Leviathan
84. Scott Westerfeld, Leviathan
In an alternate-history 1914, Europe stands on the brink of World War I. Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife are still assassinated, but this time it’s the work of war-hungry Germans rather than Serbian nationalists. Also, the archduke has a son, Alek, whose life is now in grave danger. Along with a few faithful subjects, Alek quickly goes into hiding, but the Germans are in fast pursuit. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Deryn Sharp is a Scottish lass disguised as a boy so that she can become a soldier in the British air force. In this universe, though, the Brits are “Darwinists,” which means that their war machines are actually genetically-engineered organisms. By contrast, Germany and Austria are “Clankers,” relying on high-tech machines for their war power. This cultural conflict is yet another reason for the war that is soon to erupt: but when Deryn’s and Alek’s worlds unexpectedly collide, can they put aside their differences for the good of all Europe?
I’ve seen a lot of rave reviews of this book, and I have to agree with most of the praise. The world of this novel is absolutely fascinating, and I especially enjoyed the descriptions of Darwinist vs. Clanker science. The book is also full of non-stop action, as both Alek and Deryn encounter one adventure after another. The novel alternates between Alek’s and Deryn’s stories every two chapters, and both threads of the plot manage to be equally interesting. The only thing that disappointed me about this book was the fact that it’s YA. While I have no problem with YA novels in general, I think that, in this case, the book suffers from being geared toward a younger audience. I wanted more information about the different technologies at work, and more about the wider political situation as well (though I suppose more of that might come in the sequels). There’s also no real exploration of popular attitudes toward all this new technology; we’re told that some people think the Darwinists’ science is immoral, but we’re not given a lot of information about that debate. If this were an adult novel, there would be enough time for all these issues in addition to the two main storylines. Still, I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading Behemoth and Goliath one of these days.