Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld

Readers Annotation: The Austrian Archduke and his wife have just been murdered. War is breaking out across Europe. Two teens from opposite sides are thrust together by tragedy and must learn how to work together or be destroyed. 

Plot Summary: Aleksandar’s parents have just been murdered and war is breaking out across Europe. A small group of loyal servants has been preparing for this moment for several years and whisks Alek off trying to outrun the Germans and make it into hiding in Switzerland. While Alek is battling his way across Austria in his Clanker Walker Machine, Deryn is trying to get into the military. Deryn disguises herself as a boy and gains passage on Leviathan a giant flying beast created by the Darwinists. The ship is a combination of many different animals, filled with Hydrogen, a living ecosystem of its own. Alek and Deryn’s worlds collide when Leviathan is shot down by German planes, crash landing near Alek’s hiding place. They two very different groups must learn to work together or face annihilation at the hands of their enemies. 

Critical Evaluation: A fast action packed steampunk adventure, Leviathan takes readers on quite the journey only to leave them in the middle of the action at the end of the book. The story is told from both Deryn and Alek’s perspectives which can bring in both male and female readers. All teens will relate to the struggle of trying to be someone they’re not, fitting in, and growing up. Many may delight in the alternate WWI history as well. Descriptions of the great Clanker machines and Darwinist beasts are vivid and Westerfeld crafts amazing fantastical images for readers. However, the book does tend to fall short on any major character development. I did not find myself feeling much of anything for any of the characters in the book. They all seemed fairly flat and one dimensional. Yet, Leviathan is the first book in the series. More character development, including the full arch of the characters may not be understood until the completion of the series. The book also included some fantastic artwork which added yet another level of imagery. It isn’t often that you see such detailed artwork in YA fiction books and it was refreshing and well exectued. 

Author: Scott Westerfeld is a New York Times bestselling American-born author of YA sci-fi literature. He was born in the Texas and now lives in Sydney and New York City. In 2001, Westerfeld married fellow author Justine Larbalestier. His book Evolution's Darling was a New York Times Notable Book, and won a Special Citation for the 2000 Philip K. Dick Award. So Yesterday won a Victorian Premier's Award and Midnighters 1: The Secret Hour won an Aurealis Award. Peeps and Uglies were both named as Best Books for Young Adults 2006 by the American Library Association. http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13957.Scott_Westerfeld

Genre: Steampunk

Curriculum Ties: History classes can take a look at WWI, examining the differences in this alternate history. Biology classes can look at the Darwin aspects of the novel. 

Booktalking Ideas: What combinations of animals could you put together to create a Darwinist creation and how would it work? We sometimes have to work with our enemies, or people that seem very different. How can we find ways to work effectively with these people?

Age: 14+

Challenge Issues: 

• Violence 

There is some war related action scenes in the books. However, it is not anything more than what would be discussed in a history class or by watching a war movie.

Why I Included This Book: I enjoyed Westerfeld’s Uglies series and heard many good things about the Leviathan books. Since the steampunk genre has taken off in such a large way within the adult and teen communities I thought it was important to read a popular novel within the genre.

Simon Pulse, 2009, ISBN: 1416971734