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

Engaging story

Alan Cumming does a magnificent job giving unique voices to all of the characters, and the author provides us with a story that is never boring.

great alternate history

this is a worthy sequel to Leviathan. I especially appreciate the narrator making each voice distinct, so I know who is talking when. I like the way the characters are growing, while remaining true to the core of who they are. it's quite a fun listen.

strong second entry

A relaxing read where you don't worry terribly about the safety of the protagonists too much. just a fun story in general.

I also greatly appreciate the author speaking about the real history at the end of each book

Alan Cumming's storytelling draws you right in!

I just finished this book, the second in the series of three, and I wish there were others set in this alternate world. A really imaginative and interesting world that still has me wanting more. I'm ready to move on from this WWI setting but I have enjoyed it. Alan Cumming's accents and lively storytelling have added immensely to this audio book.
I want to hear what America, Australia and other parts of the world are doing with Clanker and Darwinist technology in other stories!
On to the next one.....

Decent bridge

A couple interesting twists and some fun additions, but slogged at moments. Certainly missed the atmosphere of the first novel.

So much action and adventure!

This whole series is amazing, and I can't say ENOUGH about Cumming's narration and Westerfeld's wit and light touch in regards to descriptors. Most often when author's create a world they feel obligated to the reader to explain *everything* and it can really bog down a story. Westerfeld does not suffer from this, and this series is a brilliant mix of action, adventure, stay true characters, and a gas bag of imagination. Wonderful listen that wouldn't have been nearly as good without Cumming's gaggle of voices in my ears. He's a master of accents and I couldn't imagine this book without him!

loved this book

i cant wait to listen to the next book in the series I love these books

This blew my mind.

Just read it. By all means, its the best book ive read this year. Im going to buy the third book rn!

More complications. More adventure. Well worth it!

In case you hadn't noticed this series revolves around a love story, but a bit of an odd one. No surprise there for a YA book. The friendship between Deryn and Alek that began in Leviathan has unleashed feelings of a more complicated nature... at least for one of them. Deryn still manages to keep her gender a secret from Alek, but not from all others. And despite the obvious direction her feelings are leading her she continues her ability to conceal that particular secret from even herself.

Oh, and the world is still at war too providing an opportunity for further excitement. This time around the Clankers and Darwinists vie for the allegiance of the Ottoman empire. Our intrepid heroes find themselves separated for a time pursuing their own paths as they try to find their own place in the world as anyone their age longs to. Inevitably their paths reunite them in Istanbul. Here Westerfeld decides to take a further detour from history and throw Deryn and Alek into a hotbed of revolution that just may lead the Ottomans down a different path from the one we read about in our history books. Ever the loyal midshipman, Deryn focuses on finding a way to use the events to fulfill her duty to king and country while staying loyal to her friends. Alek seeks an opportunity to use what resources are left to him to aid a cause he can believe in.

Their enterprises are exuberantly related yet again by Alan Cumming, still one of the best readers I have had the pleasure to listen to.

A different approach to science fiction

What did you like best about this story?

Living machines and reworked history....the concept was a little bizarre at first but it worked.

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

not all books can make the leap to audio and still work well. this one does. great reader.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nope.

Any additional comments?

Teen book that is a good adult read too.