Leviathan

By Scott Westerfield

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Readers won't want to put down this fast-moving adventure mixing history with science fiction to create "steampunk." If you took the historical events surrounding World War I and mixed them with more advanced war machinery and genetic experimentation far ahead of its time, you'd get this story. Alek is the son of the Archduke Ferdinand and his commoner wife, the heads of Austria. When the archduke is murdered, teenage Alek (as heir to the throne) and a few loyal retainers must flee for their lives to neutral Switzerland, with Germans in hot pursuit. Meanwhile, Deryn is a girl who loves flying. She has disguised herself as a boy so she can join the British air forces, something women were outlawed from at the time. The British have seized upon creating different creatures out of DNA strands, including flying jellyfish, and Leviathan--an airborne whale-ship cross which uses many other creatures like bats and bees to keep its hydrogen panels full. Can't picture it? Don't worry, the book is littered with illustrations to help your imagination along. As Alek dodges his would-be killers, Deryn finds herself a midshipman on the Leviathan which is bound to Europe to help out in this new war. But when the Leviathan crashes near Alek's hiding place, it is destined for the two to meet and to form an alliance. The action is non-stop and we are left with some questions and a bit of cliffhanger, eager for the next installment in the series. Thumbs up!