
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Continue the series
Behemoth cover art
Behemoth Written by: Scott Westerfeld
Goliath cover art
Goliath Written by: Scott Westerfeld
All stars
Most Relevant
This is an excellent beginning to a series. It feels like there's a game behind the mechanics of the Clankers and Darwinites. If not, there should be one.

WWI - Steampunk style

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Ends a bit abruptly but this is a total out-of-the-park entry into a new series.

Absolute sleeper hit

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A nonstop action ride set in an alternate Europe pre-WWI, the story follows Aleksander, a young prince who's been betrayed by his people and must find a means of escape, and Deryn, a young woman disguising herself as a boy to live her dreams of flying an airship. Their paths eventually collide for the beginning of this exciting steampunk trilogy.

Aleksander and Deryn have distinct personalities, one focused on duty and the other on ambition. While we are given insight into their stakes and goals, I didn't think that we got to understand who they were until they actually met near the end of the book. Their banter was a lot of fun and I would love to see more of it.

This is likely because much of the story focuses on action. While there is a great deal of it and it's exciting, I felt it took a little bit away from the characters. There is also a fair deal of world building and though it's easy to digest as well as entertaining, I would have liked more scenes with Aleksander and Deryn.

Still, this is a great story for fans of steampunk and action-packed historical fantasy. Recommended!

Historical Steampunk Fantasy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.