Leviathan

Locations
Call Number: Teen Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / Westerfeld, Scott
On Shelf At: Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Traverwood Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / Westerfeld, Scott	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / Westerfeld, Scott	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Fiction / Science Fiction / Westerfeld, Scott	4-week checkout	Due 04-29-2024

Map on lining papers.
In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

School Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Fiction Profile
Excerpt
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Great read! submitted by Veroni2 on June 22, 2011, 3:46pm throughout this whole book there wasnt a page that was boring. Every page brought a new surprise and never-ending action.

AWESOMENESS!!! submitted by janaejwhite on July 1, 2011, 2:46pm I loved the book and could not put it down. The pictures in it are great and theres a cool plot. Continue reading the other books in the series; you won't regret it!

Wow! submitted by Lillie Schneyer on July 7, 2011, 6:12pm Leviathan is in a fairly unique genre- it is a real historical event place in a science fiction world. The events of WW1 are mostly accurate, however, and this book is a great way to get a basic idea of it, and actually remember it, unlike some things you learn in history class. This book also is a very exciting adventure story, and you find yourself getting caught up rooting for the main characters. It's a fantastic read and I would highly recommend it.

Awesome submitted by foxridgect on July 9, 2011, 10:50am Leviathan is a awesome book full of action and adventure. I could never put this book down, and I look forward to the next books!

terrific submitted by Memoria1224 on July 12, 2012, 2:16pm This book is awesome! There's so much action and suspense in it!

great submitted by michael007 on July 4, 2013, 7:28am The book "Leviathan" is great and energetic!

Very Interesting submitted by Bookbird on July 19, 2014, 11:37am It's a great way to learn some WW1 facts, and the machine vs fabricated animals make it easily memorable.

Victorian martyrdom? submitted by torikaebaya on February 4, 2017, 12:14pm Given the enormously high ratings conveyed to Leviathan (the highest score among the highest number of reviews among 300 Steampunk works on Goodreads), it is difficult to go into reading this piece without real expectations. The overall setting and tone of Leviathan fits nicely into the Steampunk cannon. The characters are real and it’s easy to grasp their motivations. “Levi” (a workable nickname given that the story centers on levitation)’s themes center on survival, courage (with the complementary element of risking your own life to save another) and understanding one’s enemy. Although I would make a case for Levi being an alternate history story, Westerfeld went to a lot of trouble in his afterword to point out how true to history he has kept the actual events surrounding the war to end all wars. As a piece of young adult lit, Levi works brilliantly to engage, challenge and pleasure the tween-to-teen segment. I was able to blow through it in one week (during grad school) but I’m sure it would go much faster for a younger reader who wouldn’t be stopping every few pages to look up esoteric bits in Wikipedia.

That being said, I think Levi is far from being a perfect story. There were numerous points at which I had to stop reading, as its masculinity and chauvinism were overwhelming. One of our two narrators is female divorced from any feminine qualities beyond a sense of adventure and fairness. Yet, this isn’t a transgender story (though it could easily have been if Westerfeld hadn’t been shooting for a bestseller)—I take issue with the thought of girls conforming to a masculine identity (which is truly what Deryn does) to follow their dream. There is even a point where it feels like Deryn is jealous of her fellow soldiers’ need for shaving, which isn’t couched in any true transgender identity. From page one Deryn throws away all of her female traits as superfluous and detracting from her masculine persona (which then causes one to wonder why there are no feminine or gay men among her Majesty’s airmen. Where’s Klinger?).

But to add insult to injury, (view spoiler). The attraction feels utterly fabricated, bordering on mindless Victorian martyrdom as Deryn basically shrugs off the life she’s built for herself as a man. I was truly disgusted and mystified by this choice. Besides which, I really wanted to see girls swooning for Deryn, but I guess that too would have been too left-leaning for a YA bestseller. Obviously it would be the height of moral depravity for Deryn to take pride in her gender identity.

Alternative World War I submitted by KatieD on August 19, 2021, 12:19pm Scott Westerfeld creates a world where evolution and machines are pitted against each other in an unexpected and creative way. Darwinism and evolution have been used to create great creatures that act as transportation and war vessels. On the other hand, another group has developed highly advanced machines. The story follows a young Darwinist and a young Clanker as warm looms. I really like the world-building and steam punk elements of the story. I also really appreciate the WWI backdrop, since I feel that it's more unique than Victorian London or WWII.