Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Series: First in a trilogy -- I don't know the name of the sequel or when it's planned to come out
Published: October 2010
Genre: Young adult, steampunk
Pages: 434
Cover: I love it! I think it fits the book perfectly.
Rating: 4.5/5
Planning to read more from this author?: Yes -- that is to say, I've already read a lot (the Uglies series, So Yesterday, and Peeps -- all of which I recommend) and look forward to the sequel (whenever it's released/whatever it's called)
Going to buy it?: Yes! Though I'm not sure whether hardcover or paperback (but I'm leaning toward paperback)
Review: structured (world, characters, plot), slight spoilers
I enjoyed this, which didn't really surprise me since I really like Mr. Westerfeld's work -- though I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi/steampunk (this is the first steampunk novel I've read, actually). The world building, it almost goes without saying (this is Scott Westerfeld, after all), is amazing; the characters are flawed, realistic, and likable (for the most part); and the plot is intriguing and well-balanced with political complexity.
The world: an alternate reality branching off of Darwin's finds on evolution -- he also discovered DNA and used it to modify/combine animals, culminating in near-replacement of technology. I think the tension between Darwinists and Clankers (those who continued to use technology, though with influences from animals) is superbly done, with the prejudices of both sides explained. There does seem to be the normal slight disinclination toward technology -- "Clankers" as opposed to something more positive and their hinting of religious conservative fear of Darwinists' creations. The latter can be explained by the situation, but the former does annoy me a bit.
The achievements of the Darwinists seem unbelievable for the mere 100 years since Darwin's discovery, but my guess is the time was too perfect to pass up -- the setting of World War I gives Mr. Westerfeld the chance (which he takes full use of) to add a twist to the historic tension between the Allies and Axis.
The characters: The two main characters, Deryn/Dylan and Alek, switch POVs approximately every other chapter, but the transition is smoothly done. Despite Alek's often foolish mistakes, he is a smart character and acknowledges his mistakes; I really liked him. I didn't like Deryn as much -- by the end, she and her constant slang was getting on my nerves. The romance between the two is subtly and slow-moving, which works wonderfully for the situation. I expect things will continue in the next few books (though it always interests me when there's a romance between a girl disguised as a boy and another boy geared toward a mainstream audience (think Disney) -- how can an author develop the trust and attraction needed without making it slashy?). The side characters are almost as fleshed out as the main characters, which is a rare occurrence -- one that I really liked.
The plot: unlike most novels that try to incorporate political intrigue and that end up losing/boring me, I followed this one easily and really enjoyed it (probably because of the historical basis). The illustrations also helped -- when the description became too complex for my un-steampunk-geared brain, there would be a handy visual to help me get a clearer picture! The pictures were all fantastic and beautifully done. The map on the cover is also very uniquely designed, but the coloring of the different countries makes it a little hard to distinguish between them.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel -- even as a steampunk-illiterate reader -- and look forward to the sequel.