Friends, I have been trying to review this awesome series by Scott Westerfeld since I finished listening to the audiobooks in quick succession last summer, but I’ve never been able to get the right words out for how much I loved them all. Maybe it was something to do with Alan Cumming’s narration (it was amazing). Maybe it was something to do with Deryn Sharp (one of the legit best characters EVER). Maybe it was the alternate history or the friendship between Alek and Deryn. All of those things together and more made this one of the best series I never thought I’d read but am so incredibly glad I did.
Series Name: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld (web | twitter)
Publisher: Simon Pulse (print), Simon & Schuster Audio (audio)
Number of Books: 3
Titles: LEVIATHAN | BEHEMOTH | GOLIATH
Scott Westerfeld’s series is a steampunk/alternate history retelling of World War I. Deryn Sharp is a young Scottish girl who wants to enlist in the Air Service, but has to pretend to be a boy to do so. Alek is Prince Aleksander of Austria-Hungary. He’s on the run from the Germans and he winds up crossing paths with Deryn. They travel the world together in an effort to stop the war and amazing things happen!
Also, important world-building note: the Germans are known as Clankers because they have engineered a vast and varied array of machines to help them win the war against the British, aka Darwinists, who rely on some pretty extraordinary natural evolution in their war effort (animals!). This AMAAAAZINGGG illustration by Keith Thompson helps:
So, quick little background: I don’t usually read steampunk. Couldn’t really tell you why, except that I’m not usually that into gears and cogs and machines etc., so I always put it off. One year at BEA, however, Scott Westerfeld was signing GOLIATH ARCs and my friend loved the series so I got one as well with the intention of starting the whole series. The alternate history angle appealed to me greatly, and my friend’s recommendation was enough for me. Fast forward to last summer. I still hadn’t gotten to this series like I’d planned. When I saw the audiobooks on Audible and noticed that Alan Cumming narrated them, I immediately used up some credits and got down to listening to them. BEST. DECISION.
Listening to an excellent audiobook of a great story is like getting an extra dose of awesomeness. There’s so much to love about this series. I’ll be honest: There were times when the mechanical things didn’t quite get me super excited, but I just really loved the story and the characters and the narration.
Deryn Sharp is amazing. I know I mentioned it already, but it’s really the truth. She’s smart and plucky and has some serious lady stones. She wants to join the Air Service, so she does, despite the danger she could be in if anyone discovered that she was a she. Deryn works her way into important roles on her airships through sheer determination and confidence. I love her beyond words.
Her friendship with Alek is also outstanding. They support each other and look out for one another and are loyal. Their relationship really is a wonderful friendship for most of this series, and even when it changes, it does so really organically and with a really strong foundation. Big fan of them.
Despite all of these awesome things, I have to give lots of credit for my enjoyment of these books to the narration. Alan Cumming is an outstanding narrator. He does amazing accents and voices, his delivery is perfect, and he really brought this outstandingly clever and interesting world to life. I want to listen to him read ALL THE THINGS.
Scott Westerfeld really knocked one out of the part with the Leviathan series, for me. The way he created this world that we kind of know but not was so impressive. I’m always impressed by alternate histories because, for me anyway, I’m always really wary of an author changing something willy nilly just because they can. And I guess authors can do that anyway. But even then, sometimes those things still ring false even in the context of the new history the author created. That never happens here. I really can’t recommend these books–and the audio in particular–enough. Three cheers for reading outside your comfort zone!
I’ve also been meaning to read this series for forever and keep putting it off. I don’t know if I really have a thing against steampunk per se, but I just haven’t found many steampunk titles that really appeal to me. This one, though, I did borrow from my library and everything but the first few pages felt kind of…childish for me? Like maybe it’s on the low end of YA? Not really a good reason to put it down, perhaps. But oh well.
I do love my females dressing up as guys though. And fighting females in general. And alternate histories. This sounds like such a fantastically rendered alternate history. I really do need to try this one again soon! 🙂
If you are looking for other steampunk recs, I would recommend Kate Elliot’s Spiritwalker series. I’ve only read the first but it was another really well done alternate history (Victorian era England, I think?) and features an amazing female friendship.