Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Behemoth- Scott Westerfeld



Synopsis:


"The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker Powers.

Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan’s peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory. Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what’s ahead."


Review:

This book is the second book in Scott Westerfeld's alternate history WWI steampunk series. Leviathan was the first book and was published in 2009. Goliath, the last of the planned trilogy is going to be released in October of this year.

Behemoth picks up right where Leviathan left off. For those of you who haven't read the first book in the series, I highly recommend it. Both Deryn and Alek, the two main characters, are great. Seriously. Especially Deryn who is completely fearless even as she pretends to be a boy in the British Air Service.

In this alternate history WWI, there are two main powers, the Darwinists who use machines that are really ecosystems of fabricated animals and beasts, and the Clankers, who use steampunk-esque machinery, including walkers, which are like human powered giant robotic, walking machines, in place of tanks or other machines. 

Westerfeld chose to have his books fully illustrated, so there is over 50 wonderfully drawn illustrations in both Leviathan and Behemoth that really add to the story and help the reader to visualize the crazy machines and creatures from Westerfeld's mind.

Behemoth is an action packed story with great characters, a growing friendship between Alek and Deryn who is posing as Dylan, many new characters and new twists to the plot. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action, adventure, steampunk, history, or reading in general. Definitely a book to check out.

Rating: A

Other recommended books:
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
The Farsala Trilogy by Hilary Bell
His Dark Materials Trilogy by Phillip Pullman
All of Scott Westerfeld's other books

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