Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

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Leviathan
by Scott Westerfeld
(Audio)

I saw this book on the shelf for years, and I love steampunk stuff; I just hadn't ever tracked it down. Then I came across book two in the bookdrop the other day and realized Alan Cumming reads it. OMG I went straight over and got book one out on audio.

There are two main characters: Deryn Sharp, a girl disguised as a young boy in order to serve on one of His Majesty's finest airships: the Leviathan. The Allied Powers are all Darwinists who fabricate beasties like living ships, message lizards, and hydrogen sniffers. Then there's Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, who is on the run after his parents were murdered. The Axis have Clankers, large robots and mechanical contraptions with steam and gears and all.

The two characters finally have a run-in and, with a clever British scientist in the mix, they manage to save the leviathan and all get to safety in quite a detailed adventure full of morality and politics.

The characters are wonderful, but their world is what is so amazing. Every detail is so rich and well thought-out. I love that at the end the author explains what is historical fact and what parts he made up. But the way these two aspects are integrated into World War I is incredibly clever and inspired. I liked the story as well, though it definitely feels like just the first part of a trilogy. The story comes to a good end, but it's definitely just beginning with a long way to go yet. I can't wait to see what twists and turns happen in the next book.