Westerfeld, Scott: Behemoth
Behemoth (2010)
Written by: Scott Westerfeld
Illustrated by: Keith Thompson
Genre: YA/Steampunk/Alternate History
Pages: 485 (Hardcover)
Series: Book Two
Why I Read It: after the surprising, wonderfully fun read of Leviathan, how could I not continue this series? It's a helluva lot of fun, and with Keith Thompson's continued illustrations, I simply couldn't say no. It was a Christmas gift too, and I'm trying to make a better effort of reading sequels instead of stand-alones and/or starts of series so those can be reserved for book club nominations. Behemoth came at the perfect time!
The premise: ganked from BN.com: The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker Powers.
Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.
Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what’s ahead.
Review style: two sections, what I liked and what I didn't, but let's be honest, there's not much I didn't like. Short and sweet and no spoilers, so feel free to keep reading; HOWEVER, I don't recommend reading this review if you haven't yet read Leviathan. Skip forward to "My Rating" if that is indeed the case.
Thumbs Up:
BIG YAY for the continued use of illustrations, though I did miss the inside map we had from Leviathan. The inside illustration was still compelling though, and rendered pretty much as it's described in the book, which is pretty cool.
But let's focus on the book: I'm still totally enamored with the narrative voice and the vernacular of Deryn, who remains my favorite character because she's so colorful, sharp (ha!) and witty. Such a great character, and it's awesome to see her thinking on her toes to save the day.
I also found myself fascinated by the political conflicts within Istanbul, especially at the start, when we meet sultan and his statue (the illustration of which was breathtaking). I loved the metaphor behind the whole thing, as well as the shock of the scene as it doesn't play out according to Dr. Barlow's plans. I did, however, feel quite sorry for the egg.
Speaking of eggs, there's a new creature to love! Bovril is a great addition to the cast, and I look forward to seeing how this creature (and its sibling) end up effecting the overall tale.
I commend Westerfeld for taking risks with his narrative as well. Between the threat to his characters, which always felt real and never contrived, to the kiss more Deryn received at the end, I quite emotionally engaged. While never quite choked up in some places, I was quite moved to sympathy, and many sections (like the previously mentioned kiss) had me barking with laughter!
Thumbs Down:
I had a brief The Golden Compass moment on page 54 when Deryn is thinking about the fighting bears of Russia. It made me immediately think of such polar bears in Pullman's book, and I don't know if the similarity is a nod to Pullman or part of a mythology that I'm simply not aware of. Either way, it was the briefest of distractions, and really, the only thing I can think of to cite as an issue that I had with the book. Woot!
Wait, a few more little things:
1) I was slightly irritated when Alek was under suspicion, despite my understanding of political tensions. Said suspicion did nothing for me, though it did bring Deryn and Alek closer, so maybe that's a plus?
2) Because Alek's in the situation he's in, he's definitely got a lot in his head and on his shoulders. That said, I sometimes found his narrative dragging, but that's probably because I like Deryn so much that when she isn't in the scene, there's an obvious lack of spark, you know? Still, Alek's scenes with Deryn are much more fun. :)
My Rating
Must Read: I will note, however, that this is a direct continuation of Leviathan, and it is not a book you can read without having read its predecessor, or you'll be a bit lost in regards to the differing sides and who's doing what and why. So if you haven't read Leviathan, go forth and read so you can hurry to this one, because it's a lot of fun. Not only is a fast, enjoyable read, but it's filled with such wonderful little details that I can't possibly list them all, other than to say I'm thoroughly engrossed in Westerfeld's world-building, as well as his alternate history (kudos for including the afterward that differentiates fact from fiction), and Deryn is simply a character to celebrate. I look forward to the conclusion of this trilogy, and I'm wicked glad I gave this series a shot. So far, it's been more than worth it.
Preferred Format: Okay, here's the first appearance of a new category. Why? Because currently, you can only get this book in hardcover or as an e-book. And this is tricky: on one hand, this book is HEAVY because they use NICE paper. It's also slightly awkwardly sized in terms of height, so between that and the weight, it's tempting to tell people to get this as an e-book. HOWEVER, the hardback is gorgeous. I've not seen how this looks on an e-book, but I can't imagine the illustrations coming through very clearly, and for those illustrations that are a two-page spread, you're really not going to get the full effect. Then there's the inner cover designs, which just invite the reader to come back to over and over and stare and marvel. These are beautiful hardcovers, and if you find you love the story, I think that despite the size and weight of the book, the hardcover is well worth it.
Cover Commentary: Okay, I really despise these new covers. Admittedly, I wasn't hugely fond of Leviathan's original cover either, but the new design makes me cringe a little. Partially because my covers no longer match. Partially because I don't need a face on the cover when I have illustrations inside. And partially because I honestly think they're ugly, but oh well. I'm not the target audience, and hopefully, these covers pull in the target audience a bit better.
EDIT: 3/5/11: COVER UPDATE: Scott Westerfeld posted the image of what the Behemoth cover WOULD'VE looked like if not for the change. Click here. Does anyone else feel the need to cry?
Next up: Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr