Leviathan

Leviathan
by Scott Westerfeld
Simon & Schuster, 2009. 440 pgs. Young Adult

Westerfeld's latest is a steampunk, alternate history version of the beginnings of World War I. The female protagonist (Deryn) pretends to be a boy (Dylan) in order to join the British Air Corps and the male protagonist, Alek, is the fictional offspring of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and wife Sophie, who, without rights of inheritance after his parents are killed in Sarajevo, is pursued by both Austro-Hungarians and Germans though he seems to himself powerless. Here's the fun part: the Germanic forces come to battle in Clankers, elaborate machines, not unlike Star Wars' imperial walkers, while the Brits use darwinists--genetically engineered and formulated animals as their "engines" of battle. As you might expect, the Leviathan is a whale filled with hydrogen-generating entities, message-bearing lizards, and hydrogen sniffing creatures for leak detection. Alek and Deryn meet as presumed enemies under extreme circumstances and have to get past hostage situations, a breakneck slide down a zip line, and a last-minute retreat under enemy fire before forming an alliance which will continue in Book Two when the Leviathan escapes to the Ottoman Empire on an ultra-secret mission. Adventure abounds! Romance soon to follow!

LW