A review by decafplease
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
5.0
The trilogy should definitely be made into a movie one day, because in Behemoth not only do we see giant elephantines made out of metal plates and spikes, we also see the returning Leviathan the colossal flying whale that contains an ecosystem inside its belly, metal-eating bats and mussels, diving suit with a living organism as its breather, the kraken-like behemoth that has genes of numerous species including some extinct prehistoric animals or the giant octopus, and of course, there is the perspicacious loris! To be honest I've been hoping to see a griffin or a dragon, and then out pops this little lemur with large, innocent eyes. Still, it has won me over.
There is a lot of action, probably more than what appears in the first book. Deryn is a natural at whatever she does, whether it's climbing down a rampaging elephantine or maneuvering in the enemy's territory in the dark to plant those vitriolic sea-pests.
It's not a book that you read for, I don't know, character development, internal conflict, or scenic prospects (even though it is set in a very colourful capital city Istanbul)...it's very action-packed and full of visual descriptions about what kind of Darwinian/mechanic beasts are causing complete chaos, which is why it'll make an awesome movie but a lousy read if you're expecting anything else.
Next they're going to Japan. Woohoo!
And before I forget, I loooove the illustrations and maps by Keith Thompson. I only wish there were more! And even though I'm not familiar with the the events and details of the first world war, I've read enough to know that Westerfeld is very much at ease at making tweaks to ensure that the war is progressing in a much more positive way. Oh. Another thing, now that they're off to Asia it looks like there's no chance I'll get to see the genetically engineered bears of Russia...they look pretty fearsome on the map. It looks like it can take down a tank with one swipe of its mighty claw. Raww.
There is a lot of action, probably more than what appears in the first book. Deryn is a natural at whatever she does, whether it's climbing down a rampaging elephantine or maneuvering in the enemy's territory in the dark to plant those vitriolic sea-pests.
It's not a book that you read for, I don't know, character development, internal conflict, or scenic prospects (even though it is set in a very colourful capital city Istanbul)...it's very action-packed and full of visual descriptions about what kind of Darwinian/mechanic beasts are causing complete chaos, which is why it'll make an awesome movie but a lousy read if you're expecting anything else.
Next they're going to Japan. Woohoo!
And before I forget, I loooove the illustrations and maps by Keith Thompson. I only wish there were more! And even though I'm not familiar with the the events and details of the first world war, I've read enough to know that Westerfeld is very much at ease at making tweaks to ensure that the war is progressing in a much more positive way. Oh. Another thing, now that they're off to Asia it looks like there's no chance I'll get to see the genetically engineered bears of Russia...they look pretty fearsome on the map. It looks like it can take down a tank with one swipe of its mighty claw. Raww.