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lilyantan's review
3.0
Maybe 2.5 Stars.
I'll get the bad out of the way: I just didn't feel the characters. They weren't developed enough for me to feel invested in their stories. The gravity of the situation wasn't portrayed well. No one was taking the whole thing as seriously as they should. It's world war I, people are dying and being shot out of the sky... the reactions should've been more than: Oh, woops too bad, I hope my friends aren't dead. That's the risk of Y.A.'s; maintaining a serious tone is really difficult.
I gave it a 3 because the Darwinist living machines are so fascinating. 5 stars to Westerfeld for thinking up such an amazing concept.
Another 10 stars to Westerfeld for giving us a tough heroine in a Y.A. novel. Having to pose as a boy, Deryl swears like a sailor, spits, doesn't take shit from anyone, doesn't swoon at the sight of a hottie, has confidence and common sense. I just wish the character was more developed, she'd be 10 times more awesome.
I think Westerfeld had done an amazing job with describing the functions and looks of the Darwinist and Clanker machines but didn't devote as much time for his characters.
Have put the next book on my TBR although I'm not 100 % convinced. I'd like to see how Alek's and Deryl's relationship will change once the fact that she's a girl comes out.
I'll get the bad out of the way: I just didn't feel the characters. They weren't developed enough for me to feel invested in their stories. The gravity of the situation wasn't portrayed well. No one was taking the whole thing as seriously as they should. It's world war I, people are dying and being shot out of the sky... the reactions should've been more than: Oh, woops too bad, I hope my friends aren't dead. That's the risk of Y.A.'s; maintaining a serious tone is really difficult.
I gave it a 3 because the Darwinist living machines are so fascinating. 5 stars to Westerfeld for thinking up such an amazing concept.
Another 10 stars to Westerfeld for giving us a tough heroine in a Y.A. novel. Having to pose as a boy, Deryl swears like a sailor, spits, doesn't take shit from anyone, doesn't swoon at the sight of a hottie, has confidence and common sense. I just wish the character was more developed, she'd be 10 times more awesome.
I think Westerfeld had done an amazing job with describing the functions and looks of the Darwinist and Clanker machines but didn't devote as much time for his characters.
Have put the next book on my TBR although I'm not 100 % convinced. I'd like to see how Alek's and Deryl's relationship will change once the fact that she's a girl comes out.
n7centurion's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
harlando's review
3.0
Not bad.
I am on a steampunk jag and picked this up after finishing Cherie Priest's clockwork century books. Westerfelds novels are more for the YA audience, but they are also faster paced and a little more coherent.
At the end of the first book, I was thinking a lot about two things:
Girls disguised as boys: This is a pretty old trick. It works, but I always have my doubts. Part of that is the set up. In fiction, the girl pretending to be a boy is usually a tough capable tom-boy, but can be an attractive girl with a costume change. Androgynous people I have met in real life have not fit description. In high school I knew a guy who had an unfortunately androgynous younger sister. She could have passed as a boy, but would have had a hard time being an attractive girl. Maybe its an American thing, but I also find that androgyny is more frequently associated with the overweight than the lean.
The second problem with the girl-dressed-as-boy hero is that they are always at the center of attention. The constant risk of being found out adds some dramatic tension to the story, but also trips the skeptical switch. If you are desperate to pass as something you are not, you try to blend in, not to stand out.
Airships: Zeppelins are fun. They just are. So are zeppelin like creations such as Glenn Cook's wind whales. They have huge imaginative and aesthetic appeal. However, outside of a pretty narrow slice of the 20th century they don't see much use because they are mightily impractical. I just can't see the leviathan as much of a weapon. It flies and it drops spikes on people (also bombs, though that never actually happens), but is filled with flammable gas and extremely vulnerable to fire. I'm writing this review after finishing the series (I binged them) and am wondering if Westerfeld didn't have some regrets about his creation. It lumbers about the other books, but other than an practice run against a wooden sailing ship early in the first book it never seriously pushes the idea that it is one of the most powerful weapons of the British Empire.
I am on a steampunk jag and picked this up after finishing Cherie Priest's clockwork century books. Westerfelds novels are more for the YA audience, but they are also faster paced and a little more coherent.
At the end of the first book, I was thinking a lot about two things:
Girls disguised as boys: This is a pretty old trick. It works, but I always have my doubts. Part of that is the set up. In fiction, the girl pretending to be a boy is usually a tough capable tom-boy, but can be an attractive girl with a costume change. Androgynous people I have met in real life have not fit description. In high school I knew a guy who had an unfortunately androgynous younger sister. She could have passed as a boy, but would have had a hard time being an attractive girl. Maybe its an American thing, but I also find that androgyny is more frequently associated with the overweight than the lean.
The second problem with the girl-dressed-as-boy hero is that they are always at the center of attention. The constant risk of being found out adds some dramatic tension to the story, but also trips the skeptical switch. If you are desperate to pass as something you are not, you try to blend in, not to stand out.
Airships: Zeppelins are fun. They just are. So are zeppelin like creations such as Glenn Cook's wind whales. They have huge imaginative and aesthetic appeal. However, outside of a pretty narrow slice of the 20th century they don't see much use because they are mightily impractical. I just can't see the leviathan as much of a weapon. It flies and it drops spikes on people (also bombs, though that never actually happens), but is filled with flammable gas and extremely vulnerable to fire. I'm writing this review after finishing the series (I binged them) and am wondering if Westerfeld didn't have some regrets about his creation. It lumbers about the other books, but other than an practice run against a wooden sailing ship early in the first book it never seriously pushes the idea that it is one of the most powerful weapons of the British Empire.
suzysai's review
5.0
I ordered the books in this trilogy in order to strengthen my steampunk repertoire, and was thoroughly delighted. Great YA characters and surprises on every page had me reading through the night. The alternate history of WWI makes for fascinating reading, and the author deftly integrates a subtle anti-xenophobia theme. Alek has all the makings of a fine hero, and Deryn is a scruffy, scrappy, FUNNY heroine (I encounter so few of these, lately) whose manner of speaking had me laughing out loud in several spots. There are gorgeous illustrations throughout that I happily examined, recalling with pleasure books of my youth such as The House With the Clock in its Walls - pictures meant to enhance rather than to pander to a younger audience. This first installment ends on quite a cliffhanger (what is in those barking eggs?), so be prepared to devote yourself to the whole set.
cornmaven's review
5.0
This type of fantasy is more up my alley - steampunk - a blend of futuristic stuff, historical fiction, and Victorian/early 20th century settings. It's easier on my psyche to read a story where a lot is familiar. So many pure fantasy novels have to spend endless pages setting up 'the world' in which it lives, and that bores me to tears, plus all the weird names makes me crazy.
Leviatan centers around WWI, uses a lot of the factual names, but then sprinkles in new terms. I appreciated the way that Westerfeld introduces a new concept, item, etc. and doesn't explain it right away - that's done a little later within a conversation.
This version of steampunk actually combines the typical use of steam power to make fantastical machines along with futuristic genetic engineering. The story was well-paced and exciting. I think boys especially would like it. Westerfeld includes several slang terms that would be new to American boys, and they might actually pick them up and use them in lieu of getting caught with the usual suspects. I don't know enough Britishism to know if they are actual terms in the language, or stuff Westerfeld just made up. Either way, they are clever.
A good read. And the history/story will continue in a second book. Westerfeld includes notes at the end to discuss what is actually factual and what is not.
Leviatan centers around WWI, uses a lot of the factual names, but then sprinkles in new terms. I appreciated the way that Westerfeld introduces a new concept, item, etc. and doesn't explain it right away - that's done a little later within a conversation.
This version of steampunk actually combines the typical use of steam power to make fantastical machines along with futuristic genetic engineering. The story was well-paced and exciting. I think boys especially would like it. Westerfeld includes several slang terms that would be new to American boys, and they might actually pick them up and use them in lieu of getting caught with the usual suspects. I don't know enough Britishism to know if they are actual terms in the language, or stuff Westerfeld just made up. Either way, they are clever.
A good read. And the history/story will continue in a second book. Westerfeld includes notes at the end to discuss what is actually factual and what is not.
lesserjoke's review
3.0
Leviathan builds up a neat alternate history of World War I, wherein Austria-Hungary and its allies wield massive steampunk war-mechs against the bioengineered Lovecraftian monstrosities of the UK, France, and Russia. The worldbuilding here was deeply cool, with the promise of even more to come in the sequels. On the other hand, I really didn’t like the two main characters, whose defining traits seemed to be “mean” and “whiny,” respectively. They got a little better near the end, but a book this imaginative shouldn’t have felt like such a chore until then.
eruedraith's review
Basically fine YA fare. Loved the alt history stuff but there didn't feel like enough drama for me to sink my teeth into.