Behemoth
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: Oct. 5, 2010
Pages: 481
Series: Leviathan, book two
Source: Checked out from my LMC
About the Book: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.
My Thoughts: I just went back to look at my Leviathan review to make sure I didn’t point out the same things. Turns out I didn’t really need to worry about that since I never wrote a Leviathan review. What? I remember writing it! Apparently it was all in my head (this happens more often than I care to admit!) All you really need to know is that I enjoyed it. The audiobook was fabulous! You can apply all the things I love about Behemoth to Leviathan as well š So, what did I love?
The world/history: I loved seeing how Westerfeld tweaks historical events to go with the steampunk story line. Learning more about the Darwinists and Clankers was interesting as well. It really made me want to go back and look at actual events from WWI.
The “beasties”: Oh. My. Stars. I adored learning more about the fabricated animals! I’ve always been interested in biology and how living things work. Reading about the symbiotic relationships between the animals that Westerfeld created was right up my ally! I also loved finally learning what was in those eggs! I want one!!! Plus, the term “beasties”? Makes me smile every time š
The Clanker Inventions: While I was a bit more enamored of the fabricated beasties I still found these really cool. I particularly liked the ones that were introduced in this story. I don’t want to run it for those who haven’t read it yet. Just trust me. They’re cool!
The Characters: From Deryn and Alek to Dr. Barlow and Klopp all the way down to Newkirk and Mr. Hirst… they all add to the story. I LOVE them! Deryn is brave and true and makes me so proud of her! Alek is trying so hard to adjust to his circumstances and shoulder more responsibility than he should have to at his age. They are just all so interesting. They really kept me reading.
This series is a great introduction to steampunk. The audiobooks are read by Alan Cumming and the books have fabulous artwork by Keith Thompson. You really can’t go wrong.
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