Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Hey everyone! So here’s a quick #tbt! For this week, I’m posting a book review I wrote for my school newspaper back in grade 8. Enjoy!
Book Review: Leviathan
The steampunk novel Leviathan was written by the well-known author Scott Westerfeld and enhanced with remarkable illustrations by Keith Thompson. The main characters are the son of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and a teenage girl, posing as a boy, in the British Air Force. This novel sets an alternate version of World War I, categorizing the people who use mechanical war machines (clankers) and the people who fabricate animals as their weaponry (Darwinists). Both of them face threats and dangers in their lives but they meet in the most unexpected way; aboard the Leviathan.
The story begins with Prince Aleksander of Hohenberg being awakened by his fencing instructor, Count Volger, and his master of mechanics, Otto Klopp. In the middle of the night, they make Alek pilot a Stormwalker, claiming it as a training exercise. However, he becomes suspicious of where they are going, and soon discovers that his parents have been murdered and he must flee Austria, for he too has the risk of being assassinated. The death of the Archduke strikes the start of war between several nations, and he is on the run with just three loyal companions on his side. He pilots his way to safety in an old fortress hidden high on the Swiss Alps which had been prepared for him by Volger and his Father in this type of situation.
Meanwhile, the young girl, Deryn Sharp dreams about working in the British Air Force. Despite the wishes of her aunt to become a proper lady, she disguises herself as a boy, Dylan Sharp, and passes her first exam. During her piloting exam aboard a Huxley, she meets with a terrible storm and becomes stranded in the North Sea. When all hope has disappeared, she is rescued and taken aboard the legendary Leviathan where she meets Thomas Hobbes, the captain. While in the air over Europe, the Leviathan comes under attack by German Airplanes. They manage to win the fight, but notice the hydrogen container is severely punctured. They crash-land on the very glacier Alek and his group is hiding.
Scott Westerfeld alternated both Alek and Deryn-two chapters at a time, until the inevitable moment when the two stories collide. I enjoyed every minute of this book, from the beginning to the end; the story was filled with action and adventure. Westerfeld describes every detail to where you can imagine being in one of those warships, or climbing across the spine of a huge airbeast. There are times when the story may get confusing, however he does clarify this confusion in the afterword. Leviathan is a story in itself, with a clash of the past and his vision of the future. As a reviewer, I would rate Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld a four and half stars out of five.
Timeless Reads 