Here's a great example of a book that I didn't know much about and completely impressed and surprised me in every way. An excellent depiction of "steampunk" (an alternate past where modern and even highly impressive possible future technologies coexist with all the trappings and restraint of the Victorian era), the book is a thrill from start to finish. The first of a trilogy, "Leviathan" breezes by and both satisfies and leaves the reader hungry for the next book in the series.
Loosely based on the actual history of the genesis of the "Great War," (World War One), "Leviathan" follows two disparate plot lines, that of young prince Alek who finds his entire life thrown into disarray after his parents are murdered, and Deryn, a girl who longs for nothing more than a military career, and who must disguise herself as a boy to make this possible. As the novel progresses, the two teens are drawn together in surprising and inevitable ways, perfectly laying the foundation for the later adventures in the trilogy.
Almost as compelling as the characters are the steampunk elements themselves. Massive "clanker" machines battle unbelievable, awe-inspiring "Darwinist" creatures - organic living beasts that have been genetically modified to be tools of society and war. The Leviathan of the book's title is a massive zeppelin-like airship comprised of over 100 species, including the body of a whale with countless modifications to make it useful as a flying fortress of war. Reading the descriptions of the massive ship are as awe-inspiring as the action itself.
A unique, creative vision of present and future meets past, "Steampunk" is a compelling genre, and "Leviathan" is a shining example of the best it has to offer.
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