Scott Westerfeld is a well-known YA author, most notably for his “Uglies” series. Leviathan is the first book in the YA “Leviathan” trilogy. Set in a steampunk world during the equivalent of our First World War, it focuses on the story of two teenagers – one in Britain and one in the Austria-Hungary empire.

Rich in details, it is a fast-paced, interesting story that takes us through the very early days of a potential war between the Darwinists (Britain), who have bred amazing animal hybrids (“fabrications”), and The Clankers (Germans), who rely exclusively on fantastical mechanical machines. At the beginning of the novel, the other Euro-Asian countries have begun either to take sides or negotiate their loyalties.

As the first book in the trilogy, it does an excellent job of setting up the world, the politics, and the origin story of the two heroes: Deryn, a girl disguised as a boy so she can be in the British Air Service, and Prince Aleksander, the heir to the Austria-Hungary empire, in hiding ever since his parents were murdered for political purposes.

The story of the two heroes, initially related separately, converges early on and does not bog down with sentiment. Deryn (under the name Dylan) is well-drawn and engaging. She plunges head-long into adventures and her exploits keep you turning the pages. Alek, the secret heir, is true to type: a bit spoiled and naïve about how the world works, having been raised in the sheltered world of royalty. To its credit, the narrative does not linger on this aspect unduly, only as an opportunity to introduce another element of the “real” world on the brink of war.

Despite some detailed discussions of the animal hybrids and the machines, the reader is drawn into this fantastical world, the intrepid heroes, and the political machinations of the various factions. The main story of the teens will keep young adults interested, and the plausible alternate political history will interest adults.

It was a good page-turner that had me keen to pick up the second book in series: Behemoth. ( )

I thought it was just another young adult book with a slightly interesting concept, but it turned out to be captivating and I read most of it in one sitting. Westerfeld has a way of doing that. He's also a first-class world builder. ( )

World War I

Listened to this for the narrator who was amazing. The book though was just okay. ( )

This was an enjoyable, but largely unbelievable, steampunk story. The implausibility of Victorians being able to accomplish feats of DNA manipulation of which we today are completely incapable, however, might not necessarily distract or bother the youthful target audience.
That quibble aside, I liked the characters. They were believable and interesting and sympathetic. Their lives were both exciting and harrowing. It made for good reading.
Until the abrupt ending. ( )