honeycomb_system's review against another edition
The science was too implausible and that kept pulling me out of the story. I mean, one of the first frankensteined creatures we see is a wolf-tiger hybrid and wolves and tigers can’t be combined into a single animal.
I also found the male protagonist, whose name I can’t remember, really annoying.
The story just didn’t grip me and there weren’t enough positives to make up for the negatives.
I also found the male protagonist, whose name I can’t remember, really annoying.
The story just didn’t grip me and there weren’t enough positives to make up for the negatives.
sc104906's review
4.0
Reworking of WWI as if their were robots fighting large dna-altered animals. Interesting fantasy concept. I did enjoy the novel.
caedocyon's review
4.0
I thought it was just another young adult book with a slightly interesting concept, but it turned out to be captivating and I read most of it in one sitting. Westerfeld has a way of doing that. He's also a first-class world builder.
scribesprite's review
4.0
The style came easily to me even if it is my first historical sci-fi book. I usually avoid sci-fi for the reason that they usually have long series. I read somewhere that there is a sequel to Leviathan but I forgot. I probably would've read the book anyway though because Deryn is a girl disguised as a boy and that in and of itself would hook me to almost any book.
Absolutely loved the whole Darwinist v. Clanker bit. The fact that Westerfeld really made it fit so easily without making everything overly complicated was greatly appreciated. I haven't read a book with pictures in it in a long long time and I have to say that I actually thought it was great. Usually when I struggle with creating images I just keep rereading it, but the drawings really helped and I could tell the illustrator thought through his illustrations.
The characters Deryn and Alek are well developed. At first I didn't like Alek because he seemed so immature for a 16 year old aristocrat but he grows throughout the book. Deryn’s point of view is what I was looking forward to and she is what I hoped she would be. She is tough and smart even without the education that Alek has. Alek’s immaturity lessens and his feelings of entitlement do too. As the book progressed I could like both characters equally. I also enjoyed the secondary characters: some are funny, some are just so darn loyal, and some are mysterious.
But I couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that these two characters seem younger than 15 and 16. The book was more juvenile than I thought it would be -though that alone probably would not have stopped me from giving it 5 stars. The truth is that I really have no other complaints, it just didn't grip me completely. But I'm definitely going to read the sequel. I just gotta know...
Absolutely loved the whole Darwinist v. Clanker bit. The fact that Westerfeld really made it fit so easily without making everything overly complicated was greatly appreciated. I haven't read a book with pictures in it in a long long time and I have to say that I actually thought it was great. Usually when I struggle with creating images I just keep rereading it, but the drawings really helped and I could tell the illustrator thought through his illustrations.
The characters Deryn and Alek are well developed. At first I didn't like Alek because he seemed so immature for a 16 year old aristocrat but he grows throughout the book. Deryn’s point of view is what I was looking forward to and she is what I hoped she would be. She is tough and smart even without the education that Alek has. Alek’s immaturity lessens and his feelings of entitlement do too. As the book progressed I could like both characters equally. I also enjoyed the secondary characters: some are funny, some are just so darn loyal, and some are mysterious.
But I couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that these two characters seem younger than 15 and 16. The book was more juvenile than I thought it would be -though that alone probably would not have stopped me from giving it 5 stars. The truth is that I really have no other complaints, it just didn't grip me completely. But I'm definitely going to read the sequel. I just gotta know...
aigra's review
3.0
This was recommended to me because "you'll love the airship and the Star Wars-y technology" ... and I did actually. I didn't care much for the story (alternate history of the WWI "prequel") or the characters though. It's one of these books that makes me wonder if the story came almost as an afterthought. Like, the author had so much fun creating his world that he only later noticed that it needs a good story to turn the ideas into a book ...
kblincoln's review
5.0
Deryn/Dylan enters the British airforce in an alternate history just before the outbreak of WW II. Only Deryn's airforce isn't comprised of airplanes, but an eco-system composed of part whale, part hydrogen-farting bacteria, bats, and bees.
And the Germans Deryn's fighting have massive six-legged walking machines at their disposal.
The character of Deryn is layered and believable, her foil the orphaned son of Archduke Ferdinand, is noble and fallible, and the reimagined world just keeps making me smile as we delve deeper into how the "Darwinists" use gene manipulation to power their world, and the "Clankers" wage war with walking machines.
Great. I can't wait for the next in the series. Totally cool.
And the Germans Deryn's fighting have massive six-legged walking machines at their disposal.
The character of Deryn is layered and believable, her foil the orphaned son of Archduke Ferdinand, is noble and fallible, and the reimagined world just keeps making me smile as we delve deeper into how the "Darwinists" use gene manipulation to power their world, and the "Clankers" wage war with walking machines.
Great. I can't wait for the next in the series. Totally cool.
librovert's review against another edition
3.0
Leviathan is no great feat of literature and definitely falls on the younger end of the YA spectrum, but it was a fun adventure none the less.
I thought the alternate-history was well crafted and adored the imaginative ideas behind the Darwinist's fabricated animals, especially the Leviathan which is an entire ecosystem in and of itself.
Keith Thompson's illustrations were a welcome addition to the book. There aren't so many that it distracted, but I liked the nudge in the right direction for visualizing some of Westerfeld's more bizarre creations.
Definitely going to finish out the trilogy.
I thought the alternate-history was well crafted and adored the imaginative ideas behind the Darwinist's fabricated animals, especially the Leviathan which is an entire ecosystem in and of itself.
Keith Thompson's illustrations were a welcome addition to the book. There aren't so many that it distracted, but I liked the nudge in the right direction for visualizing some of Westerfeld's more bizarre creations.
Definitely going to finish out the trilogy.
trankin's review
4.0
A creative book about what WWI could have been like if Darwin would have discovered DNA and put it into practice. The story is based on some historical facts combined with the authors imagination. My 11 year-old really liked it.
karissakate's review
4.0
I love Scott Westerfeld. This series holds all the excitement of the Uglies series with an incredibly creative take on history. I highly recommend this to readers of Kenneth Oppel's Matt Cruise series and vice versa.
amysutton's review
4.0
I actually really really loved this and I'm not completed sure why but I'm definitely not fighting it. I really enjoyed the idea of the alternative history. Others have said that the book had too much description about how the machines were built/used, but I love that it had so much explanation and development for the universe. The characters were interesting and the plot was very intriguing.
The only complaint I really have is that I feel like the book could have been condensed a bit more. Scott Westerfield is notorious for leaving cliff hangers, and obviously this is the first of a series so it's to be expected. I still felt like there could have been a *bit* more resolution.
**spoiler alert**
I'm also really excited to see where Deryn and Alek's relationship goes. I think it's such an interesting dynamic that Deryn is disguised as a boy, but she's starting to have feelings for Alek. That's hopefully going to lead to some deliciously awkward scenarios and confessions.
The only complaint I really have is that I feel like the book could have been condensed a bit more. Scott Westerfield is notorious for leaving cliff hangers, and obviously this is the first of a series so it's to be expected. I still felt like there could have been a *bit* more resolution.
**spoiler alert**
I'm also really excited to see where Deryn and Alek's relationship goes. I think it's such an interesting dynamic that Deryn is disguised as a boy, but she's starting to have feelings for Alek. That's hopefully going to lead to some deliciously awkward scenarios and confessions.