Leviathan
Ratings90
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings90
Average rating3.7
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.
Featured Series
4 primary booksLeviathan is a 4-book series with 4 primary works first released in 1651 with contributions by Scott Westerfeld, Thomas Hobbes, and 11 others.
Reviews with the most likes.
3.5 stars, really. Quite a fun read, and the illustrations are lovely, but it's very juvenile (complete with made-up curse words). My 8-year-old would probably enjoy this more.
Like Jenn, I thought this was good but skews much younger than his intended teen audience. I'd say 10 and up. Also, the slang is funny and new at first and then really grates with overusage over time. But I did really like the concept and the illustrations.
Quel plaisir de lire un tel roman ! Du Steampunk comme je l'aime : divertissant, intéressant et inspiré de l'Histoire réelle.
Scott Westerfeld imagine ici une Première Guerre Mondiale dans laquelle les deux camps s'affrontent avec des technologies très différentes : mécaniques pour l'Allemagne et l'Autriche-Hongrie avec les machines géantes, biologiques pour l'Angleterre où les découvertes de Darwin sont allées beaucoup plus loin que dans la réalité et ont permis de concevoir des animaux géants capables de voler, tels des zeppelins vivants.
Dans ce cadre original et sympathique, l'auteur nous propose de deux le destin de deux adolescents : d'une part Aleksander, le fils de l'archiduc d'Autriche dont la mort à Sarajevo au début de l'été 1914 déclenche la guerre ; d'autre part Deryn Sharpe, une jeune fille qui se fait passer pour un garçon pour être recrutée au sein de l'armée britannique.
C'est rythmé, fun, plaisant à lire : un très bon moment de détente. La suite m'attend, avec le deuxième volume de la trilogie. J'y cours !
Full review at sff book review
I think I'm just not meant to understand hyped books. I've heard left, right, and center how great this trilogy is and how everybody loves it. It was cute, sure. But it was terribly lacking in character growth and even plot - so I don't see why people rave about it so much.
Maybe I am simply too old for YA literature?
That said, I did enjoy the second half of this book, when the story finally takes off, when we get to see more of the Leviathan, a great and original idea, by the way, that made the read well worth my while. Three stars only but I will read the rest of the series.
