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Leviathan cover art

Leviathan

Written by: Scott Westerfeld
Narrated by: Alan Cumming
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Publisher's Summary

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. The Leviathan is a living airship, the most formidable airbeast in the skies of Europe.

Aleksandar 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.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl 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 the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's 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

What listeners say about Leviathan

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Historical Steampunk Fantasy

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!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Absolute sleeper hit

Ends a bit abruptly but this is a total out-of-the-park entry into a new series.

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1 person found this helpful