Book number eight finds us on the eve of the First World War. Eighth in a series of fifteen.
Westerfeld, Scott (2009). Leviathan. NY: Simon & Schuster. 434 pages.
Summary and evaluation: In Leviathan the setting is as much the attraction as the characters and plot, or at least it was for me. Westerfeld’s book is a mashup of steampunk and alternate history. The story begins on the eve of the First World War, something I appreciated. Not only do I have an afore-mentioned interest in that time period, but while there are already plenty of stories set in alternate timeline of the American Civil War and WWII, off the top of my heads I can’t think of any set in a re-imagined version of the Great War. The Allies are known as the Darwinists, so-called because in this world Darwin not only discovered evolution but also DNA – DNA that is manipulated to create war machines, like the huge dirigible Leviathan created from the genes of whales. The Central Powers, known as the Clankers, have no truck with genetic experimentation, instead relying on giant, steam-powered robots and ‘Land Dreadnoughts’ – basically Edwardian mecha. Westerfeld’s vision is further brought to life by Keith Thompson’s many illustrations in Leviathan; apparently Westerfeld not only worked closely with Thompson on design but in order to maintain closer control of the pictures also paid for his services with his own money, not the publisher’s.
I found the two main protagonists to be pretty stock characters. (Maybe this will change in future volumes as Leviathan is the first book in a projected trilogy. I might also add that the secondary characters are plenty interesting. Aleksandar’s loyal retainers in particular put me in mind of Paul Atreides’ teachers in Dune.) Aleksandar Ferdinand is the son of the murdered Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie. Now fleeing from enemies in his own family and forced into hiding, he is learning about life without privilege and coming into contact with ‘common people’ for the first time in his young life. Should Aleksandar be discovered and captured, death is a likely fate. Deryn Sharp is a plucky young girl who has enlisted in the British Air Service, disguised as a Midshipman Dylan Sharp. She’s enjoying the freedom and adventure of the Service – freedom and adventure that will be taken away if her true identity is discovered. Deryn and Aleksandar eventually meet, adding a prince-and the-pauper vibe to the dual coming-of-age-stories. Hopefully the next two books will do something more interesting with these two characters. Each faces death, literal or figurative, if their disguise is breached, so how will they come clean with each other? (Like Montmorency, the question of identity figures prominently in Leviathan.) Deryn’s growing feelings for Aleksandar only complicate the situation. And any sort of return to ‘normalcy’, that is to say how things are at the very beginning of the novel, would result in the characters being separated by an enormous social gulf.
Booktalk hook: I think I would emphasize the two very different but very cool visions of technology represented by each character.