Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Leviathan (Leviathan, #1)

by Scott Westerfeld

The year is 1914 and Europe, armed with futuristic machines and biotechnology, is on the precipice of war. Prince Aleksandar is fleeing for his life, having discovered that his parents have been assassinated and that he is now a target for the Clanker Powers, a group determined to take over the globe with their mechanical machinery. They will stop at nothing to get what they want, so Alek knows his only choice is to keep on running. When he meets Deryn Sharpe, an orphan girl who has disguised herself as a boy so she can to join the British Air Service, they form an uneasy, but necessary, alliance. But the pair will soon discover that their emerging friendship will dramatically change their lives and the entire course of the Great World War...

Reviewed by leahrosereads on

4 of 5 stars

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Wowzers! OK first off, there’s quite a bit of info dumping in this book, and normally I hate that, but I was so fascinated by this alternate history, that I didn’t mind it at all.

In fact, I was happy with all the information that Westerfeld was tossing my way.

LEVIATHAN is an alternate history surrounding following World War I starting in 1914. It follows two protagonists, Prince Aleksander (heir(ish) to the Austrian-Hungarian throne) and Deryn Sharp, a commoner who joins the British Air Service...in disguise...as a boy, because girls couldn’t join the service at the time.


The War is just starting with the Germans having struck first, and both sides are preparing for battle. However, this world has a bunch of new crazy technologies that are insane, incredible, and just things that I really kind of want in real life. Now.

One side (Germans, Austrian-Hungarian, etc.) have Clankers. It’s high-tech machinery that is large, loud, and really freaking powerful.

The other side (the British) have fabricated creatures. In this world, Darwin has discovered and opened up new technologies using DNA, animals, and engineering to create some really spectacular creations. The Darwinists continue to advance this technology, and from the Leviathan (a fabricated creature that uses whales and creates a new ecosystem - also what Deryn is on throughout the book) to the Huxleys (fabrications using jellyfish and used as kind of air-rides for scouts), they all just sound amazing.


Deryn and Alek’s journeys are very different, and being on different sides of this upcoming War, that’s completely understandable.

When they finally meet though, that’s when I feel like the book really gets going (and it is near the end of the book).

LEVIATHAN definitely reads as the first book in a series. There’s a lot of build-up for the plot, characters, and settings, but, there’s enough going on during this book, that I didn’t mind all of the world building.


I would definitely recommend giving this book a try, and I can’t wait to continue the series. I really want to know where Deryn and Alek’s friendship goes, what Dr. Barlow’s mission is, and what other beasties and clanker creations there are in future books.

I know that this isn’t a great review, but I really didn’t want to give too much away. However, I do think it’s worth looking into.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 8 January, 2015: Finished reading
  • 8 January, 2015: Reviewed