I’ve always thought of books having to do with war as boring, tragic, and sad but let me tell you “Leviathan” is far from boring. This is one of the best books I have ever read, Sott Westerfeld didn’t make this boring at the slightest. I recommend this book to anyone who likes sci-fi master pieces. Although it is, after all, a long book, I think that sixth grade and up is the appropriate age group, but really anyone can read it, from child to adult.
The plot begins when Alex, Prince of Austria-Hungary in World War 1, is saved by his teacher and tutors, his only allies. They plan to hide him from the war by living in the Alps. Deryn a British girl disgused as a boy, Dylan, wants to join the air service. On board the “Leviathan”, they get attacked by Germans in the Alps right near where Alex plans to hide. The Leviathan gets shot down and is close to dying. Alex sees the British ship get shot down and wants to help without being noticed. He is warned not to by his teachers. Will Alex risk his only hiding place in order to save the enemy? Or will he stay put and risk the Germans coming back to finish the Leviathan?
This book is a steam-punk wonderland, with cross breeds of many sorts and mechanical contraptions. You will be amazed by the black and white illustrations by Keith Thompson. The characters seem real and are interesting to read about. It’s cleverly written, and the characters are always in action, keeping the story constantly in motion. I recommend this book to anyone; who knows maybe a second grader might enjoy it more than I did, which may not be possible! It is a great read!