Book Review/Flashback Friday #3- LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfeld

Flashback Friday was inspired while trying to figure out away to help spread the word about books that aren't new releases. This is a weekly post we'll doing that will include a review of a book that's been out for awhile or one that's been sitting on our shelves begging us to read it. Today's Flashback Friday is: LEVIATHAN

By: Scott Westerfeld

Published by: Simon Pulse

Released on: October 6th, 2009

Source: Bought

4.5 stars: I Really Enjoyed It

Purchase from: Simon & Schuster| Amazon| Barnes & Noble

It is the cusp of World War I. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ genetically fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet.

Aleksandar Ferdinand, a Clanker, and Deryn Sharp, a Darwinist, are on opposite sides of the war. But their paths cross in the most unexpected way, taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure….One that will change both their lives forever. -quoted from Simon & Schuster's site

Leviathan is a fabulous Steampunk read that has an engaging blend of history and futuristic possibilities that I thoroughly enjoyed. Scott Westerfeld has created a richly detailed, really intriguing world full of endless possibilities, extraordinary creatures, and unforgettable characters. I have no idea why this book has sat on my book shelf for so long.

I wish I had a fraction of the imagination skills of Scott Westerfeld. The things he conjures up are brilliant. The fact that was able to take pieces of history (WW1) and mix in some fantastical animals, inventive weapons, and bring in the theme of Darwinism and Clankers t0 create an entire story is just amazing to me. I'm a huge history fan and I really liked how Scott put a futuristic twist on the events surrounding WW1. I liked that he stayed true to some of the events while at the same time creating a unique story that was all his own.

The characters are fabulous and are split into groups, the Darwinist (Deryn's group) and the Clankers (Alek's group). I really enjoyed reading about Deryn and Alek and I loved how Scott wrote the story from both of their points of views. Deryn is a fabulously written heroine, who's disguised as a boy (I know, it's fabulous). She's a courageous, feisty, independent girl who proves that girls can do anything boys can do, and maybe better than. I of course immediately loved her for that. She definitely holds her own in this story.

Alek is quite the opposite. He's an aristocrat who's what you could call spoiled. He's likable, intelligent and he's someone who after a turn of events is forced to grow up rather quickly. I liked how he grew over the course of the story. Together these two characters do an amazing job at brining this fantastic story to life. It wasn't hard for me to become totally engaged with the storyline and incredible world Scott created. This is a book I really enjoyed and I recommend picking it up.