Leviathan

By: Scott Westerfeld

Narrated by: Alan Cumming

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. The Leviathan is a living airship, the most formidable airbeast in the skies of Europe.

Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way - taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever.

©2009 Scott Westerfeld (P)2009 SImon & Schuster

...brilliant story and excellent performance...

Leviathan is a wonderful tale of an Austrian prince (Alek) and an English girl posing as a boy (Deryn/Dylan) so she can join the airforce. The fantastic creatures and machines just bring this story to the front of any line-up. I am reading the sequel (Behemoth) in hardcover and you just lose the personality of a lot of the characters. Alan Cummings voices are wonderful and bring the book to life. Darwinists follow the exaggerated work of Charles Darwin while the Clankers use futuristic war machines. Stormwalkers versus Elephantines, Air Beasts versus Land Frigates! Battles that should be in a movie! I love this book from start to finish.

This is a great book with a brilliant story and excellent performance.
5 stars overall for a wonderful story and performance.

Enjoy!

Great story for a young reader

Would you listen to Leviathan again? Why?

Yes, I enjoyed the imaginative story line, and the author has taken care to expand the story to include information needed to make this alternative universe understandable.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I like stories about young women who are self possessed and confident, and the main character in this story is believable.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I really enjoyed the interplay between all of the characters. The story line was simple and uncomplicated, but very imaginative. This is a story for young people, about young people interacting with the world. I can imagine just about any preadolescent or early teen girl getting into the story, and what appears to be the series that will come from it.

Any additional comments?

If you have a preteen girl who is imaginative, and I believe that most are, and you do not object to feeding her imagination, this would be a good choice for her. Young men will likely enjoy it as well.

Barking spiders, but this is awesome!

Oh man, when I picked this up I had no idea what FUN I was getting into. Alan Cumming has by far and away delivered one of the absolute best performances I have experienced with Audible. This book and its sequels are packed with witty dialog (full of accents!) and tons of action and Alan Cumming narrates with such enthusiasm and skill that you just can't help but be drawn into all of it.

Aside from the narration, I absolutely love every bit of the story itself. As another reviewer states, you've got to get the physical copy to enjoy the illustrations if you're a fan, but there's so much to love here even without the eye candy -- clever characters you want to root for, a fascinating spin on real-world history, and of course, the beasties and contraptions. This is a wonderful specimen of alternate history and the steampunk genre, with a squick of romance thrown in. It is marketed as a young-adult series and there's definitely nothing wrong or inappropriate with that, but I'm an adult and I enjoyed the hell out of it. This series is top of my list, not just for Audiobooks, but for books in general. Do not miss out!

a compelling twist on history

Loved it! Imaginative and inventive. Voice acting well done. looking forward to the next book!

I love this book

This is such a great book I also have the hardcover, which I recommend if you want to see all the amazing illustrations. Great read for YA and even adults, there is something for everyone.

Took me a while

I started reading this a year or so ago and quit after the second chapter. Just didn't grab me. I got it on audible on sale and decided to give it another try, and am glad I did. really enjoyed it this time through.

Being a girl in a boys world could be tough....

Once again, Scott Westerfeld takes you into a world you'll seldom forget! Being a fan of the "Uglies" series, my expectations were quite high and I was not.for.a.moment. disappointed! Message lizards- that are able to not only relay your words verbatim, but also IN YOUR OWN VOICE?! A ship that's.....alive?? Giant jellyfish that can be used to take you on as if you were in a hot air balloon??!
I thoroughly enjoyed that this story, as fictional as it was still held some remarkable truths about the war, which the author, at the end of the book explains to his readers. All in all a GREAT START to AN AMAZING SERIES

A new favorite

Alan Cumming's narration was perfection! He is definitely in my top picks for narrators along with John Lee and Jim Dale.

Another great Westerfeld book!

I really enjoyed the The Uglies series, and this book did not disappoint. A little difficult to understand the "beasties" in the beginning of the book, but by the middle it all made sense. I'm starting the second book in the series right away.

loved it

I read this book in high school and never got to read the second but now I have my chance :)