Sunday, March 15, 2015

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld


Westerfeld, S., & Thompson, K. (2009). Leviathan (p. 440). New York: Simon Pulse.

Themes: WWI, Courage, Science

Characters: Deryn (Dylan), Prince Alek, Dr. Nora Barlow, Wildcount Volger, Otto Klopp, Hoffman, Bauer, Jasper, Tazza

Summary:
Prince Alek is from Austria who has recently become an orphan.  Volger, his trusty fencing coach, and Otto, his master of mechanics, take Alek from his room to escape the Germans. Deryn is a girl who is dying to become a pilot for the British Air Service, but her gender is stopping her.  Her brother, Jasper, helps her dress as a boy and helps Deryn (Dylan) accomplish her dream. During her flight, a storm is approaching and the Huxley (jellyfish-like ship) started to fall. The Leviathan, a massive ecosystem ship, attempts to save them by tossing a rope. She joins the crew of the Leviathan.

Later, the ship crashes where Alek and his men were hiding in an hour castle. Deryn and Alek met and immediately Deryn know something is wrong. Captain Hoffes informs the crew they have to let the Leviathan go in order to save the crew. Deryn follow Alek to the castle and see a walker (Alek’s crew) coming towards them. Deyrn holds Alek as hostage and demands food in exchange. Volger agrees and Dr. Barlow goes with the clankers. The next day, they see two German zeepplins. During the battle, Alek stands in front of the walker and reveals himself a prince. The Leviathan’s engines are destroyed, Alek comes up with the idea of replacing it with the engine from the walkers. As the Leviathan adapts to the new engine, she comes back better than ever.
Since the book is the part of a trilogy, I would recommend reading the second and third book. The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman is also a steampunk book filled with adventure

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