Thursday, December 2, 2010

Behemoth/Scott Westerfeld

Behemoth (Leviathan, book 2), by Scott Westerfeld; young adult, steampunk; 485 pages

This one started off a little slow, but quickly pulled me into the story. In case you missed the first book last year, Westerfeld's world is an alternate 20th century, where great powers in Europe are divided by their allegiance to pure mechanics ("Clankers") or genetic engineering ("Darwinists"). World War I has officially begun here, with the Allies favoring Darwinist philosophies, and the Germans dominating the Clanker side. In the midst of it all, you have our two heroes: Deryn (aka, Dylan), a girl disguised as a boy to serve on a living British airship, and Alek, secret heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, but now on the run from his own people. Much of the action here takes place off the airship Leviathan, and on the ground in the exotic setting of 1914 Istanbul. It's a fast read, with plenty of action, and a really fascinating world that I would love to learn more about. We get to see the characters growing more here--both learning to be leaders of their respective factions--and we're left with a great premise for the third book. I can't wait to read the next installment!

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