Behemoth

By: Scott Westerfeld

Narrated by: Alan Cumming

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.

Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory.

Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead.

©2010 Scott Westerfeld (P)2010 Simon and Schuster Audio

Good part 2

Would you consider the audio edition of Behemoth to be better than the print version?

Narration by Alan Cumming was great. He gave real life to all the characters and I especially enjoyed the posh British voices.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the continuation of the story. I wish that I didn't have to read three books to finish one story, but I will read the next one to get to the completion.

Which scene was your favorite?

All the descriptions of the 'beasties' were fascinating and so well imagined.

The Adventure Continues!

Here continues the engaging adventure that began in Leviathan...Aleks, Deryn and the others are vivid and winning characters. The writing is intelligent and informative but does not forget a sense of humor! Superb narration by Alan Cumming

This Series is fantastic

I remember when I was a kid, Scott Westerfeld visited my middle school to promote Leviathan, I wasn’t able to buy the book and recently I have the entire series and I love his work from being a steam punk, bio punk, and alternate history it’s fantastic I absolutely love these stories I will keep reading and hearing these stories
Awesome Work Mr. Westerfeld

Compelling somehow

What made the experience of listening to Behemoth the most enjoyable?

Alan Cumming is the one of the best narrators. He brings life and interest and accents to the characters that wouldn't be there either way.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Behemoth?

All I can really think of was when Dillon/Deryn was messing with the kraken nets. Like, how crazy is that, just in general.

Have you listened to any of Alan Cumming’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I heard the first book in this series read by Alan and he is just excellent.

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

I like how awesome and strong Dillon/Deryn is. She's just great and is always trying to do her best.

Any additional comments?

It's such a weird but familiar story. It's a good time.

enjoyed the Steampunk universe and the performance

of the reader! The Shakespearean character switchs we're most amusing. Well done all . . . top marks.

Return to familiar territory

Like the 1st book, this middle of the trilogy has an ok story with good characters, a great world, and fantastic narration. The story waxes and wanes but the narration never does; it's consistently top-notch.

I would call this book necessary. There's a clear cohesive story arc and this middle volume is needed to get there, but it's less interesting than the first. Still, I respect that this is indeed 3 parts of 1 story and not just tacked-on sequels. I finished Behemoth and immediately fired-up book 3. I'm very interested in how the story will end.

Another great book!

This book is an amazing sequel to the first book Leviathan. The writing is as flawless as the first book. It is wonderful to see how the characters develop and change without ever changing their core being, Scott Westerfeld did an incredible job of this. The descriptions of the new locations and technology we see, and are introduced to, are stunning. I really enjoyed the characters’ reactions to each new location and event as well. Overall just incredible writing and story telling.

I loved Scott Westerfeld’s afterward where he ties the events to the real life, historic events.

Alan Cumming’s narration remains flawless.

Good continuation

If you're looking for some good young adult reading material, this is a fine series. Westerfield's setting is a re-imagining of the world at the time of World War I, but with the two sides armed with fantastical steampunk technology. The British and their Darwinist allies use fabricated (genetically engineered) creatures, such as living airships, while the Clanker Germans and Austrians rely on sophisticated machinery.

Behemoth, the second book in the series, continues at the same rolicking pace as the first, this time in the Ottoman capital of Istanbul. The story's two protagonists, a young British airman (who is actually a girl in disguise) and a deposed teenage heir to Austria's throne, are both appealing characters, and play off one another in a fun way. Westerfield does a decent job of blending the real-life history of World War I with his own world creation, using the ideological differences between the Darwinist and the Clanker powers as part of the story's backdrop (one wonders if his version of America, which apparently follows both paths, will feature in the next book). However, compared to its predecessor, this is a more straight-up adventure story, and I thought that a bit of the tragic historical resonance that I liked about Leviathan got lost among the gadgets and creatures.

Still, the young target audience is unlikely to mind. If you happen to be a parent looking for reading material for your children, there's no profanity or sex, and I can't say that the violence would get more than a PG rating. Also, the audiobook reader does a pretty good job with voices. His portrayal of Deryn's Scottish accent and Alek's Austrian one are now part of the charm for me.

Fun Flights, Flying and

Where does Behemoth rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Most fun audiobook I've listened to yet! The story sucked me in. I think any girl who's been underestimated can relate to Daryn.

What does Alan Cumming bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I loved his accents and voices! As each character spoke you heard not just their accents but the character. He was really playing about a dozen roles and he made them all come alive!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! I think I did :)

Excellent steam punk!

I was hooked with Leviathan and happy to write another positive review for book #2 in the series.